June 15th, 2011

What’s the best way to drink whisky?

John Hansell

Any way you damned well please! That’s the short answer.

Now for the long answer. 

If you only drink your whisky the optimal way to appreciate its aromas and flavors (say, with a splash of water and in a nosing glass), then I think you are missing out on whisky’s versatility. (And maybe your pinky is in the air just a bit too much?)

There are times when I want to get the most out of my whisky. Still, there are also times when my whisky is not the main focus of my attention–times when it just an integral part of a pleasant experience, but not the main part.

I’ll give you three examples that I experienced just this past week or so.

A few of my friends were together with me fishing over the weekend. After being in the hot sun all day, we wanted something refreshing to drink. We had been drinking beer for a while and wanted something different. The solution? A glass of bourbon and ginger ale on the rocks. Not some fancy bourbon. It was whatever I had lying around the house, and it did the trick. Our conversation was the main focus of my attention, not the bourbon.

On another occasion, I poured myself a measure of Ardbeg Alligator. Again, it was hot out. I also think the room temperature where the Ardbeg was being stored was slightly warmer than normal. I put a small ice cube in my glass. It cooled off the drink, added some water, and tasted great!

Finally, one evening, sitting around a campfire, I pulled out a fine cigar to smoke. But what to drink with it? I already had a coupe of beers, so I opted for a good bourbon (W.L. Weller 19 yr. old, if you are curious.) I poured a measure into a small “rocks” glass–no ice this time–and enjoyed it with my cigar. It was great!

In all three instances here, I wasn’t “John Hansell the whisky reviewer.” I was just someone enjoying whisky in a way that seemed appropriate at that given time. I think that if you drink your whisky with an open mind in addition to an open mouth, you will get more pleasure from it.

Category: Opinions 44 Comments

May 16th, 2011

Buffalo Trace’s new “Single Oak” project: Part 1

John Hansell

Buffalo Trace newest (and biggest) project was announced a couple weeks back. For those of you who haven’t heard about it yet (which is understandable given that the whiskeys are only now getting into circulation), here’s an excerpt from the press release:

Beginning in 1999, then Warehouse Manager Ronnie Eddins traveled to the Missouri Ozarks to hand pick 96 trees, consisting of fine grain, medium grain and coarse grain wood, based on the tree’s growth rings. Each type of grain indicates a different growth rate and will yield a different flavor profile.  From there, each tree was cut into a top and a bottom piece, yielding 192 unique sections. Next stop was the lumber yard, where staves were created from each section and were tagged and tracked. The staves were divided into two groups and given different air dried seasonings, 6 months and 12 months.  The air drying allows Mother Nature to break down some of the more harsh flavored characteristics commonly found in wood.  

After all the staves were air dried, a single barrel was then created from each tree section, resulting in 192 total barrels.

The next step in the process was to experiment with different char levels of the barrels. Two different char levels were used, a number three and a number four char. (The standard char level for all Buffalo Trace products is a number four char, which is a 55 second burn.

Then, barrels were filled with one of two different recipes, a wheat and a rye recipe bourbon. To further the variety of experiments, barrels were filled at two different proofs, 105 proof and 125 proof.  And if this wasn’t enough, two completely different warehouses were used, one with a wooden ricks and one with concrete floors.  In total, seven different variables were employed in Buffalo Trace’s ultimate experiment.

And then, the waiting began.  For eight years the Distillery continued with its tracking process, creating intricate databases and coming up with a potential of 1,396 tasting combinations from these 192 barrels!

The Single Oak project is part of a much larger, and noble, effort: to create the perfect bourbon. How? By asking consumers to rate the whiskey they taste and then provide this feedback to Buffalo Trace via this new website that has been established for the Single Oak project.  As the press release puts it:

On the website, consumers create a profile and after rating each bottle, will then see the aging details and provenance of each barrel. They can interact with others who have also reviewed the barrel, compare their reviews on the same barrel, and even use it as a learning process for themselves by discovering which characteristics they like in a bourbon to help them select future favorites.  

Participants online will earn points after reach review and most importantly, help Buffalo Trace Distillery create the perfect bourbon!

According to Mark, at the conclusion of the project, they plan to take the top rated barrel, make more of that product and launch it under the Single Oak Project nameplate. So, ultimately, the 192 unique barrels with 1,396 tasting combinations will lead to one style of bourbon. One damned good bourbon!

I say this is only part of a much larger effort to create the perfect bourbon because over the years, Mark Brown, President and CEO of Buffalo Trace, has told me of some of his other projects to achieve this goal. One of them is to critically deconstruct the tasting notes and ratings of key whiskey writers (including yours truly). Incidentally, he told me just last week that, even though each of us may differ the way we describe our whiskeys, there is common ground in our reviews too. (He didn’t go into detail, so I suppose we’ll save that for a later time.)

Will the lucky ones who actually happen to get their hands on a bottle of Single Oak Project whiskey take the time to rate it and record it on the Single Oak Project website? Only time will tell, but I hope so.

Here’s another snippet from the press release, describing the logistics of the first release (and future releases):

The first release of the Single Oak Project Bourbon is expected to hit stores nationwide in very limited quantities around the end of May. Each release will consist of 12 unique single barrel bourbons.

Every case will contain 12 bottles, each from a different barrel. The first release is made up of barrel numbers 3, 4, 35, 36, 67, 68, 99, 100, 131, 132, 163 and 164. Each of these barrels had the same entry proof, seasoning, char level and warehouse aging location. However, the  hope is to identify the differences in taste based on recipe, wood grain size and tree cut as these characteristics varied amongst this group of barrels.

There will be a series of releases over the next four years until all of the 192 barrels have been released.  All releases will be packaged in a 375ml bottle. Suggested retail pricing is $46.35. 

In Part 2 of my post on this project (which will probably be later in the week), I will get out my secret decoder ring and tell you about the first 12 releases and how each barrel of bourbon differs. Additionally, I’ve tasted all of them and, while I don’t plan on rating them formally, I will give you my general thoughts on them (including which ones I liked, the ones I would take a pass on, and why).

Stay tuned!

Category: American whiskey,Bourbon,New Releases,Opinions,Reviews,Rye whiskey Tags: 32 Comments

April 26th, 2011

Bill Lumsden, Pride, and some Alligators

John Hansell

As far as Mondays go, yesterday was a particularly good one. I lunched in New York with Dr. Bill Lumsden, brilliant whisky creator for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg (and long-time friend).

I always enjoy my time with Bill. The icing on the cake is that he usually has a few samples of something fun in his bag. This time it was samples of Glenmorangie Pride, Ardbeg Alligator, and a third sample with the secret code name “Son of Alligator.”

That should have your attention–especially for all of you Ardbeg enthusiasts. I’ll get to Ardbeg soon enough, but let’s chat about Glenmorangie Pride first.

Glenmorangie Pride

Glenmorangie Pride is the newest creation by the Glenmo team. There were a lot of great whiskies that came from the 1981 Vintage (including the first Distillery Manager’s bottling that was available only at the distillery which was outstanding!), so this particular whisky has a fine pedigree. After aging for 18 years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, It was finished in Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes casks for 10 years before being bottled.

For many of you, reading about this whisky is merely academic. With only 1,000 bottles produced, only 100 available here in the U.S., and retailing for approximately $3,600 a bottle, most of you will not be rushing out to your specialty retailer to order a bottle. (And, to be perfectly honest, neither will I.) But, I was fortunate enough to receive a review sample of it over a week ago, and also had the opportunity to try it yesterday with Bill.

(For those of you interested in my thoughts on Pride, read on. For those of you who are mumbling under your breath that you don’t care what a $3,600 bottle of whisky tastes like, you can continue on to my Ardbeg write-up below.)

The bottom line: Pride is a very good whisky (probably low 90s) and I don’t think anyone who purchases a bottle will be disappointed. Is it my favorite Glenmo? No. And I’ll explain why. (My favorite Glenmorangie whisky on the market is probably Astar, in case you were wondering.)

The two key influences in this whisky are: Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes wine and the French Oak casks the wine (and eventually the Glenmorangie) was aged in. The lovely sweet wine notes really impact the palate, especially up front, with sweet, lush, fruity notes (lemon custard, sultana, honeydew). Gradually, the resinous French Oak influence reveals itself, balancing the sweetness with a barrage of spice, tannin, and a gripping resinous finish.

This is a very textural whisky. It’s dynamic and always evolving. That’s what I like about it. The last thing this whisky will ever be is boring.

If I were being picky (I get paid to be picky, so I will), I would like to see Pride with a little less wood influence (especially on the finish). I completely understand why he bottled the whisky at 28 years and 9 months, rather than waiting until it was 30 years old to do so (which might have made the marketing department happy, but the whisky probably would have suffered for it).  That being said, I can only wonder how amazing this whisky could have been if it were bottled, say, after only  25 years? I would be willing to sacrifice some of the lovely sweet Sauternes influence for a whisky that might have achieved even greater balance, integration, and complexity with less wood impact.

Ardbeg Alligator (and the “Son of Alligator”)

Welcome to what is now becoming an annual occurrence: a new Ardbeg release. Last year it was Rollercoaster. This year, it’s Ardbeg Alligator. Why the name Alligator? Well, a portion of the whisky was aged in heavily charred barrels (that Bill refers to as an “Alligator” char).

As he describes it: “It’s similar to Ardbeg 10 year old, but with bells and whistles.” (I was waiting for him to say it’s  like the 10 year old, but a bit more hard-skinned and with a bite. :) )

The age of the whisky is also very similar to Ardbeg 10. It’s a combination of some “regular” Ardbeg with some of the Alligator char-aged Ardbeg which was then aged an additional year in refill casks to marry and integrate. (I promised Bill I wouldn’t go into any more detail than this, so please don’t ask.)

My thoughts?: It’s an aggressive Ardbeg (and will be bottled at 51.7%) with a good dose of smoked fish in the flavor profile. The nice thing about it is that there’s a good creamy vanilla underbelly to balance the aggressiveness and (at least partially) muzzle the Alligator. Alligator should be available here in the U.S. in June as an “Ardbeg Committee” release.

The third sample Bill pulled out, which he calls the “Son of Alligator,” was much different that Alligator. Bill hinted that this might be next year’s Limited-edition Ardbeg release. it was softer, creamier, and fruitier than Alligator, with a good does of creamy vanilla, custard, and stone fruits (peach, apricot, perhaps even nextarine.)

Would any of you (who are still reading this long post) like to wager why the good doctor is calling it “Son of Alligator?” Is Bill using the emptied alligator-char casks an additional time? I honestly don’t know. I’m just guessing. What’s your guess?

Category: New Releases,Opinions,Scotch whisky Tags: , 22 Comments

April 13th, 2011

Whisky recommendations for the new enthusiast?

John Hansell

I’ll be spending the rest of the week hosting WhiskyFest in Chicago (and attending a couple of the other events going on around it). While I’m gone, I thought maybe we could help the newer whisky (and whiskey) drinkers here with some recommendations. The combined knowledge of everyone here is enormous, so I am sure you can offer some suggestions.

Pick any whisky country or category. Just make sure that it’s a whisky that is a regular stock item and not a one-off or limited edition. Oh, and reasonably priced would be nice too.

So, what would you recommend? And why?

Category: Opinions,WhiskyFest 113 Comments

April 8th, 2011

“En Primeur” whisky ratings: good or bad?

John Hansell

It’s been a while since we had something really good to debate here. Here’s one that has been on my mind for a week now.

I was reading a story in Decanter magazine about a controversy centered around how special, highly regarded, wine critics are allowed access to taste–and rate–Bordeaux wines en primeur (in advance) of the wines being bottled and released.

(The story actually is more complicated than that. There is an official en primeur tasting of Bordeaux wines for wine writers, but a very select few are allowed access to those wines even before everyone else. They are immediately rating the wines and posting them up on their social media sites like Facebook–before the other wine writers even get to taste the wines.)

One obvious issue here (besides the fact that some writers are more privileged than others) is that ratings of these wines, prior to being released, will influence the wine producers regarding the price they charge for their wines. If James Suckling gives a First Growth Bordeaux a perfect 100 based on his en primeur tasting, you can be certain that the wine, when eventually bottled, will command a high price.

So, this got me thinking. En primeur whisky tastings are a regular privilege for the most highly regarded whisky writers. We have access to barrel samples when we tour distilleries. Even more so, we (on a regular basis) get samples of whiskies well before they are released to the public.

In this new age of social media, where we can blog, tweet, or post up on Facebook our rating as soon as we get a whisky (often months before a whisky is actually released to the public), what impact does this have on consumer demand? Equally as important, what influence does this have on the whisky producers when they decide what price to charge for their whisky?

This, in itself, is a good question. But I’ll take it one step further. Some whisky writers actually taste, rate, and publish ratings of the “new make” spirit–right off the stills and long before it is aged for three years and can legally be called whisky.  Are these ratings based on the quality of the whisky as it is, or is it based on its potential?

For example, in the 2010 Whisky Bible, Jim Murray rates two “New Spirit” Kilchoman samples from Islay (one from a bourbon cask and one from a combination of bourbon and sherry casks) a 93.5 and 94, respectively. Is this based on the actual whisky that was tasted, or its potential? I ask this question because in his 2011 Whisky Bible, he rates two actual whisky releases (including the inaugural release) and gives them an 85 and an 82.5.

I understand why wine writers rate based on potential. Wine ages and changes when aged in a bottle. And with some wines, they can “close up” and become worse before they get better and peak. Theoretically, whisky doesn’t change at all when it is bottled.

If we start rating whisky based on potential and not actual flavor, imagine what would that do!

So, I have two questions for you:

1) How do you feel about whisky writers tasting and rating whiskies long before they are released (and priced)?

2) How do you feel about rating a distiller’s spirit (or whisky) based on potential?

Let the discussions begin.

Category: Media,Opinions,Wine,Writers 37 Comments

March 31st, 2011

A second chance to buy the whisky you always wanted

John Hansell

So, maybe you came a little late to this single malt scotch craze and missed out on some great whiskies bottled ten or twenty years ago? Well, you have another chance to to buy a bottle or two.

Yes, you will probably pay more for it. But then again, you might not.

A few days ago, I received the Bonhams Whisky Catalog for an auction they are having in New York City on April 14th (two weeks from today). I’m drooling just paging through it.

Yes, there are some heavy-hitters like the Bowmore Trilogy (Black, White and Gold) and the Springbank Millennium Set (25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 year old).  But there are also some really interesting–and high-quality–whiskies you can probably pick up for $200-300, like some older bottled Broras, Port Ellens, Bowmores, Springbanks, and Ardbegs. Oh, and some older Macallans too, like this “Private Eye” bottling (shown above). The estimated range on this one, however, is a little steep ($600-800).

I’ve never been to a whisky auction. And I can’t make it to this one either, because it conflicts with WhiskyFest Chicago. However, some of our writers have attended–and even participated–and they have really enjoyed the experience. Plus, I think you can even bid over the phone and on-line.

I’ll give you one example why I think you might actually get some of these whiskies at a bargain price. Lot #21 consists of two bottles of Dalmore: a King Alexander III and a Signatory 18 year old. The range is listed at $140-200. Binny’s is selling the King Alexander III for $200. You could score and get both bottles for less than this. (Well, maybe not, now that I’ve mentioned it…)

I think you get my point, though. You can find the link to a PDF of the auction catalog here. Have a look through it. (Also, my contact at Bonhams over the past few years has been Rik Pike, in case you have any specific questions. His email adress is richard.pike@bonhams.com.)

Do you see anything interesting in there?

Category: Auctions,Opinions,Scotch whisky Tags: 11 Comments

March 27th, 2011

Happy Birthday Michael Jackson!

John Hansell

Happy Birthday Michael: beer hunter, whisky chaser and my mentor. Save a seat for me in that great pub in the sky.

I’ll get there eventually. In the meantime, I’ll do my best to continue on where you left off. (But it will take many more people than just me to fill your void.)

Category: Education,Opinions,Ramblings Tags: 11 Comments

March 23rd, 2011

The lines between established distillers and small craft distillers are becoming blurred

John Hansell

And they will continue becoming even more blurred in the future.

As the young, developing craft distilling movement matures and begins offering longer-aged whiskeys, they will compete with the established distillers’ products.

On the flip side, the established distillers are increasingly offering younger, and as is the case with Heaven Hill’s “TryBox Series” (shown in the picture), sometimes even unaged product for sale. In fact, distillers on both sides of the pond are selling unaged spirit.

Craft distillers comprise a rapidly growing, but still relatively low-production, market. I don’t think the large, established distillers have anything to worry about–yet. But they would be foolish to not pay attention.

Just take a look at the American craft beer market and you will see where craft distilling is heading. According to a recent Brewers Association press release, overall beer consumption is down, but the craft beer market continues to grow and capture market share.

The large brewers who made relatively bland pilsner-style beer are now making beer with more flavor–or forming alliances with craft brewers to compete with them.

You are witnessing the same happening within the whiskey industry. Small craft distillers like Stranahan’s and Anchor have been purchased by larger players in the drinks industry. And large distiller William Grant (owners of Glenfiddich and Balvenie) bought the Hudson whiskey brand from Tuthilltown Spirits, the Hudson Valley craft distiller.

Yes indeed, the lines between established distillers and small craft distillers will continue becoming more and more blurred in the future. For the most part, I think this is a good thing. It will be healthy for the whisky industry.

Will there be some downside? Sure! We will have to endure the “weeding out”  of the inferior brands and “fly by night” companies that will undoubtedly surface to make a fast buck in this growth market (as we witnessed in the early phases of craft brewing–and that cigar boom a while back).

But the upside is far greater–and well worth any temporary inconvenience.

Category: American whiskey,Bourbon,Microdistilleries,New Releases,Opinions,Rye whiskey Tags: , , , , 28 Comments

March 16th, 2011

Twenty years of Malt Advocate, WhiskyFest & Whisky

John Hansell

We are celebrating Malt Advocate magazine’s 20th Anniversary with the next issue:  20 year’s worth of whiskies, 20 years that saw a lot of change in the industry, and 20 years worth of relationships — that’s the part that’s really worth celebrating!

If you have an anecdote or memory you’d like to share in a special “Dear John” 20th anniversary letters section of Malt Advocate— about the magazine, WhiskyFest, or anything about the last 20 years in whisky — we’d love to hear from you. To avoid a self-congratulatory thread here (which is not my intention), please send your story to Melanie Gochnauer (melanie@maltadvocate.com) with “20 years” on the subject line by April 1st. We’ll print some in the magazine and on our website.

Thanks. We’re looking forward to the next 20 years!

Category: Malt Advocate Mag,Opinions 3 Comments

March 15th, 2011

Thirty five years and still amazed!

John Hansell

You might think that after 35 years of drinking whisky and 20 years of making whisky my living, that I would tire of it.

Not a chance. Whisky is still the most complex, diverse, and cost-effective distilled spirit out there, and the producers continue to inspire and entertain with new releases. I know that there’s always a whisky around the corner that will surprise me, maybe even amaze me.

This past Saturday, I attended the funeral of my best friend’s mother. I was so close to her, I called her mom. My best friend is Irish and when the long day was over, I brought over this bottle of 12 year old Bushmills Distillery Reserve for us to drink.  I’ve had it before and it was delicious.

I picked up this bottle back in 2007 when touring the distillery with Master Distiller Colum Egan. He even signed and dated the bottle. (It’s on the side; you can’t see it.) I was saving it for the right time to open it. This was that time.

Once again, I was thoroughly impressed by this whiskey. It’s so rich, creamy, fruity and complex for a 12 year old. And oh so drinkable: a few friends and I could easily polish off a bottle of this in a day’s time. (Not that we would…)

It’s so easy for us to be critical of whisky, the producers, etc., and I understand why we sometimes are: we are passionate about whisky and we care about it enough to to express our feelings and concerns.

Having said this, we need to bring ourselves back to really what’s most important. Whisky is amazing stuff, and this is still a great time to be drinking whisky. This time, it was Bushmills Distillery Reserve that reminded me of this. Next time, it might be a bourbon or a nice Islay malt.

It’s why, after 35 years of drinking whisky, it still amazes me. And always will.

Category: Irish whiskey,Opinions Tags: 22 Comments

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