Category Archives: Let’s celebrate!

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.

A World of Discovery, Brora, Let's celebrate!

Brora 30yr 2009 release

Highlands region (Brora is now mothballed, used as a visitors center for Clynelish) – 53.2%ABV – £245 – not available in the US – Master of Malt has it here.

Brora has quite a history and is a malt that is very sought after.  Serge Valentin (of Whiskyfun! fame), a true Brora devotee, wrote a great piece on the history of Brora here on Connosr.

Connosr, by the way, is a wonderful and vibrant whisky community.  If you’re not a part of it yet, sign up here.

It was based on Serge’s passionate recommendation that I looked further into Brora.  Thank you Serge!

Thanks to Master of Malt, I was able to choose this as a whisky blogger’s freebee from their Drinks by the Dram selection as long as I posted on it.  Thank you Master of Malt!

Ok, enough of the plugs, let’s get to work…

On the nose — Light and soft, yet upfront with notes of peat smoke and a good deal of smoked salt.

Herbal tea – chamomile mostly.

Medicinal – almost reminds me of fresh band-aids.

The peat is ever present here and there’s a peppery prickliness to this.

Even under these peaty & medicine notes I can detect some fruits – banana (peel) & peach skins.

A good deal of vanilla that somehow went undetected until about a minute into nosing this.

On the mouth — Creamy entry followed by fire – very hot stuff!

Hotter than I expected at 53.2%.

Let’s try this again and see if I need to add a wee bit of water…

Apples – fresh ones at that – and etrog (like a lemon, less intense yet much more fragrant).

Very waxy and still medicinal.

The herby/grassy quality I got on the nose carries through here.

“All-sorts” licorice candies.

Honey mustard.

Less smoky on the palate as compared to the nose.

Did I mention this is delicious?

Some dried fruits in there, mostly fig.

Finish — Mint notes appear, some almond & a tad more licorice.

Lingering.

In sum — My first Brora and, I’m in love.  The style of this whisky is quite unique.  I love the older, more elegant peat in this.  This is black tie whisky.  I’d love to pair this stuff with some nice chocolates.  A treat, through & through!

An everyday dram, Let's celebrate!, Takin' It Easy, Usquaebach

Usquaebach – a review of their three standard expressions

Delving once more into the world of the unpronounceable names.

Well, there’s the ever famous YHVH (you can see the Hebrew to the left); the Tetragrammaton (or unpronouncable name of G-d… sorry folks, it’s not pronounced Yahweh.  Like I said, it’s an unpronounceable name).

But, this is not a religious site it’s a whisky site so let’s talk about unpronounceable names of whisky.

A while back we discussed Ardbeg’s Airigh Nam Beist (pronounced Ari Nam Baysht).  And, let’s not forget the Ardbeg Uigeadail (pronounced Oo-g’dal, or so I’m told).

Today we’re faced with USQUAEBACH (gesundheit!) blended whiskies.  Some people pronounce it as “Oosk’eh-bah”.  Some say “Us-quay-batch”.  I’ve even heard this brand referred to as “Whisk-ay-bay” (which I think is the way speakers of Gaelic may say it).   Either way, the pronunciation I hear most in the US is “Oosk’eh-bah” so, until I am told otherwise, that will be how I pronounce it.

So, what is Usquaebach?  Other than the Gaelic way of saying “Water of life”, it’s a blended whisky brand out of the Highlands which has recently be re-launched here in the US with three standard expressions: Usquaebach Reserve, Usquaebach 15yo vatted malt whisky and Usquaebach Old-Rare.

Usquaebach Reserve blended whisky – 43% ABV

On the nose — A pleasant nose filled with notes of pears and charcoal.

Beat up Chuck Taylors and maybe even some white pepper.

A grainy sweetness fills my nostrils as does the scent of heavily used pencil erasers.

On the mouth — Light mouth feel.

Grassy and flowery.

Slightly salty and hints of citrus hit the front of the tongue.

Finish — A peppery finish, medium in length.

In sum — Dangerously easy to go down the gullet yet nothing overwhelmingly magical about it.  A pleasant blend.

Usquaebach 15yo vatted malt whisky – 43% ABV

On the nose — Hot sauna stones in a wooden sweat lodge.

Incredibly saltily smelling.

Mushroom & barley; earthy yet hints of honeysuckle and cucumber sauce.

Wow, those mushrooms come back in full force with a thin backbone of smoke, very subtle smoke.

On the mouth — Peppery entry with cured meats and vinegar – very foodie.

A touch of jasmine.

Browned lemons and freezerburn.

Grassy notes – farm hay on a hot summer’s day.

Finish — Medium finish with what I’d swear is very mild green olive but others would disagree…

In sum — A very enjoyable vatted malt with nearly too much meatiness but just enough for me to be OK with it.  There’s a fine line for me on the “meaty”malts and this one walks it quite well.  I had this whisky as part of a tasting event I did for 20 some-odd people and I kept going back to it.  Very enjoyable stuff.

Usquaebach Old-Rare blended whisky – 43% ABV

On the nose — Fun-fun-fun nose filled with dark roasted coffee beans and hot peppers.

Spiced fruits and stewed prunes.

Dates and chewy date bread.

On the mouth — A slithery smooth mouthfeel (did I just use the word slithery because Conan the Barbarian is on TV right now and Conan just killed that big-ass snake?  Could be…).

Something slightly coastal about it.

More coffee, a bit lighter than the nose.

Raisins, simple syrup and cream sherry.

Apples and peppers (like on the nose).

Finish — Beach pebbles, dates and sea air – a lengthy finish

In sum — A fantastic blend.  Beautifully balanced with lip-smacking sherry notes.  A bit of a warmer-upper – perhaps best on a cold early spring night.

Over all, I think each of these three whiskies has a time and a place.  The “Reserve” is a good any day dram (not to be confused with an everyday dram though).  The 15yo is an impressive malt that goes well with rich foods and good company.  And lastly, the Old-Rare is a celebratory dram.

You can find the Reserve here.

You can find the 15yo here.

You can find the Old-Rare here.

Special thanks goes out to Noah Goldstein for the samples!

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, An everyday dram, Let's celebrate!, Suntory - Hibiki

Suntory Hibiki 21yr – Absolute brilliance in a glass

Japan – 43%ABV – 700ml bottle – £103.40 | ¥13,700 – not available in the US and barely available anywhere other than Japan.

The Hibiki 21 year old was one of the biggest surprises for me in 2010.  This is not one I had gone out of my way to seek out.  Sure, I knew about it; read about and lusted after it but being that it was so hard to come by, I didn’t hold my breath on the chance that I may find a bottle.

So, if I read about it, learnt about and followed it with a drooling mouth, why-o-why was this such a surprise for me!?  Well, because one day it just showed up on my door step without me even knowing about it!  Seriously, when I opened the box to find a bottle of this from my friend Yoshi @ Suntory, I nearly wet myself.  Yoshi – a sincere thanks for this gift!

This whisky is a mix of malt & grain whiskies from the three different Suntory distilleries as well as a mixture of different cask types (American Oak, European Oak & Japanese Oak, etc…).  As with all whiskies, the age statement printed on the label represents the youngest whisky contained within the bottle.  There is some much older whisky in here too!

The Hibiki 21 has won three gold metals, three years in a row and has just won the title of “World’s Best Blended Whisky” in 2010 by the WWA.

Looks like I’m in for a treat here…

On the nose — Warmed car seat leather on a summer’s day.

Very perfumed, lovely.

Slight tones of engine oil which actually compliments the pipe tobacco notes I’m getting here – bringing back memories of afternoons with my Grandpa John and his house in Fairfield (Connecticut) – he loved his pipe (he loved his Scotch too).

Apricots, toasted walnuts, hazelnuts and burnt marshmallows.

Again, lovely nose.

On the mouth — Like drinking happiness.

Chocolates and jasmine tea – a good deal of jasmine actually.

Has a bit of a bite to it, too.

An apple orchard.

Vanilla bursts through and nuts follow closely behind like trustworthy sidekicks.

Finish — Like a body builder, the finish seems to grow in strength.

Gobs of vanilla, still nutty and the perfuminess comes through quite nicely.

In sum — This is one of the most balanced and delicious drams I’ve had this year.  I will be doing a 2010 “Year In Review” post and I’d expect this one to be way high up on the “best of 2010” list.  This can be both an everyday malt and a celebratory malt.

Other opinions —

Dr. Whisky seemed to love this.

Mark at Whisky Cast scored it a 96!

Glenmorangie, Let's celebrate!, Need To Bundle Up

Glenmorangie Finealta – A touch of peat, a dash of oloroso sherry & I’m a happy man with this elegant whisky

Highlands region — 46% ABV — $80 | £55 | €66

Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Port Ellen, Lagavulin, Ardmore, Port Charlotte, Bowmore, Bruichladdich… The list can go on.  What list?  The list of Scottish distilleries that produce, or bottlings that are known for, peaty, smokey, medicinal qualities.

There’s a new list though, Scottish distilleries that are now releasing peated whiskies: Arran, Benromach, Bunnahabhain, BenRiach… I am sure there are others (feel free to add to this list in the comments section of the post).

Apropos of peoples’ current thirst (or lust) for peated whisky, the Sixteen Men of Tain over at Glenmorangie are now throwing their hat in the peat ring.

Though, for the amount of peat or smoke in this whisky, it’s more like a yarmulke being thrown in the ring.

Actually, what we have here is not another peated whisky crafted for the sake of being a smokey.  Rather, according to Glenmorangie, they set out to recreate a recipe for a Glenmo whisky as it would have been made back in the early 1900’s.  So we have some minor peat here and the whisky is a mixture of both American Oak barrels and European Oak (ex-Oloroso Sherry casks).

The combination delivers pretty damn well:

On the nose – Big cherry presence on the nose along with something minty.

An earthy quality to it – fresh potting soil, new ferns.

The peat in here is very light.

Toffee & caramel.

Cadbury fruit & nut bar.

Some soy sauce.

On the mouth – Spiced orange gum drops.  Red ones too.

Lots of nuttiness and now some coffee tones in there.

Solid mouth feel here, folks!  Creamy, ooey – I love it.

Peppery and more soy sauce notes.

Again, lightly smoked & very elusive.

Finish – Now quite tannic.  Quite long too.

The mild smoke returns for the finale.

In sum – This here is a well designed whisky.  The light peating is a welcome thing as is the added element of whisky matured in Oloroso Sherry casks.  Pseudo-techno-stuff behind, this is a whisky that will put you in your happy spot.  Not because it’s 46% ABV alcohol whisky (and will tipsy-fy you) but because it’s just damned delicious and warming in all the right ways.

Special thanks goes out to David Blackmore for the generous sample!