Category Archives: Autumn

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Cold Winter, Eades

Eades Double Malt – Double Post – Speyside & Highland expressions

Moving forward with my vatted malts and blended whiskies series; moving on with the Eades Double Malts.  Last week I posted about their great vatted Islay expression.  I thought, seeing as these are “Double Malts” (the combination of two wine cask finished single malts into one expression) that I’d do a double post today – two different Eades Double Malt expressions.

So, what’s left in their line?  We’ve got a Double Malt Highland expression which is comprised of 50% Clynelish (a 10yr single malt finished in a Chateau LaFitte Bordeaux cask) and 50% Ben Nevis (another 10yr single malt finished in a Grenache Blanc Cask).  We also have their Speyside expression which is 70% Dufftown (a 12yr finished in Red Zinfandel) and 30% Mortlach (a 15yr beauty finished in a Callejo Tempranillo cask).

Special thanks goes out (again) to Pat of the Virginia Distilling Company for the samples!

Let’s start with the Highland Malt:

A Highland vatting of Clynelish & Ben Nevis – 46%ABV – 750ml – $70

On the nose — And odd yet interesting nose we have here…

Off the bat, notes of a wet cinder block.

Malt vinegar & chocolate.

Both vinegar & chocolate notes are slight – as if they were watered down in some way.

Buttermilk biscuits (malty, buttery).

Unripened pears.

Strong vanilla and oaky notes that, given the combination, are reminiscent of a bourbon (or the sweet result of a heavily charred barrel).

Soured milk (perhaps this is the vinegar note better realized?)

On the mouth — Very sweet with notes of english toffees.

Hot cinnamon on pears.

Nutmeg spice (back to that sweet bourbony feel).

Something sweet yet earthy in here.

Finish — Medium length.  Caramels, nicely salted.

In sum — Hmmm… perhaps, like the make-up, I’m a bit 50-50 on this one.

There’s a lot going on with the nose but once sipped on, the palate gets somewhat narrowed down (or funneled) into something a bit more focused.

It sounds like a nice thing but I was hoping for a little joyride like I was given with the nose on this one.

Now for the Speyside:

A Speyside vatting of Dufftown & Mortlach – 46%ABV – 750ml – $70

On the nose — Big, thick nose filled with dates and dark chocolates.

More dried fruits, juicy and nicely chewy (chewy like figs).

Salty and slightly smoked.

Stewed prunes and canned prunes.

Almonds via marzipan.

A dusty attic with no-longer-being-used furniture.

Very happy with this nose, thank you muchly.

On the mouth — Nice mouth feel.

The prunes regain the life they once had and turn back into plums.

That smoke creeps back.

My tongue gets licked back by light hints of leather and perhaps freshly dried tobacco leaf.

After becoming plums, said fruits then get distilled turning into a fairly hot slivovitz.

My mouth is now happy as well.

Finish — Medium length filled with melting chocolates.

In sum — A nice cold night dram.  Sit back and enjoy.

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Kosher Spirits (not for Passover), Linkwood, Loch Chaim, Whiskies

Loch Chaim Linkwood 17yr Single Cask

Speyside region – 46%ABV – $73 – $92

Here we go again, delving a bit further into the not so wide world of kosher certified Scotch whiskies.

“What would make a whisky not kosher?” you ask.  To make a long story short, whisky matured in a non-kosher wine or sherry cask, to some Jews, renders said whisky non-kosher.  To some Jews, myself included, this is not a relevant statement.

To make a short story long, read this well written piece by Alan L that I’ve been meaning to post for some time now…part 1 and part 2.

You know, I don’t think I’ve met a Linkwood I didn’t like.  So, what about one with no sherry influence?  Let’s see…

On the nose – Oak and oats.

A bit of a vanilla bomb here.

Fizzy white wine.

Sweet and low.

For 43% ABV, this is a bit stingy in the nose!

Dollar store, no-named powdered sugar candies…

Like Smartees with less of a fruity influence, more sugar than anything.

On the mouth – Here we go.

Great mouth feel, coating my tongue with Hostess apple pie goo.

Honey and breakfast cereals (muesli).

Toasty almonds (slight, more of a bitting marzipan note here actually).

Flaky sugar coating (again, from that Hostess pie)

Finish – Short to medium yet nice and warming.

In sum – Yup, it’s true, I haven’t met a Linkwood I haven’t liked and this one is no exception.  A nice whisky for Jew and Gentile alike.  Perfect for a chilly night in lieu of a sherried whisky.

Autumn, Glenrothes, Kosher Spirits (not for Passover), Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Glenrothes – Alba Reserve

Speyside region – 43% ABV – $50 | £40 | €48

Kosher whiskies day two.

Another year, another whisky.  I’ve been hearing about the Glenrothes Alba Reserve for some time now.  Actually, I had it last year at WhiskyFest NYC.  However, it was one of the last whiskies of the evening and I have to say that after 25+ different whiskies it’s tough to tell what’s good and what’s not.  Heck, it can be tough to remember what whiskies you had!

Somehow, I’m guessing because I’m a Jew, I’ve had at least 20 people ask me if I’ve had the the Glenrothes Alba Reserve.  It is a kosher certified whisky (by the London Bet Din), matured in refill bourbon casks.  It is also a Double Gold winner at the recent 2010 San Francisco World Spirit Competition.

Kosher & award winning?  I guess I just had to try it.

I sort of like the Glenrothes packaging.  The bottle is often refereed to as being shaped like a hand-grenade.  There’s an odd sexiness to their bottles.

The Alba Reserve carries no age statement.

Let’s see how the fluid is:

On the nose – Initial whiff is that of plum brandy – slivovitz.

Damp wood, old wood.

Vanilla and saw dust (smoldering, smokey).

We’re not going to blow your mind here, just make you want to sip a wee bit.

On the mouth – Cadbury Fruit and nut bar minus the chocolate.

Slight citrus notes.

Watered down honey.

At 40%ABV, this is an easy drinker (upside).

However, it’s not the most challenging whisky (upside and downside).

Some toasted coconut.

Finish – Medium in length with clear vanilla and honey notes.

In sum – An easy everyday drinker.  Nothing super special about it but, that’s not a bad thing.  This may be a great whisky to give to the casual whisky drinker or as a good gateway whisky.

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Glenglassaugh, Let's celebrate!

Glenglassaugh 40yr

Highland Region – 44.6%ABV – 750ml or 700ml outside of the US (with crystal decanter with 2 cut crystal glasses in a wooden gift box)– $2525.00 | £1400 | €1680

After having tasted the 26yr Glenglassaugh, I could not resist in tasting my sample of their 40yr cask strength whisky (a big, huge, ginormous thanks goes out to Alan for the sample!) – an IWSC trophy winning whisky!

This whisky will be available in the US through Purple Valley Imports (well, through stores who have access to the whiskies they import).  And actually, as I am told to understand, there will only be one bottle allocated to the US for the fair price of $2525.00 (suggested retail price).

You can also get this bottle through Master of Malt and other purveyors of fine spirits in the UK.

I’m not going to blather on any longer, I just need to taste this fancy juice:

On the nose – Youthful nose filled with cherry tarts and fresh citrus notes (think Mineola oranges).

Quince jam – maybe with a bit of strawberry mixed in??

Hot soy latte.

Licorice twists.

Brown sugar oatmeal & fresh oats.

Oaken church pews.

More coffee notes – like lightly roasted, fresh ground beans.

Finally some garlic.

On the mouth – Like liking the inside of a humidor thats got Acid “Liquid” or “Kuba Kuba” cigars (oh, to taste that smell!  Ab-Fab!).

That quince jam from the nose is back and along with it came some gorgeous honey and perhaps some fennel seed.

Cinnamon and indian spices (you name it, it’s in there – wow!).

Finish – The spice remains throughout and a nice fizziness lasts a good long while.

In sum – Ok, my birthday is coming up (sort of).  Remember this date: December 6th!  If you feel so inclined to buy me a bottle of this masterpiece, I thank you. 😉

Truly exquisite.  Layer upon layer of goodness.  Immensely complex and not what I’d expect from a whisky that is older than me (by four years) – youthful yet wise.

One to share with the closest of friends who happen to be whisky geeks/lovers.  One to impress the father-in-law with.

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Glenglassaugh, Let's celebrate!

Glenglassaugh 26yr Whisky – 46%ABV

Highland Region – 50%ABV – 750ml (or 700ml outside of the US) – $260 | £150 | €180

After a few days of tasting “spirit drinks”, it’s nice to get onto some actual whisky.  Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoyed the past three spirits I tasted but, to me, whisky is where it’s at.

Older Glenglassaugh whiskies are, well, old of course, but also very rare and therefore very expensive.  What we have here today, however, is a fairly old Glenglassaugh at a price that’s… not too bad (given the age and rarity of it).  Believe me, I understand $260 | £150 | €180 is A LOT of money for many people (myself included).

Let’s put the money out of our minds for a second and perhaps focus on the whisky itself.  As opposed to their 40yr (that review is forthcoming) and their 30yr expression, this whisky is NOT cask strength.  However, it’s still bottled at the fairly strong ABV of 46%.  Still acceptable, if you ask me (if it were 40%, I may have shuttered a bit but hey, that’s me).

This 26yr old whisky was distilled only 2 years before Glenglassaugh was mothballed back in 1986.  For more history on Glenglassaugh and it’s grand reopening back in 2008, you’ll find links at the bottom of this post to an interview I did with the distillery’s Managing Director, Stuart Nickerson.

Without any further ado, my review:

On the nose – Smells juicy and fruity (think sugared lemonwheels).

Brown paper lunch bags.

Oaky new humidor scent.

The more I nose it, the more prickly on the nose hairs it becomes.

Vanilla and caramels.

More oak but, not over oaked – extremely inviting.

Smoke deep in the background?  Could it be?

On the mouth – Oak and butterscotch.

Buttered cinnamon crumpets (my favorite breakfast treat!).

Such an wonderful balance, very well integrated.

Warmed nuts at a baseball game (on another type of  blog, this statement would mean something quite different).

The mouth feel is pleasant.  Not big and chewy like I prefer but nowhere near like holding water in the mouth.

Finish – Short and nutty with that brown paper bag note I detected in the nose emerging from the palate’s belfry.

In sum – Another celebratory whisky from Glenglassaugh.  Perfect for when the air starts to cool as summer rolls into autumn.  The bottle is both sexy and regal (and can be reused as a decanter).

For Jason of Guid Scotch Drink’s notes, click here.

I recently had the honor and 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