Category Archives: Distilleries

Cold Winter, Kilchoman

The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society vs. Kilchoman Binny’s Single Cask vs. Kilchoman Royal Mile Whiskies Single Cask

Dear readers, I’d like to introduce you to the new kid in town: Kilchoman.

Kilchoman is Islay’s newest/youngest distillery with whiskies currently no older than 3 years of age.  Their style is similar to that of the heavier/smokier/peatier whiskies that come from Islay.  It’s actually the first distillery to be built on Islay in 124 years or so.  Also, the folks at Kilchoman grow their own barley (the distillery is set on a farm, by the by…) as well as malt their own barely in the tradition floor malting way.

So, what do we have today?  Two whiskies.  Both single casks.  Both cask strength.  One is from Binny’s out of Chicago then other is from Royal Mile Whiskies out of the UK.  A big thanks goes out to David H. for the sample. You may remember David from his guest post many months back regarding his trip to Scotland.

Binny’s Single Cask (ex-bourbon) – 61.1%ABV

On the nose — A one-two-three combination punch of heat and soot and lemons.  This whisky is going to put up a fight.  Cool, cool.

Let’s see what you got, punk!

Wet cardboard?  What?  You got more?

Oh, some interesting notes of sassafras and even a bit of agave.  Braggart!

What else?

Banana peels, pie crusts and green apples.   Hmpf, now you’re just showing off.  Let give you a taste.

On the mouth — Whoa, hot-head…  slow down!  This is our first date!  Don’t make me tame you with water.  I will and don’t think I won’t.  I put you into this glass, I can drink you out!

Let’s start again.

Oh, you’re just a sweetie at heart aren’t you?  I’m tasting sugared lemon hard candies and some salted butter cookies.

Listen, you’re from Scotland, not the tropics… put the toasted coconut shreds away, will you?

Finish — You’re medium in length (you are only three after all, nothing to be ashamed of) but you offer up a nice bit of pepper in the finish.

Well met.  Well met.  Good form!

Royal Mile Whiskies (ex-bourbon) 61.7%ABV

On the nose — Ok, you wanna start some $#!+ too?  Let’s see what you’re made of, whipper-snapper!

Oh, you’re a bit of a softy.  Nothing like you’re punk-ass brother.

Melted butter and perhaps a few notes of chocolate fudge.

Also, no offense but, you’re a nut!  Walnut to be exact…

You’re peaty, just like your brother but you also wreak of wax and green olives.

On the mouth — What in the world am I tasting here?  You’re a bit of a shape shifter.

Soot and tea and sweet powdered candies (pixie six and fun dip).

Marmalade & toast, you’re trying to butter me up now, aren’t you?

Finish — Smarties.  Medium length and sugary.

In sum — This was a fight to the finish.  Aside from me, I have to say that the Royal Mile Whiskies single cask was easily the victor here.  A whisky that seems to be mature beyond it’s mere three year life span.

Each whisky is nice in it’s own way but I wish I had a full bottle of the Royal Mile Whiskies one…  Both of these will put a spring in your step and give you the energy you need to face the cold winter!

As an aside, after I wrote this post up I realized that Jeff at Scotchhobbyist.com had already done a Kilchoman vs. Kilchoman post (albeit two different ones than I just did).  His post and tasting notes are fantastic, be sure to check his review out!

Master of Malt

My guest post on the Master of Malt blog – Making The Yarmulzaki

The good and kind folks over at Master of Malt asked a few whisky bloggers (myself being one of the lucky lot) to join in on a little fun.

They sent each of us bloggers a bottle of their 8yo Master of Malt blended whisky (a pretty damn good blend at that) and a bottle of their new Cask-Aged Bitters and asked us to use these ingredients along side some ingredients of our own to create the ultimate wintry cocktail.  They said “Jump!”, I said “How High?”

So far Neil from Caskstrength.net (a fellow knight of the Whisky Round Table) has offered up his fine drink; the “Spiced Apple Blazer“, and Billy of Billy’s Booze Blog fame created the “Mull of Apple-Tyre”

My cocktail is called the “Yarmulzaki“.

Actually, it’s not my drink.  I am forever grateful to James Reichman, fashion designer and the mastermind behind Baby James Cigars for this recipe.  He posted it up on the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society Facebook page and I used his creation for my post.  Thanks James!

So, how did this all work out?

Click here or on the image below to be directed to the details of the Yarmulzaki.

An everyday dram, Cold Winter, Jura, Summertime

Four whisky reviews today – tasting the Isle of Jura range!

Isle of Jura.  A lot can be said about Jura but, as you’ll see below, I’ve got a shit ton to cover just with my tasting notes.

This said, let’s hit the highlights shall we?:

  • The Isle of Jura is a small little Isle located east & north of Islay
  • Isle of Jura distillery is the only distillery located on Jura- “On an island just 7 miles wide and 30 miles
    long, there is but one road, one hotel and one distillery.    “
  • People from Jura call themselves Diurachs (Gaelic)
  • Diurachs are a superstitious lot but they make some pretty tasty whisky!

Isle of Jura 10yo – 43%ABV – $35 | £25 | €29

On the nose — Soapy fresh nose, even surpassing a Bowmorian soapiness (slightly soapier than many Bowmore whiskies I’ve had).

Limon™ sweetness of 7UP™ soda with gobs of malt to boot.

Spider mums and an absolute hint of peat smoke.

On the mouth — A decent and slightly oily entry filled with malty notes and a touch of the soap I got on the nose.

Very sweet potpourri, aniseed and toasty oaken notes.

Finish — Peppery and spicy finish with more soap and malty sweet notes.

Isle of Jura 16yo – 43%ABV – $45 | £41 | €48

On the nose — Soft nose; sweet yet salty and strong with a note of licorice.

Soapy yet not as much as the 10yr Jura.

Threads of smoke and spicy citrus.

Candle wax, malty and hay.

Heide brand candy cardboard box (one which previously held Jujyfruits).

Plastic shopping bags too.

On the mouth — Spicy attack from the get-go.

Lipstick and eyeshadow (smell a make-up bag and this is what I’m tasting).

Light (ever so light) peat smoke and some of that hay I got on the nose.

Chewy wine gums, even Jujubees (another Heide brand candy) and fresh tobacco.

Finish — Short finish, slight spice and a touch of that wax from the nose.

Isle of Jura ‘Superstition’ – 43%ABV – $40 | £29 | €34

On the nose — Waft of burnt pricker bushes, peat smoke and rosewater.

Toffee, caramels and fizz candies.

Toasted, nearing burnt, apple skins.

Figgy pudding – there’s even a little mustard seed in here.

On the mouth — Very sweet and a viscous mouth feel.

Back to the fizzy candies and lemon sugar drops.

The peat does not seem to translate to the palate as much as I expected.

Finish — Peppery and sweet yet shorter than that dude from Ron Howard’s “Willow” (do you think Mr. Howard is happy about having his name on that crap movie?).  Granted, that guy was great as Wicket, the fun loving Ewok from Return of the Jedi.  But, Willow!?  Come on folks.  Oop, sorry.  I digress….

Isle of Jura ‘Prophecy’ – 46%ABV – $65 | £50 | €59

On the nose — I like what I’m smelling here.

Smoke and seashells by the seashore.

Oak and soy sauce.

Very nutty with hints of wood shavings.  A tad suphuric but it seems to add to rather than take from (as opposed to many other “match-stick malts” that will go unnamed here).

On the mouth — Sweet peat, peaty and sweet (I see you rockin’ that peat from across the street).

Sugar lemon drops, just like with the Superstition but there’s a general ashiness here that I didn’t find in the Superstition – very appetizing.

There’s more fruit as well.

Perhaps some golden delicious apple and hints of fuzzy peach (unrippened as it were).

Finish — Rhubarb pie, key lime pie, π.  Good length.

And finally, in sum — While I found the 10yo to be a bit one dimensional with all of the soap and sweetness it was enjoyable and very easy going.  One to keep on the shelves as a nice mid-summer dram. Nah, I take that back, there’s a slightly wintery feel to this as well.  Enjoy in front of a fire perhaps with a good book.

The 16yo had a nice balance to it; more enjoyable than the 10yr.  Obviously, it’s older than the 10yr but there’s a maturity there that seems beyond the 16yrs.  Very enjoyable stuff.  A nice mid-day, autumn dram.

I found the ‘Superstition’ to be an interesting one.  Maybe not the whisky itself but my approach to it.  I had a bottle of this a couple of years ago and found it quite one-dimensional; all peat smoke (and odd smoke at that).  Being that this is a lightly peated dram, I’m not sure why I was unable to get past it at the time.  Today’s tasting found it to be more one-dimensional toward the sweet side.  So, where does that leave me (us).  Not sure…  I will say, this may be one that’s better to just enjoy rather than dissect…

The ‘Prophecy’ was really enjoyable, the star of the current range if you ask me.  Can be enjoyed at anytime and in any situation.  Dare I say, an everyday malt??

Special thanks goes out to Lyz Nardo for the generous samples!

Let's celebrate!, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Suntory - Chita

Suntory Chita – Single Grain Japanese Whisky

Japan – 43%ABV – ¥8400

A few weeks ago I was in Seattle on business.  For a couple of evenings while there, I had the opportunity to have dinner and drinks at a great place called Liberty Bar.  Liberty specializes in sushi (pretty damn good sushi at that – well, I can vouch for the vegetarian rolls…) and fine spirits of all kinds including Japanese whisky, Pisco, Scotch Whisky, American Whiskey, Mezcal… the list can go on and on.

While I was at Liberty, Andrew, one of the proprietors and reader of of the JSMWS blog, introduced me to some super fine spirits.  And this one, the Suntory Single Grain Chita whisky, was one of them.  Thanks again, Andrew!

I was quite impressed with the Chita and wanted to share the good word on it so I reached out to my friend Yoshi Morita for a review sample.  Yoshi was kind enough to send me some and now I can share my thoughts with you – ヨッシー、ありがとう！

I will soon be posting the details regarding my Seattle trip and my full whisky experience while I was there.  It was an amazing ride for me and my palate!

For now, let’s get to this whisky!

On the nose — Sweet oranges – even orange creamsicles.  Better yet, baby aspirin.

Fresh grains and farm hay.

Even a little farmy or, better yet, “farm catty”.  What do I mean?  It’s like sticking your nose in a farm cat’s neck and taking a whiff.

I’m a cat guy and I’ve known some farm cats, what can I say?

Smelling the taste of endive spears now…

In general, there’s a fresh produce feel to the nose – a mix of many scents to form one solid “produce” scent.

Very pleasant nose.

On the mouth — Back to the oranges, perhaps tangerines better describes the flavor of this.

Like drinking silken pantyhose or a licking velvet – that’s what the mouthfeel is like.

A bit salty (hello, unexpected!).

Finish — Medium in length with a few more of those “produce” notes.

In sum — The nose is great!  While in flavor it’s not incredibly complex, it’s completely delicious.  Very drinkable, very easy going.  Lovely for the summer time and I imagine you could mix this quite nicely with some Chambord and perhaps a little Grand Marnier with a few other components to make a super fruity funtime drink.

Just for fun, let’s see how badly Google translates my tasting notes into Japanese:

スウィートオレンジ–もオレンジ色のcreamsicles鼻について。いっそのこと、赤ちゃんのアスピリン。新鮮な穀物やファーム干し草。少しでもfarmyまたは、いっそのこと、”ファーム斤”。私は何を意味するのですか？これは、サーバーファームの猫の首に鼻を貼り付けると匂いを取るようなものです。私は猫の男だと私は私が言うことができるいくつかのファームの猫を知っていた？つの固体”生産”の香りを形成する多くの香りのミックス-今エンダイブ槍の味を嗅ぐ…一般的には、新鮮な、鼻に感じる生成ありません。非常に快適な鼻。

口の中で-このページのオレンジには、おそらくより良いみかんこれを説明しています。口当たりがどのようなものだ-絹のようなパンや好みベルベット飲むように。ビット塩味（こんにちは、予期しない！）

仕上げは-中数の組み合わせと長さがこれらのノート”を生成する”。

要するに-鼻が素晴らしいです！味では信じられないほど複雑ではないが、それは完全においしいです。飲用、非常に簡単に非常に行く。夏ラブリーおよび私はあなたが超フルーティーなfuntimeの飲み物を作るにいくつかの他のコンポーネントと非常にきれいいくつかシャンと、おそらくほとんどグランマルニエこれを混在させることが想像してください。

And now from the Japanese back into English:

Suuitoorenji – creamsicles orange on the nose too. Better yet, a baby aspirin.Hay, grain and farm fresh. Farmy little or, better yet, “Farm loaf.” I do you mean?This is like taking a nose to smell and paste the farm cat’s neck. I am a cat man and I knew some of the farm cats can I say? One solid “production” of fragrance mix to form the smell of many – now smell the taste of endive spears … In general, fresh produce not feel my nose. Very pleasant nose.

In the mouth – in orange on this page are perhaps better illustrates this orange.What is the taste – like drinking bread Miya Yoshi silky velvet. Bit salty (Hello, unexpected!)

Finishing – these notes are a combination of the number and length of the “Generate.”

In short – a great nose! The flavor is incredibly complex, but it is completely delicious. Drinking, go very easy. I am very fruity and your lovely summer funtime Shan and some very clean and some other components to make a drink, please imagine that most probably a mix of Grand Marnier it.

All You Need Is Love, Bruichladdich, Cold Winter, Need To Bundle Up, Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte 8yr Single Cask – Bottled by the SMWSA – Cask number 127.1

Islay region – 66.5%ABV – $85 (no longer available – only 231 bottles available)

Years ago, my father (now divorced from my mother) did something crazy.  He gave up his apartment, bought a 25′ foot sail boat, rented a spot at a local marina a lived life on the water.

He cracks me up.  He could live in a pick up truck in a parking lot if he had to/wanted to.  This is a man who lives the saying “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”.  What a man!

Back to the boat and marina:

Growing up, I’d see my dad every weekend.  When he lived on the boat I had the great opportunity to experience the ocean air, the beach and a shit ton of dead horse-show crabs, fish, seaweed, etc….  The sights, the smells, the water, it was a great time and I looked forward to every weekend.

Tasting this whisky brought me back to that time in my life; in his life.  I’ve said it before – one of the most beatiful things about whisky is that it can transport to back in time through smell and taste memory.  A wonderful, wonderful thing.

On the nose — I’m instantly transported to a hot summer day at the beach by the docks – salt air fills my nose as does engine exhaust (though mild).

Brine and soot abounds.

Sweet vanilla and even some citronella.

Hints of baby sick.

With water: those baby sick/sour milk notes are much more prominent (almost makes me wish we had a little baby in the house again).

A touch soapy now too.

On the mouth — Like squeezing a hot pepper and lighting the oil spray on fire.  In my mouth. Sweet fancy Moshe, this is some hot stuff!

An extra tiny sip before I add water unearths some peat smoke and a sooty exhaust pipe (and a dash of sweet  honey & jam).

With water (bringing it down to about 58%ABV): Oof, that’s better!

Berry jam from the start then some cooked butter.

Creamy vanilla and a soft mouth feel (it was tough to tell the mouth feel before… when my mouth was on fire).

Finish — Long finish with an odd mix of briny green olives and honey – two layered flavors.

In sum — This one will put hair on your chest or make your boobies bigger (for the ladies out there).  While I’m not sure either is a good thing, my point is that this is some powerful, powerful stuff.  However, it’s right up my alley.  Even though drinking this reminds me of summer days on the shoreline of Connecticut, it’s thoroughly enjoyable in the wintertime and man, do we have a winter here in CT in 2011!!  The snowiest January on record!!