I’m heading into NYC for a one-on-one with Glenmorangie’s whisky wizard, Dr. Bill Lumsden this Friday. He told me he’s bringing lots of goodies to taste. I’ll get you updated over the weekend regarding all the new Glenmorangie whiskies (Signet, Astar, etc.) and Ardbeg whiskies too!
September 9th, 2008
Review: Balvenie Rum Cask, 17 yr. old
The Balvenie Rum Cask, 17 year old, 43%, $130
Rich and sweet, with toffee, coconut cream, Turkish delight, nougat and honey. Ripe black raspberry, citrus and dried spice (vanilla, fennel, and evergreen mint) provide complexity and attempt to balance all the sweetness. A pleasant dram, but I wish there was a little more there to prop up all that sweetness. A whisky for those with a sweet tooth. Good with dessert, as dessert, or with a cigar.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 80
September 8th, 2008
Review: The Balvenie Signature, Batch #1
The Balvenie Signature, Batch #1, 12 year old, 43%, $55
Good, straight-forward, moderately sherried Balvenie. Classic Balvenie honeyed notes combine with vanilla, ripe barley, glazed citrus, apricot marmalade, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A nice entry level Balvenie. It’s a solid whisky.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 83
September 7th, 2008
Review: Balvenie 1976 Vintage
This is one of three new Balvenie whiskies being released this fall, and it’s my favorite of the three. I’ll post my review of the other two over the next two days.
The Balvenie Vintage Cask, 1976 vintage, 53%, $800
Very spicy and complex, with incredible depth. Once again, this 30-plus year old whisky proves the aging ability of Balvenie. Still quite vibrant and invigorating for such a mature whisky. The classic Balvenie honey note is there, but more reserved, along with graham cracker, vanilla wafer, citrus peel, raspberry (red and black), nectarine, and polished oak. Long, spicy finish. (Another outstanding Balvenie Vintage Cask. Although, I remember when I was shocked when the Balvenie vintages were selling for $400. Now it’s $800.)
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 94
September 6th, 2008
Willett Bourbon Locator Guide
Some of the Willett Bourbons and Ryes have been outstanding. But they’re often very difficult to find. I spoke with Drew, my contact at Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (the bottlers of Willett) yesterday, and here’s a brief synopsis of what he told me regarding what’s available where (and contact information!):
John, we sent 96 bottles of our 25YR/90.2 Proof to CA for distribution and 360 bottles to Japan. I believe that there was a total of 8 barrels for this release. Retail is around $150-$175 in CA.
We’ve also released several more barrels for distribution here in KY selected by The Party Source, specifically:
6YR/112.2 Proof Bourbon-108 bottles
7YR/123.4 Proof Bourbon-48 bottles
12YR/114.8 Proof Bourbon-72 bottles
16YR/147 Proof Bourbon-118 bottles
17YR/97.2 Proof Bourbon-168 bottlesThese are due to hit shelves late next week. All are full barrel strength and unchill-filtered. If you interested please contact Jay Erisman (info below)
jerisman@thepartysource.comWe will be doing a 7YR for Toddy’s Liquor (in Bardstown) that will hit shelves prior to the KY Bourbon Fest.
Our distributor Ledroit Brands in Washington DC selects barrels several times a year of many different ages that are available in the DC area. Ace Beverages always has a nice selection of the Willett Family Reserve Barrel Proof Whiskies. For more information please contact Bill Thomas (Ledroit Brands) at:
Regards,
Drew Kulsveen
For all of you Willett enthusiasts, I hope this helps.
September 4th, 2008
Review: Bruichladdich Rocks, Waves, & Peat
Here’s the new “multi-vintage” line up from Bruichladdich, with three different levels of peat. All three are interesting, with a varying range of flavor profiles. It’s good to see all three expressions organized as family of whiskies. (FYI: “Peat” replaces the “3-D” in the line-up.)
Bruichladdich “Rocks”, 46%, $50
Fruit is the common thread to this lightly peated whisky. Red fruit, that is. Red raspberry, red currant, red seedless grape, strawberry, and red apple. A gentle sweetness (creamy vanilla, light molasses) balances all this fruit. Not overly contemplative, but delightful. This is definitely not the same Rocks I reviewed two years ago. I still have my sample and compared it to this new expression. This new one is richer, darker in color, and tastes more mature. It’s an improved version, and my rating reflects this.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 84
Bruichladdich “Peat”, 46%, $65
The most heavily peated of the three (35ppm phenol), but rather gentle for such smoke intensity. No doubt this is partly due to its sweet underbelly of vanilla cream puff, honeyed barley, and melon fruit. The other factor is that the smoke influence is not medicinal like some other Islay whiskies, but rather more of a leafy bonfire smoke, with burning embers and teasing brine on the finish. I liked 3-D better than this one.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 82
Bruichladdich “Waves”, 46%, $60
Only moderately peated (15ppm phenol), but a consistent influence. Quite fresh: reminds me of a walk around a traditional distillery, with notes of steeping barley, kiln smoke, and youthful spirit. A subtle, intriguing thread of gin botanicals (especially citrus peel) weaves its way through the palate. A bit too youthful. Otherwise, the smoke and fruit keep your attention.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 78
September 3rd, 2008
And what was the best whisky you’ve had this year?
Have you tasted a whisky that really impressed you? Perhaps you can share your experience with us.
What was it? When did you taste it and where did you buy it?
After a day or two of hearing from all of you, I’ll tell you about a couple of whiskies that impressed me so far this year.
September 3rd, 2008
What’s the worst whisky you tasted this year?
Someone in Scotland once told me, “There aren’t any bad whiskies. Some are just better than others.”
This, of course, isn’t true. Have you tasted a whisky (or whiskey) this year you didn’t like or were disappointed with? If so, what was it?
I’ll give you a day or two to chime in. At the end, I’ll give you the names of a couple that I was disappointed with this year.
September 2nd, 2008
Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (2008 release)
Here’s my review of the new Birthday Bourbon. I was sent a review sample in advance. It is scheduled to be released in mid-October.
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (2008 release), 47%, $40
A very hearty Birthday Bourbon. Richly textured with lush sweet notes of jammy berried fruit, coconut cream pie and apple crisp, married with firm dry notes of fresh mint, warming cinnamon and vanilla. Dry, polished leather finish. The oak-influenced dryness on the finish lingers longer than I would like and the flavors aren’t integrated as well as last year’s version (which is understandable, given that last year’s release was Malt Advocate magazine’s American Whiskey of the Year for 2007). Still, this is certainly an entertaining whisky. Save this for after dinner, though.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 83
September 2nd, 2008
Glenmorangie Astar in, Ardbeg Renaissance out
This posting is mainly for my U.S. audience. As it often goes with whisky and distribution, I was informed from my Moet contact that the new Glenmorangie Astar will be coming to the U.S. sometime in 2009 (no firm date set yet), but that the new Ardbeg Renaissance will not be imported to the U.S.
You may remember I blogged about Renaissance earlier this year. It’s the first Ardbeg release distilled and bottled by the current owners of the distillery. I like it a lot. I still haven’t tried the Astar. My sample got lost in transit to me (bummer!) so I won’t have it for another week or two. Astar translates to “Journey” and is part of Dr. Bill Lumsden’s “artisan cask” experiments.
I was also informed by the wizards behind Glenmorangie that they are working on a “top secret” Glenmorangie. No, I don’t know anything about it yet. That sample broke in transit (even more of a bummer!). So, it’s still top secret (to me, anyway). But, I should find out more about it in a week or two. And I wouldn’t be surprised if it is leaked out and posted somewhere on the internet in the interim. But, when I find out something, I’ll pass it on to you ASAP.
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