All posts by Jewmalt

SuperJew, Husband, Father, Scotch aficionado, Musician, Whisky Society President
A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Glenglassaugh, Let's celebrate!

Glenglassaugh 30yr 55.1% – a true celebratory malt

Speyside region – 55.1%ABV – 70cl Decanter (yes folks, a decanter.) – £390 | €469

I’ll be upfront here.  Many folks out there will not have the chance to try this stuff.  It’s rare and it’s very expensive.  Before you start calling me a Daddy Warbucks I will tell you that I reviewed this dram from a sample.  A big, *BIG* thank you goes out to Alan for the sample!  Cheers He’bro!

Why am I so excited about a bottle I could never afford?  Well, because A) some of you good people out there can swing the squids for a bottle and B) Glenglassaugh is a newly re-opened distillery and if this whisky is any indication as to what we’ll see coming out of their stills & casks, well…  let’s say we should all be excited.

On to the whisky!

On the nose – Light & fruity nose filled with a mist of lemons (better yet, Etrog) and white pepper.

A hints of lovely oak to it.  Sweet flowers and Sharpies (black markers).

Honey salted butter (unmelted butter – a fresh stick).

Black licorice.

Sugar cubes and almond oil.

On the mouth – Fruity – Apples and berries.

Loads of toffee and burnt tea leaves.

Rose water (oh, I love this!).

This is getting hotter by the second — cayenne and jalepeno notes pop in right as it heats up – brilliant.

Black grapes and cherry skins.

The mouthfeel went from oily and chewy but we go quickly over to thin and hot.

Finish – Prickly pears both in taste and feel “prickly” tongue and cheeks.

In sum – I am thankful to have had a chance to taste this stuff.  I was only 6 years old when this was distilled.  That aside, there’s a reason this is an award winning whisky.  Powerful and truly enjoyable Scotch whisky!  Another dram to break out for the most special of life cycle events such as the birth of a child, marriage, bar/bat mitzvah (for my heebs out there), Christening (because I’m an equal opportunity whisky lover), etc…

Last month I had the good opportunity to interview Stuart Nickerson (Managing Director of the newly re-opened Glenglassaugh distillery).  If you’ve not yet had a chance to read it, you may want to do so right now.  Part 1 & Part 2

Bowmore

1989 Bowmore 11yr – Old Malt Cask – 50% ABV

Islay region – 50%ABV – 750ml bottle – Limited Edition, 1,800 bottles – $60 (note: the image shown is not an image of the actual bottle, just an OMC bottle)

After my having an opportunity to taste the Master of Malt 26yr Bowmore Single Cask, I’ve been on the search for more and more Bowmore expressions to taste.  While the MoM bottling is wholly different from any Bowmore out there (or, any whisky out there for that matter), my eyes were forever opened – and now, so is my mouth 🙂

The Bowmore I am about to review is one of the smokiest, dirtiest Bowmores I’ve had to date.  And a nice one at that!

On the nose — Big and smokey, ashy, spent cigarette butts, petrol (gas to us Americans out there…).

Burning rubber like the racing scene in Grease (are we racing for pinks?).

The classic Bowmore soapiness rears its head.

Biting 9-volt-on-your-tongue-but-in-your-nose quality here.

Pink grapefruit.

On the mouth — Hello young man!  Apple smoked cheddar.

Cut grass and soil (dirty though, not fresh clean soil – dirty soil, who’d’a’thunk?)

Absinthe style anise and Japanese green tea, chewy.

Finish — Long & ashy

In sum — This is a nice peaty Bowmore.

Very masculine but the feel is that of a 15yr old boy who can grow a G.G. Allin mustache a bit prematurely and is showing off. (I’m 36 and I still can’t get a proper mustache!  Imagine that, a Jew who can’t grow good facial hair.  Oy.)

A good one for when there’s a chill in the air!

All You Need Is Love, Blind Tastings, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Rick’s Mystery Dram series – Week 9 of 10 – Sample #10

Whiskey sample number ten.  Another American whiskey sample from Rick.

As I mentioned in the 3rd post for this “Rick’s Mystery Dram” Series, I’ve decided to make this a wee bit more interesting by sending out a mystery dram to the correct guesser of the week’s mystery dram or, if there has been no correct guess, the sample goes to a commenter (randomly chosen).  Last week, “Matt L” won the mystery dram (again) and did so by guessing what the dram in question was.

Details on how to win a mystery dram sample (which will be Scotch or American whisk(e)y, your choice) are listed below, after the review.

Review time!

On the nose – Big, fat, thick spice with a side of rye bread and a cord of oak.

Very perfumed.  Like the cheap perfume on a girl you wish you hadn’t said hi to in the bar — sexy but over powering.

Some of the standard notes you’d find in bourbon:

Cinnamon.  Nutmeg.  Vanilla.

On the mouth – Everything just got a bit toasty here – that rye toast has just been browned; awaiting a pad of butter that does, in fact, arrive!

Grape soda (this is the third time I got grape soda notes in a bourbon).

Very easy to chew on but there does seem to be a fair amount of alcohol here (45-50%ABV?).

Finish – The finish is interesting – I’m almost getting some great port wine notes coming back.  The overall length of the finish is medium and perfect.

In sum – This is a very comforting dram of whiskey.

Perfect for the summer time.

Watch the sun set and sip your glass empty – life is good.

The clues –

  • Getting notes of rye in the nose and in the tasting
  • Grape soda notes and, my guess, an ABV of 45-50%.
  • More grape notes in the finish – almost reminiscent of port wine.

JMSWS antes up!

For those who attempt to guess – each week I will be sending out one mystery dram (a small 5cl bottle) and the first person guesses correctly wins the dram.  Actually, if there are no correct guesses for the week then a winner will be chosen at random.  You win whether your right or not (like a weatherperson – right or not, s/he still has a job)!

So again, I will be awarding a free whisk(e)y sample every week to one lucky winner (whether you guess correctly or not).

How do I enter to win you ask?

Easy, comment on this post with what you think the mystery dram of the week may be.  It’s that simple.

I will let you choose the type of mystery dram — Scotch or American Whiskey (though that’s all you’ll know about it).  And if you’d like, you can send me your tasting notes and I’ll post them for my readers to guess at.  If you’d prefer the blind tasting to be between just you and me… that’s cool too.

For previous “Rick’s Mystery Dram” entries :

Here’s Mystery Dram #1 (which ended up being Parker’s Heritage First Edition)

Here’s Mystery Dram #2 (which ended up being Parker’s Heritage Golden Anniversary)

Here’s Mystery Dram #3 (which ended up being Evan Williams Single Barrel, 2000 vintage, barrel # 234)

Here’s Mystery Dram #4 (which ended up being Tonala 4 year Anejo tequila)

Here’s Mystery Dram #5 (which ended up being Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve, 10 year)

Here’s Mystery Dram #7 (remember, there was no #6 dram.  #7 ended up being Jefferson’s Presidential Select, 17 year, batch #3)

Here’s Mystery Dram #8 (#8 ended up being Sazerac Rye 18yr which, by the way, completely threw me off.  Not what I was expecting from a rye whiskey.  I liked it anyway.)

Here’s Mystery Dram #9 (#9 ended up being Thomas H. Handy Sazerac which, by the way, was correctly guessed by Matt L!!  Congrats Matt – great job!)

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Nikka, Springtime

Nikka Yoichi 20yr 1988 Vintage

Japan – 55%ABV – 700ml bottle – $|£|€ ???

No matter where I look, this whisky is sold out.  And, I think I know why  (see my notes below) – here’s what the good folks over that The Whisky Exchange have to say about it:

“A follow up to the incredible Nikka 1987 vintage 20yo that won the World’s Best Single Malt at last year’s World Whiskies Awards, this 1988 is a full-strength mix of both light and heavily-peated whiskies from new oak, refill casks, bourbon barrel and sherry butts – sounds phenomenal.”

Phenomenal??  Hell yes.  A HUGE thanks to The Whisky Wall for the sample!

On the nose — Oh mercy, what an amazing nose!

Very strange notes of baklavah, pipe tobacco (being smoked), kim chee and sherry.

Deep dried fruit (like a fried compote filled with plums and apricots – actually, I’m reminded of a Charoset I had a couple of years back.).

Insanely easy to nose.

A tad spicy and (like many Japanese whiskies I’ve had) some sweet top notes that remind me of bourbon.

Green tea and dark chocolate with elegant peat smoke.

On the mouth — Like chewing on chocolate covered fresh tobacco leaves.

Both salty and smoky (like smoked capers).

Dried dates and papaya.  Floral potpourri.

Stewed fruits then a highlight on sweetly smoked lemons.

Finish — Lasting fruit – every dried fruit imaginable, lovely & lasting.

In sum –– Quite remarkable, really; nearing on ridiculous (or ludicrous) as to how good this whisky was.  The balance is remarkable and at 55%, with the nose/palate/finish combination it’s very drinkable.  Only 3500 bottles were made available and, you guessed it, not in the US.  Feck.

This is a very contemplative dram.  If you can get your hands on some of this, save it for some “YOU” time.  Sit back, enjoy the cool breeze (maybe throw a sweater on, light a fire) and think about “what it all means”.