It would be fair to say that £100,000 is a lot of money for anything, particularly so for a bottle of whisky, yet Johnnie Walker Diamond Jubilee justifies its stratospheric price tag. Why? Because all the profits from the 60 decanters which have been made of this ultra-rare blend are going to charity.

The concept was initiated by Richard Watling, ex-Diageo director and now chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust [QEST] which provides grants to British craftspeople and in doing so, keeps many highly specialized trades alive. He approached David Gates, who holds the Royal Warrant for Johnnie Walker at Diageo, to see whether the firm would create a blend to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The result is a blend not just of whiskies – all distilled in 1952, the year Queen Elizabeth acceded to the throne – but of a host of different crafts. The crystal diamond-shaped decanter is from Baccarat, its silver collar and stopper has been hand-crafted by Hamilton & Inches in Edinburgh and it resides inside a cabinet which has been made with wood from two of the Queen’s estates: oak from Sandringham and pine from Balmoral. There are two hand-etched Cumbrian crystal glasses and the presentation is completed with a white leather hand-bound book personalized by the Queen’s calligrapher (and former QEST scholar), Sally Mangum.

But what of the liquid? I was invited to Royal Lochnagar, next door to Balmoral, to watch the decanters being filled, have a chat with master blender Jim Beveridge and his assistant Matthew Crow, and, more importantly, taste the liquid.

“The brief was a blank sheet,” says Beveridge prior to the tasting. “but there had to be some connection with 60 years, so we looked to see what whiskies we had from 1952. Not surprisingly, there were only a handful and we even rejected some, as they were too woody.”

After vatting the components together, the blend was rested in two small marrying casks, made by Diageo’s apprentice coopers under the watchful guidance of master cooper David Taylor.  The oak – Quercus Petraea for the geeks among you – came from Sandringham.

“That marrying made a big difference,” says Beveridge, “because it allowed the key component to do its work.” That key element? “Old grain,” he explained. “It softened those crusty old malts and allowed new flavors to sing out. The surprise for me is the freshness, the softness. Old whiskies can be one dimensional, but this has layers.”

He raises the glass and takes a sip. “Aye,” he smiles, “that’s all right.”

93   Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons, 42.5%, £100,000

The bright gold hue is maybe a shock for those who equate age with darkness. The surprises continue as a first sniff immediately reveals amazing freshness. Fruits lead the way, starting with quince, slowly evolving into mango, blueberry, and an almost jammy blackberry note. At the same time, spices begin to build, particularly when the surface is broken with a drop of water; exotic spices at that: Javanese long pepper, cardamom, then vanilla pod notes develop. Complex in other words. In the mouth you can see how that grain is smoothing all the elements, giving an unctuous feel, calmly revealing the blend’s secrets. There’s just sufficient oakiness to give structure, and while there’s smoke, it’s far in the distance. Its different facets weave around each other: velvet texture, the refreshing bitter perfume of spices, pools of soft fruits as it flows down the throat. It is a triumph of the blender’s art.  — Dave Broom

I approached John Glaser of Compass Box Whisky if he would debut a whisky for us at WhiskyFest during the seminar program, and he agreed. A few days later he came to me with this idea:

For our New York WhiskyFest slot on Saturday at 9:15 am, I would like to unveil a special, limited release Great King Street blend, inspired by and made just for New York City.

To help me present it, Dave Wondrich (world renowned mixologist, cocktail historian and Whisky Advocate columnist) will join me. I’ll introduce the whisky and we’ll taste it with the attendees.  Then, Dave will present the new blend used to make a classic morning cocktail from the 1890s, Harry Johnson’s Morning Glory cocktail.  According to Dave, this is one of the earliest known Scotch-based cocktails.

This is why the 9:15 am Saturday slot is perfect for us!

John, since the beginning of the development of Great King Street, I’ve been thinking about creating Great King Street blends over time for different places, different cities or regions or countries (inspired by Scotch blenders of old, and a passage in Whisky by Aeneas MacDonald).  In particular, I’ve been thinking for a while now about creating a blend for New York City.

And as I believe you know, a key part of the mission behind Great King Street is to enlighten whisky enthusiasts to new ways to enjoy their favourite drink.  An historical and arguably intellectual approach to enjoying Scotch whisky in cocktails (in morning cocktails!) as part of the new WhiskyFest format is ideal!

And this is just the first 15 minutes of the program! Wait until you see what we’ve got lined up the rest of the day. Details to follow.

Cocktail for breakfast anyone? Here’s how you can join us.

We are still putting together the list of whiskies that will be poured and whiskymakers that will be participating as panel members for each seminar topic. Two things I know for sure already:

• The whiskies you will be tasting during the “Whisky Auctions and Collecting” seminar in itself will be worth the price of admission.
• We will have the “A list” of master distillers and blenders at this event (in addition to all of our main whisky writers).

Stay tuned for more details.

WhiskyFest 2012 Seminar Topics and Schedule

9:00 Opening remarks (John Hansell)

An overview of the day’s activities

9:15 Debut whisky #1 (Scotch)

9:30 Whisky collecting and auctions (Panel Moderator: Jonny McCormick)

Fueled by the global demand in whisky, whisky auctions and collecting are booming right now. We’ll take a look at current auction trends, offer tips in collecting whisky and participating in auctions, and we’ll taste some very rare whiskies often seen on the auction block.

10:15 Debut whisky #2 (Irish)                   

10:30 Trending scotch (Panel Moderator: Dave Broom)

What’s hot right now in the Scotch whisky world? We’ll take a look at the latest trends, described first-hand by the master distillers and blenders who are making them. We’ll also provide a sneak peak of upcoming new releases.

11:15 Debut whiskey #3 (Bourbon)

11:30 Understanding Irish: deciphering Single Pot Still, Single Malt, and Blended Irish Whiskey (Panel Moderator: Dominic Roskrow)

Single Pot Still whiskey is unique to Ireland. How does Single Pot Still whiskey differ from Single Malts and Blended whiskeys, which are also part of the Irish whiskey fabric? We’ll sort it out, and we’ll taste our way through the finest Ireland has to offer.

12:15 Whisky and food pairing lunch (Moderated by Gavin Smith)

1:30 Bourbon and Rye Innovations (Panel Moderator: Lew Bryson)

There’s more experimental and creative whiskey releases now than ever before. We will assemble a panel of experts from the whiskey companies that are conducting this research to gain insight on what’s working, what isn’t working, and what’s to come.

2:15 A tasting of select Whisky Advocate award winning and other highly-rated whiskies

Moderated by John Hansell, but includes the entire Whisky Advocate review team (Lew Bryson, Dave Broom, Gavin Smith, and Dominic Roskrow)

3:00 Closing remarks (John Hansell)

John Teeling, Cooley’s founder, was quoted saying that it will allow the brands “to reach their potential.”

What do you think? Is this good for Irish whiskey drinkers worldwide or not? And why?

Well, the same company that has been selling whiskey under the Michter’s name made an announcement yesterday that they are actually going to build a distillery and call it Michter’s. Eventually, what is being sold as Michter’s will actually, once again, come from a distillery called Michter’s.

According to a press release I received last night, Michter’s plans to open a small production distillery in Louisville, KY. The new distillery will operate out of the historic Fort Nelson Building in downtown Louisville. The site is located on Louisville’s Museum Row across the street from the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. The Nelson Building is rich in history and architecture.

The press release, which I will paraphrase from, goes on to tell a little of the history of the original distillery:  Established in Pennsylvania in the 1700s by farmer John Shenk, Michter’s Distillery was born for the purpose of converting excess grain into whiskey. Michter’s had its part in the Revolutionary War with General George Washington’s forces.

The operations in the new Louisville facility will be overseen by Willie Pratt, Michter’s Master Distiller. Willie has 40 years on the whiskey industry and, according to the press release, is said to be known as “Dr. No” because he will refuse to release whiskey for bottling until he feels it is just right (not because of his fondness for the James Bond character of the same name…); even if the whiskey is older than the label’s age statement. Read more about Willie Pratt here. 

The new Michter’s Distillery will eventually be open to the public for tours and tastings. (No timetable was given in the press release.)

This is all great news. It’s always a treat to see a new distillery open up, and it will be comforting to know that the whiskey named Michter’s will actually be distilled at a distillery called Michter’s.

Beginning with our upcoming Summer issue (out June 1st), each writer will have his own assigned review region similar to the way the reviews are done, for example, in Wine Spectator. This past week, we looked at each writers’ expertise and then carved up the world of whisky.

Here’s the breakdown of the reviewers and the regions they will be covering. (Scotland has so many distilleries, we split it up into three review regions!)

Scotland
Islay & all the other Islands: John Hansell
Speyside: Dave Broom
Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown : Gavin Smith

Scottish blends and grain whiskies: Dominic Roskrow

Ireland
Dominic Roskrow

United States
Traditional bourbon & Tennessee whiskey (KY, TN): John Hansell
Craft distillers: Lew Bryson

Canada
Lew Bryson

Japan
Dave Broom

Rest of world
Dominic Roskrow

Select USA-exclusive bottlings
John Hansell

Beer
Lew Bryson, John Hansell

This could possibly triple the number of whiskies reviewed in Malt Advocate (and posted up here on WDJK). It is a bold move that will benefit both the whisky producer and you, the whisky enthusiast.

“We’d like to confirm some of the rumors going around regarding Early Times. The iconic Early Times brand is returning to its roots as a bourbon beginning in January 2011. The new brand, called Early Times 354 Bourbon (354 for the original permit number for the distillery) will be bottled at 80 proof. After an absence in the US market of nearly 30 years, Early Times 354 Bourbon joins Early Times Kentucky Whisky in an expansion of the presence of the famous Early Times brand at retail.”

This is good news. I’m glad to hear it. Details to follow.

This is the fourth in a series of annual releases. So far, they’ve all been pretty amazing. (Last year’s  “Golden Anniversary” was Malt Advocate’s “American Whiskey of the Year” for 2009.)

There will be two very small batch bottlings of this year’s Parker’s release. The first “dump” is being bottled at 63.9%. (I will be getting a review sample shortly.) It will ship in late August and be priced at $80.

Here’s more detailed information, for the serious bourbon enthusiasts out there. I am quoting my contact at Heaven Hill Distilleries:

Parker and all of us feel that this release is significant not only because it is of course an excellent Bourbon, but also because it marks the first release of extra-aged wheated Bourbon that we produced at our Bernheim Distillery since we acquired it and began producing the wheated Old Fitzgerald line in 1999.  (The Very Special Old Fitzgerald 12-year-old product that we inherited is of course still United Distillers whiskey, since it predates our acquisition.)  And the decision to release it at barrel proof and non-chill filtered really makes this a special bottling.  As in past releases, the new 10-year-old Wheated Bourbon edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection is being offered in very limited quantities—52 total barrels will be dumped for a national release that will only yield about 4,800 750ml bottles.

The barrels used for this release were pulled from the fourth, sixth and seventh floors of our Rickhouse A, where they have rested since the summer of 2000.  Like the previous three editions, once the 1,600 three bottle cases sell out, it’s gone forever.

I am very excited to try this! (Oh, and in case you were wondering, the second batch will be dumped and bottled in September.)

(That’s Marvin Shanken and me in the picture, earlier today, after I signed what seemed like a million papers. The synergisms have already begun. I’m giving him a bottle of The Glenlivet Cellar Collection 1959 vintage, and I went home with a handful of pre-Castro Cuban cigars, also from 1959. Very nice!)

—————–

Malt Advocate, Inc. joins M. Shanken Communications, Inc.

 

 John Hansell stays on as Publisher & Editor; Amy Westlake remains WhiskyFest Director

New York, June 15, 2010:  Malt Advocate, Inc. today announced that it is now a part of M. Shanken Communications, Inc.   Malt Advocate, Inc. includes Malt Advocate magazine, WhiskyFest New York, WhiskyFest Chicago, and WhiskyFest San Francisco.

M. Shanken Communications, Inc.  publishes a variety of consumer and trade publications.  They include Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado, Food Arts, Market Watch, and Impact.  In addition, the company hosts a number of events across the United States including the New York and New World Wine Experiences, Wine Spectator’s Grand Tours and Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smokes. 

John Hansell will remain Malt Advocate magazine’s Publisher & Editor, and Amy Westlake will continue as Director of WhiskyFest events.  Malt Advocate, Inc. operations will remain at their current office in Emmaus, PA.

“Amy and I are very proud of our efforts promoting the whisky industry, both with Malt Advocate, which will be celebrating its 20^thAnniversary in 2011, and the 25 WhiskyFest events we have hosted over the past 12 years,” notes John Hansell.

“Our activities dovetail perfectly with those of M. Shanken Communications, Inc. from a publication and events standpoint.  There are definite synergies that will be achieved between the two companies.  The M. Shanken Group will take Malt Advocate magazine and our WhiskyFest events to levels that we could not have achieved on our own.  We are very excited about our future together.”

“John and Amy are pioneers in this industry and highly regarded,” commented Marvin R. Shanken, CEO of M. Shanken Communications, Inc.   “We are proud to have them on board with us.  Their creations—Malt Advocate and WhiskyFest—are benchmarks.”

For additional information, contact Amy Westlake (610. 967.1083 or Amy@maltadvocate.com).

What does the selling of a brewery have to do with whiskey? For starters, Anchor also makes whiskey (Old Potrero). In fact, Anchor, and its leader Fritz Maytag, pioneered the craft distilling movement here in the U.S., similar to how they lead the craft beer movement a couple decades ago.

The other connection to whiskey is the company buying Anchor: The Griffin Group. A couple years ago they purchased a major position in Preiss Imports. Preiss Imports bring into the U.S. Springbank, Duncan Taylor, BenRiach, GlenDronach, as well as distributing the Hirsch line of American whiskeys.

I’m not sure what all the synergisms are yet, but I am sure they will all play out in due time.

Here’s the press release I was also sent, which was enbargoed until today. It explains more about the whisky and the Generations concept.

The wait is over as the world’s oldest whisky sees the light of day

The world’s oldest bottled single malt whisky has been revealed today (Thursday 11 March) by whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail.

Released under Gordon & MacPhail’s ‘Generations’ brand, Mortlach 70 Years Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky was finally revealed – and tasted – by special guests at a launch in the atmospheric setting of Edinburgh Castle’s Queen Anne Room. One precious bottle of Mortlach was piped into the Castle, escorted by guards from The Highlanders (4th Battalion).

The new-make spirit from Speyside’s Mortlach Distillery was filled into the cask on 15th October 1938 by John Urquhart, the grandfather of Gordon & MacPhail Joint Managing Directors, David and Michael Urquhart. Exactly 70 years later, the decision was made to carefully empty the cask and bottle the contents.

Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail is known the world over as the custodian of some of the oldest and rarest single malts available. Members of the third and fourth generations of the Urquhart family now own and manage the business.

David and Michael Urquhart, Joint Managing Directors of Gordon & MacPhail said:

“This is a very special day for us, one we’ve literally been anticipating for generations. Our family has been in the whisky business for a long time, with each generation building and handing on a lifetime’s expertise to the next.

“We believe Mortlach 70 Years Old is a malt without comparison. If the reaction of those lucky enough to enjoy a dram today is anything to go by, whisky fans and people wishing to own a unique piece of Scotland’s liquid history will be very excited about it.”

Charles MacLean, a well-known whisky writer and connoisseur, who was allowed a sneak preview of the single malt, described it as “a delicate, fresh, vital, fruity whisky, with unusual attributes of waxiness and smokiness.”

Each bottle will be beautifully presented in a tear-shaped hand-blown crystal decanter with an elegant silver stopper. The decanter nestles in a stylish silver base and is framed in a handmade Brazilian Rosewood box, created using wood from Forest Stewardship Council (FS C) Certified sources.

Mortlach 70 Years Old was matured in a Spanish oak, ex-bodega sherry hogshead cask, which yielded 54 full-size and 162 small decanters bottled at cask strength (46.1% ABV). The recommended retail price in the UK is £10,000 per 70cl decanter and £2,500 for the 20cl version.

This is the first in a series of extremely rare malt whiskies to be released by Gordon & MacPhail under its ‘Generations’ brand.

For more information visit www.gordonandmacphail.com

Here is the landing page of a website that will expand into revealing a project that Mark is hopeful “will be the largest experimental project of its kind ever undertaken.”

That’s saying a lot. But, if anyone call pull it off, Buffalo Trace can. Stay tuned!

Stay tuned…

(Scotch drinkers: don’t leave. You will find this interesting too!)

As I posted here and here last week, Maker’s Mark will be introducing a new bourbon, probably around June. This is BIG news, considering that there has been only one Maker’s Mark bourbon on the market for many years. 

While enjoyable, I sometimes feel that Maker’s Mark is too smooth–too easy to drink. (This is partly because it is a bourbon made with wheat instead of the rye you will find in most bourbons.)

I have been trying to get them to introduce a new bourbon. I know they can make a great bourbon to complement the existing “Red Wax” Maker’s, because they already did! It was their (now extinct) “Black Wax” Maker’s Mark called Maker’s Mark “Select”, which was sold in Duty Free and certain export markets. I really enjoyed that bourbon. In fact, I still have a bottle. (See picture below.)

So, I was thrilled when Kevin called me up and told me they’re coming out with a new product and that he wanted me to taste a sample of it together with him. (He sounded pretty thrilled too!) As I mentioned in my previous post, he told me that this new bourbon is essentially the current Maker’s Mark  that has been aged several more months in barrels with toasted/seared staves inserted into the barrels. (They took the whiskey out, put the staves in, and then put the whiskey back in.)

He sent me a sample last week. This past Saturday afternoon, we tasted it together, next to the current Maker’s Mark. I was in my “tasting room”, he was on the other end of the phone at the distillery.

Before we tasted the whiskey, he said he was looking for four things in this new Maker’s:

1. A pleasant, sweet, toasted oak aroma
2. Full of flavor, creamy, and delicous. Strong, but flavorful.
3. Soft enough to hold on the mouth at 94 proof (the intended bottle proof) without too much alcohol burn
4. A long finish that’s not bitter.

Was there an noticeable impact on the whiskey from the additional aging in barrels containing seared oak staves? Absolutely! The aroma was rich with layered sweetness (honey, vanilla, caramel, and light toffee), along with more traditional Maker’s aromas.

The palate also was much fuller–those seared staves were once again coming through. Everything was progressing nicely until about midway through the palate all the way to the finish. That’s when I noticed the oak really begin to kick in, to the point where I felt it began to dominate the entire flavor profile, becoming quite dry, spicy, and resinous.

In my opinion, the experiment went too far. The oak impact on the finish was too much.

So, what did I tell Kevin? The truth. I said that I though he succeeded on his first three objectives but, in my opinion, not on the fourth one.

I reminded Kevin that I was just one person and that he should get other opinions. I felt badly and, being the great guy that he is, he took my constructive criticism graciously.

I was about to blog about this the next day when he called me up and asked me to hold off. He said he realized that the sample he sent me was not a “finished” product. It was only rough-filtered to remove the chunks. He wanted to send me a “polished” (carbon-filtered) version, along with a different experiment (one with fewer staves) and also a sample of the old Black Wax release for comparison.

Fast forward to this afternooon, and the five Maker’s samples, and Kevin on the other end of the phone. (I was in New York on business Monday and Tuesday.)  In front of me I had the current Red Wax Maker’s Mark, the previous sample he sent me, and the three new ones. (He wouldn’t tell me which ones were which. They were identified by the letters A, B, and C.)

My thoughts on the three new ones? It was easy to pick the Black Wax sample. It’s flavor profile is very different than the rest. It’s been several years since I last tasted it, but I remember it well.

Of the remaining two, one was almost as intense on the finish as the first sample he sent me the week before. Kevin disclosed afterwards that it was another ”rough-filtered” experiment–this time with fewer staves. 

But with the last one, the oak influence was scaled back, which I though was an improvement. There was better balance, and the oak wasn’t so intense on the finish. Interestingly, this was the same whiskey as the first sample he sent last week. The only difference is that it was carbon-filtered (or as Kevin says, “polished”). The filtering actually mellowed out the intensity of the oak.

How about that for a change? These days, when everyone is talking about not chill-filtering their whiskey to allow more flavor to come through, here’s an example where it actually helps.

I suspect Kevin will be tinkering a lot with the whiskey during the coming weeks (especially with the “polishing”). And I am certain that he’ll be getting feedback from more people too.

To be honest, of the five Maker’s Mark bourbons that I sampled, I still liked the extinct Black Wax whiskey the best. It’s a richer, deeper, more mature version of the current Red Wax Maker’s, and the oak–and the other flavors–are nicely balanced from beginning to end. But that “polished” sample I tasted today was gaining ground.

Tinker away, Kevin. Tinker away. I’m looking foward to tasting the final product. And I’m not alone.

Well, here’s why. Master Distiller Kevin Smith and I tasted the new whiskey together on Saturday, along  with the existing Red Wax Maker’s Mark we are all familiar with.

I was going to post up my thought on the new whiskey yesterday, but I’m going to hold off for a couple days. Why? He wants to send me more samples to taste and compare with him. That sounds like a deal to me. How can I turn that down?

I’ll be in New York Monday and Tuesday, but when I return on Wednesday, he and I will taste some more not yet released and maybe even previously released Maker’s Mark bourbons together.

Then, I’ll spill my guts. Be sure to stop back later on Wednesday.