The USDC 30th Event! - 30 Year Old Malts... 5 of them... Seriously

       Well, not often will I publish a quick turn around review, but last night stuck me as something special.  If you happened to be watching my twitter feed, you will have noted a few very interesting and rather old bottles appear.  This is attributed to the 30th event for The United Scotch Drinkers of Canada.  It was decided that the group would celebrate in style, and source a list of 30 year old malts -  and what transpired was nothing less than a stellar night.

     First up, the USDC:  A group of like minded men and women who started a tasting group made up of friends who enjoy whisky.  What started with tasting of basic blended malts and learning the distiller's lingo has since been transformed into locating some of the most sought after bottlings possible.  This typically results in some collectors crying their eyes out as we wrench open the tops on whisky that is oft deemed too rare to drink.  On the other hand, as an malt enthusiast, this allows an opprtunity  to try whiskies that are far outside the acceptable price range or almost impossible to find.  Let's delve into our opening dram...

Weymss Inchgower 1982 (Pears and Almonds, 46% ABV, NCA/NCF):

• Colour:  Light amber, almost honey coloured.
• Body:  Thin, but leaning towards the oily side.  Drops form at a medium rate and fall at the same leisurely pace.
• Nose:  Soft perfume notes begetting white floral notes and soft roasted almond.  As it develops, almond becomes toasted and a little brash.  Soft malt and sweet marzipan round out into a creamy sort of nose.  The floral seems vaguely 80's Bowmore.
• Palate:  Milky soft and creamy, malt sweetness and more floaral notes.  There's n odd note in here though, maybe herbal almost sharp that I can't quite figure.  Mashed banana and sweet custard in the bottom, but the violet notes start to take over the mid-palate.  Towards the end there is a very interesting chalky note that smooths it all out, and hints at a bit of salty dust.
• Finish:  Sharp and prickly.  This is 30 years?  It's very lively as the wood spices come up and dominate the finish.  Creamy and chalky wood comes along and supports more custard notes but they take a back seat to some strong wood spices (coriander, cassia, mace and the like).
• Empty Glass:  The salty brine sort of comes up here but is subdued by huge butter toffee notes.  There is a rich and almost silky malt note in the dregs.

   Not quite my cup of tea, I found it very floral and quite a bit of roasted nuts.  The finish almost made it seem much younger than it actually was, almost half the age.  I can still see the appeal to this though as it is such a light and soft whisky.  What's next?

 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Glen Grant 1978 (REF 4714, 49.6% ABV, NCA/NCF):

• Colour:  Soft harvest gold
• Body:  Rather thin, almost a touch watery.  Drops form rather slowly and almost refuse to run back to the glass.  Seems to sheet back to the bottom.
• Nose:  Wow, Glen Grant straight out of the gates!  Intense old whisky!  Lots of prickly pear and almost some sweaty notes.  Great wood spices and hints of aftershave (not detracting from the malt), with a fantastic malt base.  As it develops, it becomes soft and perfumed, but never loses the quality.  There is a hint of citrus, or some sort of citrus baked good... like a lemon square but with 1/4 of the lemon.
• Palate:  A 180 from the nose, soft and subtle... somehow maintains intensity in softness.  The perfume is still here, but it plays hand in hand with malt, biscuits and baking spices.  As it develops the malt takes precedence and shows the almost perfect integration of pepper heat and sweet.  The balance is spot-on.
• Finish:  Herbal wood spice and pepper heat again, Twinges of wood smoke come through and soothe the malt.  Hints of bitter tannin and Crème Anglaise support the finish.  The balance shows no signs of stopping here as the finish carries on for quite some time.
• Empty Glass:  Rich aftershave notes of sandalwood and almost a hint of camphor.  Soft peaks of malty brine and vanilla support the finish in your mouth.  Le sigh....

      Okay, this is a pretty stellar malt, the balance of the flavours makes it supremely delicious and dangerously more-ish.  The aftershave notes in the finish support the rich malt underneath and the smattering of wood smoke peppers just enough to cut into the dram without disruption.  Holy crap, there's more?

Balvenie 30 (DB, 47.3% circa mid 2000's):

• Colour:  I think it's the Ron Burgundy... rich mahogany, but likely coloured.
• Body:  Oily thin, huge fat drops form rather quickly and run slowly back to the bowl.  I dunno; it's heavily filtered but still relatively intact.
• Nose:  The Balvenie through and through.  Honey, treacle tart and soft Sherry run through the malt.  There is a fermented strawberry note in the centre that I'm not in love with, but it supports the sherry very well.  Soft torched toffee and wood spice with a hint at cocoa in the back end.
• Palate:  Rich Gypsy pie, very sweet on the front end, and dangerously smooth in the mid-palate.  Hints at leaves and wood spice, but honestly nothing is standing out.  It's a very manufactured palate, but it's much clingier that the newer 30 year old.
• Finish:  It's long, but it doesn't stick around enough.  The typical vanilla, caramel and softened baking spice in the finish.  Lots of sherry sweets and malt here too, the cling dissipates too quickly leaving you wanting another dram.
• Empty Glass:  I'm almost not too sure there was whisky in my glass.  The dregs almost evaporate and leave very little  Hints of bitter almond and sherry, some touches of wood of some sort... but not much else.

     This was bottled about a decade back, and features almost all of the stereo typical Balvenie notes of the modern whiskies.  The cling on this though is much more interesting, just a shame though that it doesn't stick around for long enough.  It's a dram I could drink all day, but then I would check the empty bottle at the end and be a little disappointed that there wasn't more there...

Adelphi Miltonduff 1981 (53.8% ABV, Ex-Bourbon Hogshead #5077, NCA/NCF):

• Colour:  14 karat gold
• Body:  Oily to medium thick.  Drops are fat, and run so slowly down.
• Nose:  Oily fruit salad!  Fatty and bitter lemons, rich fruits and sharp oak.  Spicy notes of chili and grapefruit.  The wood spice and malt sweetness are muted to begin.  Adding water drive the fruits to insane levels and mutes the thickness of the dram.
• Palate:  Meg Ryan shouting yes, yes!  Soft and sweet to start, then the tempo picks up!  Rich malt traverses into very fruity notes.  Soft oily thickness carries vanilla cream across and then shoves a bunch of spices into your face (cardamon, fenugreek, and Ceylon cinnamon). Towards the end there is a salty note and more rich waves of malt.
• Finish:  Intense, rich and almost drying.  Milk chocolate and sharp oak play together on an oily creamy bed.  Very rich malt with more surprising fruits dot the finish.
• Empty Glass:  Almost a hint of brine here now, cooked dough and hints of preserved lemons.  Fruity wood peeks through and supports a soft oak char note.

     In case you might have missed it, this was my stand out of the night.  The fruits, oiliness and malt cream were so good... I just wish I had more of this. The odd spice notes seem to support the fattiness of the dram and drive the finish of for quite a long time.  But wait, there's more!

Douglas Laing Director's Cut Caperdonich 1982 (50.9% ABV, Refill Butt DL 8778, NCA/NCF):

• Colour:  Almost red-y amber!
• Body:  Rich and oily, drops stay small and take forever to form.  The swirl seems to sheet back to the bottom, not so much as legs, but rather as a thick blanket.
• Nose:  This is what its all about... Tobacco and sherry sweetness dominate this dram.  Honey and coffee dregs, cocoa and twinges of cherry medicine in the background.  Match heads at the start quickly give way to the sweet sherry and almost cut the sweetness down a bit.  There is a hint of metallic, but it's not derivative of the malt.
• Palate:  Soft sweet and super smooth sherry malt lead the way.  Big cigar tobacco and 75% dark chocolate drive the bottom end.  The honey sweetness and hints of floral notes twist with rich Colombian dark roast coffee and touches of ginger spice.  The smoothness of this dram known no limits, water need not apply here.
• Finish:  The sweet tirade continues, but offers more of the malt and hints of wood char and sweet oak throughout.  There's a soft almost creamy note that supports through out finish.
• Empty Glass:  Tannin drives up here, cheap coffee dregs and twinges of metal (maybe aluminum).  The sweet sherry takes a back seat and more oak spices come up (mace and cassia), but the soft creamy note still lingers the strongest.

     Oh man, as good as the previous was at showing a quality Bourbon aged spirit, this shows off a proper Sherry aged spirit.  This was so sweet and so delicious, I just wanted to curl up in it.  The metallic notes were a little off putting, but not so much that it was a distraction.  The hints of match heads actually cut the richness in the nose to a manageable level too.

     So after a wonderful evening of barbecue, camaraderie, and incredible single malt whiskies, we readied ourselves to part ways into the ongoing rain storm.  Then, what should my eyes behold... a touch of peat to set us off on our way!

SMWS 29.115 Candy Floss in a Fairground (55.8% ABV, NCA/NCF):

• Colour:  Light gold
• Body:  Thin to medium, rather light.  Drops almost refuse to form, but slim legs run very slowly back to the dram.
• Nose:  Gunpowder and treacle toffee.  Tonnes of peat (wow,  a lot for 22 years), and hints of sweet candies... like candy floss.  Sweet peat and touches of mechanical grit, rum soaked raisins and wine must show up.  Salted peanuts and somehow herbal notes too, maybe crushed burdock.
• Palate:  Gritty dirt notes, almost hot stone too.  Peat washes over everything, smoking peat fires and hints of sweetness abound.  There's a waffle note or something sweet and breaded in the background, with soft seaweed hanging about in the background.
• Finish:  Depths of peat smoke and wood spice! Incredible amounts of peat for 22 years, mud and soft sweet baking spices come along.  Tobacco ash, cumin and black tea notes.  Towards the end, play dough notes (cooked dough and briny salt).
• Empty Glass:  Peat smoke and hints of jasmine tea.  Bitter soy sauce and touches of vanilla.

     I'm not one for peated whisky, this was not quite in my directions.  There was a little too much peat for me, but upon adding water, the sweetness comes rushing in and brings so much more with it!

   So that about wraps up a wonderful evening!  Some incredible drams, some great friends and some heated conversations about everything from whisky to hockey.  The ages of the drams here were moot, the whisky spoke for itself above all else.  What more can I say... I'm still enamoured with the quality that comes from independent bottlers.  Keep your eyes peeled for anything form this tasting, all were very memorable, and all had their own quirks.  So until next time - Keep your stick on the ice, and the ice out of your glass!

March LCBO Vintages Releases

 Well, another month and another list of bottles arrives on our shelves, but is anything worth your hard earned money?  Let's see what we've got this month, and should anything find its way into your basket while you're perusing the wares at your local LCBO.  This month is a bit slim on the bottles, but there is the usual St. Patrick's Day releases of some Irish gold.

March 02/2013:

So in the early month we've got a big name bottle!  Another Balvenie superstar, and another new bottle to our shelves.  This early release brings us the new model of Doublewood from Malt Master David Stewart.  The 17 year old Balvenie Doublewood is the older sibling of the standard Doublewood 12 year old bottling.  Finished primarily in Bourbon casks, this imparts the rich honey and floral notes that the Balvenie is known for.  The second finishing in "European Sherry Oak" (notice there is not specific Country or Sherry type associated to this), imparting the spice and depth to the whisky.  On the nose, there is no shortage of depth to this dram, loads of vanilla and rich red fruit honey (if you've ever had honey from a farmers field near a strawberry patch or a raspberry patch, this is what I'm thinking... there is a floral ester note of the fruit deep within the honey).  Next up to bat is the hard sherry nose (this part I'm not sold on), lots of sherry spice and oak come through with some very interesting fresh notes of tart apples and smooth cream.  The nose is quite elegant and composed, but a little overwhelmed with oak spice for my palate.  In the mouth we get a more robust burst of dry sherry influence and warm oak leading the way.  There are date squares, warm cinnamon apple cider and cardamom vanilla pudding.  A lot of spices as it seems that the oak takes the reins over the spirit, the background noise seems to settle down and come shyly forward after some time.  This isn't a shy whisky, but the finer Balvenie notes seem to take quite a while to develop and show themselves. Finally, after a long settling period, I'm seeing the more delicate floral notes and subtle honeycomb and stewed fruits, but they're really covered up by the sherry spice here.  There is still a lot of polished wood and vanilla cream, with some more wood spices (like cloves, cinnamon and mace), but there seems to be an overburden of oak here that I'm not crazy over.   The finish is all oak spice and vanilla/butterscotch cream, smooth and well composed.  Fans of the 12 year old will definitely like this; sadly though I'm not a fan of the Doublewood, and in this revision there is a bit too much oak in body and it sort of distracts from the subtle spirit. So we're looking at a pretty bottle of 17 year old whisky, served at 43% (little light in my books but I'll let it slide), and coming in at only $167.95..... wait, give me a second to check my notes... yeah, that's $170 for a bottle in the teens!  Okay, this one seems like something targeted towards their die hard Doublewood fans looking to indulge, and at these prices I don't feel it's worth it (so it doesn't get recommend).  Should you be a Doublewood fan looking for that next step up into the Balvenie range, this is your chance to check your local LCBO <HERE> for your bottle.

March 16/2013 Release - St. Patty's Day Pile-Up:

 Well another green day rolls around and another rush of Irish whiskies hit our shelves.  In this usual yearly review we see some Cooley bottles, a Jameson or two and the occasional oddity. This year we see a couple of Cooley bottles (one unlisted), and also the return of a grand Jameson bottling.

 First up is Inishowen peated Irish blend.  This Cooley blend is a delightfully peated blend.  Featuring a 30% peated malt, the nose comes across and sweet, fruity and smokey.  Lots of fruits show up on the nose like: peaches and apricots, also some sort of dried fruit blend (like a trail mix sort of thing).  The smoke wafts in and out of the nose, taking beautiful sweet cereals with it.  In the mouth this is a very soft and subtle dram.  Hold it in your mouth longer than you think you need to, and you'll be rewarded with a richer palate.  The fruits and grains are forefront in the blend and the soft peat smoke sort of builds the entire way through the dram, leading up to a smokey swallow. The finish is strong and short, lots of vanilla cream and peat smoke here, the fade is sadly all too quick on it.  The balance of this whiskey is excellent, and at only $35/bottle you're in for a real treat at this price.  I've reviewed this last year in the March 2012 release, and was still blown away by the quality for the price.  Check your local LCBO <HERE> for you bottle.  I'd strongly suggest grabbing one before they disappear until next year.

Next up is an 8 year old pure pot still single malt, also from the Cooley distillery stables.  Locke's 8 year old is an excellent introduction to Irish single malts.  I also reviewed it last year in the same post (link <HERE>), but I feel like I failed to get across it's character.  The nose on this is malt-city if there ever was such a thing.  It's a super malt; loads of malted barley and bready notes.  There is also an oily component that is allover the front end that seems to go hand in hand with that pot sill character (something like machine oil).  Slightly subdued to the oily malt are rich fruits, golden fruits like nectarines, pears and the like dominate the nose.  In the mouth the smoothness is divine, with more malty syrup and fruits, that machine-y oil note hasn't disappeared, but is definitely subdued becoming more earthy/mineraly.  The finish still show cases that smoothness filled with vanilla and dried oaky fruits.  This is a heck of a dram to get you into the Irish mood, and should be tried if not grabbed at the first chance you see it.  Check your local LCBO <HERE> for your dram.  Unfortunately it's only 40% and looks to be coloured, but once you put it in your mouth I'm sure you'll forget all about that.

Last up in the releases book is Jameson Gold Reserve.  This is a sort of frankenwhiskey (I sort of consider all Jameson to be frankenwhiskey), as it has been blended and refined and blended again to create a smooth and luxurious mouth feel.  The Gold Reserve is a triple wood finished, with a high percentage of pot still whiskey in the mix.  So when I say mega blend let me break it down; Jameson is a mix of grains and malts, and a mix of pot distilled and column distilled, and a mixture of various cask finishes.  So this particular blend is a high percentage of pot still whiskey giving it a beautifully sweet rounded nose, it's also the only horse the Jameson stable to use virgin American oak (also Bourbon and Sherry finished casks).  This provides a unique variant in the mix of rich vanilla and honey into the final product.  On the nose there is a whack of wood notes, lots of fragrant wood with vanilla and caramel (kind of like caramel ripple ice cream good), loads sweet malt and subtle baking spices carry across the nose.  The palate is oily and rich, filled with yellow fruits, rich warm oak and sweet malty breads.  The finish on this is rich and inviting, but sadly short.  Big notes of caramel (salted), come off the palate and some pepper heat with a slight wood smoke note round out the finish.  This is a great dram, but sadly the price point is a bit exorbitant.  At only 40% ABV and $96/bottle you're looking at quite a pricey investment.  I happen to have the trio pack of the 12 Special Reserve, the Gold Reserve and the 18 Master Selection.  So I sort of lucked out at the tasting notes, and am quite excited now to delve into the 18 year old selection.  I've never been crazy of the regular Jameson blend, as it's about as interesting as the paint thinner it smells like.  So walking into this tasting expecting that, and coming away being more than pleasantly surprised, I'm more than pleased to recommend this to anyone.  The pricing is quite high for a blend, but you're going to get a great bottle out of it; I'd strongly suggest you try a dram from a friend or a quality whisky bar.  Check your local LCBO <HERE> for your bottle.

The last release doesn't contain any whiskies sadly, but I've got a couple more recommendations that weren't published in the books.  These were the few bottles that were doled out to the shelves that no one noticed, expect the hardcore whiskiphiles (I think I'll coin that term).  There were a couple of Cooley bottles that caught my eye while I was wandering the shelves of my local liquor monopolies.

First up is Connemara Turf Mór, Gaelic for big peat, is the heaviest peated version of Connemara.  I wasn't sure how I felt about peating the sweet supple Irish whiskies, and my first introduction was a wallop!  Connemara cask strength set my palate in motion, with its rich sweetness and heavy peat smoke, it really caught me off guard.  I though the smooth Irish whiskies might not stand up to such a strong character but soon realized they themselves are quite a strong and robust character.  Two leading characters in the play tends to cause pandemonium or coherence, and in the case of Connemara, the coherence is sublime.  In the new addition to the small batch range; Turf Mór (big peat Irish style), is built of sweet and savoury notes and a finish that goes on and on like a rousing folk song, sung by the masses in a Dublin pub.  Served at a whopping 58.2% ABV and non chillfiltered with no colour added; well you can see where this is leading already. $86.70 will net you a ticket for this roller coaster ride of peat and I'd strongly suggest you check your local LCBO for this one <HERE>.  They also have the standard cask strength available for $96.70 <HERE> (same sort of stats: no chillfilteration, no colour, and 57.9%ABV).

Also of note from the Cooley stables is Tyrconnel Madeira finish.  Tyrconnel is a fantastically crafted single malt.  Their cask finishes have been real hits around here such as their port finish, the last one I recall a few years back, was excellent.  This one should bring more of the same; lots of rich fruits and sweet malt with a dangerously drinkable whiskey, makes for a bottle that tends to disappear all too soon from our shelves.  Check your local LCBO <HERE> for your bottle, priced at $79.95 and served at 46% ABV this is on the pricey side.  If I get my hands on one, I'll be letting you known about the tasting notes.  On the other hand, the same applies as the Jameson bottle above, once you have it in your glass you'll gladly forget about the overpriced bottle.


So that's the lot for the month of March, April showers bring whisky flowers (does that really work here.... sure it does)?  Sadly though, leafing through the early April vintages catalogue doesn't inspire much hope.  Maybe the coming month will bring about a bottle review or two instead... I'll figure something out soon, but until then; keep your stick on the ice and the ice out of your glass.

December 8th/2012 Vintages Releases

So I missed my December deadline (Yeah, yeah so shoot me... I'm a busy guy sometimes), but then again there wasn't a whole lot that you would have missed with it.  This was the last release before the new year arrives for the LCBO, and in it is only a single new bottle.  Let's check into what was released and what's returning to the shelves.

First up is the re-stocking of 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Kentucky Bourbon.  This was reviewed in February of last year (Link Here).  It's an 8 year old beauty, with an equally great mouth filling rye rush of fruits, pepper and punch.  I still think it's a great deal even at the $50 asking price.  Lots of flavour to be found in this bottle and the nose alone is almost worth the price of admission.  Check your local LCBO <HERE> for a location near you.

Next up is a new pricing on The Balvenie 21 Portwood (Reviewed March 2012).  Somehow, even without ordering more stock, the LCBO has found it in the infinite wisdom to increase the price to $244.95 on this bottle.  That's clearly out of the range of most buyers, and should be off your radar to buy... trust me that's too much for too little whisky.  In stead I strongly suggest that you check around for a dram at your local bar or mooch one form a friend.  It's a worth dram, just not worth what they are asking IMO.  Now if it were non-chillfiltered and cask strength.... that's a different story.  Sigh, the wishes of a small time blogger against a global drinks giant.  A man can dream.

Last up is the only new bottle for this release.  The Benriach 12 Sherry Wood finish.  This is from an artisan run distillery, which means that there is no chillfiltration and a slightly higher ABV (46%).  This means that for you, the connoisseur, you'll get slightly more from your bottle.  More flavour and more value are two things close to my heart being an Ontarian; I need to get the most for the least from our liquor stores.

The colour is deep and rich amber with mahogany highlights.  The nose is thick with rich sherry red fruits, caramel and baking spices, rum soaked raisins and hints of dutch cocoa powder.  The mouth feel is good, a little overly sweet for my tastes lately, but still very good.  Loads of sherry sweetness comes across right away, followed by more sweet malt and then countered with nutmeg, roasted figs and more cocoa powder (not dutch this time, meaning no acidity).  The finish is medium and still adeptly sweet, but much better balanced with the spicy oak notes and vanilla residue.  This is a great introductory dram to how good a whisky can but it's going to lack challenge for experienced drinkers.  This to me sits perfectly as an after dinner dram, something about the sweetness is a little over powering for my regular drinking palate.  Check your local LCBO <HERE> for your bottle, priced a little on the high side at $67/bottle.

So that sums up 2012; lots of good news for everyone including a new blog spot, new Whisky group, and tonnes of new friends of twitter.  It's a great feeling to look back at what I started off hand and realize that what was a single point of interest has become so much more with so much to offer our Whisky community.  I feel privileged to be included in (to quote a fellow blogger @WhiskyLassie), the #Whiskyfabric.  Keep your eyes peeled to our blog as there is so much more coming down the pipe including destinations, bar reviews, bottle reviews, rare whisky and so much more.  So in conclusion (and you should know this by know); keep your stick on the ice and the ice out of your glass.

LCBO Vintages Release for March 2012

Well it seems that every year around St. Patty's Day, the LCBO likes to delve into its Irish holdings and release a few special selections for the occasion.  Let's check out what they've released.

March 02/2012 release:

This is the big St. Pat's release, so there are quite a few re-releases and a couple of new bottles this time around.  First up, Inishowen.  Irish for Island of Eoghan, this whiskey is named for a small peninsula of land on the northernmost end of Ireland.  A blend of both standard and peated malts, and some grain whiskies for balance.  This creates a great balance of bright fruits, sweet grains and subtle peat, pepper the nose.  In the mouth; that fruitiness blooms with notes of red fruits (berries and such), floral vanilla, hints of pears, and the peat scatters through the mix.  The finish is strong but short lived; the grain builds the finish very quickly into a dry and short pop.  Check your local LCBO [Sku #656017], for a $35 bottle.

Next up is Kilbeggan's Finest blend.  This is one of my favorite Irish blends. Vanilla and caramel one the nose, with hints of wood in the background.  In the mouth notes of caramel and golden raisin mix with hints of pepper and spice.  The finish is medium and creamy with the wood notes coming through.  Check your local LCBO [Sku #657247], for a bottle.  Priced at only $35/bottle; it's hard to go wrong.

Locke's 8 Year Old is a pure pot still single malt.  There is a fantastic fruity sweetness on the nose, with hints of barley and malt syrup.  In the mouth big malty sweetness blooms and dominates, there is a slight hint of a metallic note that seems to precede the dry fruity notes.  The finish is excellent with vanilla, peat and more malty goodness.  An excellent bottle for $59, and a great introduction to Irish pot still sweetness. Check your local LCBO [Sku #913475], for your bottle.

The Irishman Single Malt is a 100% pot still Irish malt.  This 10 year old is made up from a bourbon sherry mix and features citrus, creamy notes and floral hints in the background.  The mouth reveals red fruits (passion fruit and berries), cereal grains, honey and almonds.  The finish is medium and very well balanced.  There are both drying notes and warming notes that blend with the sweetness which creates the balance.  Check your local LCBO for Sku #250159 for your $60 bottle.  I also see the Irishman 70 (70% pot still blend) under Sku #135186, but no stock; A future release?

Last but certainly not least is Writer's Tears Pot Still Blend.  This is a bit of an anomaly; rich honeyed notes seem to over shadow the traditional pot still fruitiness.  There are peppered throughout; bright notes of sharp fruit like starfruit or fresh passion fruit (very sharp and sour but sweet at the same time). In the mouth, this is a belter!  It mingles so well, soft sweet notes, hard brash malt, bright fruit.  I strongly suggest you check your local LCBO [Sku #271106], for you own bottle.  At only $48/bottle  this is the one I'm on the look out for.  There were none left where I tried it, but I think it will be an order in for sure.

March 17/2012 re-release:

Here is my single most favorite expression from The Balvenie distillery; 21 year old Portwood.  This is a fantastic expression, revealing notes of honeycomb, worked leather, almond brittle (salty sweetness), poached pears, canned peaches, and hints of spice cake or potpourri.  In the mouth, an explosion of red and black fruit notes.  Plums,cherries, currants, honey and spice notes permeate.  the finish is long, drawn out and fantastically smooth and silky.  This is my personal favorite Balvenie release (followed by the Carribean cask, and the 15 year old single cask),  but I have a real beef with the cost associated by the LCBO.  $216/bottle for a standard release served at 40%!  That's crazy, and I personally can't justify spending that much on it.  If we had the 47.6% ABV that the travel retail stores get; that's a little different.  I don't think the value is there at that price; but should you feel flush, check your local LCBO [Sku #500090], for your bottle.  All the pricing nonsense aside, should you see this on a menu somewhere, indulge yourself and enjoy some of the best that Balvenie has to offer.


March 31/2012 release:

Well here is an interesting one indeed!  Auchentoshan Valinch.  This is a limited expression of their Classic bottling, albeit unchillfiltered and served at 57.5% ABV.  All this for $64/bottle; I think you've got a heck of a good deal on your hands.  Auchentoshan is one of the last 3 remaining lowland distilleries, and one of the few to claim triple distillation (I hear they their triple is really 2.5 times but that's beside the point).  Nose is quite lively with notes of citrus, vanilla, candied ginger, crème brûlée and hints of rose water.  This is a pretty hot whisky in need of a drink to settle itself down.  In the mouth, there are lovely notes of sweets, creamy richness, bitter orange zest that blends so well with the creamy notes.  With water, it settles quite nicely and opens up with the more typical Auchentoshan floral honey notes.  Check you local LCBO for this bottle [Sku #266577] and grab one!

Wow!  That was a big one!  There are a lot of great items that came out this round, and quite a few that I never see listed in the flyers.  I'll have to soon start compiling a list of bottles that I find interesting, but then I'll let my secrets out of the bag.  If you follow my twitter feed <HERE>, maybe I'll let you in on some odd finds and interesting bottles that I see.  Until the next time, keep your stick on the ice, and the ice out of your glass.

LCBO Vintages Release for February 2012

Well, that month seemed to blow by quickly!  Then again at only 28 days + 1 for a leap year, is a quick month.  That being said, the releases are short on numbers, but big on flavor!

February 04/2012 Release:

First up is a Kentucky bourbon! 1792 Ridgemont Reserve is a barrel select Kentucky straight bourbon.  Straight bourbon is legally defined as being over 2 years old, this one hits 8 years before it's released to the masses.  With a high rye content in the mashbill, it brings up the spice notes in the nose.  Very spicy up front (causes salivation.... even while I'm writing this now thinking about it).  Nose features spice cake, sharp rye, cracked pepper and loads of fruits and pickles (that's the rye again).  Mouth feel is very different, rich and creamy, with hints of apples and licorice in the background.  I think it's a pretty good buy, and for only $50/bottle,  it's really hard to go wrong.  Check your local LCBO [Sku#208918], for a location near you.

Second is another bottling from Welsh distillery Penderyn.  Wales is a small country located between the Irish sea and England, also holds the records for the wettest place in Europe.  That being said, there is a golden ray of light under the gray skies: Penderyn distillery.  Penderyn Sherrywood  is an excellent representation of a cask finish gone according to plan.  Buffalo Trace bourbon casks are used in conjunction with an Oloroso Sherry wood cask to create a sum greater than both parts.  Penderyn tends to be a light and floral sort of wysgi (Welsh for whisky), and marrying it with rich sherry casks brings out rich fruity notes with a wonderful smooth finish.  The combination of casks give wonderful sweet raisins, dates, caramel and custard notes on the nose.  This develops well in the glass, but the palate speaks for itself.  Creme caramel and almonds dominate, raisins and sherry soaked red fruits with a hint of bitter ginger at the end to balance it all out.  The finish is mid-length and very smooth (hence it is a favorite of mine).  Check your local LCBO [Sku #270611] for a bottle, priced at $85 and served at 46% ABV I think it's an excellent treat.

Next up is a island monster! Isle of Jura 200th Anniversary (21 Years old).  This monster comes to us courtesy of the 1963 Gonzalez Byass sherry casks that were specially selected to represent the year that Jura was reborn.  In '63, the distillery was rebuilt, and new life was breathed into both the island and the spirit.  The 21 year old spirit holds its own as an excellent example of Island whisky at it's best.  It's got a rich (assisted), golden colour that already gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside.  The nose reveals macerated orange peel, slight hints of peat, and buried depths of dark chocolate mixed into a briny ocean spray (characteristic Isle of Jura).  The sherry influence comes in with notes of marzipan and golden raisins, rich worked leather notes.  It coats the mouth like velvet but remains dry.  The palate fills out with walnuts, dark chocolate covered almonds, roasted seaweed (think of the nori that covers your sushi), and cracked black pepper on the finish.  Excellent stuff, and served at the Jura's usual 43% ABV makes this an excellent bottle to grab and stash away for that special date.  Check you local LCBO [Sku #266700] for a bottle, priced a bit on the high side at $147, but as it's a rarity, well worth the price.

February 18/2012 release:

Only a single bottle in this round!  Many of my friends know that I'm not a big fan of The Balvenie; only going for the 21 Port wood cask (LCBO seriously over priced at $216), and the 14 Caribbean cask (much better choice at only $99).  Making a reappearance at the LCBO is the 15 year old Single Cask.  This is an excellent representation of the Balvenie signature spirit.  Offered at 50.5% ABV, this is an excellent cost/value ratio ($135/bottle).  Honey and floral notes gently waft through the nose, vanilla and gentle polished oak weave a fantastic nose that melds into the palate.  Rich honeycomb and gentle wildflowers mingle with the dry worked oak notes and toasted malt on the palate.  The finish is subtle and complex with notes of heather and more worked oak with a subtle hint of anise/licorice.  Normally I'm not a Balvenie fan, but at the price/value you'll get from this bottle at only $135, you're not going to find a better chance to get into a Bavlenie with such an excellent palate.  Check your local LCBO [Sku #366963], for your bottle.

Well that sums up the February releases.  Seems like we got spoiled this round, which leaves me wondering why? (naturally pessimistic I guess).  I have a feeling that March will be showing us the usual Irish malts in a toss out to St. Patrick's day (some of which I am a big fan).  Until next time, keep your stick on the ice and the ice out of your glass.  I'll be posting some tasting notes from my tasting experience with the guys from Scotchblog.ca, take a trip by and check out what they have to offer.

LCBO Vintages Release for November 2011

Well I was called out on my lack of updates.  Good to hear that people are really reading something that I produce, it really brings me a warm fuzzy feeling.  Like that first dram on a cold winter day, warmed to the cockles.

So what came out in November that looks delicious and is worth your hard-earned pennies?  Let's take a look!  Due to the mass releases in October, there are only 2 for November.  The first being November 12th:

The first item we see is Auchentoshan Three Wood [LCBO Sku #70532 / $76.95] -  The last time I tasted it, it was woody, sherry, and spicy hot (as in my mouth and lower extremities of my brain are on fire).  I don't know how old this is (there isn't an age statement), but it definitely needs some water to loosen it up.  There is a lot of wood at play in this bottle, and I'm honestly not a big fan.  It seems a little too busy, with a reliance on over sherry-ing to cover up a rough young spirit.  I do love sherry finishes however, but my money goes to the Auchentoshan 12-year-old [LCBO Sku #107359] at $54.  It has a much better balance with a much more subtle sherry finish that I find doesn't overwhelm the palette.  There is a ton of caramel in the bottles, giving that weird electric marmalade colour, but they do redeem themselves by serving the spirit at 43%.  Being heavily chill-filtered the bottle is immaculately clear though, and I believe that this takes some serious body away from the spirit.  I am a huge lowland fan, and really believe that if Diageo took the time and created something without all the gubbins, they would have a real prize.  On a side note, there are some excellent bottles from independent distillers out there for Auchentoshan; but they are few and far between.  Lowlands have a rich, refined, soft and smooth palette that suits drinking at any time, I only wish there were more of them left!

Next up is Bruichladdich 7-year-old Port Cask finish.  If you know me, then you'll know I'm a sucker for a good glass of port and this is no exception!  Rich marmalade and copper tones throughout the scotch (no colour added), this gives way to rich dark fruits, oats, and gentle smoke and brine.  This is an excellent foray into the Islay subculture and a great showcase of quality finished scotch.  At only 7 years this tastes like a much older whisky, and the port notes back up the smoke and peat with a rich and vibrant fruitiness all their own.  Served at a healthy 46%, this is produced by an indie distiller for real drinkers like us.  Check your local LCBO [Sku #220905], bottles are $95 (a bit steep, but worth the investment come the first heavy snowfall; you know the one where you'll be sitting indoors watching those fat flakes fall to the ground).

Last, but certainly not least is one of my favorite distilleries, Isle of Arran.  Their entry into the peat saturated world began in 2004 and continues today with Machrie Moor (said Mach-ree More).  This is absolutely one of my favorite peated scotches currently.  I'm not a huge smoke and peat fan as yet, and am still developing a nose for what lays beyond the smoke and brine, but the sweet, punchy and tropical fruitiness of Arran malt characteristics blends so well with the gentle peat and smoke.  If you're not sure about testing the waters of Islay, go for Machrie Moor!  Named after a the peat bog, the Machrie area of the Firth of Clyde area is one of few areas to have Megaliths (standing stones like Stonehenge).  Once said to even been home to Robert the Bruce, and legendary characters such as Fingal.  Fingal's hound, Bran, is represented on the tin/bottle anchored to one of the stones.  As usual with all Arran malts, no colour, no chill-filtration, and served at 46% gets the grades.  Apples and iodine, pears and smoke, vanilla and smokey bergamot on the nose.  This became a favorite at the WhiskeyLive show in Toronto with our tasting group.  Check your local LCBO [Sku #254920], bottles are $72.

I'm going to mention two other spirits that caught my eye on this release:

Moniack Mead - a traditional mead from Scotland.  It has a wonderful rich amber colour.  Nose shows clover and spices.  It's marked as a sweet, so I'd expect it to be around the same sweetness as a port, and at only $16 it would make a great cellar companion.  Check you local LCBO for Sku #987263.

Quinta do Noval Black Port - A dark and serious entry into the competitive world of ports.  Stewed prunes and black fruits on the nose with an intensity that lasts into the finish.  This sounds like something tasty, and something that you could sip with friends after dinner.  At $25 it would be worth a try, or drop it into the cellar for a year or two.  LCBO Sku #235689.

The second November release for the 26th was a little bit lacking. Featuring only 2 malts and a couple of honorable mentions.

First up is Bowmore with the 15-year-old Darkest.  This is a heavy sherry finished Bowmore, produced by a big box distiller.  It's a good one, but it's not my sort of Bowmore.  Dark auburn colour (yeah that's pretty real AKA a big gob of caramel e150a),  and so clear you can see the third or fourth bottle behind it (that's some seriously heavy filtration).  This is the most popular Islay in the world, and this is reflected as they colour and filter out all the best parts to make it super attractive to shoppers in the ever competitive world of Scotch.  It is a heavily sherried Islay, with notes of dark chocolate, raisin and nutmeg on the nose.  I found it a bit lively on the palette; and with a bit of water citrus and worked oak come out, with peat and smoke to follow.  There is a dark rum note in the background that seems sort of alienated, but not out of place.  Check your local LCBO [Sku #503649] for a bottle, be forewarned though at $90/bottle there are many better choices for a peaty sherry treat.  In fact, I'd highly recommend looking for the beefier Laimrig instead, no filtration, no colour and served at cask strength... That's a real sherried Bowmore.

Second is the Balvenie Port Wood 21-year-old.  Great, a second port wood finish... I'm gonna go broke!  Especially on this one!  This is a monster and possibly my favorite Balvenie (in fact until the Caribbean Cask, the only Balvenie I really enjoyed).  This is a monster and exhibits all the right notes in all the right places.  Rich warm mahogany colour gives way to a butter cream richness.  Honey, red fruits, over ripened pears, salty caramels and a wonderful drying finish round out one of the best Balvenie expressions I've ever had.  Now the real problem is the price; $225!  For a bottle of great whisky - yeah I can cough that up.  The problem comes from the lack of distiller's information, there is no mention of colouring, or filtration, and it has been diluted to 40% ABV.  If you've got the cash for a seriously good bottle, check your LCBO fro Sku #500090, or take my advice and skip it for it's cousin The Balvenie Caribbean Cask.

The second release of the Balvenie Caribbean cask has arrived!  This is an excellent 14-year-old Balvenie!  The nose seems a little muted at first, but then as it opens it really seems to take off.  Sweet notes abound, lots of rum sweetness mingle witht he typically sweet Balvenie spirit.  Rich notes of  banana bread, roasted pecans, soft oats and grains in the mouth .  Demerara sugar and spice cake on the finish makes this a real keeper.  Sure, it might not be the ultimate Balvenie expression, but at only $100/bottle this is a lot more affordable than the $800/bottle 30 year old.   The flavors are just as pronounced as the finish is as long as the coveted older range, which is to be expected in a well crafted Balvenie.  Check your local LCBO for SKU #221200.

There are a couple of honorable mentions that I believe are far better than some of the released vintages.  A little bird on my should from the distillery mentioned that there would be a shipment of Old Rip Van Winkle lot 12 'B' to hit our shelves.  Sure enough it did (LCBO Sku #976852).    This is the 'Lot B' Special reserve of the Old Rip Van Winkle, and wow is it good.  At 45.2% ABV (standard range for a bourbon ~90 Proof), and no colour added by law in the US (way to go USA for that choice), this is a rich and deep bourbon that can rival any fine Cognac.  Excellent and smooth, this is a definite purchase.  I did get to try this at the tasting bar, and went back a couple of days later only to find it gone!  Grab yourself a bottle of this before it's gone from the shelves, as there seems to be a lot of eager people waiting for a Van Winkle to grace our shelves, and the moment is nigh!  Well worth the $72 they're asking.

Also released was an Armagnac that caught my eye.  Castadère 20 ans d'âge X.O. Bas Armagnac was quietly placed onto the shelves.  I had to search this one out, and I won't lie, it was the price that grabbed my attention.  $100 for a 20 year old Armagnac is sort of like stumbling across a Ferrari in the auto trader for under $10,000.  It's not uncommon, but when you do see it, you need to seize that moment and check it out.  I still have no Ferrari to my name, but I do have a fantastilicious (yeah that's my own word), Armagnac sitting on my shelf.  Incredibly rich; with the wine flavors of Brandy, the fruity notes of port, and the oak of a well aged spirit, this is a great buy.  There is a wonderful smokey/earthiness in the background of an Armagnac that isn't present in the buttery finish of Cognacs.  Check your local LCBO for SKU #260190 for a bottle.

So that sums up November in a nutshell.  I am also simultaneously working on a recent mega update for what's been happening over the last month, and will post that in good time.  Until the next update, Keep your Stick on the ice and the ice out of your glass. Happy Dramming!

Robbie Burns Day [Belated]

   Happy Robbie Burns day (belated) to all.  As a special treat I shall recount my special evening with a few good friends at The Hunt.  I was cordially invited by a gracious couple (anuptowngal and wineguyTO), and their father-in-law to a special night with a tutored nosing and meal in honour of the Scottish poet Robbie Burns.

    The evening began with an address by The Hunt's very own Marcel Bregstein (the emcee for the evening and the club Sommelier), to the crowd.  Highland dancers followed, with traditional dancing and colourful outfits all lead in by a piper.  The piper then read the Address to A Haggis, and promptly had it distributed amongst the guests (small tastes only; sadly).  This being my second time having Haggis, I noted that this one seemed a wee bit on the dry side, but still quite excellent.  I am willing to admit that this is an acquired taste (and not one that I figured I would have acquired),  but it is quite delicious when prepared and splashed with a bit of Scotch.  Think of it like Kishka, a meat and meal sausage, made with heartier meat and a dash of blood.  Haggis is sheep's pick (heart, liver and lungs) mixed with onions, oats and spices all baked in a sheep's stomach.  Doesn't sound delicious?  If you think of it as eating a sausage, (a very rich and hearty sausage), it's quite delicious and makes for a very satisfying meal.

    The main guest was introduced next by the Sommelier.  Todd McDonald from PMA Canada, a 20 year veteran of scotch sales, on behalf of William Grants & Sons.  With him he brought a selection of Balvenie (12 Year old Doublewood and The 12 Year old Signature) and a selection of Glenfiddich samples (the LCBO available flight of 12-21 Years).  Being the proud owner of the entire flight (save the 18), this was not a blind tasting to yours truly.  We were treated to a visual tour of the Balvenie operation and explained how Scotch moves from grain to glass, through the distillation process.

  The beginning of the tastings started with the Balvenie 12 year old pair (Both the Doublewood and the Select Cask), which was to show us the difference in flavor between the two 12 year olds.  This expanded to include the Glenfiddich 12 to show the flavour comparison to it's sister distillery.  The 12 Select was sherry heavy casks, while the unique half and half maturation of both bourbon and sherry casks in the Doublewood was quite mild on the palate.  This was compared with the fresh and crisp flavours of the Glenfiddich 12 (lots of green apples, and sweet crisp malt).  We were enlightened to their particular methods of nosing whisky, some of which were a bit hard to wrap your head around.  Our speaker suggested that we water down the whisky to about 25% (oft called drowning a whisky), so that the aromas could easily escape the glass.  I let mine fly what was left of it's full colours (40% ABV isn't really much to call FULL colours).  Our taster was also an avid swirler, slightly teetering onto the aggressive hot tub swirling side.  I tried their method and ended up with one glass of wonderful aromas of honey and spice, but the spirit had become undrinkable as it was mostly water with a dash of whisky flavour.

    That aside, we carried on in our nosing class moving to the Glenfiddich 15 (the step up the line for those who seek richer notes than the 12).  This is a favourite of mine (having a wonderful blend of sherry, bourbon and fresh oak casks married together in a Solera vat), featuring a much richer malt note with lush sherry and honeycomb.  The marketing spiel of the Solera vat never being emptied was also dispelled at this time; noting that they build the flavour profile from the selected casks and then fill a vat; settle the whisky and bottle it all.  We then moved into the connoisseurs single malt (the Glenfiddich 18), which is comprised of 98% bourbon and 2% sherry.  An sharp whisky, not my favourite as the heavy wood notes dominate the palette, but still quite nice nonetheless.  Concluding with the 21 Year old Havana Cask (no longer called such in order to import to the US), which was a smooth and delicious finish to the tasting.  The demerara and rum notes sparkle through on the nose, and there is a fantastic scent of banana in the background which almost turn herbal (into banana leaf).  The smooth mouth feel and the long and sumptuous finish have made it a favourite of mine; so much so that I grabbed a bottle earlier this year.

  The dinner was fantastic; featuring spinach salad with a fantastic Glenlivet vinaigrette, Salmon in a champagne sauce with braised leeks, and finished with a whisky chocolate mousse and butterscotch ice cream.  Incredible evening with incredible friends, and a fantastic way to celebrate Mr. Burn's birthday.  I think I'll have to draft up some notes on the 21 year old in the future.