Category Archives: A World of Discovery

A World of Discovery, Amrut

Amrut Fusion

India – 50%ABV – $60 | £34 | €39

A mixture of non-peated Indian barley and peated Scottish barley.  Bottled at 50% ABV, this is some smokin’ hot stuff.

I would have written something super fun and funny as a lead up to my review of this whisky but, Peter from The Casks beat me to it – a must read!

Perhaps what I can offer are some alternate fusions that are just plain silly: Christmukkah, George Lucas and Star Wars Ep 1, 2 & 3, L. Ron Hubbard & religion…

Can you think of anymore silly fusions?  My favorite one will win you a 5cl sample of Eades Islay Double Malt.  Leave your ideas in the comments section of this post.

OK.  Onto a fusion that I think may have actually worked out pretty darned well:

On the nose — Damp leaves of both the autumnal variety and teas (think Sencha green tea or perhaps Gyokuro).

Smouldering logs in the distance.

Also, very barn-yardy to me.

Beyond this we find a mixed fruit tin filled, mostly, with pineapple.

Butterfingers candy bar.

With water: Slight nuttiness and something creamy or, better yet, soft – like sniffing marshmallows with nutmeg on them.

On the mouth — Hotter than I expected!

Yes, it’s at 50% but I’ve had no issues sipping on cask strength whiskies (SMWS expressions come to mind) without this complaint.

Increasingly peppery.

Fruits are back.

With water: Still a bit hot on the edges of the tongue but down the center I get a creaminess.

Oranges & apricot jam (reminiscent of Sauternes wine).

Still very pepper-ladden.

Finish — Long, burnt, peppery, fruit.

Hints of dark chocolates.

In sum — A very nice dram that is well balanced and fairly exciting.  I’d love to taste this as part of a blind tasting.  Complex, no doubt.  I do have to say though, that of the five Amruts I’ve had their standard, unpeated 46% ABV whisky is my fave.

Special thanks goes out to Raj at Purple Valley Imports for the sample (also, thanks to Gal of Whisky Israel who sent me a sample.  Lucky me, I got to review and dissect this whisky as well as just sit back and enjoy a nice dram of it).

A World of Discovery, Amrut, An everyday dram, Angry, Takin' It Easy

Amrut Single Malt Whisky 46%ABV & Cask Strength – head to head

India – 46%ABV – $50 | £27 | €31

Indian whisky, eh?  Whisky from India?  Damn straight and, why not?  Malt whisky is malt whisky & you can make it where ever you want so long as you have:

Barley (check – The barley is specially grown in the foothills of the Himalayas and the whisky is matured at 3,000ft at Bangalore.)

Water (check – have you see the Himalayas lately?)

Yeast (C’mon, this stuff is everywhere)

A place to mature your whisky (Check – the whisky is matured at 3,000ft at Bangalore and these particular expressions are matured in New American Oak and ex-bourbon before bottling).

For this head-to-head comparison between the Amrut Single Malt bottled at 46% and the Cask Strength version, I decided NOT to add any water to the Cask Strength version figuring that the 46% ABV version did this for me already.  A big thanks to Amrut for catering to my lazy side.

On the nose – New York City tap water (from a Connecticutian’s perspective) or perhaps clean fresh rain.

Spiced butter on freshly baked sesame bread (oh, I like this – a lot!).

A bag of dried grains (think oats & barely).

There’s a savory warmth in here that keeps drawing me in.

Cinnamon rubbed apricots, stewing.

Gruyere cheese.

Vanilla and macaroons.

On the mouth – Excessively chewy.

Chlorinated pool water

And, as much as I wanted to steer clear of indian food references, mango chutney with noticeable gingery notes.

Pine nut and basil pesto (with a clear focus on pine nuts).

Finish – Savory finish filled with buttery breads and more pine nuts.

In sum – Highly enjoyable.  The mouthfeel alone had me in a happy spot.  A nice balanced whisky that is unique.  Easy to approach and exceedingly yummy.  This is a great every day dram, no doubt.

And now onto the cask strength version which has nearly 16% more alcohol by volume…

India – 61.8%ABV – $68 | £34 | €39

On the nose – At 61.8%, the first thing I notice is a blast of grain alcohol.

Yes, I know this is a malted whisky but this was the initial impression I got.

Very forward.

Dry popsicle sticks.

Melon pith.

Band-aids.

On the mouth – Hot but, strangely accessible (sort of…).

Sugared melon (honey dew).

Very sweet with notes of caramel apples.

Soy sauce soaked sesame seeds (say that three times real fast!).

Cardamom & fennel seed.

Apricots.

Finish – Blisteringly numbing but now those popsicle stick are back.

Very sweet.

Notes of dry, uncooked pasta.

In sum for the Cask Strength and the overall experience between the two – Someone PLEASE put my mouth out!!  Hot damn, this stuff will wake you up (and put to right back to sleep if you have too much of it!).

The cask strength expression can be reserved for days when you’ve just had enough and want to say “F### it all!”. I’ve never suggested this before but, go ahead, knock it back and start bitching with your friends!

I’ve got to say, between this cask strength version and the 46% ABV version, I much prefer the 46% ABV (it really is a nice every day dram and one I plan to keep on my whisky shelf).

Special thanks goes out to Raj at Purple Valley Imports for the tasting samples.

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Bowmore, Double Barrel, Highland Park, Need To Bundle Up

Double Barrel vatting of Highland Park & Bowmore

A vatting of Highland Park & Bowmore – 46% ABV – $60 | £34 |€39

Forging forward with reviews of  blended/vatted whiskies.  Today I present a Double Barrel expression by Douglas Laing.  A combination of Highland Park & Bowmore.

Douglas Laing is one of the more prominent independent bottlers who brings us the Old Malt Cask, Premium Barrel & Provenance bottlings.  They also are the masterminds behind Big Peat and, now, these Double Barrel expressions.

Similar to the Eades Double Malt expressions I recently reviewed, the Double Barrel whiskies are vattings (or blends) of two different single malts.  The difference being that these are not further matured in wine casks (like the Eades double malts are).  As far as I can tell, both the Highland Park & Bowmore are ex-bourbon casks with no extra finishing (very light in color!).

On the nose – A tricky nose here.  Bowmore whiskies are known for their soapy noses and I’ve found a few un-sherried Highland Parks to have the same quality.

So, at first sniff, it’s tough to tell which malt is stronger, or, which is which.

Let’s focus on the scents, shall we?

Garlic cloves and lemon zest.

Peachy, fruity handsoap.

Crispy tempura batter.

White pepper and turmeric.

On the mouth – Fresh lake water.

Orange zinger tea bags.

Exceedingly citrusy – vanilla notes are there but the citrus cuts right through.

Astro pop brand lollipops.

Very malty with traces of pears and honey.

Decent mouth feel, not thin, not oily.

Lingering smoke weaved throughout.

Finish – A lasting numbness on the back of the tongue.  Peppery finish.

In sum – A very enjoyable nose here.  Lots for the foodies out there.  While I enjoyed the flavor it seemed a bit off balance and the play by play between the vanilla notes and the citrus notes was uneven.  Overall, I did enjoy this expression and am curious to see what else the good folks at Douglas Laing will come up with next.   Perhaps it’s the mood I’m in now but, I’ like to sip on this again soon (in other words, this is a nice Autumnal whisky)

Special thanks goes out to Aron of the SMWSA for the sample!

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, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Eades, Takin' It Easy

Eades Double Malt – Islay

An Islay vatting of Coal Il & Bowmore – 46%ABV – 750ml – $70

A while back, during my last trip to Chicago, I was in Binny’s checking out their selection and these Eades bottles caught my attention.  Eades Double Malt.  What is a Double Malt?

We know what Single Malt means, right?  Malt whisky from a single distillery.  So, what’s double malt?  It’s the combination/marriage of two single malts by Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich for The Virginia Distilling Company.  For the Islay Double Malt he took an 18yr Caol Ila and a 10yr Bowmore, matured them further in a Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes & Grenache cask (respectively).  He then took 30% of that Caol Ila and 70% of the Bowmore, mixed them up, bottled them up and bam! – we have the Eades Double Malt – Islay.

Sounds interesting right? Right.

Before I go much further, I need to thank Pat J for the samples of this and the soon to be posted Speyside and Highland Double Malts.

Let’s see if this stuff is worth it’s weight in whisky:

On the nose — Big, thick nose filled with burning twigs and smoldering Birkenstocks (cork, rubber, leather – slightly charred).

Push this aside and now I’m confronted with royal jelly.

That classic Bowmore soapiness rears it’s head (you know, anytime I hear the term “rears it’s head” I get the impression of… well, think about it for a second… got it?  Good).

Tannins are there.

Indian summer – humid, damp… fresh rain on asphalt.

Cranberries.  What a nose!

On the mouth — Sweet smoke and a super succulent mouth feel.

Very smooth and silky.

The smoke now moves to the background as fall like flavors come to the fore.

Think of cloves and nutmeg.

Some nuttiness and apricots in there (the Sauternes influence for sure).

Drying leaves and honeyed herbal teas.

That fresh rain note is in the flavor as well.

Delicious!

Finish — Toasted apple peels.  Honey, subtle smoke.

In sum — Oooof!  What an interesting combination of aromas and flavors!  There is a lot happening here!  Insanely drinkable as an easy-goer but you can deconstruct the heck out of this too (if you want).  One to enjoy with friends.  Start it off as a conversation piece.  I guarantee you’ll be coming back to it no matter where the conversation goes.  For the academia folks out there – this is a back to school dram.