May 30th, 2009

Review: Amrut Indian Whisky

John Hansell

Focus on Amrut Indian Whisky
Impressive whiskies for their age (around 4 years). And many will be surprised to discover that these whiskies were produced in India. Well done! (Note that prices are approximate, as they are not yet for sale in the U.S.)

Amrut, 46%, $40
A mouth-coating whisky, and oily in texture too! Ripe vanilla malt, peaches & cream, polished oak, roasted nuts and a hint of coconut cream pie. Soothing, creamy finish. A pleasant “anytime” dram. Smartly bottled at 46% to appreciate its fine textures and subtle nuances.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 80

Amrut, Limited Edition (bottled 2007), 61.9%, $60
Similar to the standard Amrut, except that it’s drier and spicier, with suggestions of bourbon. Not as creamy as the standard expression, but a bit more sophisticated.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 82

Amrut, Limited Edition, Peated, (bottled 2008), 62.78%, $70
Good balance between ripe barley, rum-like sweetness and damp kiln smoke. Dried oak spice, bourbon char, brine, and anise add complexity, peaking on the finish. An interesting contrast to the other Amrut whiskies. This whisky could pass for a youthful Islay malt.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 84

I also informally tasted a new Amrut whisky at WhiskyFest Chicago back in April. (Distillery reps were in attendance.) It’s called Fusion. It contains 25% peated whisky, 75% unpeated whisky. The unpeated malt is Indian, while the peated malt comes from Scotland. It’s bottled at 50%. Very enjoyable!

Category: Indian whisky,Reviews Tags: 8 Comments

May 28th, 2009

First Bottle of Kilchoman Whisky Auctions for over £5000

John Hansell

The first bottle of whisky from Islay’s newest distillery fetched a lot of money. Details below from their press release.

First Bottle of Kilchoman Whisky from Cask No.1 Auctions for over £5000

A limited edition bottle of Kilchoman Distillery’s first ever single malt from cask number one, filled in December 2005, was sold at auction for a staggering £5,400.  The winning bid was made by Niels Ladefoged, originally from Denmark and who lives in the UK.  The bottle of the three year old single malt has a unique design and is the only one of its kind.  All proceeds of the auction will go to Islay charities. 

The bottle and its presentation was exclusively designed for the distillery.  The bottle is contained in an attractive box that was hand made by Howard Proctor, who is also a member of Kilchoman’s production team, and features a watercolour on the label, painted by Nicola Wilks, an artist from Otter Ferry Argyll with three generations of family connections with Islay. 

The auction took place at Kilchoman Distillery’s Open Day on Thursday 28th May at 12.30pm, during Feis Ile, the Islay Festival of Malt & Music. The week long island festival has helped raise further awareness of Kilchoman’s very first single malt that will be launched on 9th September this year. 

Anthony Wills, Founder & Managing Director of Kilchoman Distillery said: “We are delighted with the winning bid and a huge congratulations to Niels Ladefoged.  Our thanks go to all those, both local and international, who made their bids for such a wonderful piece of whisky history.  The money raised from the auction will go to Islay charities.   The response from our auction has been encouraging and we look forward to an exciting year ahead and the launch of our very first single malt.”

Niels Ladefoged said:”I am delighted to have secured the very first bottle of Kilchoman Whisky and even more so that the proceeds are going to local charities. I have been fortunate enough to come to the island for many years, and I think it is one of the most welcoming places in the world. I know how hard people work with the charities and it is an absolute honour to be able to help in a small way. I feel the first bottle exemplifies the enterpreneurial spirit of the island in general, and Anthony Wills and the Kilchoman project in particular.”

The much anticipated single malt has been getting seals of approval from a very young age.  The one month old Kilchoman spirit has received a remarkable score of 94 out of 100 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2008, rating it as a “superstar whisky that gives us all a reason to live!” In April 2009, the two year old spirit sold out on the first day of the Limburg Whisky Fair in Germany. 

Kilchoman Distillery prides itself in taking whisky back to its roots and is the first distillery to be built on Islay for 124 years.  A visit to Kilchoman Distillery gives everyone the opportunity to see all that is best in the grass-roots traditions of malt whisky distilling – from barley to bottle.  The distillery location, Rockside Farm is said to grow the best malting barley on the island.

For more information on Kilchoman Distillery, announcements and events please telephone 01496 850011 or visit www.kilchomandistillery.com. 

Category: Auctions,Breaking news,Scotch whisky Tags: 6 Comments

May 28th, 2009

Review: Glenmorangie Sonnalta

John Hansell

Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX, 46%, $70
The first of Glenmorangie’s new “Private Collection” line of whisky for Travel Retail. This one is finished in Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry. With PX being so rich and intense and Glenmorangie spirit is so subtly complex and delicate, does the sherry dominate here? No, it doesn’t. Still, this is viscous and very textural for a Glenmorangie. I’m picking up rhum agricole drenched with honeyed apricot, toffee almond, chocolate covered raisin, glazed citrus, and cherry pits, all leading to a leathery, tobacco tinged, finish. A visceral whisky with plenty of grip. Great for after dinner.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 90

P.S. I’m waiting to get confirmation on the price. My press release didn’t specify, but I have been seeing it listed as this price from various sources.

Category: New Releases,Reviews,Scotch whisky,Travel Retail Tags: 8 Comments

May 26th, 2009

Give us your distillery report

John Hansell

I know that some of you are on Islay for the Islay whisky festival. I also know that some of you were just in Campbeltown touring Springbank and Glengyle.

Maybe some of you are down in Kentucky touring bourbon distilleries or over in Ireland. Or even at a cool microdistillery somewhere.

So, give us a report. Where did you go? What’s new? Any new bottlings just released or soon to be released? Give us the scoop!

Category: Distillery Tours,Events 12 Comments

May 26th, 2009

Review: Ardmore 30 year old

John Hansell

Ardmore, 30 year old, 53.7%, $450
The oldest Ardmore I have tasted. Smartly bottled at cask-strength and not chill filtered. (The entry level Ardmore “Traditional” is bookended at the opposite end of the age spectrum, tasting quite youthful.) My initial concern with this 30 year old was: would the wood dominate the lovely floral smoky notes I enjoy so much with Ardmore? The wood is certainly present, but the smoke still comes through. Complimenting the smoke, there’s gently layered sweetness (toffee, deep caramel, subtle honey), licorice root, bourbon barrel char, coffee grounds, high cocoa chocolate, with subtle dried citrus and a suggestion of floral soap. Dry finish, with more bourbon barrel char and licorice root. Considering that Ardmore has historically been a blending malt, most of the stocks right now are much younger. This is a rare treat. It’s just a wee bit thin in body and a little on the dry side from 30 years on wood for me to rate it in the mid 90s, but it’s still a very enjoyable whisky.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 90

Category: New Releases,Reviews,Scotch whisky Tags: 4 Comments

May 23rd, 2009

What’s your Memorial Day weekend whisk(e)y?

John Hansell

We’re in the middle of a holiday weekend here in the U.S. What whisky are you drinking? (If you’re not getting this posting until after the holiday, then what whisky did you drink?)

I’m at the beach for the weekend with the family, so I poured me a nice coastal-tasting Clynelish last night.

Category: Opinions 27 Comments

May 21st, 2009

To ice, or not to ice?

John Hansell

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article raising the issue of adding ice to whisky.

I’ll be honest with you and let you know that I don’t at ice at all to any whisky (or whiskey), unless it is in a cocktail, such as a Manhattan. I feel that the cold temperature dumbs down the flavors.

However, I will tell you that when I’m out drinking with whisky company reps or even distillery employees, drinking whisky on the rocks is a regular occurrence. Especially before dinner, and it’s usually a blended whisky. They save their “sipping neat” whiskies for after dinner.

What’s your take on it?

Category: Opinions Tags: 46 Comments

May 20th, 2009

Review: Springbank 18 yr. old

John Hansell

Springbank, 18 year old, 46%, $190
Nice to see stocks distilled after the 1980s silent period turning 18 years old. The sherry influence here is complimentary, but not overpowering. Notes of toffee almond, vanilla fudge, chocolate-coated citrus, bramble and candied ginger. Polished leather, dried spice and a hint of brine on the fishing dries it out nicely and keeps it interesting. Not quite as dynamic and complex as some of those legendary pre-1980s Springers, but it’s smooth, well-rounded and more-ish.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 88

On deck: Ardmore 30 year old and Glenmorangie Sonnalta.

Category: Reviews,Scotch whisky Tags: 10 Comments

May 18th, 2009

I trust you

John Hansell

Until this week, all blog comments had to be approved by me before showing up on WDJK. Many bloggers set it up this way for two reasons:

  1. To keep any spam from being posted up. Every so often, one sneaks through.
  2. To make sure no one crosses the line and says something offensive.

The downside to this is that there’s often a delay between when you send your comment and when it actually gets posted up, depending on what I’m doing at the time. I have a Blackberry with me all the time, so these delays usually aren’t very long. But still, I’m sure you would rather see your comment post up right away.

So, I changed the settings over the weekend. If it’s your first time posting a comment, I still need to approve it before it shows up. However, any comments by you after that will automatically be posted up. I’ll be sent a copy of your comment after the fact, with the option to delete it, spam it, etc.

I let you speak your mind freely here, and I’m sure you’ve all been enjoying the lively discussions. People reading this blog are intelligent, passionate whisky enthusiasts. Let’s keep it going–the right way.

And if you’re just lurking and haven’t contributed anything (my blog stats tell me that there are thousands of you doing this every day), please feel free to join in on the discussions. There are no wrong answers here.

Category: Administrative,Opinions 24 Comments

May 15th, 2009

Review: Isle of Skye 8 yr. old

John Hansell

Isle of Skye, 8 year old, 43%, $29
What a surprise! Really thick and malty for a blend (there’s a high malt content here for sure) and also nicely mature for 8 years old. Great balance too with the island aggressiveness tamed by a rich, malty elegance. Delicious honey, toasted oak, firm peat, dark chocolate and glazed citrus meld nicely with the malt, leading to honeyed, lightly peppered finish. Very enjoyable! (A 12 year old expression will be released to the U.S. later this fall, which I look forward to trying.)

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 84

Category: Reviews,Scotch whisky Tags: 2 Comments

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