So far we’ve tasted the Glenglassaugh Clearac (new make spirit) and their Peated Clearac. Today we’re going to fast forward one year with the Clearac. The Fledgling XB Glenglassaugh spirit drink is their Clearac matured for one year in an ex-bourbon barrel.
So, what should we expect from one year’s worth of maturation? Tough to say. I’ll be very honest is stating that, with the exception of young American malt whiskeys, I’ve yet to try very young Scotch malt spirits.
I would hope for some nice bourbon barrel influence such as coconuts and vanilla. Perhaps an accentuated sweetness as well.
Let’s see what we find:
On the nose – Still very “new-makey”.
Well, it’s only one year old so this stuff is still in diapers.
Much fruitier on the nose than the Clearac — Pears and green apple.
Some notes now suggesting actual bourbon barrel maturation: coconut, vanilla and some sweet corn (slight).
Big grapefruit notes.
Burning plastic.
In that order.
On the mouth – Ooey-gooey new make spirit with a side of sweetened coconut milk.
Wrigley’s bubble gum wrappers.
G-d, that sounds awfully pretentious.
Sorry folks.
Limes and lime leaves.
Finish – Shortly medium and very, very pleasant.
In sum – As opposed to the Clearac & Peated new make spirits, I could actually find myself reaching for this on occasion just to enjoy as a bright clean drink.
To see Jason of Guid Scotch Drink’s notes, click here.
Soon to be released in the US will be a series of four 200ml bottled of Glenglassaugh spirit drinks. Today I am tasting, along side my good friend Jason Johnstone-Yellin of Guid Scotch Drink, the Glenglassaugh “Clearac”. A new, unpeated, un-matured spirit – straight off the still.
If you’ve never tasted or experienced new make spirit or an unmatured malt distillate, please do not go into it thinking you’re going to taste whisky. This is not whisky. Whisk(e)y gets a good 60% (or more) of it’s flavors from the barrel during the maturation process. What I am reviewing today is an unmatured spirit which is unaffected in any way by oak barrels.
So, what should we expect? Well, I would expect beer like, or, malty notes and gobs of sweetness. Let’s see what we get:
On the nose – Big beer notes right up front — like a good Belgian beer (think Duvel or Leffe).
Beneath that there are some very fruity notes.
Berries (lighter, more sour berries, like gooseberry).
Baked pear.
There’s also notes of unsweetened iced tea.
This is a bright, fresh nose.
On the mouth – Pears, all the way (bartlett).
Nice mouthfeel, slight chewiness (chewy like gum, not like Chewbacca).
Some minty notes.
Malt is there for sure but this is really more fruity than malty (complete opposite of the nose).
Finish – Short to medium with a slight saltiness at the very end.
In sum – When I go back to the nose after taking a sip, those malty/beer notes seem much more prevalent. The flavor is where it’s at.
As mentioned, this is NOT whisky. However, let’s look at this as if we were chess players (as some of you may be). Think a few steps/plays out or, perhaps 10 years out. This liquid, matured in ex-bourbon barrels? Now we’re talking! This is going to be some fine tasting whisky!
By the way, as I mentioned, I’m doing this week along side the Guid Scotch Drink blog. You can read Jason’s notes here.
Do you think you know Glenmorangie? Perhaps you knew Glenmorangie but, man-o-maneschewitz, things have changed. Today’s Glenmo is not your daddy’s Glenmo.
I find their line to be so refreshing, different, complex as all heck and just… well, wonderful.
So again — Hi, My name is Joshua and I am a Glenmorangie devotee. (“Hi Joshua”).
Let’s see how this expressions fares with the others I’ve mentioned and lined to:
On the nose – Loads of Mexican vanilla extract.
Wisps of strawberry.
Tangerines.
Spice, spice, spice.
A bowl full of lemons (you know what to do with a bowl full of lemons, right?).
A strong backbone of oak.
Some malt notes (I guess you should expect such a thing from Scotch malt whisky).
With a touch of water, some brighter and different fruits come out: pineapple and unripened pears.
On the mouth –Big creamy vanilla attack.
Made my mouth water uncontrollably. I haven’t drooled in a while but… wow.
Citrus notes for sure.
Warmed peaches and cream.
With the addition of water the creaminess goes away (unfortunately) but a stronger spiciness comes out.
Finish – Malt, toffee and pure hot firey alcohol.
In sum – New wood goodness. This is a big, strong, in your face yet strangely lighter style of whisky. I’m not sure about this one. Oh, it’s a nice whisky. A really nice whisky; don’t get me wrong here. It’s just I’m not quite sure of where in the Mood-And-Season-O-Meter™ it fits. I would reach for this in the dead of winter for sure (due to the high-octane quality of this whisky). However, it’s very light in style – something you think would be great for the summer time… Hmmm, I’ll let you decide.
Hi, my name is Joshua and I loves me some Glenmorangie. But, let’s back up a little bit, shall we?
Growing up I was a fat kid. Yeah, that’s me with the man-boy boobs and the feathered cow-lick on the left there. We’re looking at 1984 – 1985 or so. I was 11 or 12. This is the summer I started getting into the Dead Kennedys and got hooked on The Goonies (can’t you just picture me doing the truffle-shuffle?) and Back to the Future.
Why do I bring this up and what does it have to do with Glenmorangie?
Well, it was the summer of 1985 where I ate ‘G-d knows how many peaches’ in one sitting after watching the Cool Hand Luke 50 egg scene just to see how many I could eat (I never did vomit, by the way). We had 10 peaches and yes, I ate them all (shit, look at that picture of me!). You see, I love peaches & nectarines. Always have. I actually prefer nectarine (they’re like peaches that got a Brazilian wax).
“Dear Joshua, what does this have to do with Glenmorangie?” Well, I’ll tell you. Ardbeg is known for peat & lemons. The Balvenie has their “honeyed” notes. And, Glenmorangie is known for it’s, among other notes, peach notes. It’s all coming together now, right? Love for peaches, love for Glenmorangie… see??
Ok, its a stretch. I needed a chance to show fat Josh (yeah, right) so, there you go. Let’s review this.
On the nose – Aero milk chocolate bars.
Wonderful scents of paraffin wax.
Whiffs of recently extinguished candles.
Notes of ripe lush oranges and freshly brewed coffee.
Stewed figs and prune juice.
Underneath all of this lies the juicy peach notes (seeeeee!) that I always search for when having a Glenmorangie.
Finally, some great blasts of pipe smoke (how did I not detect this right off).
On the mouth – Oh, G-d damn. Brilliant and warming notes of melting chocolate chips with bits of cookie attached.
Whole milk and steamy lattes.
Fine dry wine.
Like some Clarets I’ve had – soft but tannic.
The mouth feel is right up my alley, lush.
Walnut shells and cherry skins.
Finish – Zucchini bread and/or carrot cake with walnuts minus the cream cheese frosting.
There’s a drying nuttiness that pops up about 45 seconds after the swallow.
Yes, this is a nice, long finish!!
In sum – I’ve had many-many a Glenmorangie in my whisky tasting life. Of all the whiskies I’ve had, I’ve had more expressions of Glenmorangie than any other brand of whisk(e)y. This expression was as much un-like a Glenmorangie as it was like the quintessential Glenmorangie. Brilliantly different yet so dead on. Beyond this, it’s unlike any other whisky I’ve ever had. A bit of a conundrum but, that’s a good thing. Kudos/Bravo Glenmorangie and Dr. Bill Lumsden! If you have the money, this is most likely one of the nicest every day drinkers for you to have. It’s that good.
So, this is it. My final “Rick’s Mystery Dram”. It’s been a fun, fun time and I am thankful to Rick for A) sending me the samples and B) taking out the time to build this series for me and working with me on it C) opening up my eyes (and hopefully your eyes) to some fine American whiskeys!
As I mentioned in the 3rd post for this “Rick’s Mystery Dram” Series, I’ve decided to make this a wee bit more interesting by sending out a mystery dram to the correct guesser of the week’s mystery dram or, if there has been no correct guess, the sample goes to a commenter (randomly chosen). Last week, “Shai Gilboa” won the mystery dram – congrats Shai!
Details on how to win a mystery dram sample (which will be Scotch or American whisk(e)y, your choice) are listed below, after the review.
Review time (and yes, it’s an American whiskey)!
On the nose – Strong spirity nose!
Obvious wood influence here in the form of a heavily charred barrel – I’m assuming.
This whiskey, by the way, is a very deep & dark amber color.
Underneath all of that hot spirit is some buttered cinnamon swirl toast.
A boat load of vanilla.
On the mouth – Big, huge heat but all of the flavor is here.
Lush cinnamon buns (frosting and all).
Old wood – reminds me of attic wood (old but slightly dampened with the humidity of summer).
Finish – Long and hot like a like a [insert a porn star’s name here] movie.
In sum – Big hot bourbony fury that I think would be well suited as a slow summery sipper.
The clues –
Big hot spirity nose & palate – High ABV! Barrel strength.
Full flavored – even with all the spirit heat – this is a full flavored, big sweet bourbon.
Lots of wood influence – heavy charred barrels and, perhaps, some age(?).
JMSWS antes up!
For those who attempt to guess – each week I will be sending out one mystery dram (a small 5cl bottle) and the first person guesses correctly wins the dram. Actually, if there are no correct guesses for the week then a winner will be chosen at random. You win whether your right or not (like a weatherperson – right or not, s/he still has a job)!
So again, I will be awarding a free whisk(e)y sample every week to one lucky winner (whether you guess correctly or not).
How do I enter to win you ask?
Easy, comment on this post with what you think the mystery dram of the week may be. It’s that simple.
I will let you choose the type of mystery dram — Scotch or American Whiskey (though that’s all you’ll know about it). And if you’d like, you can send me your tasting notes and I’ll post them for my readers to guess at. If you’d prefer the blind tasting to be between just you and me… that’s cool too.
Here’s Mystery Dram #7 (remember, there was no #6 dram. #7 ended up being Jefferson’s Presidential Select, 17 year, batch #3)
Here’s Mystery Dram #8 (#8 ended up being Sazerac Rye 18yr which, by the way, completely threw me off. Not what I was expecting from a rye whiskey. I liked it anyway.)
Here’s Mystery Dram #9 (#9 ended up being Thomas H. Handy Sazerac which, by the way, was correctly guessed by Matt L!! Congrats Matt – great job!)
Highland Region – 50%ABV – 200ml – $29.99
Much fruitier on the nose than the Clearac — Pears and green apple.
Some notes now suggesting actual bourbon barrel maturation: coconut, vanilla and some sweet corn (slight).
On the mouth – Ooey-gooey new make spirit with a side of sweetened coconut milk.
Wrigley’s bubble gum wrappers.
