October 30th, 2007

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards Announced

John Hansell

The 2007 Malt Advocate Whisky Awards were announced this evening by John Hansell, Malt Advocate Publisher & Editor (yes, that’s me), before a sold out WhiskyFest New York at the Marriott Marquis on Times Square. This annual awards program was established thirteen years ago to recognize excellence in the world of whisky. The awards categories and winners are listed below.

Best Buy of the Year: Black Bottle Original
American Whiskey of the Year: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (2007 Release)
Canadian Whisky of the Year: Crown Royal Cask No. 16
Irish Whiskey of the Year: Redbreast 12 year old
Scotch Whisky Blend of the Year: Chivas 18 year old
Scotch Whisky Malt of the Year: The Macallan 1976 Vintage (Cask 11354)
World Whisky of the Year: Suntory Yamazaki 18 year old
Industry Leader of the Year: Mixologists
Distillery of the Year: BenRiach
Pioneer of the Year: Bruichladdich Distillery
Lifetime Achievement Award: Jim Rutledge, Four Roses Distillery
Lifetime Achievement Award: David Stewart, William Grant & Sons

In addition, the Top Ten New Whiskies for 2007 were announced by John Hansell. They are listed below, in alphabetical order.

Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Chardonnay Aged Bourbon, 14 year old, 45%, $50/375ml
Crown Royal Cask No. 16, 40%, $100
Dun Bheagan (distilled at Springbank), Cask No. 1704, 35 year old, 1970 vintage, 50.5%, $300
The Glenlivet Cellar Collection, 1969 vintage, 50.8%, $750
Highland Park, Cask #13308, 1973 vintage, 33 year old, 54.4%, $280
Highland Park, Cask #7957, 1977 vintage, 29 year old, 48.5%, $300
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, 1994 vintage, 47%, $40
The Macallan 1976 Vintage, 29 year old, cask #11354, 45.4%, $1,500
Parker’s Heritage Collection, First Edition, 1996 vintage, 61.3%, $80
Wild Turkey American Spirit, 15 year old, 50%, $90

A complete write up of the award winners will appear in the 1st quarter 2008 issue of Malt Advocate, which mails on January 15, 2008.

Category: Bourbon,Canadian whisky,Events,Irish whiskey,Malt Advocate Mag,New Releases,Opinions,Reviews,Scotch whisky,WhiskyFest 1 Comment

October 29th, 2007

Inside scoop: Parker’s Heritage Collection

John Hansell

This fall, Heaven Hill released it’s first ever cask-strength whiskey for the U.S. market, which it calls the Parker’s Heritage Collection. The whiskey is named for Master Distiller Parker Beam, who selected the bourbon for the bottlings. This is the first in what will be an ongoing series of whiskeys released under the Parker’s Heritage Collection title. I rated the whiskey very highly in the current issue of Malt Advocate magazine, scoring it a 95/100. Of course, you may already know all of this.

What you might not know is that there were actually three different “dumps” or batch bottlings of this first edition, cask-strength bourbon. The only way to tell the difference is by the alcohol level identified on the label. Each dump had a different alcohol level.

The bottling I reviewed for the current issue of Malt Advocate was 122.6 proof. There were also bottlings at 127.4 proof and 129.6 proof. All this begs the question: does each bottling taste differently? You bet!

The bourbon at 122.6 proof, which I reviewed and rated highly, I described as “well-balanced,” and “a nicely matured bourbon of character and pedigree.”

The bourbon at 127.4 proof is in the same caliber of quality. It’s thicker, beefier and more decadent than the 122.6 proof bottling, but not as crisp. Another fine effort!

However, the third bottling, and the one with the highest alcohol level (129.6 proof) falls a little short. It misses on the balance. It’s  a bit hot on the palate (even with a liberal addition of water), and I feel the oak plays too much of a role. A leathery finish lingers too long. It’s not a bad whiskey, but not in the league of the other two.

So, what should you take from all of this? If you are a bourbon drinker, by all means go out and buy a bottle of the first edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection (which will run you about $80). But, before you do, check the label. Try to buy one at 122.6 proof or 127.4 proof.

Category: Bourbon,New Releases,Reviews No Comments

October 27th, 2007

Your feedback on how I’m doing

John Hansell

I want to thank everyone who provided feedback on my query asking you how I was doing so far with the blog. I was overwhelmed with the response. I appreciate your suggestions on how I can improve the blog, and I would like to address each one individually.

1) Include pictures

I have the ability to include pictures and will do so when it is appropriate. Problem is, sometimes the information I provide you is so fresh and new, the whisky companies still don’t even have artwork created. That’s the price you pay for cutting edge news.

2) Allow comments

I admit that the blog, at this time, is a one-way street. My schedule is so busy, that it is a huge commitment of my time just to post on the blog, let alone monitor and manage comments. In the future, I do plan on opening the blog up for comments, because I think it is important for you to express your thoughts and feelings. (Plus, I am certain that I can learn from what you have to say.)

For now, I think the most important thing is that I get a new posting to you on a (near) daily basis, and this is where I am focusing all of my efforts. There’s so much rattling around in my brain, I have to let it out or my head will explode!

3) Mention/review more whiskies in a reasonable price range

What, you can’t afford those Double Barrel Ardbegs at $20,000 a pop? You need to get a new job! All kidding aside, your suggestion is duly noted, as you will notice by my most recent post on Redbreast 15 year old.

4) Include formal reviews

Sorry, but I reserve all formal reviews for the Buyer’s Guide section in Malt Advocate magazine. This blog is meant to complement Malt Advocate magazine, not trump it. I will, however, provide informal opinions on whiskies as appropriate.

I have to get ready for WhiskyFest New York, which takes place this Tuesday at the Marriott Marquis on Times Square in NYC, so I better close.  Thanks again everyone for your excellent feedback.

Category: Opinions No Comments

October 26th, 2007

Hot tip: Redbreast 15 yr. old

John Hansell

I feel that it’s my obligation to let you know when I find out about a great whiskey that’s not in the mainstream and will become increasingly more difficult to find. Redbreast 15 year old is one of those whiskeys.

Most Irish whiskey drinkers probably already know about Redbreast 12 year old pure pot still whiskey. It’s the only pure pot still whiskey (whiskey made from both malted and unmalted barley in pot stills) brand that is still on the market as a regular stock item throughout the world. (Sure there’s Green Spot, but it’s available in extremely limited quantities and not sold in the U.S.) Redbreast 12 year old is, in its own right, is a fantastic whiskey and not always easy to find.

But then I found out about how La Maison du Whisky in France had Irish Distillers make a 15 year old, 46%, unchill-filtered version specifically for them. Last week when I toured the Midleton Distillery (where Redbreast–and Jameson–is made) during the launch of Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve, I was able to procure a bottle. It’s fantastic!

According to David Quinn of Irish Distillers, who I was with last week, some of these bottles “surprisingly” found their way to a few whisky specialist shops throughout Europe. Regardless, stocks of this whiskey are rare and, according to Dave, will become increasingly rare in the future.

(Dave didn’t go so far to say they aren’t going to make it any more in the future, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did stop making it–or ration it out in painfully slow amounts to La Maison du Whisky–which would be very sad indeed. With last week’s launch of the new Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve, I can’t imagine they want to have any of their other Irish whiskey brands stealing the limelight of Jameson.)

So, if you love Irish whiskey, do your best to get a bottle. Even if you usually drink single malt scotch you should find a way to get a bottle, because I think you will enjoy it very much. Here’s the link to La Maison du Whisky’s website: http://www.whisky.fr/produit-349-redbreast-15-ans-46-15-yo.html

What we really should do is start a worldwide petition to get Irish Distillers to make Redbreast 15 year old a regular stock item, along with Redbreast 12 year old. I have no problem drinking both Jameson and Redbreast.

Category: Irish whiskey,Reviews No Comments

October 25th, 2007

Kudos for Murray McDavid’s Labels

John Hansell

Let’s face it. Whiskies are more diverse than they’ve ever been, and the most important thing for both consumers and whisky producers is to make sure that the consumers understand what they’re buying. With all the different wood finishes, peating levels, etc., the best way to convey this information to the consumer is via the bottle’s label, and I think that the most recent iteration of the independent bottler Murray McDavid labels do an excellent job of this.

To start, each front label identifies the distillery, the region, the whisky’s age, the vintage, the bottling date, the whisky’s strength and the number of bottles produced. In addition, each label clearly lists all the cask types that the whisky was aged in. Finally, the label lists clear, practical, succinct, tasting notes to help portray what the whisky actually tastes like. Then, the back label suggests how to drink the whisky and explains the benefits of non chill-filtering.

I wish every bottle of whisky was like this. Consumers would get what they want, and the producers would sell more whisky.

Category: Opinions,Scotch whisky No Comments

October 24th, 2007

Highlights of WhiskyFest San Francisco

John Hansell

Well, last night was Malt Advocate magazine’s inaugural WhiskyFest San Francisco. As it is with all WhiskyFests, it was a lot of fun, with many great whiskies to taste.

Some of the highlights that stood out for me included some very rare and old whiskies from the independent bottlers. I also was intrigued by some experimental whiskeys from Stranahan’s (they called ‘em “snowflakes”, because no two Colorado snowflakes are alike). For their seminar, Heaven Hill brought out some of their bourbons that they only sell to the export market, which was pretty cool. And John Hall from Forty Creek hosted a seminar that included tasting the individual components of his Barrel Select.

There were also plenty of new whiskies to taste. Here’s just a small sampling that was being poured:

Aberlour 12yr. “Double Matured”
Benromach Organic
Bowmore 18 yr.
Several new Bruichladdichs
The New Buffalo Trace 2007 Antique Collection
Compass Box Flaming Heart
New release of Evan Williams Single Barrel
New Glenmorangie expressions
Hazelburn
Lagavulin and Oban Distillers Edition
New 2007 release of Old Forester Birthday bourbon

And not to be outdone by all the whisky companies, Anchor Brewing Company was pouring this year’s “Our Special Ale” which will not be released to the public until November. It came off the bottling line the day before! How cool is that?

On top of all this, we had San Francisco’s best mixologists making signature whiskey cocktails. They rocked!

Many whisky legends were there, like Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey, Jimmy Bedford of Jack Daniels, Parker Beam from Heaven Hill, Lincoln Henderson (Woodford Reserve and now Suntory), Richard Paterson of The Dalmore, and Willie Tait from Jura.

WhiskyFest New York is in six days. I have six days to recover and do it all over again. Cool…

Category: Events,New Releases,Travel,WhiskyFest No Comments

October 22nd, 2007

So, how am I doing?

John Hansell

Since I’ve been doing this blog for about a month now, I thought it would be a good time to get your feedback on how I’m doing so far.

So, if you get a moment, email me and tell me:

1) what you like

2) what I can do to improve

You can send your thoughts to: John@maltadvocate.com

Thanks!

Category: Opinions,Uncategorized No Comments

October 22nd, 2007

Whiskies are getting expensive!

John Hansell

I remember the days when I thought Johnnie Walker Blue was expensive at $150. Now, I’m getting invitations to sample whiskies that cost several thousand dollars.

A couple of weeks ago it was Ardbeg Double Barrel (two bottles of 1974 vintage Ardbeg in a rifle case) which I was told that will retail for $20,000. This week I received an invitation to attend “an exclusive preview and first-ever tasting of The Macallan 55 years old, originally distilled in 1949 and bottled in the second of a series of six LALIQUE decanters for The Macallan.” The tasting is in November, and I’m going to try to make it because some of the older Macallans are wonderful.

Only 100 decanters will be available in the U.S. I don’t know how much this one will cost, but I can tell you that the first bottling is selling at Park Avenue Liquor in New York City for an even $10,000.

The two Ardbegs in the Double Barrel offering were delicious. It will be interesting to see how the 1949 Macallan will taste. Gosh, you almost hope that these whiskies suck, so you don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything.

Category: New Releases,Opinions,Scotch whisky No Comments

October 20th, 2007

Amber waves of Duncan Taylor

John Hansell

I was just sent a list of the new line of Duncan Taylor whiskies about to come to the U.S. There’s no shortage of whiskies, that’s for sure! 

The stash of Duncan Taylor whiskies is vast and (in many cases) old, as you will see by the list below. I’m going to be getting review samples, so I’ll try to sort out the ones I think are the best of the bunch and let you know. The rarest one looks like the Ladyburn. Curiously, it’s the same vintage (1973) as the distillery bottling released a few years back.

 1977 Blair Athol 30 yr old Cask #5543
 1982 Bowmore 25 yr old Cask
 1989 Braes of Glenlivet 18 yr old
 1968 Bunnahabhain 39 yr old Cask #7020
 1990 Dalmore 17 yr old
 1968 Glenlivet 39 yr old
 1986 Highland Park 21 yr old Cask #2251
 1973 Ladyburn 34 yr old Cask #5787
 1967 Macallan 40 yr old Cask #7683
 1987 Macallan 20 yr old Cask #
 1994 Aberfeldy 13 yr old (NC2)
 1990 Ben Nevis 16 yr old (NC2)
 1994 Clynelish 12 yr old (NC2)
 1991 Glen Elgin 16 yr old (NC2)
 1991 Glen Moray 16 yr old (NC2)
 1990 Glentauchers 16 yr old (NC2)
 1992 Inchgower 15 yr old (NC2)
 1990 Linkwood 16 yr old (NC2)
 1968 Highland Park 39 yr old (Lonach)

Category: New Releases,Scotch whisky No Comments

October 18th, 2007

Jameson Whiskey and “The Four Masters”

John Hansell

I’m back on the plane, returning from Ireland on my day and a half excursion to the Midleton Distillery for the launch of Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve. The six hours flight gives me plenty of time to think about the trip–and the brand.

On the surface, it’s easy to just say that Jameson has been coasting for the past several years. After all, there hasn’t been a new expression of Jameson in a long time. From a marketing perspective, this isn’t a fair statement. The brand’s owner, Pernod Ricard, has been working hard at getting the brand into new markets and increasing sales of the flagship Jameson brand.

But there’s more to it than just the marketing. There’s also been four key guys working very hard behind the scenes to improve the quality of the entire Jameson portfolio and develop the framework for Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve. Pernod Ricard refers to them as “The Four Masters”. (I’m not big on marketing speak, but in this case they are 100% accurate.) The Four Masters are Barry Crockett (Master Distiller), Billy Leighton (Master Blender), David Quinn (Master of Science), and Brendan Monks (Master of Maturation). These guys have been making whiskey for decades.

This is my fourth trip to Midleton over the past 15 years, and I can honestly say that I don’t know another distillery that currently has the depth and diversity of experience that these four guys have.  As I spent time with them the past two days–touring the distillery with Barry, knocking about in the warehouses with Brendan, discussing and tasting the blends with Billy and Dave–I was impressed by their knowledge, passion and dedication.

In many ways, this is almost a necessity, because the the dizzying array of whiskeys they have to produce. Plus, it takes time to create a new whiskey from scratch, and these guys have obviously put in their time. The Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve isn’t just another new “wood finished” whiskey that was conceived and created within a year or two. A portion of the pot still whiskey in this blend spent its entire life–somewhere around fifteen years–in port casks. That’s how old my daughter is!! And the grain whiskeys in this blend are older than that. So, as you can see, the groundwork for this new whiskey (and the framework for future Vintage Reserve releases) began years ago.

Looking back at the Jameson brands over the past decade or so, it is clear to me that both the variety and quality of the brand has improved. Both are a tribute to these four guys.

(On a final note, Brendan Monks, who just turned 65, told me at dinner last night that he will be retiring from full-time work as of November. He’s not just a warehouse wiz or maturation marvel; he’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet in this business. I wish him well, but will miss him during my next visit to Midleton.)

Category: Distillery Tours,Events,Irish whiskey No Comments

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