January 23rd, 2012

18th Annual Whisky Advocate Awards: daily posts beginning February 1st

John Hansell

The Whisky Advocate Awards program is the longest-running annual whisky awards program, now in its eighteenth year. The awards recognize excellence in the world of whisky.

The awards are announced annually in the spring issue, which subscribers receive in early March. But the 2011 award recipients will be announced here, first, beginning February 1st. The daily posts will also reach my Twitter feed (@JohnHansell) and the Whisky Advocate Facebook page.  (More details on the foundation of the Whisky Advocate Awards program–how they are chosen and why–will precede the awards announcements on January 31, 2012.)

Why are they announced here first? The daily announcements reach a larger audience far faster by way of social media than in print media. This blog also offers an interactive element between whisky enthusiasts, industry personnel, and press. Previous year’s postings prompted a lot of discussion and I’m certain that will continue with this year’s award announcements.

Beginning February 1st, visit this blog daily to read the award winner, the magazine write-up, and the comments that follow. The dates the award winners will be announced are as follows:

February 1st: Artisan Whisky of the Year (North America)

February 2nd: American Whisky of the Year

February 3rd: Canadian Whisky of the Year

February 4th: Irish Whiskey of the Year

February 5th: Japanese Whisky of the Year

February 6th: New World Whisky of the Year

February 7th: Blended/Blended Malt Scotch Whisky of the Year

February 8th: Speyside Single Malt of the Year

February 9th: Islay Single Malt of the Year

February 10th: Highlands Single Malt of the Year

February 11th: Lowlands/Campbeltown Single Malt of the Year

February 12th: Distillery of the Year

February 13th: Lifetime Achievement Award

Category: Administrative,Awards,Whisky Advocate Magazine Tags: 8 Comments

January 20th, 2012

Some new bourbons and my thoughts on them

John Hansell

The holidays are over, but the whiskey companies are still pumping out new releases. Here’s an overview of some bourbons (and one wheat whiskey) that have come my way in the past few weeks. Formal reviews will follow in due time, but here are my informal thoughts.

First up is the first new permanent line extension from Woodford Reserve. They’re calling it Woodford Reserve Double Oaked (pictured). I just received this sample yesterday and tasted it last night. I really enjoy it. It’s richer and creamier than the standard Woodford Reserve. Smooth too, with a kiss of sweetness to it. But it will cost more than the standard Woodford too: $50.

Here’s some details on the whiskey which I pulled from the press release:

“Maturation in a new, charred oak barrel provides Woodford Reserve with all of its natural color and a great deal of its award-winning flavor. This Double Oaked expression has been uniquely matured in  two separate, custom crafted barrels,” said Chris Morris, master distiller for Woodford Reserve. “The second was deeply toasted before its light charring.  The double barreling of mature Woodford Reserve in this unique barrel allows the spirit to extract an additional amount of soft, sweet oak character.”

Some more good news on a line extension. I’m working my way through a bottle of the newest release of Colonel E.H. Taylor bourbon (“Warehouse C Tornado Surviving”), and it is my favorite of the three releases to date. (Picture below.) It’s more rounded and even-keeled than the previous two.

Some details from this press release:

It was a Sunday evening, April 2, 2006, when a severe storm tore through Central Kentucky, damaging two Buffalo Trace Distillery aging warehouses.  Fortunately, no one was injured and Warehouse “B” was empty at the time. However, Warehouse “C” sustained significant damage to its roof and north brick wall.  Warehouse “C” is one of the most treasured warehouses on property, built by Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. in 1881.  This historic aging warehouse stores more than 24,000 prized bourbon barrels in its ricks.

All of the 93 Tornado Surviving Bourbon barrels were located on the top two floors of Warehouse C, and were at least 9 years, 8 months old when dumped; many of them were as old as 11 years, 11 months old. Like the previous two E. H. Taylor, Jr. releases, the Tornado Surviving Bourbon is “Bottled in Bond” at 100 proof.  ($70)

Many of you will remember my glowing review (96 rating) of the single barrel of Elijah Craig 20 year old that was produced for the 20th Anniversary of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and sold only at Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center. Well, that bottling (Barrel #3735) sold out very quickly. But, they replaced it with another single barrel offering (#3742) which still is available at the time of this post.

That’s the good news. The bad news? The replacement barrel is not as balanced or as smooth. It’s showing its age more, with more aggressive oak on the finish. I will eventually rate this formally in the mid to high 80s, but not in the 90s. (Sorry about that for those of you who missed out on the original release. That’s how it goes with single barrel releases–especially older ones.)

Finally, I have two new offerings from Julio’s Liquors up in Westborough, MA. The first one is a Bernheim Wheat Single Barrel that wasn’t chill-filtered ($35). (It’s a straight wheat whiskey, not a bourbon.) My main issue with Bernheim Wheat is that it’s almost too easy-going, thanks to all that wheat. Not chill-filtering it, as it is with this bottling, really does help give it some extra character, which is nice to see. If only we could increase the proof from 90 to 100, I think we just might have Bernheim Wheat where it shows itself best.

The other offering from Julio’s is a Henry McKenna 10 year old 100 proof that’s also not chill-filtered. It’s not the most elegant bourbon I’ve ever tasted, but it’s nice and robust–and suiting me just fine on this cold winter’s day in Pennsylvania. ($32)

 

Category: American whiskey,Bourbon,New Releases,Opinions,Rye whiskey,Wheat whiskey Tags: , , , , 33 Comments

January 13th, 2012

WhiskyFest NY 2012 Seminar Program Agenda

John Hansell

We’ve completed the agenda for the Saturday seminar program for our 15th Annual WhiskyFest New York, which has now been expanded to an entire weekend. (The Saturday seminars will be book-ended by grand tasting events on Friday and Saturday nights. Follow my link above for more details.) I include the agenda below.

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)

Category: Awards,Breaking news,Education,Special events,Whisky Advocate Magazine,WhiskyFest 16 Comments

January 10th, 2012

Cornish whiskey

John Hansell

Today, Dominc Roskrow marks another day in whisky; make that whiskey history. Hicks & Healey Cornish Single Malt 7 Year Old Whiskey, to be exact.

Another ‘country’ joins the whisky diaspora

By Dominic Roskrow

The oldest whisky ever released in ‘England’ has been snapped up after a huge public demand. The whiskey is actually from Cornwall and was the result of a unique partnership of two Cornish drinks producers.

Hicks & Healey Cornish Single Malt 7 Year Old Whiskey, which adopts the Irish/American spelling of the world ‘whiskey,’ is the first new whiskey to be bottled in Cornwall for 300 years, and is three years older than the whisky from St. George’s in Norfolk. It is the result of a partnership between St. Austell Brewery and Healey’s Cyder Farm, and was only available in limited quantities from August.

Cornwall, which has its own language and culture, and which to a great extent has closer ties to the Celts of Brittany and Wales than to England, maintains a degree of independence, and the new whiskey is being promoted distinctly as a Cornish rather than English whisky. But because it is highly unlikely that whiskey from Cornwall or England would have been matured for any length of time 300 years ago, when it was last made, Hicks & Healey can plausibly claim to be the oldest single malt whisky ever produced by either country.

The new malt is the brainchild of highly respected St. Austell Brewery head brewer Roger Ryman, who knew that the humid peninsula air and mild Cornish climate would provide optimum maturing conditions. The partnership brings expertise in brewing and distillation together for the first time in Cornwall.

Healey’s Cyder Farm near Truro makes apple brandy in a unique, traditional copper pot still which was made by Rothes coppersmiths Forsyths, where most Scottish stills are made. At only 1,200 liters, it’s one of the smallest legal stills in the country.

The Cornish whiskey is made with Maris Otter barley grown in Trerulefoot, south-east Cornwall. The wash is mixed at St. Austell Brewery’s traditional Victorian brew-house, before being transferred to Healey’s Farm.

Although the new release will be seven years old, the partnership has been making batches of whiskey for much longer. Six years ago, I tasted malt spirit and whiskey aged from new make to 4 years old, but felt some of them were too flabby and appley. But the new make and the year old spirit — the latter the source for this particular whiskey — were very good indeed.

A new batch of Hicks & Healey Cornish Single Malt Whiskey will be released again next year, and will be available from Healey’s Cyder Farm and the St. Austell Brewery Visitor Center, and online at www.thecornishcyderfarm.co.uk  and www.staustellbreweryshop.co.uk

Category: English whisky,Guest Blogger,Writers Tags: , 21 Comments

January 6th, 2012

That’s the end of vat…

John Hansell

As of November 23, 2011 the term “vatted” has been declared illegal for use on the label of whisky. Dominic Roskrow reports on this historical day in whisky history.

That’s the end of vat…

By Dominic Roskrow

Few companies have done more to further the cause of vatted malt whisky than London-based producer Compass Box. So it was fitting that when the term was consigned to the dustbin of history by the British Government, whisky maker John Glaser and supporters were on hand to mark the occasion.

Assorted Compass Box staff, bloggers, and retailers marched to the British Parliament buildings at Westminster on a warm winter evening to watch Glaser mix the last ever vatted malt on Westminster Bridge as the chimes of midnight rang out from Big Ben, marking the official last time that a whisky can be described as a “vatted malt.”

Vatted malts are a mixture of malts from different distilleries; they are distinct from blended whisky because they contain no grain whisky. But a few years ago the Scotch Whisky Association moved to have the term outlawed, and to have it replaced with the term “blended malt whisky.” Critics of the change, including Glaser and Compass Box, were vociferous in their opposition because they argue that the new term is far too similar to the term ‘blended whisky,’ and it is very difficult to explain to people, particularly in languages other than English.

Many of Compass Box’s most successful whiskies are vatted malts, so John Glaser felt it right to mark the occasion in style. “It was in the Houses of Parliament that a term that was almost as old as whisky itself was outlawed,” he said. “So it was only fitting that it was there that we went to mark the end of vatted malts.”

It says much about how trendy quality whisky is today that the protest began with a party at one of Soho’s most fashionable style bars. Cocktails made with Compass Box whisky were served before Glaser appeared, coincidentally arriving as the DJ put on Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.”

From there about 20 supporters walked down to the River Thames and on to the bridge at Westminster. As Big Ben rang out the chimes of midnight Glaser mixed and bottled the last-ever “vatted whisky.”  Both vatted malt and vatted grain whiskies were put on sale by Compass Box, but sold out quickly due to huge demand.

Category: Guest Blogger,Regulatory issues,Scotch whisky,Writers Tags: , , , 37 Comments

January 4th, 2012

Whisky Advocate writers appearing at WhiskyFest New York 2012

John Hansell

In a previous post, I shared the exciting news about what’s in store for WhiskyFest™ New York 2012. The excitement doesn’t stop there. In fact, that’s just the beginning!  I’m thrilled to announce that we will have several  Whisky Advocate writers in attendance at the Grand Tasting events the evenings of Friday, October 26th and Saturday, October 27th and moderating our seminars during the day on Saturday, October 27th.

Dave Broom, Lew Bryson, Jonny McCormick, Dominic Roskrow, and Gavin Smith will be joining us for this exceptional whisky weekend. Whether you are in the trade (retailers, brand ambassadors, distillers, restaurant owners, etc.), a whisky aficionado, or new to the world of whisky, these are personalities you do not want to miss. You can find them all in one place this entire weekend.  Read more about them here and get all the details on WhiskyFest New York 2012 weekend here.

Coming soon: details on the seminar topics during the day-long program on October 27th.

Category: Special events,WhiskyFest,Writers Tags: , , , , 7 Comments

January 3rd, 2012

Another whisky, and another story.

John Hansell

Some of you might remember my post here back in 2011. Well, I took my own advice and opened another bottle of whisky last week. It wasn’t for Christmas or New Years Eve, but rather somewhere in the middle of the week. I’m really glad I did, because it tastes great! And, as it is with many of my whiskies, there’s a story to this one too.

It was back in the early 1990s. I don’t remember which year, because I was traveling to Scotland quite a bit. I was in Edinburgh and paid my usual visit to the Cadenhead’s shop on the Royal Mile to see what Springbank whiskies they had for sale.

When I asked about Springbank 15 year old, Neil Clapperton, the gentleman who ran the shop, said that they were out of stock. But, by this time, he knew me because I had been in the shop several times before. That’s when he told me that he did have one bottle of Springbank 15 year old, but the proof is wrong on it. Instead of the usual 46% for Springbank, he said that this one was 50%. He then took out a marker and blacked out the 46% on the label and hand-wrote 50% next to it. (If you look closely at the over-exposed label, you might be able to see it on the lower right.) He said that if I was okay with it and wanted to buy it, he would sell it to me for the usual price.

100 proof Springbank 15 year old? Was I okay with it? Does a bear shit in the woods??

I happily purchased the bottle, along with some other cool Springbanks and Cadenhead’s whiskies, and held onto it for quite some time. It was worth the wait. It’s outstanding–a stunningly complex Springbank in a ex-bourbon casks. Nothing fancy. If you ever get a chance to taste Springbank that was distilled prior to their 1980s silent period, do it! If you think the current bottlings of Springbank are splendid (and many of the are), you just might be blown away with one of these earlier bottlings.

The only thing that frustrates me right now: Neil told me why this one was bottled at 50% ABV when I bought it from him and, after all these years, I forgot what he said!

Oh well. The whisky is great. That’s what matters most. And I’m drinking and sharing it with like-minded friends.

I’m not sure if you are a “New Year’s resolution” kind of person or not. But if you are, make a resolution to open up a bottle or two (or more) of your special whiskies that you’ve been saving for a special occasion. The whisky itself is reason enough to celebrate.

Category: Holidays,Opinions,Ramblings,Scotch whisky,Whisky collections Tags: , 21 Comments

December 22nd, 2011

The whisky I plan to open, and the story that goes with it.

John Hansell

Every Christmas Eve, before I got to bed, I open up a special bottle of whisky and enjoy a dram of it. Regardless of which whisky I chose to open, there’s a story that goes with it. That’s one of the reasons why it’s special. I make sure that I drink the bottle before the next Christmas Eve, when I open another special bottle.

I have an emotional attachment to whisky, and I make no apology for it. Whisky isn’t just about the flavor or rarity. There’s more to it than this. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t always open a whisky that I buy right away. Instead, I’ll wait for a special occasion.

Maybe that’s why I have over 300 unopened bottles of whisky, with a room in my house set aside just for them. With all this discussion lately about whisky collecting and whether it’s a good or bad thing to do, the reality is that it’s just not that simple. Like many things in life, it isn’t black or white, but rather some shade of gray.

I don’t think of myself as a collector. I refer to what I have as an accumulation rather than a collection. And I fully intend to drink, share, and savor every bottle I have before I die.

Take this bottle, for example. It’s the whisky I am currently planning to open this Christmas Eve. It’s a Glenmorangie Distillery Manager’s Choice.  I’ve had it for 13 years. Every time I look at this bottle or hold it, it it brings back a very fond memory.

This whisky was bottled in 1998, but the story actually begins a year or so before this. My wife and I were visiting distilleries in the Scottish Highlands. We made an impromptu stop at the Glenmorangie Distillery on our way back from visiting other distilleries farther to the north. We went to the distillery office and asked if Bill Lumsden, then Distillery Manager (and friend), happened to be in. Well, he must have heard my voice from his office, because he came running out and gave Amy and me a big hug. Then, without skipping a beat, he said: “There’s something you have to taste!”

Bill grabbed some keys and we ran through the pouring rain to one of the Distillery’s warehouses. Inside, in the dark, damp, chilly warehouse filled with with heavenly whisky aromas, he took me to one particular cask. He pulled the bung out, stuck a whisky thief into the barrel, and poured me a sample of what was inside.

I nosed the whisky and then took a sip, nosed it again and took another sip. Bill then asked, “what do you think?”

I told him I thought that it was the best Glenmorangie whisky I ever tasted.

“I agree, John,” he said,  ”and it would be a shame for this one barrel to be blended in with some other Glenmorangie casks. I’d like to bottle this on its own, cask-strength and not chill-filtered, but I just have to figure out how to do it.” I said to Bill if he ever does bottle it, save a bottle for me. He said he would.

Shortly thereafter, the Glenmorangie “Distillery Manager’s Choice” was born, and this was the cask: distilled in 1981, aged in an ex-bourbon cask, bottled in 1998 at 54.5%, and sold at the distillery. Bill kept to his promise, saved me a bottle, and I’ve waited for the right moment to open it–this Christmas eve.

Thank you, Bill. And a big thanks to all of you who take time out of your busy schedule to stop by and read whatever happens to be on my mind at the moment. I wish you all the best in the New Year and hope it is filled with many memorable whiskies.

How about you? Are you opening anything special this holiday season?

 

Category: Opinions,Ramblings,Scotch whisky,Whisky collections Tags: 103 Comments

December 21st, 2011

Whisky in 2011: the year in review

John Hansell

I was going to summarize all the new releases and general trends in whisky this past year (and there have been a lot of them). But, Sku over at his Recent Eats blog, did such a great job with this recent post, there’s no use in reinventing the wheel. Well done, Sku!

Read his post. How do you feel about what happened in whisky in 2011? Was it a good year or a bad year? And why?

Category: Book Reviews,Canadian whisky,Irish whiskey,Japanese whisky,Microdistilleries,New Releases,Opinions,Rye whiskey,Scotch whisky,Social media 48 Comments

December 19th, 2011

Whisky Masterclass – any time, online

John Hansell

We hope you recall Dave Broom’s piece from our fall issue of Whisky Advocate, in which he chronicled touring Scotland in a cheese-reeking motorhome with a South African camera crew. The purpose of the tour was to create a series of video classes on whisky, and that class is now available, both online and as a set of DVDs, called The World Masterclass.

It’s no small project. This first year of the course is a series of 50 lessons, each featuring Broom describing an aspect of whisky production, backed up by video clips of distillers giving their own personal perspectives on that facet.  That’s perhaps the most appealing part of this package; learning about malting from Eddie MacAffer (Bowmore), milling from Georgie Crawford (Lagavulin), distillation from Mickey Heads (Ardbeg), finishing from Jim McEwan (Bruichladdich)…this is no surface-skim of whisky education, it’s as geeky as you want to get.

“It’s all very well having the theory laid out,” says Broom, “but the only way in which you can understand whisky is by seeing the places in which it is made: the landscape, the weather — and it was pretty wild when we were there — and, most importantly, the phenomenal people who make the spirit.”

You can’t have a whisky masterclass without tasting, of course. While you can’t actually taste whisky coming through the screen, there are 100 three-to-five minute sessions of tasting readily available major whisky brands with Broom, featuring full descriptions of the flavors and positioning them in one of five “flavor camps.”

It’s a serious undertaking, and you’ll have to take it seriously to get everything out of it; each lesson presents a multiple-choice test at the end. You have to pass the test to unlock the next level (whisky education as video game progression?). There are other rewards: once enrolled, you get offers for whisky specials, events, and further filmed specials. Year 2 will add Irish whisky and blended Scotch whisky, as well as more in-depth focuses on specific Scottish distilleries.

The price for the online/5-DVD course is $150. Enrollment and more information is available at theworldmasterclass.com.  –Lew Bryson

Category: Education,Websites,Whisky Advocate Magazine,Writers Tags: , 34 Comments

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