Category Archives: A World of Discovery

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Angry, Ardbeg, Autumn, Cold Winter, Glenmorangie, Kosher Spirits (not for Passover), Need To Bundle Up, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Ⓤ… will not believe the great news that just came out of Moët Hennessy USA for Glenmorangie & Ardbeg

Breaking news!!! This just came across my desk here at The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society HQ:

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Glenmorangie, Scotland’s Favorite Single Malt

Scotch Announces OU KOSHER CERTIFICATION

New York, June 08, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — The Glenmorangie Company and Moët Hennessy USA are proud to announce that Glenmorangie Original, Scotland’s favorite single malt Scotch whisky, has become kosher-certified by the Orthodox Union (OU), the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency. Additionally, its pioneering new expression, Glenmorangie Astar, has also become kosher-certified. Glenmorangie’s sister distillery, Ardbeg has also received OU Kosher certification for its Ardbeg 10yr old expression.

New packaging and promotional materials bearing the “OU” symbol will be distributed nationwide over the next few months.

“At Glenmorangie we take great pride in producing Scotland’s favorite single malt whisky, using the finest Scottish barley and hand selected American white oak casks of only the highest quality. The OU kosher certification will bring our iconic brand to an entirely new consumer base that can now enjoy our products,” Brian Cox, Glenmorangie U.S. Brand Director.

The Orthodox Union rigorously monitors all aspects of production. It supervises the process by which the whisky is created, examines the raw ingredients used to make Glenmorangie and regularly inspects the distilling and bottling facilities to make sure that its standards are met.

“We are very pleased to have Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky become the first major single malt scotch brand to attain OU certification. It was also gratifying for OU to guide the Glenmorangie Company through the certification process and bring this famous single malt brand to the growing kosher market place,” remarked Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “It was rewarding for OU Kosher’s team, headed by Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz and Dr. Avraham Meyer, to collaborate with the Glenmorangie team to bring these renowned products to an ever-growing kosher market place.”

For further information, please e-mail David Blackmore, Glenmorangie U.S. Communications Manager, at glenmorangiepr@mme.net.

PRODUCT NOTES

Glenmorangie Original, is bottled at a strength of 43% ABV and chill-filtered, to enhance the smooth but complex flavors. It is aged for a minimum of ten years in superior quality American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels, made from forests carefully and sustainably managed for the Glenmorangie Company. These casks are filled with the Glenmorangie spirit, distilled to an unparalleled level of complexity, aroma and smoothness in the tallest copper-pot stills in all of Scotland. The result is a smooth yet complex malt whisky, revered and rewarded across the globe for generations. Glenmorangie Original consistently outscores its direct competition, scoring 94 points for the past 6 years in “The Whisky Bible”. Jim Murray, the author of the Whisky Bible and world renowned whisky expert describes Glenmorangie Original as “Complexity at its most complex.”

Glenmorangie Astar, is one of the newest expressions from the famed Glenmorangie Distillery, and is the first whisky in the world to be matured in ‘designer casks’ sourced from selected, air seasoned, slow-growth American white oak.

The creation of Astar began in 1985 and is the brainchild of Dr. Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Head of Distilling and Whisky Creation. The wood used to mature the whisky is carefully selected, slow-growth, fine-grained American white oak, found specifically in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The wooden ‘staves’ crafted from the oak is left in the open air to season for at least 24 months. This long wait, coupled with the wood’s inherent porosity, allows the white oak wood to breath and soften, adding the first elements of flavor that will contribute to the final spirit. The staves are ‘coopered’ into oak casks and toasted to contribute further flavors of almond and coconut. The casks are then filled with Tennessee whiskey and set aside to mature for four years, smoothing out any rawness in the wood, and at the same time releasing luscious undertones of vanilla.

These ‘designer casks’ are then ready to be emptied and shipped to the Glenmorangie Distillery in Tain, to be filled with Glenmorangie’s renowned, delicate and complex spirit, uniquely derived from Scotland’s tallest stills. The casks are finally laid down for many years in dark, cool, earth-floored warehouses for a long, slow maturation. Glenmorangie Astar is bottled at 114.2 proof, 57.1% ABV which represents the whisky in its most natural form, and allows the drinker to explore the fullest spectrum of aroma, texture and flavors.

Dr. Bill Lumsden comments:
“At Glenmorangie we are particular. We believe up to 60% of the flavor of the whisky comes from the wood and our quest for the very best wood is unparalleled. It is difficult to sum up years of passion and commitment! But I would describe Glenmorangie Astar as everything a single malt should be – it is the result of an incredible journey: the pursuit of perfection.”

ABOUT GLENMORANGIE

Glenmorangie originates in the Scottish Highlands where, at the Glenmorangie Distillery, it is distilled in the tallest malt whisky stills in Scotland, expertly matured in the finest oak casks, and perfected by the 16 Men of Tain. The distillery was founded in 1843 and is renowned as a pioneer in its fields, uniting tradition with innovation. Most recently, at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Glenmorangie was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Distillery of the Year’.

Today, the company is one of the most renowned and innovative distillers and marketers of Scotch whisky brands worldwide and is part of Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH). Headquartered near Edinburgh, Scotland, the company produces two main single malt brands – Glenmorangie Single Highland Malt Whisky and Ardbeg Single Islay Malt.

ABOUT THE ORTHODOX UNION

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, represents the fastest growing segment in Jewish life. The OU is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA (Institute of Public Affairs), and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher certification label, the OU, is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 400,000 products manufactured in 80 countries around the globe.

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Great news, right!?  How very smart of The Glenmorangie Company and Moët Hennessy USA to move forward with certifying these three great, staple Scotch whisky products.

I have come up with a couple of new logos which both Ardbeg and Glenmorangie are free to use (no royalty payments required!):

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Blind Tastings, Cold Winter, Parker's Heritage

Rick’s Mystery Dram series – Week 1 of 10 – Sample #1

A couple of weeks ago, Gal Granov of Whisky Israel and I shared in a “Mystery Dram” joint posting.  What is that you may ask?  I sent him an unmarked sample of whisky and he did the same.  The purpose?  To see if we could figure out what in the “H.E. Double Hockey Sticks” we sent to one another.

With the Whisky Israel/Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society swap, the rules for sample type were easy: it had to be Scotch whisky and it had to be a sample that we thought the other person never had.  When trying to decode the “mystery dram”, each of us could use nothing more than our eyes,  nose and tongue – a true blind tasting with NO HINTS.

Here’s how Gal’s tasting went.

Here’ how mine went.

Interestingly enough, right around this time I came in contact with a regular JMSWS blog reader who challenged me in a similar way.  Rick initially responded to a general request I sent out for a sample swap of different version of the Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist.  After sharing in a few emails with Rick I found out that he lives near to where I go on occasion for business purposes.  I suggested we meet for a dram and swap some whisky.  Rick agreed.  What started off as a simple whisk(e)y swap turned into me meeting a very cool guy with a passion for wines, motorcycles, the NASA space program, bourbon and philanthropy.

Before we met, Rick suggested that perhaps his samples could simply be numbered (1 – 11) and I would have to guess what they were.  I could then see if I were able to figure out what it was and then post about it.  I’m always up to a challenge so I, of course, said yes.  What makes this Mystery Dram series different (and this is my assumption here) is that most of Rick’s samples are Bourbons/American whiskey which is newer territory for me.

I suggested to Rick that I taste and review the dram on Mondays, let people chime in via the comments on this blog with what they thought the stuff was and on Friday of that same week, Rick would then comment to let everyone know exactly was the drink was.

Sounds fun right?  I think so.

So, here’s sample number 1 (of 10) – note: sample #6 was the Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist I mentioned above so while you may see bottle numbers going up to 11, only 10 of them are a mystery to me:

I know nothing about this or the other 9 blind samples.  They could be bourbon, rye, scotch, who knows what else.  Rick gave me basically no clues.  The only thing I know is that he is a big bourbon fan so I can only expect that many of these are American whiskey – this is nothing more than an assumption and, you know what you get when you assume…

So, I begin now with what I feel will be a truly fun experience and I want to thank Rick for his loyal readership and for this cool and very fun challenge:

Color — Deep mahogany (a color like this I’d usually associate with a bourbon or rye)

On the nose — Oh yeah, this is an American whiskey alright! Strong nose, tickling the hairs a bit, woody (again with the pencil shavings I find in American Whiskeys), some blueberry jam and very spicy (some rye influence but this  can’t a full rye whiskey; just part of the mashbill for sure).

A touch if cinnamon, some plastic bags and fresh baked bread (very subtle bread notes) and peanut brittle.

On the mouth — Oh man, this is a hot one!  It’s got to be a high ABV/Cask Strength whiskey.  Vanilla pudding, too-hot-blueberry-pie, Sweet-sweet corn and some nice spicy notes.  I feel like a dog that was just given a spoonful of peanut butter (not because of the flavor, but because I can’t stop licking my chops).

Finish — Long spicy and full of burn.  The vanilla notes come raging back as does something like a sugar daddy.

In sum — The balance is awesome, well done.  This whiskey demands your attention!  It’s not an easy sippin’ type whiskey.  It’s an “I won my first golf tournament” type bourbon.  Celebrate with this.  For the Scotch devotees out there, you may have a tough time getting past the sweetness (as I’ve heard many Scotchees say).  I too am “getting over” the sweetness but am so happy to be doing so!

OK people.  Can you guess what it is?  My input: It’s a cask strength bourbon with some good rye influence (spice and blueberry notes), corn influence, for sure, and a fair amount of vanilla.  You have until Thursday night (May 27, 2010) to cast your vote.  Heck, if you get enough of these right, there may be a prize in it for you!!

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Highland Park, Springtime

MacKillop’s Choice Highland Park Single Cask 1981/2006 – Independent bottling

Islands – 56.3%ABV – 700ml bottle – Price ?? I could not find this bottle available at any of the shops I frequent – Thanks to “O.K.” for the sample! (Note: the picture shown is for the 1985 version, not the 1981 as I had tasted)

This will be sort of a shorter review today.  Or at least, the lead up to the actual tasting.  Truth be told, this one took a lot out of me.  The whisky (specifically, the nose) was quite demanding and I’m not sure I was up to the challenge.  Yes, I think I gave it a fair shake (or maybe I gave myself the shake) but it took a while for all to be revealed.

They say good things come to those who wait.  Maybe I was too impatient.  You can decide for yourself…

On the nose — Man, this whisky needs some time to open up.  A few minutes and some nice cherry notes are revealed along with an overall saltiness to it – quite oceanic but at high tide, not a fishy low tide type ocean scent to it.

The nose is brisk and has just a mere hint of smoke (think pipe tobbaco – fragrant).  A few extra minutes and the nose opens more giving me some nice orange notes (Mineola to be exact, very tart).  With a few drops of water some buttery notes come out and it get ever so floral.  I love this nose but I had to dig and wait quite a bit for the scents to show themselves.

On the mouth — Hold on here, this is quite a departure from the nose.  The flavors are not subtle here, you don’t have to work quite as hard – fresh grassy notes and bitter fruits, a good amount of pepper (think cayenne with out the burn).

I think I need to add some water here (it did wonders for the nose) — the mouth feel gets chewy and some white pepper comes out as does something quite sweet thought I can’t put my finger on it.

Finish — A long finish.  The orangey notes remain as does the pepper.

In sum — Part of me felt like a paranormal investigator here.  I knew I had a “spirit” nearby but the nose made me want to scream “Show Yourself!!”  Thank G-d for the palate and finish though, it really came through.  In the end, a nice single cask whisky but I’m not sure it was worth all the trouble.


A World of Discovery, Ardbeg, Cold Winter

Tasting 7 Ardbegs (well, really 6 with one that is supposed to be an Ardbeg)

Ok, truth be told, I am no Superman.

Really, I’m just a guy who had some time on his hands and decided to taste seven, count them, seven Ardbegs in one sitting.  Just so you know, I am not one to get drunk.  In fact, I avoid it like the plague.  I’m a total control freak and loosing control in a drunken frenzy, is just not my bag.

So, how did I taste seven Ardbeg whiskies with out getting trashed?  Water, food and a nearly 3 hour tasting event.  I did it alone too which, for a tasting of this size and scope, I preferred.  I didn’t want anyone to influence what I was tasting.  Try it sometime. It’s like solitaire with booze.

Even though I posted tasting notes on some of these whiskies prior to this event, the notes below are new notes.  Why would I post new notes on whiskies I’ve already posted about, you ask??  Well, things change, moods change, etc…  Also, and more importantly, I tasted these whiskies one after another and my guess is that there was influence from one whisky to the next.

Oh, one last thing, Gal of Whisky Israel and I did a joint tasting of the Ardbeg Rollerocaster via Twitter and that posting will go up within the next week or two.  I did notice that my individual tasting of the Rollercoaster and this tasting with the other six Ardbeg whiskies was a different experience.  Watch out for that posting!

Alright folks, I’m done with the preamble and I’m ready to taste:

Ardbeg Ten Years Old – Islay region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $45 | £33 | €38

On the nose — Bright lemons right up front, sand-in-your-toes – a jog on the beach with the spray of ocean in your face (Awesome!), peat smoke (quite sweet), celery salt, rubber boots.

On the mouth — Chewy peat, there’s such a beautiful element here, lemons, fruit, something a bit synthetic, warming, oak and boat tar.

Finish — Bright and quite pleasing, tingly – what a great entry level whisky.

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist – Islay region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $79 and up | £64 | €71

On the nose — Peat (quite warm at that), grassy but increasingly fruity, some sour milk notes (baby vomit?), oak a bitter fruits (genepa?).

On the mouth — Pure sex, dried fruits, raisins, prunes, nutty, oily, warms my body, delicate peat smoke.

Finish — Still as short as I remember but, that’s Ok.  It’s all in the palate for me anyway.  Wait, those oaky notes I remember are back as is that warming feeling on the sides of my tongue.

Ardbeg – Indy Bottling – Cheiftain’s 1998 11yr – Islay region – 46%ABV – 70cl bottle – Not sure of the cost – sold out at all locations I frequent…

On the nose — Oh, you’re an odd little Ardbeg aren’t you?? — Dirty peat, earthy, lemons (but not a bright lemon scent, more meringue and actually, a bit more like grapefruit than lemons the more I sniff), wood chips (almost a cedar-type quality to it), grassy.  There’s something else here too that I just can’t place. I can’t think of the scent but I’m getting images of an autumn state fair in my head every time I sniff and think about it…  Man, this is going to bug the crap out of me.

On the mouth — A strange entry here, fruits all up front (citrus ones and they’re running the gamut), the peat arrives here kicking all of the fruits out of the way.  This is quite dirty and earthy (me like!).

Finish — A nice warming peatiness here, some nuttiness I did not pick up anywhere else, long.

A Special thanks to DH for the sample of the Chieftain’s Ardbeg.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan – Islay region – 57.1%ABV – 750ml bottle – $79 and up | £60 | €70

On the nose — Ah the brine!  Love it.  Love this Corryvreckan nose.  Big ABV but again (as in my previous post about it), I can keep my nose in the glass until I pass out from lack of oxygen, oak, tar, sweet peat smoke, nori seaweed, low tide, bursting with citrus notes!

On the mouth — (Let the cask strength begin!)  Big peat attack but quite sweet, very oceanic (low tide), salty, tarry ropes, after the first three whiskies I’m not getting the dried fruits in the palate that I got the first time around (palate fatigue? I don’t think so.  Am I drunk?  I hope not.)  Let’s try again – there it is – pruney, some root veggies here now (parsnip): awesome.

Finish — Long, they say diamond last forever.  This must be the diamond of the whisky world. Peat stays in your mouth for sure.

Ardbeg Supernova 2009 – Islay region – 58.9%ABV – 750ml bottle – $130-200+ | £200 | €233

On the nose — Big, sweet and lemony.  More so than the 10yr (to my nose). Large peat, charred lemons (I imagine), rubber notes, beach ball leaves beach to have a swim in the ocean, lovely.  This nose would scare the living shit out of most people, me thinks – it attacks you!

On the mouth — Here we go y’all – this is the most peated Ardbeg there is at 100ppm.  Let’s see what happens.  Ok, being that you’re reading this now means I didn’t burst into flames.  Here’s what actual happened – Ooof, it’s like the Ardbeg 10yr on steroids.  Bursting with lemony sweetness, brine and, of course, peat but it’s not the burnt piece of toast I expected.  Theres a purity here that’s quite remarkable.  Thin mouth feel but, hey, that’s Ok with me, the flavors are great.

Finish — like the sides of my tongue are being tattooed with peat and using a lemon rind to get under my skin, some nice oak notes too.

A special thanks to JJY for the sample of the Ardbeg Supernova.

Ardbeg Rollercoaster – Islay region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $79 and up | £50 | €58

On the nose — I know that there are some younger whiskies in the make up of this expression but the nose (to me) doesn’t feel as young as I expected.  Peat for sure but it’s sort of a sexy nose (not biting or brash which I usually associate with younger peat), strawberry jam, citrus (of course!  this is Ardbeg people!), heavily salted stuff.

On the mouth — Quite savory compared to the sweetness of the other Ardbegs I’ve tried.  Salted pie crust (if there were such a thing), peat, lots of peat, some fruits rear their heads here (strawberry, pomelo), charred wood, cherries now and some tobacco.  I am loving the Rollercoaster more & more!

Finish — Medium long, this is at the perfect strength if you ask me.

Ellenstown 10yr Cask Strength – Islay region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $45-$75 (could not find a UK/EU source)

On the nose — Soapy, peaty nose, sugary (almost candied), some boggy notes come through (trout fishing at the local pond with my dad circa 1982), not as briny as some of the others I nosed, a bit grassy – not as nice a nose as the others but you brought me back in time and I like that.

On the mouth — A light brisk walk on the beach, quite citrusy and purely delicious.  I’ve had this as a stand alone an “liked it” but next to some of the others whiskies I’ve been having, I now “love this”.  Quite a nice expression we have here.  Back to the flavors: Some sour notes pop up but overall there’s nothing but sweetness and peatness, a few **very** light rubbery notes but mostly a more natural feel to this one.

Finish — A great length here, some grassiness on the finish alongside oaky notes and lemon grass.

Vatting of all seven expressions – this is like the Voltron of whisky here!! – Cost: Priceless

On the nose — Very briny, much like the Corryvreckan!  Some tannic – almost winey notes here (like a really dry cabernet, dry & fruity), quite the salty nasal attack here.  Big, big peat!  something almost candy like (think the sugar from Pez Candy with out all of the artificial fruits), stinky shoes.

On the mouth — Big punch of peat!  Awesome mouth feel – more oily than any of the individual Ardbegs.  The taste of the smell of an outside grill, woody (oak), vanilla bean ice cream (clear out of the blue some creamy notes came through), freshly-washed-and-hanging-to-dry-clothes.

Finish — Oily, just like the mouth feel, big peat!  A cornucopia of citrus fruits.  Heaven.

In sum — This was an amazing experience.  I was quite happy to taste the Ellenstown alongside the other whiskies.  Doing so improved that expression like you wouldn’t believe.  With regards to the Airigh Nam Beist, I was told by a few people not to taste it along side the younger Ardbegs as it’s magic would be lost.  To this statement I say: Bullshit.  If anything, tasting the beast alongside the younger Ardbeg whiskies made the Airigh Nam Beist stand out in a very positive way.

So, which whisky won?  I have to say that my own personal vatting was my favorite expression (Woo Hoo, I win!).  This being said, you will never have a chance to taste the JSMWS Ardbeg so I will now have to suggest another winner.

Drum roll please….

Ardbeg Corryvreckan – even though I prefer older, sexier peat, the Corry is so well balanced and complex.

A World of Discovery, Ardbeg, Cold Winter

Extra Extra, Read all about it – Ardbeg Supernova 2010 is coming your way!

Some very exciting news from the good folks at Ardbeg – Supernova 2010 is being released on May 31st, 2010!  Plus, the ABV is even higher this time around — 60.1% – Yowza!  Below the image you will see the tasting notes as provided by Ardbeg.  Enjoy the rest of your day!

Colour

Deep gold

Aroma

Big and powerful with peaty, earthy and deep herbal notes.

With the first sniff, encounter deep earthy peat oils and crushed black pepper embedded in the darkest chocolate. Swirl the glass and dip your nose into herbal infusions of juniper, elderflower and agave. Tarry ropes and creosote-soaked elm follow with flowering currants, olives and hot chilli peppers.

Swirl water into the glass, and voyage into the unknown with smoky coal tar, an open box of rolling tobacco, peat moss and roasted malt. A barbeque of smoky charcoal rises above the peat moss, softened by camomile, cedar and heather bloom. A blast of brine, white pepper and smoky asparagus escapes into the atmosphere with a spritely display of gooseberries and greengages.

Taste

Ardbeg challenges the palate with a smoke and salt explosion – hot, sizzling and gristy sensations effervesce and explode on the tongue with a powerful peaty punch. Black and white crushed pepper pop with chilli and chocolate. Chewy sweet rolling tobacco, linseed oil and newly tanned leather roll backwards on a wave of brininess and burst of juicy lime marmalade. Cigar smoke builds up to a crescendo before drying out to bring dark roast earthy coffee, toasted almonds and liquorice root.

Finish

Long, deep and powerful, refusing to fade away – remaining warm and drying with tarry peat, cocoa and chilli.