May 17th, 2012

Whisky Advocate’s #8 whisky of the summer issue

John Hansell

Writers Tears Cask Strength Pot Still, 53%, €135 

Well, the name’s spot on because at that price it definitely brought tears to this writer’s eyes. What a shame, because the liquid is eye-watering, too, a stunning big bruiser of a whiskey that coats the mouth as berry and green fruits battle it out with oak, spice, and grain oils — the whiskey equivalent to one of singer Sinead O’Connor’s rants — powerful, impressive, a little bitter and twisted, utterly unforgettable, and unmistakably Irish. — Dominic Roskrow

Advanced Whisky Advocate magazine rating: 92

Category: New Releases,Reviews,Whisky Advocate Magazine,Writers Tags: , No Comments

May 16th, 2012

Whisky Advocate’s #9 whisky of the summer issue

John Hansell

Kavalan Solist Fino, 57.6%, $117

Each cask of this nicely packaged malt is selected by the distiller, and so there is considerable variation between batches. This one is a step up from last year’s releases. It’s slightly weaker, but the nose has firmed up into a delightful mix of fresh juicy grape and a spicy dustiness. Tastewise this takes an amazing journey from plummy, sweet fruit up front to a slow dominance of dry sherry at the end. The finish is longer than before.  Excellent. — Dominic Roskrow

Advanced Whisky Advocate magazine rating: 91

Category: New Releases,Reviews,Whisky Advocate Magazine,Writers Tags: , No Comments

May 15th, 2012

Whisky Advocate’s #10 whisky of the summer 2012 issue

John Hansell

Beginning today, we’ll be announcing the ten highest-rated whiskies from the summer 2012 issue of Whisky Advocate’s Buying Guide. One whisky, every day, will be announced until we reach the #1 whisky of the summer issue. Please note all whiskies currently available in the U.S. have prices listed in dollars; any whisky priced in other currency is not presently available in the U.S. We begin today with the #10 whisky of the summer issue:

Glenfarclas “Family Cask” 1970 (Cask 140), 57.1%, £345

Another first fill sherry butt, giving its typical reddish-brown hue. This runs more into the clove, cassia, and allspice area than just dried fruit.  While maturity is obvious, and there’s even a hint of dunnage/leatheriness, it is the concentrated fruit sweetness that surprises here. The distillery has fought back against the cask, and while still crepuscular in nature, there is a rich, concentrated, and mellow glow at its heart.  — Dave Broom

Advanced Whisky Advocate magazine rating: 91

Category: New Releases,Reviews,Whisky Advocate Magazine,Writers Tags: , 6 Comments

May 11th, 2012

Mike Miyamoto explains Hakushu Japanese whisky

John Hansell

It’s not often that we have a master distiller visit the Whisky Advocate offices in the sleepy town of Emmaus, PA, but yesterday was one of those days. It was a brief visit–only about an hour–but Mike Miyamoto, the master distiller for Suntory, discussed Hakushu whisky and how the whisky is created.

He was nice enough to taste the Whisky Advocate office staff, not our writers, on some Hakushu whiskies. For this reason, the tasting wasn’t overly technical in nature. However, he did mention a few items you might find interesting.

Hakushu, until about a decade or so ago, wasn’t a peated whisky. Now the whisky is lightly smoky–nothing like the big brutes on Islay–but still is demonstrably smoky. When I visited Hakushu about six years ago, I fell in love with the whisky and have consistently asked Suntory to import the whisky to the U.S. They finally have, with the introduction of Hakushu 12 year old. (Of course, now I am asking them to bring in the 18 year old…)

We tasted the three main Hakushu components that go into making the 12 year old. Interestingly, they don’t use lightly peated malt to make the lightly peated whisky. Instead, they make an unpeated whisky and a highly peated whisky and blend the two together. So, in front of us (pictured) were three samples: Hakushu matured in a hogshead, Hakushu matured in a Spanish oak sherry cask, and a highly peated Hakushu.

Why make a heavily peated and a non-peated whisky and blend them together, instead of just making a lightly peated whisky?

That’s a good question! According to Mike, it’s difficult to ask a malting company to make malted barley to a specific peating level, like 8ppm phenol, to use in making a whisky. There’s too much variability. Instead, they order some non-peated malt and some highly peated malt (around 25 ppm–any higher than this becomes more of a challenge according to Mike) and blend the whiskies together to get it in the range of what would have been 7-9 ppm phenol.

Yes, that means they are making some heavily peated whisky–along the equivalent of Bowmore 12 yr. old in peating level–and could actually bottle this if they wanted. Indeed, they have done just this, but on a very limited basis. (Nice try for all of us living here in the U.S.) It also means that they could put out a heavily sherried Hakushu, which they also have just done, but only in Japan. We also had the fortune of tasting this during his visit. It was delicious: very smooth, clean, and lush–not cloying and sulphur-tinged like some sherried whiskies.

What’s new on the horizon for Suntory and their two distilleries, Yamazaki and Hakushu? Mike told us they are going to be introducing whiskies from both distilleries with no age statements and a lower price. It will be released in Japan only initially. We’ll see where it goes from there.

Why aren’t they selling some of these limited release whiskies here in the U.S. (or even in Europe)? Mike told us the Japanese market has suddenly become smitten with Japanese whisky, and there isn’t a whole lot their whisky to spread around to all the thirsty consumers on this planet. Hey, we’ll take whatever we can get!

One final note: the heavily peated sample we tasted, which would be on par with Bowmore, didn’t taste as intensely smoky as Bowmore. It was softer, gentler. Mike credits the water supply and environment surrounding Hakushu (affectionately referred to as the Japanese Alps) for this.

Category: Japanese whisky Tags: , 17 Comments

May 7th, 2012

WhiskyFest New York 2012: A whisky enthusiast’s dream weekend!

John Hansell

The agenda for the saturday seminar program has been finalized. It’s going to be a great day: rare whiskies, debut whiskies, award winning whiskies, master distillers and blenders, and leading whisky writers all in one place.

A summary of the day’s events is below. If you follow the link to the WhiskyFest website (click on the logo), you’ll find the details in outline form and also be able to purchase tickets to this exciting event.

WhiskyFest New York: imagine a weekend of the world’s best whiskies, two nights of grand tastings and a day of seminars presented by the world’s top whisky distillers and blenders, bringing their best, their oldest,and their newest. The seminars on Saturday, October 27th, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will be an unprecedented whisky event for those fortunate enough to attend. This educational experience takes the hands-on approach to learning, engaging every sense as we nose and taste our way through a line-up that is not to be missed. Legendary master distillers, blenders, and whisky makers will be pouring their finest—and newest—whiskies!   

The Whisky Advocate writers—the best in the business—will moderate the five 45-minute seminar sessions, and a special whisky-themed lunch, along with several whiskies making their U.S. and world debuts. A brief summary of this very special day follows.

Debut Scotch Whisky

The first debuting whisky of the day will be presented by John Glaser of Compass Box Whisky, featuring mixologist and Whisky Advocate contributor David Wondrich.  In addition to treating us with a world-debut Compass Box whisky, they’ll also be serving it up in a breakfast cocktail. A great way to start a day!

Whisky Collecting and Auctions
Jonny McCormick, Whisky Advocate contributor and Martin Green of Bonhams will enlighten us on the auction and collecting scene that has exploded lately. They will offer tips on collecting and participating in whisky auctions. Attendees will taste some of the very rare whiskies that have been seen on the auction block. The whiskies speak for themselves, as do the personalities presenting them:

Gold Bowmore – Iain McCallum,
Balvenie Islay Cask 17 year old – Nicholas Pollacchi,
Glemorangie 1963 Vintage – Dr. Bill Lumsden,
Brora 30 year old - Dr. Nick Morgan,
The Glenlivet Cellar Collection (1983 Vintage).

Debut Irish Whiskey
Then, legendary Barry Crockett from the Midleton distillery will present the U.S. debut of his very own Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy bottling.

Trending Scotch
Keeping the momentum going, Dave Broom, Whisky Advocate contributor, examines the trends in Scotch whisky. Join Dave to explore smoky blends, designer whiskies, single malt extremes, and brand premiumization. Dave will be joined by the A-list of master distillers and blenders from Scotland who are making some of these special whiskies. Here they are, with the whiskies they will be pouring:

Dr. Bill Lumsden – Glenmorangie Malaga Wood Finish 30 year
Jim McEwan – Bruichladdich Octomore 4.2
Matthew Crow – Johnnie Walker Double Black
Richard Paterson – Dalmore Castle Leod

Debut Bourbon
Here we will feature the world debut of a very special bourbon presented by Truman Cox,  master distiller from  the A. Smith Bowman distillery.  He knows what the whiskey will be, but for now he’s keeping it a surprise.

Understanding Irish
Dominic Roskrow, Whisky Advocate contributor, follows by taking us on a tour of Ireland, explaining the difference between the single pot still, single malt, grain, and blended whiskeys of Ireland. And, of course, we will taste some very special examples of each, and we will be joined by the master distillers who make them:

Barry Crockett of Midleton distillery will pour Powers John’s Lane (Single Pot Still) and Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve (Blend)
Noel Sweeney from the Cooley distillery will be pouring a very special grain whiskey – Greenore 8 year old
Colum Egan of Bushmills distillery treats us to a very special Bushmills 21 year old single malt.

Lagavulin Lunch
The whisky fun continues at lunch. Diageo’s Dr. Nick Morgan, Head of Whisky Outreach, along with Whisky Advocate writer Gavin Smith, will lead us through a tasting and comparison of three special Lagavulin whiskies: Lagavulin 16, Lagavulin Distillers Edition, and the very limited 2012 Lagavulin 21 year old Special Release.

Bourbon and Rye Innovations
Immediately after lunch, we focus on American whiskey. Whisky Advocate contributor and managing editor Lew Bryson will lead a session focused on innovations in bourbon and rye. Joining him will be three legendary master distillers and one whiskey pioneer, and they will be pouring some very special new releases:

Chris Morris – Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection new 2012 release
Harlen Wheatley  – Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project, comparing two Single Oak bottlings
Parker Beam – Parker’s Heritage Collection new 2012 release
David Perkins – High West’s “Campfire” (a blend of bourbon, rye and scotch!)

Award Winning Whiskies
Finishing up our special day, attendees will taste a sampling of the 18th Annual Whisky Advocate Awards winners published in the spring issue of Whisky Advocate magazine. Here they are, along with the Whisky Advocate contributors who will be presenting them:

Gavin Smith: Lowland/Campbeltown Single Malt of the Year: Springbank 18 year old (2nd edition)
Dave Broom: Islay Single Malt of the Year:Bruichladdich 10 year old
Lew Bryson: Canadian Whisky of the Year:Wiser’s 18 year old
John Hansell: American Whiskey of the Year:Elijah Craig 20 year old
Dominic Roskrow: Blended/Blended Malt Whisky of the Year: Compass Box Great King Street

Tickets for this special day of seminars can only be purchased through a combination package with one of the evening grand tastings.  Tickets are available at whiskyadvocate.com  or by clicking here. We hope to see you at this very special event.

Category: Awards,Canadian whisky,Irish whiskey,Rye whiskey,Scotch whisky,Special events,Whisky Advocate Magazine,WhiskyFest Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 15 Comments

May 2nd, 2012

Bourbon goes coastal

John Hansell

We’ve all heard of smoky and briny Scotch whiskies, but smoky and briny “bourbon”? That’s a new one!

Two different whiskeys (from different producers) are going to hit the market soon. One’s got some smoke in it, and the other has a sea influence.

Let’s talk about the briny one first. I received a call last week from Trey Zoeller, who puts out the Jefferson’s bourbon and rye whiskeys. He told me he’s got a few barrels of “bourbon” that have been in the belly of a ship for nearly four years. One mysteriously leaked (into the mouths of the crew?) but two others survived. A few stories have been written in the press about it already, including this one.

Take a look at the bottle samples in the picture when compared to standard Jefferson’s. It sure looks like all that sloshing around in warm climates accelerated the oak influence. That’s what I call dark! Trey tells me that one of the barrels in particular is distinctively briny. Samples are on their way. I’ll let you know my thoughts after I taste them.

The second whisk(e)y I want to tell you about is called “Campfire,” courtesy of David Perkins over at High West. David is no stranger to creative blending. He’s already put out Bourye (a blend of bourbon and rye) and Son of Bourye (a younger version of the same). The soon to be released “Campfire” throws in some smoky single malt scotch into the mix. Yes, that’s right: a whiskey comprised of bourbon, rye and smoky single malt scotch.

David just bottled this stuff and is debuting it this weekend. (I tasted some “work in progress” samples. The ones I liked most had the least amount of smoky scotch in the mix.) He also plans to have a special version of Campfire (possibly aged in French Oak) to debut at the WhiskyFest New York seminar program in October.

It sure is a fun time to be a whisky drinker. Let’s just hope these whiskeys taste as good as the stories behind them.

Update: Of course, I just received my sample and press release of the Jefferson’s Ocean-Aged Bourbon right after I posted this. Here are some more details:

Price: $90. Number of bottles: only 600 nationally. ABV: 44%. More importantly, how does it taste? Contrary to my fears, not bad! It tastes like an 18 or 20 year old bourbon. Yes, there’s a heavy dose of oak, but there’s also a sweetness to tame some of it. And I do pick up some sea influence in all that oak, toffee and molasses. Definitely worth a look!

Category: American whiskey,Bourbon,Rye whiskey,Scotch whisky Tags: , 34 Comments

April 24th, 2012

New American whiskeys strive for maximum versatility

John Hansell

Some bourbons (and rye whiskeys) are good enough to drink neat or with a splash of water. Others, usually because of their youth and lower cost, are more suitable for cocktails or on the rocks.  Most people put American whiskey into one of these two categories.

Very few whiskeys, for my palate anyway, manage to accomplish both. Arguably, some that might pass the test are Evan Williams Black Label, Sazerac Rye (Baby Sazerac, as it is affectionately know), and Old Forester Signature (100 proof). These are versatile, affordable whiskeys which you can keep in your drinks cabinet and use for many drinks applications.

However, I’ve noticed a lot of new whiskeys that seem to be produced and marketed for this exact kind of versatility. Part of it might be driven by the popularity of cocktails. It might also be that older, more mature American whiskeys are becoming scarcer.

I will also point out that most of these new releases don’t have age statements, allowing the producers more flexibility with their stocks, and some people aren’t very happy about it. (I, too, was a little bummed when Knob Creek Rye was released without an age statement, instead of being released at 9 years old similar to the Knob Creek bourbons.

Recent examples include Wild Turkey Bourbon 81 Proof, Wild Turkey Rye 81 Proof, Knob Creek Rye, and even the private label Breaking & Entering bourbon (which is quite nice, btw). All of them seem, to varying degrees, come across as mature just enough to enjoy neat or with a little water, but youthful and vibrant enough to work well in cocktails without breaking the bank in the process.

And, of course, the more versatile a whiskey is, the more bottles of it will be sold, which won’t exactly hurt the company’s bottom line either.

Have you noticed any whiskeys released recently that fall in this category? Your thoughts on this trend?

 

Category: American whiskey,Bourbon,Marketing,New Releases,Rye whiskey Tags: , , , 23 Comments

April 20th, 2012

A. Smith Bowman opens Visitor Center, turns a page

John Hansell

Join Whisky Advocate contributor and managing editor Lew Bryson on his latest whiskey journey.

Yesterday I drove down to Fredericksburg, Virginia for the opening of the new Visitor Center at the A. Smith Bowman distillery, the place most of you know as the maker of Virginia Gentleman bourbon. It is an operation that is, to the best of my knowledge, unique. Bowman gets double-distilled bourbon-mash spirit (from Buffalo Trace, as both are now owned by Sazerac), runs it through their pot still doubler — named “Mary,” after the mother of the Bowman brothers who were officers in the Revolutionary War and settled in Virginia — and then ages the whiskey on-site in new, charred oak barrels (mostly; see below).

That’s how master distiller Joe Dangler did it for years (the distillery moved to this location from Reston, Virginia in 1988) and that’s how new master distiller Truman Cox does it now at this big brick building (everything’s under one roof for now). Bowman is in a surprisingly bucolic setting, surrounded by trees and flanked by a burbling creek and a waterfall. Visitors have already doubled since Sazerac bought the distillery, and the Spotsylvania County tourism folks were very excited about a “Grape to Grain” weekend they’ll be doing in mid-June, featuring Bowman, Blue and Gray Brewing (an established craft brewery in the same business park; excellent beers!), and four Virginia wineries, all of them along the old Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac railroad line.

Yesterday’s event may have been billed as ‘just’ a visitor center opening — and there was a ribbon, a huge pair of scissors, and plenty of local tourism officials — but it was more than that; it was a revealing look at what Cox and Sazerac have planned for Bowman. This reopening is a re-focus on Bowman as a microdistillery: not a small producer of mainstream bourbon, but as a place that will do small batches and bottlings of interesting American whiskeys (and other spirits; they had gin, vodka, and rum available as well).

We were tasting some of those small runs, bottlings from older barrels that Truman has selected over the past year. They are very small runs, though: part of the tour we got was the warehouse (pictured here), and that’s it, that’s the entire stock of A. Smith Bowman whiskey — about 5,000 palletized barrels, ranging from three days to 18 years old. As Truman said, Jim Beam makes more whiskey in a week than is in his entire stock.

That’s okay with him. “We’re already doing experiments,” he said. One of those was sitting right up front in the warehouse, a set of wine-type barrels with whiskey in them. All were toasted oak, to see what effect that had on the whiskey; and half were toasted and charred, to see if the char negated the effects from the toasting or added to them. (The toasted barrels were stenciled “WHISKEY,” the toasted and charred ones read “BOURBON WHISKEY.”)

One other experiment was the debut whiskey Truman will be bringing to WhiskyFest New York. It is a 7 year old Bowman bourbon that is currently finishing in a special barrel. Bowman sold some used barrels to a local winery, Potomac Point, which aged their port in them (“A damned good American port,” Truman said, and after listening to his dad talk wine at lunch, it seemed likely he wasn’t just being supportive). When the port was finished, Cox bought the barrels back and put the bourbon in them. I got a taste of a sample that had been in the port wood for a month, and — well, I’ll just say that it’s off to a very good start, much like this new chapter in the history of A. Smith Bowman.

Category: American whiskey,Bourbon,Distillery news,Distillery Tours,Guest Blogger,Whisky Advocate Magazine,Writers Tags: , 10 Comments

April 13th, 2012

Say goodbye to some Irish whiskey brands

John Hansell

What’s now happening in Ireland is not new. It’s a trend that’s been prevalent in Scotland ever since the demand for whisky increased years ago. Many distilleries stopped, or drastically cut back, selling whisky to private bottlers once their contract was up, leaving them scrambling to source product.

Now we’re seeing this happening with Irish whiskey. The Cooley distillery provides whiskey for so many different private labels, I can’t even keep track of all of them. Now that Beam purchased the Cooley distillery back in December, I know many brand owners who–for good reason–began worrying if Beam would cut their supply off once their contract was up. If what Beam did this week is an indication of the future, it’s not a bright one for private labels.

The most recent casualty is Slane Castle Irish Whiskey. As reported in Shanken News Daily yesterday:

“Beam Inc. is reportedly scaling down contract whiskey production at its newly acquired Cooley Distillery in Ireland as it ramps up volume of Cooley’s own brands, such as Kilbeggan, with an eye toward U.S. growth. Reports out of the country say that while contracts in place will be honored, Beam isn’t accepting new contract orders at Cooley. That’s leaving some private label Irish whiskeys—such as Slane  Castle, which Cooley previously produced on an individual-order basis—hunting for supply.”

I like many of the older expressions of Kilbeggan, and I’m happy to know that Kilbeggan will become more widely available. That being said, I’m going to miss the variety and choices of some really nice Irish whiskeys that have proliferated over the past several years, largely because of the whiskey that Cooley has sold to independent bottlers like Slane Castle.

Let’s hope that the large conglomerates that now own Ireland’s three big Irish distilleries will pick up some of the slack and keep us entertained with new and exciting releases.

Category: Distillery news,Independent Bottler,Irish whiskey,New Releases,Opinions Tags: , , , 24 Comments

April 11th, 2012

Whisky Stones: do they “rock” or not?

John Hansell

There’s an article in the New York Times dining section today on the popularity of whisky stones. Give it a quick read. I’m quoted in it.

For those of you who are not familiar with them, they are small stones that you can purchase, keep in your freezer, and put in your whisky instead of ice. The idea here is that you can cool your whisky without watering it down.

I was interviewed by the author twice before the piece was published, and think she did a good job in the article conveying my general opinion of them: I see very little use for them in my whisky-drinking life. I own some because I was sent samples to review. For the most part, they just take up space in my freezer next to whatever that is in the Ziploc bag with freezer burns all over it that my wife put in there last year.

Most people I know who are “enthusiasts” drink their whisky neat or with a splash of water at room temperature. And, as I note in the article, my friends who are not serious whisky drinkers (like my fishing buddies who drink bourbon and ginger ale on the rocks) have never complained to me about the ice watering down their drink. (It’s probably because their drinks don’t last long enough for melting ice to become a concern…)

Plus, there’s the whole logistical and sanitary issue with whiskey stones. You have to have them handy, in a freezer nearby, to use them. (Try asking for them with your drink order the next time you go out to a bar or restaurant and see what response you get from your server.)

The few times I have tried them, they became a nuisance at some point. They weigh down my drink, and I am stuck with them when I’m done with it. Then I have to wash them, dry them (heaven forbid any ice forms on them, right?), and put them back in the cute little bag they came in before throwing them back in my freezer.

To be fair, I really do see one situation where they would be useful. I mentioned this during the interview, but it was not included due to space constraints. I keep most of my whiskies in a bar in my house here in Pennsylvania. In the summer, the house is air-conditioned, so my bottles never get warmer than the temperature at which I prefer to drink my whisky. But, I have a vacation home at the New Jersey shore and we often keep the windows open and forgo the A/C to welcome in the lovely sea breezes. But, my bottles of whisky sometimes get a few degrees warmer than I would like and I find myself wanting to cool my whisky down a bit. I suspect many of you have similar situations, depending on where you live and if you have A/C or not.

Even so, I have several options available to me that are very convenient and do not require the expense and hassle of whisky stones. What I normally do is just add a little cold water or a small ice cube to bring my whisky down a few degrees. I often drink cask-strength whisky and would be adding some water anyway. Even in the times when I don’t want any water or ice in my whisky, in a pinch I can simply keep some glasses in the fridge or stick my glass in the freezer for a minute or two, which will cool my whisky down shortly after I pour it in the glass.

I guess the point I am trying to make is: who are the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people buying these? If you’re using them on a regular basis, please chime in here. I’m keeping an open mind. I am all for progress and buying new things that will make my life better. (Our house has iPhones and iPads with lots of cool apps, for example). If I can help whisky stone producers sell more product, make more money, and at the same time making whisky-drinkers (and therefore whisky producers) happier, then I am all for it.

P.S. Just after I published this post, I was coincidentally sent an email promo for something called the “Instant Wine Chiller” which you can find here. They say it also works for vodka, tequila, etc. You put it on the end of the bottle and it cools the beverage as it flows out of the bottle before going into the glass. I don’t know anything more about it or how well it work, but it looks like another alternative to putting stones in your whisky.

Category: Education,Marketing,Media,Opinions,Whisky-related items 55 Comments

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