February 11th, 2010

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards “Lifetime Achievement Awards”: John Ramsay and Robert Hicks

John Hansell

This year, we honor two master blenders who have greatly impacted the Scotch whisky industry.

John Ramsay

John Ramsay retired in 2009 after 43 years in the whisky industry. He started as a chemist in 1966, and over the years he’s had the combined roles of both master blender and chemist (the last eighteen years being with Edrington).

By the time he retired, he was responsible for both the laboratory and sample rooms (sensory analysis), overseeing employees responsible for the sensory examination of casks, new distillate, and mature whiskies. He’s been on the judging panel for various spirits competitions, and is also a “Keeper of the Quaich.”

John was the master blender for well-known blends like Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse, and was also one of the “malt masters” of Highland Park and The Macallan. But perhaps his most significant achievement was the selection and creation of The Glenrothes since its release as a single malt in 1994. His signature is proudly stamped on every bottle of it since 2004, when he was involved in the creation of their “vintage” concept, which continues today.

Well done, John.

Robert Hicks

Robert Hicks started his career in whisky back in 1964. Before retiring from Allied Distillers in 2005 as master blender, he was responsible for the quality and flavor of many well-known whisky brands, including Ballantine’s, Teacher’s Highland Cream, and Laphroaig.

Since 2005, he has been a consultant master blender for Beam Global Spirits and Wines, working on Teacher’s Highland Cream, Laphroaig, and Ardmore whiskies.

His expertise covers all parts of the whisky industry, from distilling and maturation to blending, bottling, and marketing. Because of his efforts he has received numerous awards, and so have his whiskies. His most recent effort, and the one he’s most proud of, is the development of Laphroaig Quarter Cask.

As the scotch brand director for Beam Global put it: “To produce this exciting and unique Laphroaig variant is a tribute to the skills of Robert Hicks, who has overseen every step of this unrivaled process.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Category: Awards,Malt Advocate Mag Tags: , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

February 10th, 2010

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards “Distillery of the Year”: Cooley

John Hansell

There was a time when there were only two distilleries in Ireland; they were, for a while, owned by the same company. Then this small distillery opens up, staunchly independent, and starts doing things unheard of in Ireland. Instead of making traditional Irish whiskey (triple-distilled, non-smoky, and with a pot still whiskey component), they started making very scotch-like whiskey (double distilled, single malt, and sometimes very smoky).

Let’s face it. That took a lot of guts.

Nearly twenty years later, they’re still making Irish whiskey, and they’re still doing it their way. You can purchase delicious grain whiskey (Greenore), smoky single malt whiskey (Connemara), non-smoky whiskey (Tyrconnell), and blended whiskey (Kilbeggan). In fact, you can now also purchase unaged spirit from their newly resurrected sister distillery, Kilbeggan. (Not to be confused with the blend of the same name.)

All this is great. But the most compelling justification for selecting Cooley for this award isn’t just the variety of the whiskeys they make. It’s the quality. They are now putting out the best whiskey they have ever produced. The three different Tyrconnell 10 year old “finished” whiskeys (finished in port, madeira, and sherry casks), are excellent examples. Some of the Connemara releases have rivaled those from the West Coast of Scotland.

In an era where hundreds of small distilleries are starting up across the globe, Cooley can be an inspiration to them all.

Tomorrow’s Malt Advocate Whisky Awards announcements: “Lifetime Achievement Awards”  and “Top Ten New Whiskies for 2009.”

Category: Awards,Irish whiskey,Malt Advocate Mag Tags: 27 Comments

February 9th, 2010

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards “Industry Leader of the Year”: Mark Brown (Buffalo Trace Distillery)

John Hansell

Industry Leader of the Year

Mark Brown, President and CEO of Buffalo Trace Distillery

Mark is a visionary, incredibly driven, a clever businessman, and most importantly, passionate about whiskey. Like many other whiskey CEOs, he wants to make the perfect whiskey. But I have never seen anyone work this hard at it.

Buffalo Trace is conducting thousands of different experiments (including some at their experimental micro-distillery), many of them groundbreaking. More importantly, whiskey enthusiasts get to taste them on an ongoing basis, through the highly anticipated “Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection” releases. Their stable of regular whiskeys is also astonishing. I can think of at least twenty-five different straight bourbon and rye whiskeys produced by Buffalo Trace, from the flagship Buffalo Trace bourbon to the annual Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, which are consistently among the finest American whiskeys being produced.

There are other amazing whiskeys, and distilleries, under the Buffalo Trace umbrella; all of the wonderful Van Winkle whiskeys, for example. In 2009, Buffalo Trace purchased the Tom Moore distillery, where Barton and Ridgemont Reserve 1792 are produced. Later in the year, they also acquired the Old Taylor brand.

Experiments, acquisitions, and exciting new releases of the highest quality and at reasonable prices: what more could a whiskey-lover ask for? Thank you, Mark. Don’t stop! (Like you ever would…)

Tomorrow’s Malt Advocate Whisky Awards announcement: Distillery of the Year.

Category: Awards,Bourbon,Malt Advocate Mag,Rye whiskey Tags: , 36 Comments

February 8th, 2010

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards “Pioneer of the Year”: Whisky Bloggers!

John Hansell

Pioneer of the Year

Whisky bloggers

Where do you find out about the new Maker’s Mark bourbon months in advance, with pre-release tasting notes from professional whiskey writers? When is Dalmore’s master blender Richard Paterson coming to your town? Where can you still find stocks of the discontinued Laphroaig 15 year old (at the best price)? How would you like to watch a video of the unveiling of the newest vintage of Evan Williams Single Barrel bourbon, months before it is for sale? Where can you meet other whisky enthusiasts like yourself from around the world to have intelligent discussions about whisky?

You’ll find all this and so much more on hundreds of whisky blogs. Sure, the world of blogging is not policed, and it’s not perfect. But whisky books, magazines, and writers aren’t perfect either. If you’re going to read someone’s blog review of a whisky, make sure you know who they are and whether you trust their opinions.

The truth is, whisky blogs are slowly but surely replacing whisky books and magazines with anything that is time-sensitive. That includes information on new releases, reviews of new releases, news on whiskies being discontinued, last minute notifications of whisky tastings, and much more.

In fact, I think whisky blogs will make “whisky review” books practically obsolete. Sure, some people will still buy them as a reference. But let’s be honest. In this day of limited special releases, most of these whiskies are long gone by the time a review of it shows up in a book.

I view my own blog as a “living, breathing” version of Malt Advocate. In my mind, it is a magazine—one that complements the hard-copy version. I think whisky blogging is evolving into its own form of publishing. Its value is only going to increase, but it’s already indispensable if you are a true whisky enthusiast.

(For a list of many great whisky blogs, forums, podcasts, etc., click on the “What does everyone else know?” button on the right column. There are dozens of great sites to inform and entertain you.)

Tomorrow’s Malt Advocate Whisky Awards announcement: Industry Leader of the Year.

Category: Awards,Malt Advocate Mag 55 Comments

February 7th, 2010

The Super Bowl is going to be quite a (Ardbeg) Rollercoaster ride

John Hansell

This showed up at our office  yesterday morning. I didn’t want to steal the thunder Ardbeg Corryvreckan winning our “Whisky of the Year” honors here this morning, so I held off posting anything about Rollercoaster until after the awards announcement.

I have a bottle, and the booklet that came along with it. If you follow the thread on my first Rollercoaster post, you can find all the details on this bottling. But if you have any other questions, I will try to answer them.

And yes, I hope to open up this baby sometime this evening during the Super Bowl game. If I do, I don’t think it will matter which team wins.

Update: I offer my preliminary thoughts on Rollercoaster in comment #12 below.

Category: New Releases,Scotch whisky Tags: 43 Comments

February 7th, 2010

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards “Scotch Whisky: Single Malt of the Year”: Ardbeg Corryvreckan

John Hansell

Scotch Whisky: Single Malt of the Year

Ardbeg Corryvreckan, 57.1%, $85

Dr. Bill Lumsden is a brilliant innovator, and he’s the creative mind behind the new Glenmorangie and Ardbeg releases. This new Ardbeg Corryvreckan replaces Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist. (Bill, how about a whisky name that most of us can actually pronounce?)

As you can imagine, the “short list” for this award category was actually quite long, because there are so many great single malts on the market. One of deciding factors for picking “Corry” is that it is part of the new trend in malt whisky (younger whiskies, not chill-filtered, with interesting names instead of age statements). And while there are many whiskies that fit this category (and will be many more over the next several years), Corry is an example of the proper way to do it. It is a relatively young, invigorating, complex, and meticulously cared for whisky.

It’s also powerful, muscular, and well-textured. (I think part of this texturing is that some of the whisky was aged in French oak casks, rather than American or Spanish oak.) Even within the realm of Ardbeg, Corry stands out. The more aggressive notes of coal tar, damp kiln, anise, and smoked seaweed are supported by an array of fruit (black raspberry, black cherry, plum), dark chocolate, espresso, molasses, bacon fat, kalamata olive, and warming cinnamon on the finish. Quite stunning!

Tomorrow’s Malt Advocate Whisky Awards announcement: Pioneer of the Year.

Category: Awards,Malt Advocate Mag,Reviews,Scotch whisky Tags: 37 Comments

February 6th, 2010

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards “Scotch Whisky: Blend of the Year”: Compass Box, “The Peat Monster”

John Hansell

Scotch Whisky: Blend of the Year

Compass Box, “The Peat Monster,” 46%, $60

John Glaser, the creator of Compass Box whiskies, has been one of the most progressive and innovative whisky “blenders” in this generation. Some of his creations consist entirely of grain whiskies. Others are more “traditional” and combine grain whiskies with malt whiskies. But he also masterfully creates blends exclusively from only malt whisky (which has been referred to in the past as “vatted” whisky). The Peat Monster is just that: a blend of malt whiskies.

The formula for this whisky has changed slightly since its inception—and I think for the better. They’ve added some Laphroaig into the mix of Caol Ila and Ardmore. This whisky demonstrates the layered complexity that can be achieved by marrying whisky from different distilleries—and different regions.

I particularly enjoy the rich maltiness and oily texture that provide firm bedding and flavor contrast to the classic Islay notes—tar, boat docks, brine, smoked olive, seaweed, and kiln ash. More subtle cracked peppercorn, mustard seed, and citrus fruit add complexity, leading to a long, warming finish. It’s amazing how a small change in composition can significantly benefit the overall flavor profile of a whisky. If you love smoky whiskies, then you must try The Peat Monster.

Tomorrow’s Malt Advocate Whisky Awards announcement: Scotch Whisky: Single Malt of the Year.

Category: Awards,Malt Advocate Mag,Reviews,Scotch whisky Tags: 40 Comments

February 5th, 2010

A new Ardbeg, called “Rollercoaster”?

John Hansell

A little bird told me this is coming out. Called Rollercoaster. Bottled at 57.3%. It’s already up on Twitter. Twitterland says it contains whiskies no older than 1997. I emailed the powers that be for confirmation, but no response yet.

Stay tuned…

Category: Breaking news,New Releases,Scotch whisky Tags: 40 Comments

February 5th, 2010

A pilgrimage to Michter’s distillery

John Hansell

I was born in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, home of the Michter’s Distillery and Michter’s whiskey (which has most recently been sold under the A. H. Hirsch label). I remember buying and enjoying Michter’s whiskey for many years, while the distillery was open.

The distillery closed its doors for good on February 14th, 1990, and there’s an effort underway to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the closing of the distillery by offering tours (and more) this coming February 14th. The former Master Distiller and plant manager will even be in attendance.

I’ll be on vacation, sadly, and can’t make it. For those of you who live in (or near) Pennsylvania and would like to attend, here are the details that I have on the event as provided to me by Malt Advocate magazine’s Copy Editor (and bourbon enthusiast) Sam Komlenic. Sam will be there representing Malt Advocate.

They’re billing it as a “Toast to Michter’s.”  The current owner is collaborating with Ethan Smith (the driving force behind the event), and they will offer two tours, at 10 and 1.  Former plant manager and master distiller Dick Stoll will be in attendance, along with his wife Elaine, who was a tour guide.  Dick is the man who locked the doors at the close of business on February 14, 1990.  They are anticipating other former employees and perhaps some industry notables.

 The accessible buildings have no heat, and it remains an abandoned site, so appropriate dress for winter industrial archaeology is recommended.  They are encouraging folks to bring along any Michter’s memorabilia to display.  More here:

 http://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7137&p=30828#p30828

The distillery proper is amazingly intact.  Since it was abandoned by an amorphous “holding company,” the principals of which were never identified, it was never scrapped out.  Ethan has posted some photos here:

 http://forgottenpa.blogspot.com/2009/11/inside-michters.html

For more information, contact Ethan directly (ethangsmith@dejazzd.com).

IMPORTANT UPDATE: As Ethan in @10 mentions below, this event has been cancelled due to the massive snow storms PA got this past week. I’ll keep you posted on the new date.

Category: Bourbon,Distillery Tours Tags: 24 Comments

February 5th, 2010

Malt Advocate Whisky Awards “Irish Whiskey of the Year”: Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve (2009 release)

John Hansell

Irish Whiskey of the Year

Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve (2009 release), 46%, $250

The Midleton Distillery, where Jameson is made, has proven that it can make wonderful whiskeys of great diversity. Jameson Gold, Jameson 18 year old, Redbreast 12 year old, and Power’s 12 year old are just a few of them.

Late in 2007, the distillery introduced Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve (which didn’t get into circulation in the U.S. until 2008). The combination of aging some whiskey in port casks, including some older whiskeys (over 20 years old), and bottling—without chill-filtering—at 46% ABV has helped make Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve rich, deep, and complex.

A 2009 vintage was released toward the end of the 2009 calendar year. (The 2008 vintage was never brought into the U.S.) How does it stack up to the 2007 release, our award winner last year? I like the 2009 vintage even better! If anything, it’s richer and lusher than the 2007 vintage.

It’s rich, silky, and oily in texture. You’ll discover extremely well-integrated flavors loaded with fruits, ripe berries, caramelized banana, nougat, date nut bread, glazed tangerine, and maple syrup, peppered with warming cinnamon, vanilla icing, and nutmeg. A firm, dry, resinous finish balances the sweetness. I love the pot still character and the lushness that some of the port-wood aging has imparted. This is another classic Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve.

Tomorrow’s Malt Advocate Whisky Award annoucement: Scotch Whisky Blend of the Year.

Category: Awards,competitions,Irish whiskey,Malt Advocate Mag,Reviews Tags: 29 Comments

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