April 12th, 2010
Following up on my Friday post, here’s my review of another cask-strength Signatory whisky.
Signatory (distilled at Glen Ord), 1998 Vintage, 11 year old, Cask #3465, 60.3%, $110
Bright gold color. Big and firm on the palate. Quite fruity too (tangerine, pear, sultana, pineapple), on a dry malty foundation. Lighter notes of grass, hay, linseed oil and dried vanilla add complexity. Dried fruit and malt finish. A really nice dram with gobs of character.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 87
April 9th, 2010
Signatory (distilled at Port Ellen), 1982 vintage, 26 year old, (Cask # 1202), 54.1%, $275
Port Ellen, for sure! Very old-fashioned in nature: intertwined notes of tarry rope, coal soot, rooty peat, toffee, dark chocolate, and walnuts, spiked with coffee bean, anise, cracked peppercorn, and a hint of ginger. Dry, smoky, long, slightly austere finish. This Port Ellen is a bit moody (maybe even has an attitude problem), but I’m not complaining.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 90
April 9th, 2010
Macallan has announced their newest release in the Lalique decanter line. This time it’s 64 years old, just one bottle, and it will be auctioned off for charity. (Press release below.)
I know that some of you have complained about old, ultra-expensive bottles being released. Auctioning off the bottle for charity is a noble effort.
The Macallan and Lalique launch THE MACALLAN 64 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT WHISKY IN LALIQUE : CIRE PERDUE
Following an Eight Month, Global Fundraising Exhibition, Sotheby’s to Auction this One-of-a-Kind Piece in New York with all Proceeds Benefitting charity: water
Paris, April 6, 2010: Iconic luxury brands The Macallan and Lalique have come together again on the 150th anniversary of Rene Lalique’s birth, building on their highly successful partnership to produce a one-of-a-kind decanter, created by the ancient “cire perdue” or “lost wax” method. This decanter will hold the oldest and rarest Macallan ever bottled by this highly regarded distillery. The Macallan in Lalique Cire Perdue decanter contains a 64 years old Macallan single malt whisky, destined for final auction by Sotheby’s on November 15, 2010 in New York. All of the proceeds of this remarkable piece will be donated to charity: water, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. In an eight month traveling exhibit and fundraising journey, The Macallan in Lalique: Cire Perdue decanter will travel around the world from Paris to New York via Madrid, London, Moscow, Seoul, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.
The Cire Perdue decanter has been designed by the legendary French crystal house Lalique, exclusively for The Macallan. Painstakingly hand crafted with the skills for which Lalique has achieved world-wide recognition and renowned since the first fabulous glass pieces were designed and made by Rene Lalique in the first half of the twentieth century, the inspiration for the design has come from the beauty of The Macallan’s 150 hectare estate in north-eastern Scotland.
David Cox, Director of Fine & Rare Whiskies for The Macallan, comments: “We have established a very close working relationship with Lalique over the past six years. We share a heritage based on a commitment to craftsmanship and creativity, underpinned by a genuine passion to strive for the best in all our endeavours. This extraordinary project has raised our partnership to new heights, combining the brilliance of Lalique’s designers and craftsmen and the outstanding quality and character from the masters of spirit and wood at The Macallan to produce a single decanter which will never be replicated, filled with the oldest and rarest Macallan our distillery has ever released. Having decided to donate the proceeds from the auction of this beautiful decanter and its rarest of whiskies to charity, we decided to partner with charity: water. Given the predictions of future water shortages and recent natural catastrophes, we felt we wanted to contribute something really positive to help. We are hoping for some extraordinary generosity at the final auction in New York in November.”
“We are delighted that the proceeds from this historic auction of The Macallan in Lalique: Cire Perdue decanter will benefit charity: water,” said Scott Harrison, founder of charity: water. “Clean water projects bring communities together and offer improved health, a better quality of life and hope for a better future. I look forward to working closely with The Macallan and Lalique to bring clean water to some of the billion people on the planet without it.”
“Water is fundamental to the craftsmanship behind both The Macallan and Lalique,” continued Cox. “The word “whisky” derives from the Latin, “aqua vitae”, or “water of life”, and is one of the three natural ingredients of The Macallan, together with barley and yeast. Water is also critical for Lalique at the point of detailing, sanding and polishing the crystal pieces.”
The 64 years old Macallan has been vatted together from three casks, all built from sherry seasoned Spanish oak. The first was filled in 1942, the second in 1945 and the third in January 1946, from which the age of this great Macallan has been taken.
This Macallan is so rare for a couple of reasons; firstly The Macallan is widely recognized as one of the few single malts which can mature to a great age without losing its character to the powerful influence of Spanish oak maturation casks, seasoned with sherry, for which The Macallan is particularly well-known. The Macallan’s rich, oily spirit ensures the whisky achieves a balance and depth of aromas and flavours over many years in these casks, a balance often sought, but rarely achieved; secondly, this is the oldest Macallan ever released by the distillery in its 186 year history. Prior to the release of this 64 years old Macallan in the Cire Perdue decanter, the previous oldest Macallan released by the distillery was the 60 years old, distilled in 1926 and bottled in 1986, of which only forty bottles were ever produced.
Character of The Macallan 64 years old:
- The 64 years old Macallan has a lovely rich oak colour.
- On the nose, notes of peat smoke, dried orange peel, muscovado sugar and cedar wood, mixed with spicy cinnamon sticks and cloves.
- On the palate, spicy, blood oranges, rosin, treacle, walnuts, cocoa chocolate and peat smoke.
- The finish is soft, smooth and spicy, with lingering peats and dark chocolate
The decanter has been designed at Lalique’s Design Studio in Paris, based upon a ship’s decanter of the 1820’s, the decade in which The Macallan was founded, in 1824. Lalique’s designer felt the shape lent itself perfectly to the beautifully crafted panorama of The Macallan estate by the river Spey, in north east Scotland.
Lalique’s designer and craftsmen then worked to highlight the beauty of The Macallan’s estate, with its fields of barley, its woodlands, the river Spey flowing past its borders to the south and Easter Elchies House, The Macallan’s spiritual home built in 1700, lying at the heart of the estate.
The Macallan’s estate is unique among Scotch whisky distilleries. Spreading over 150 hectares on a plateau above the River Spey, this beautiful place has sustained generations of farmers and landowners over the centuries. Today, many of its fields grow the exclusive barley which lies at the heart of The Macallan spirit, while spring water from the estate boreholes combine with the barley and yeast to create the sublime single malt that is The Macallan. Among the estate woods grow mighty oak trees, which echo the oaks of northern Spain and the United States from which The Macallan’s exceptional casks are made, and which contribute so much of the final character of the whisky.
The decanter itself has been created by the lost wax process, an ancient practice originally developed to cast large pieces in bronze. After first modelling a piece in wax, it is covered with plaster and then sent to the oven to bake the clay while the wax melts. Finally, molten crystal is poured in the emptied shape. Up until 1930, Rene Lalique himself crafted glass pieces using the Cire Perdue technique, but abandoned it as arthritis increasingly affected his fingers.
Today, investing in the artistic and technical training of its artists to master again this extraordinary know-how, a new workshop has been created on the 150th anniversary of Rene Lalique’s birth in 1860, dedicated entirely to the ‘lost wax’ process, to make the first Cire Perdue pieces in eighty years, including The Macallan 64 years old in Lalique. Every piece is unique. Complex, time consuming and costly, the process is reserved for the ultimate pieces. The technique brings to light a fineness of detail never seen before and a unique texture that is likened to a « crystal skin, giving each piece a truly realistic and vivid aspect.
Silvio Denz, President and CEO of Lalique, commented, “We are enormously proud to be collaborating again with The Macallan, and in such a worthwhile cause. In today’s highly interconnected world, we are all increasingly aware of the needs of those much less fortunate than ourselves. We have been working on a series of decanters with The Macallan since 2004 and, over that time, have come to appreciate our shared values of a passionate commitment to outstanding quality, artistry and integrity. These decanters, each holding Macallan whiskies of 50, 55 and 57 years old respectively, have proved hugely admired and sought after around the world by whisky consumers and connoisseurs, as well as collectors of Lalique crystal and lovers of beautiful objets d’art. This latest decanter, a remarkable, unique work of art, holding such an old and rare Macallan, takes our partnership to a new level. I wish every success to its “tour du monde” and to the final auction by Sotheby’s in New York in November”.
April 8th, 2010
Are you going to WhiskyFest Chicago on April 23rd? Will you be in Chicago the night before WhiskyFest? Let’s meet up for a drink!
The official WhiskyFest After-Party is at Delilah’s, so I don’t want to duplicate that (but you should go to that too!). Plus, assuming that many of you are staying at the Hyatt, where WhiskyFest is being held, I was thinking of a place that’s within walking distance to the hotel.
While I love whisky, I also love beer, so let’s meet up at the Clark Street Ale House. They have a great draft beer list, and they also have some great whiskies on the back bar.
Here’s the deal. My daughter Shannon is coming to WhiskyFest and I’m flying into Chicago with her after her classes are over. Because of this. I won’t be getting into Chicago until 7:30 pm (assuming my flight is on time). Allowing time for flight delays, cabbing it to my hotel, and then getting down to Clark Street, I’m thinking about meeting there around 9:30 pm and sticking around for a couple. By that time, I WILL be thirsty for a pint!
I’m always very busy at WhiskyFest, so this will be a nice opportunity to hook up with anyone who wants to join me for a drink under a more relaxed environment. If you think you can make it, let me know.
April 8th, 2010
There’s a new, limited release Early Times whisky being released. (Note the spelling without the “e” and no mention of it being bourbon.) I think it’s cool that Brown-Forman creates these commemorative bottlings (like the Old Forester Repeal Bourbon). It’s nice to see what whisky might have tasted like during a certain time in our history (especially around Prohibition).
The press release is below.
Early Times Kentucky Whisky to Release Commemorative 150th Anniversary Bottle
Louisville, Ky. (April 9, 2010) – Early Times Kentucky Whisky, first distilled in 1860 in Early Times Station, Kentucky, is a whisky known for its rich heritage and mild taste profile. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the brand, Early Times Kentucky Whisky will release a one-time, limited release expression in a 375ml commemorative bottle.
Although the year 1860 congers up images of “early times” today, at the time, the brand’s original distillers believed the industry was turning too modern, too quickly, and wanted a brand that captured the “good old days.” Thus, the brand name Early Times was selected to remind consumers of the old-fashioned methods of making whisky – mashing grain in small tubs and boiling the beer and whisky in copper stills over open fires.
Closed by Prohibition, the distillery, brand and barrel inventory was acquired by medicinal whiskey permit holder Brown-Forman Distillers in 1923. Brown-Forman moved the production of Early Times to Louisville, Kentucky in 1935 where it has thrived to this day. Every drop is distilled under the late 1800’s permit number DSP – 354.
“This commemorative bottle celebrates the rich history of Early Times’ role as the second oldest continually produced whisky brand in America,” said Joe Murray, brand manager for Early Times. “While Early Times is now made with modern methods, its name still invokes images of the good old days and still provides a welcome reward at the end of a hard day’s work. As one of America’s top selling Kentucky Whiskies for the last 60 years it still lives up to its reputation as ‘The Whisky that made Kentucky Whiskies Famous.’
The Early Times 150th anniversary edition will come in a unique 375ml bottle and carry an Early Times retro 1920’s label. The distillery will produce only 3000 cases which will be available in 20 US states at a suggested retail price of $11.99.
“Early Times 150 is crafted to emulate the flavor profile the brand would have possessed in 1923 when it was acquired by Brown-Forman,” said Chris Morris, Brown-Forman Master Distiller. “Most whisky aficionados who have been treated to a prohibition-era medicinal whisky taste a late bottling. These contain whisky that was aged up to three times longer than the distiller planned. In 1923 Brown-Forman began bottling 5-6 year old Early Times as medicine. This bottling, with its light honey color, mellow oak, brown sugar, vanilla aroma and simple sweet corn, vanilla and faint butterscotch taste bring back the best of a by-gone time – an Early Times to remember.”
April 7th, 2010
I’ve written about the first and second releases here. Below you’ll find the info on the third release, taken from their press release.
DIAGEO LAUNCH THE NEXT BATCH OF THEIR SINGLE-CASK COLLECTION OF MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Following the first batch launched in September, and a second collection released in January, Diageo are now launching the third batch of their single-cask collection of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, The Managers’ Choice.
Among the seven expressions that feature in this third release are several single malts familiar to many malt whisky drinkers – Caol Ila™, Glenkinchie™, Glen Ord™ and Royal Lochnagar™.
But Dailuaine™, Inchgower™ and Mannochmore™ normally enjoy only very limited availability.
Each of the whiskies is drawn from one single oak cask, picked after a careful examination of distillery stocks, and bottled at its natural cask strength. The number of bottles obtained from the chosen casks can vary between approximately 640 and as little as 200.
So these are rare and distinctive whiskies. Aimed at collectors and connoisseurs, prices range from £200 to £300 per bottle.
The fourth and final release is scheduled for May.
Contact for further information: Patrick Roberts at cognis.pr@zen.co.uk
April 7th, 2010
I first wrote about the single barrel, called Caribou Crossing, here back in February. Now Buffalo Trace is also introducing a small batch Canadian whisky to go with it. Details (and images) are below in the press release I received. I already have a sample of Caribou Crossing and expect to receive the Royal Canadian Small Batch shortly. I’ll let you know my thoughts at that time.
Sazerac Company Launches Innovative New Canadian Whisky Brands Including The World’s First Single Barrel Canadian Whisky
Launch also includes unique Small Batch Canadian Whisky offering
Two new upscale Canadian Whiskies from the Sazerac Company will hit the market in April. Caribou Crossing, the world’s first single barrel Canadian Whisky and Royal Canadian Small Batch Canadian Whisky will be the latest additions to the Canadian Whisky category. Both products will be released in limited quantities.
The barrels used for Caribou Crossing were hand-selected by Sazerac’s Master Blender Drew Mayville. He selected the most mature and flavor-rich samples available and oversaw the bottling of each individual barrel. Each bottle of Caribou Crossing has its own subtle uniqueness. Whisky buffs can expect to taste radiantly-hued nectar with a nod to the tantalizing silky texture provided by the barrel. The rye grain cuts through the wood flavors making its spicy presence known without risking the creamy vanilla custard smoothness. The finish is oak with an orangey tang.
Royal Canadian Small Batch Canadian Whisky underwent the same stringent selection process under Mayville’s watchful eye. This beautifully crafted offering introduces another experience for Canadian Whisky connoisseurs. Royal Canadian is sweet and smoky like a Memphis BBQ. The initial sip is velvety smooth with huge flavors. There is a nutty praline sweetness that slides through the creamy rich sensations. The finish is a bold reminder that this is whiskey and the citrus-spicy conclusion just leaves you with the desire for the next notable sip.
“A great deal of time and energy went into the creation of these two super premium Canadian offerings,” said Mayville. “Our goal was to put forth the highest-quality whisky available and to give consumers a new way to look at Canadian Whisky. We are very proud of the end result and hope these new products will foster a greater appreciation among consumers for what Canadian Whisky can be.”
These new releases are expected to hit store shelves in April. Caribou Crossing Single Barrel will retail for $49.99 for a 750ml bottle and Royal Canadian Small Batch will retail for $24.99 for a 750ml.
April 6th, 2010
This will be released in the US in June.
The Glenrothes, 1998 Vintage, 43%, $55
One thing I enjoy about these vintage releases is the differences in personality from one vintage to the next. This 1998 vintage follows shortly after the 1994 vintage. (I reviewed it here in March.) And while the 1994 vintage was elegant and bright in personality, this 1998 is more viscous and heavier in weight. It shows bright fruit (lemon, caramelized pineapple, tangerine), honeyed vanilla, and marzipan with a peppering of cinnamon and ginger. Perhaps the 1994 as an aperitif, and the 1998 as a digestif?
(The 1998 is not nearly as post-prandial as, say, the 1972 vintage, but it has more weight than the 1994 vintage. Still, if I had to choose between the 1994 and 1998, my nod goes to the 1994 for its elegance and drinkability.)
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 85
April 5th, 2010
I’m back on track after my surgery, and I’ll be posting up a series of new whisky reviews this week. I’d like to thank all of you who wished me well.
The Dalmore “Mackenzie,” 1992 Vintage, 46%, $175
A tribute to the Mackenzie Clan. Aged in American oak (ex-bourbon) barrels for 11 years, and then aged an additional 6 years in Port pipes, creating a rich, voluptuous, robust Dalmore expression. Notes of toffee, molasses, caramelized nuts, pancake batter, fig cake, and chocolate-covered citrus. Subtle glazed ginger and orange marmalade add complexity. Polished oak, tobacco-tinged finish. Very dynamic and never sappy or cloying. Save this one for after dinner.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 91
April 2nd, 2010
Drinking any whisk(e)y on Easter with your Easter candy? What are you having? (Or, if you are reading this after Easter, what did you have?)
Recent Comments