I’m going to share with you a sampling of these reviews before they are published in Malt Advocate. (It’s my way of saying “thank you” for taking time out of your busy schedule to check in here.) I’ll post up at least one new review every day for the entire month (including weekends).

Stay tuned…

(I apologize in advance for not knowing the answers to the questions you are going to ask, like: When is it coming? Where will it be available? How much is it going to cost? With any luck, the importers will chime in here.)

For those of you coming to WhiskyFest Chicago in April, some of these whiskies will be poured there. You can find the complete WhiskyFest list here.

The new whiskies

Armorik Breton whisky (from Brittany)

Lark (from Tasmania): Single Cask, Cask Strength, Distillers Selection Single Cask

Samaroli (from Scotland): a bunch of them!

Tomatin “Decades”

Glen Garioch 1991 Vintage (extra smoky!)

Ardmore 10 year old Cask Strength

Glenmorangie Pride 1981 Vintage

Bruichladdich: “Laddie Classic”, Port Charlotte “An Turas Mor”

Michael Collins 10 year old Irish single malt

Plus something new from Dalmore (shhh!)

Glann ar Mor NAS, 46%, £55
French whisky encompasses a wide range of approaches and flavors, from the hugely aromatic P&M from Corsica to the understated Alsace whiskies of Elsass, Meyer’s, and Uberbach. There is a trio of whiskies from Brittany. Guy le Lat’s Eddu uses buckwheat to create a whisky that out-ryes rye. Distilerie Warengheim makes the most widely-seen whisky, Amorik. But for this writer the one to watch is Glann ar Mor (‘by the sea’), established in 2005 by Jean Donnay. A traditionalist approach: direct fire, wooden washbacks, wild yeast, and worm tubs yield a single malt whisky that, though barely over the 3 year legal limit, is already complex: think barley sugar and apricot. The fire and the worms give the mid-palate some real weight (boding well for longer-term maturation), but the slow distillation has added floral notes that dance on top. (Dave Broom)

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 90

Kornog, 57.1%, £60
Donnay also makes a peated variant. Again, the distillery’s ability to mix the heavy (in this case smoke) with the lifted is demonstrated. Think sage and rosemary, mixed with nuts and a really salty tingle that brings to mind eating samphire while the smoke wreathes the palate. Make no mistake, this is one important new whisky. (Dave Broom)

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 91

Hedgehog, 40%, €37
It’s not compulsory to follow a Scottish way of whisky making. M. Olivier Perrier in the village of Herisson the middle of the Auvergne has taken a bourbon base (65% corn with malted barley and rye) and distilled it in a Cognac-style alembic before aging it for three years in Troncais oak. Any thoughts that M.Perrier is digging deep into his terroir can be quickly dismissed: the recipe is one for moonshine extracted from a South Carolina musician! His whisky (or should that be whiskey?) is fat and oily, with lots of corn and the scented note that these French whiskies all seem to share. It has a palate where the deep and the savory dance around each other that, while not exactly controlled, would be perfect to accompany an evening of blues in the middle of France.  (Dave Broom)

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 80

(I’ll be traveling all week on business. While I am away, I thought we could focus on various countries each day for the rest of the week. Dave’s reviews will also appear in the next issue of Malt Advocate.)

To quote Dave: “The scores reflect all these whiskies in their own context — as young spirits from different countries with their own individual personalities.”

Millstone 8 year old, 43%, £59
Based in the village of Baarle-Nassau in the Netherlands, the Zuidam distillery was built by genever distiller Fred Van Zuidam in 2002 and is now run by his son Patrick, who started distilling at the age of 14. His single malt is made from windmill-ground barley, given temperature-controlled fermentation, distilled in Holstein stills, and aged in new oak for a period before being racked into older casks. A rich amber color, this expression is ripe and fruity with plenty of red cherry, a little hint of fig, and a little sweet spice. Balanced and rich with a fresh citric farewell this is a classy arrival on the world scene. (Dave Broom)

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 87

Zuidam Dutch Rye 5 year old, 40%, £46
Patrick van Zuidam uses rye as part of his genever, but when a farmer phoned up saying he had a surplus, he figured he might as well try a 100% rye whisky. Of similarly deep hue to the 8 year old, but a little more ruddy, this has a more waxy aroma, but with fresh rye sourdough penetrating. The spiciness which typifies rye here has a North African edge: cumin, cinnamon, coriander seed. The palate is less explosive and dusty than American examples; this is more of a slow-burning fuse that passes through orange and smooth, sweet oak before the spices return. (Dave Broom)

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 86

Apparently, when a company bought the distillery, they found the whisky. And it’s not a small amount that will sell out soon.

I wonder what Czech whisky, made with Czech water, barley and aged in Czech oak tastes like?

“Hammer Head” will sell for £34.99 in Travel Retail.

I will also have some good news very soon on Kilchoman, the newest Islay distillery, and their launch here in the U.S.  Stay tuned.

We’re bottling Mackmyra Whisky – The 1st Edition in one liter bottles with US labels right now (I don’t have any photos yet), and we are just about to close a deal with an importer. We visited New York a couple of times last year and met stores, restaurants etc. There seems to be great interest for our product.

I talked to our sales manager and, according to him, it’s more likely that the bottles will get to the shelves in April or May, than in March. 

But there’s more happening at Mackmyra: We’re growing out of or current distillery and visiting facilities at Mackmyra bruk (Jim Murray wrote about it in Malt Advocate in 2002) and it’s time for something better and bigger.

In April our plans for the new distillery will be more concrete. Right now the plan is to start building June/July. The project is called Mackmyra Whiskyby (Mackmyra Whisky Village) and will contain a distillery built for visitors, other visitor facilities, warehouses, etc.

I’m looking forward to having their whiskies available here in the U.S.

As you know, I recently participated in the History Channel show on “Whiskey”, which just ran again this past Saturday. Well, this Friday (November 20th) I have a 2,000 word whiskey section going in The Wall Street Journal.

The special whiskey section covers some of the fundamentals (how whiskey is made, what distinguishes one country’s whiskey from the next, appreciating whiskey, etc.). I also address many new trends in whiskey (designer whiskies, artisanal distilling, extreme peating, no age statements, etc).

We even reached out to master mixologist Gary Regan and he added a great cocktail piece to the section, which includes a few really nice cocktail recipes.

Pick up a copy if you can this Friday.

The makers of the delicious Gouden Carolus beer in Belgium is getting into the whisky-making business. They dipped their toe in the water by having a whisky made for them, under their specifications using wash based on their Gouden Carolus Tripel beer. (I tasted it and liked it. My review is coming shortly.) Now they are going to build their own distillery and make their own whisky.

Here’s the official press release which I just received:

Het Anker Brewery is going to build Belgium’s first authentic and traditional whisky distillery!

As a result of the successful launch of the Gouden Carolus Single Malt, the brewery decided to build a brand new, traditional whisky distillery. Although there are already a handful of companies in Belgium who produce whisky, Het Anker will be the first distillery with Pot Stills (large copper kettles which end in a swan neck shape).

A beautiful concept and a fairy tale location.The distillery will not be built at the brewery premises at Mechelen, but in the village of Blaasveld (Willebroek) and this for a very important “historical” reason. The Molenberg estate, a little green “Eden” between the Mechelsesteenweg and the Klaterstraat has been owned by the same family since the 17th century . This family, the Van Breedams, was a dynasty of millers who also had a jenever distillery.

The current owner Charles Leclef, (the fifth Van Breedam-generation) and also owner of the Het Anker Brewery, will use this location to build the distillery, museum and visitors center. The beautiful estate with its rich history will rise again in full glory.

Due to this ambitious venture Willebroek and Blaasveld will become known worldwide.  Even better, Blaasveld will have a new and unique regional product!

The renovation of the estate will start at the beginning of May. The distillery will produce its first spirit on 31 December at midnight, and this after a century of silence…

For more information:
Charles Leclef – +32 (0) 015 287 147 – charles@hetanker.be
Ali Bosmans – +32 (0) 015 287 147  – 0497 416 166 – ali@hetanker.be
www.hetanker.be

If their new whisky tastes as good as the whisky they contracted to have made for them, then we are in for a treat.

So it was with great interest that I received a note today from Ali Bosmans of the Het Anker brewery in Belgium. I love Belgian beers. In fact, the two beers on tap at my house right now are Chimay Tripel and Dupont’s Avec Les Bons Voeux. (This is probably more than you need to know about me and my love of Belgian ales. Sorry for the digression.)

I’ve been to Belgium a few times, touring breweries. I toured the Het Anker Brewery in 1994. This is where the delicious Gouden Carolus beer is made. It turns out that they are now making single malt whisky. The first series of releases were made at a different distillery (that makes Genever), but they are installing pot stills at the brewery and will be making their own whisky at the brewery. Here’s the info from Ali:

I know, you know a lot of beer…So I think you certainly know the Gouden Carolus and Cuvee van de Keizer etc…  from our brewery “Het Anker” in Belgium. All high quality beers! In 2003 we decided to do a test… we distilled the Gouden Carolus Tripel mash and let it sleep in first fill Jim Beam casks.

Last year we bottled the first edition. At the end of 2008 we decided to release a limited edition “Connoisseur’s Pack”.

The whisky is so successful that we decided to build our own pot still distillery. (The first whisky we made is distilled by Filliers in column stills.)  Our new distillery will have pot stills: a  5000l wash still and a 3200l spirit still producing 538 L spirit/day.We will be the first in Belgium to do so. The first middle cut will take place at 31 December 2009 at midnight!

I know that we export a lot of beer to the States, and we also have a good reputation. So, I think that in 3 years time we will also export the Gouden Carolus Single Malt.” And maybe one day (it is a dream) I will come to the WhiskyFest Chicago or San Francisco to present this NEW Belgian product!

We would love to have you join us at WhiskyFest, Ali, pouring your new whisky. It’s something we can look forward to.

At WhiskFest New York last year we started a project where the goal is to sell our whisky on Manhattan by January 2010. And last week our Marketing Director and our Sales manager visited NY to meet with importers, stores, restaurants, the Swedish embassy etc. We are visiting other markets as well, but the US-market is one of the most interesting for us right now and starting point is New York.

We’re not launching with a big office in Empire State Building and Paris Hilton on the release party . We are doing this the Mackmyra way: working slowly to try to understand the market and get to know our future customers. And then release a volume that matches the interest.

So there you have it. Something worth looking forward to for all of us here in the U.S. I already tasted and rated their first “official” release on my blog. Perhaps those of you overseas (or bootleggers from the U.S.) who also tried some of their releases might want to also add your thoughts.

Here is a listing of the award winners. A full write-up will appear in the 1st Quarter 2009 issue of Malt Advocate magazine, due out on January 15, 2009.

The top ten new whiskies for 2008 (listed alphabetically)
The Antiquary Blended Scotch, 21 year old
The Balvenie Vintage Cask, 1976 vintage
Black Bowmore, 1964 vintage, 42 year old
White Bowmore, 1964 vintage, 43 year old
Brora , 30 year old
High West Rendezvous Rye, Batch No. 10
Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve Irish Whiskey
The Last Drop Blended Scotch
Parker’s Heritage Collection Bourbon, 27 year old
Willett Family Reserve Bourbon, 25 year old
 

Best Buy of the Year
Ancient Ancient Age Ten Year Old

American Whiskey of the Year
Parker’s Heritage Collection 27 Year Old Bourbon

Canadian Whisky of the Year
Canadian Club 150th Anniversary 30 Year Old

Irish Whiskey of the Year
Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve, 2007 Release

Scotch Blended Whisky of the Year
The Antiquary 21 year old

Scotch Malt Whisky of the Year
Black Bowmore, 1964 Vintage, 42 year old

Microdistillery Whisky of the Year
Penderyn Welsh Whisky

Industry Leader of the Year
Dr. Bill Lumsden

Pioneer of the Year
The United States Microdistillers

Distillery of the Year
Four Roses

Lifetime Achievement Award
Willie Tait (Whyte and Mackay)
Kenny Gray (Oban)
Ronnie Eddins (Buffalo Trace)

There’s no age statement but, according to Ed Minning of Penderyn, the whisky right now is hovering between 4  3/4 and 5 1/2 year old. The whisky tastes much more mature than that. Whisky consultant guru Dr. Jim Swan is working closely with the Penderyn folks, and his impact shows.

Here’s some interesting information the Ed Minning told me regarding Penderyn:

Jim intends to eventually reach about 6 1/2 to 7 years (for the average age of Penderyn), above which he says there will be no benefit in additional aging  because of the unique still.

There are actually 2 new expressions that we are just about to introduce in the U.S.,  Peated and Sherrywood. Regarding the limited edition Peated expression, it is far different from the 1,000 bottle limited release ($225) of several years ago. 

So, some new expressions coming out from Penderyn. Details to follow. And if you thought that Penderyn has been getting better (like me), the gradual transition towards a slightly more mature whisky might be one of the key reasons why.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 90