Category Archives: Summertime

Cold Winter, Smokehead, Summertime

Smokehead vs. Smokehead

You know, when I first thought about what I could say before reviewing these whiskies, my initial thoughts were to make comparisons to the subject of this post to Kramer vs. Kramer (the 1979 movie with Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman).  I haven’t seen that movie since… I don’t know, 1979?  After watching the trailer, I saw that there was no way I could tie Smokehead vs. Smokehead to Kramer vs. Kramer so I decided to abandon the idea altogether.

Sure, I could then get all silly and give you links to Kramer vs. Predator or Modern Day Jesus vs. Santa or even Bobby vs. The Devil.  But I won’t do that.

Instead, I’ll just get down to brass tacks and tell you about these two whiskies bottled under the “Smokehead” name.  Smokehead is a single malt Islay whisky bottled by Ian MacLeod.  If you know your Islay distilleries then you’ll know that there is no distillery on Islay that goes by the name Smokehead.  Similar to Port Askaig, Smokehead is a whisky distilled by an Islay distillery but bottled under a different name.

While some people are ardently opposed to bottling whisky under a secret name, I beg you to look at the quality of the whisky inside as you might be getting a fine whisky for a great price – regardless of what it says on the bottle.  Speaking of bottles, I’ve got to say I dig the Rock and Roll quality/look to their packaging.  I feel like I’m drinking whisky bottled by the Hard Rock Cafe.

Let’s have a taste.

Smokehead NAS (no age statement) – Islay region – 43%ABV – $45

On the nose –  Well, it is called Smokehead for a reason.  Initial blast of smoke upon first sniff.  However, that is quickly peeled back to reveal lime popsicles; stick and all.

Bright and fruity (citrus and rhubarb) with a smoky and biscuity backbone.

A nice malty/beer like quality shines through.

A really nice nose – not over the top complex but one that’ll make the peat heads happy.

On the mouth – Here’s where the smoke REALLY comes into play.  A bit of an ashy-doosy.

Diesel engines, construction sites and construction paper (burnt or burning).

Burnt toffee and apple crisps inside manilla envelopes and packaged up nicely with some industrial packing tape.

Interesting mouthfeel – this whisky benefits from the high phenol content which seems to be forcing my mouth to water which makes the somewhat thinnish mouthfeel turn to a more oily one fairly quickly.

This really is a smoky monster with a bright sweetness that tells me there must be some younger whisky in here.

Finish – Short to medium finish with some of those popsicle sticks I got on the nose.

In sum – A powerhouse in the smoke arena.  One to help get your more thrill-seeking friends into Scotch Whisky.  There is a bit of a wow factor.  Also one that can be used as a warmer upper in the winter time for sure.

Smokehead 18yo – Islay region – 46%ABV – £86 (due to short supply, not available in the US but Master of Malt has it)

On the nose –  Big smoke and brine and cups of over-steeped orange pekoe tea and a few shakes from a jar of Bacon Bits.

This might be 18 years old but there’s a youthfulness here that comes through in spirity version of almond brittle and butterscotch.

Red flecks of hot chili pepper sprinkled over salted lemon wedges.

For 18 years old, the smoke & peat is not as tamed as I would have expected.  Again, there’s a youthfulness here…

On the mouth – A bit of a weak entry; not what I expected after all of the smoke, spirit, red pepper, salty lemons I got on the nose.  I guess the age is now showing; rounded peat.

Decent mouthfeel and, wait a sec, there’s a bit of an evolution in flavors here.  The strength gets… stronger, which counteracts the the bubbe-grannykins “attack” from the get-go.

Smoke, coffee, burning coffee grounds.

Turmuric (?) and paprika laced chocolate shavings.  Lemonade and, again, red pepper flecks.

Finish – Drying now in the finish.  Decent length, smoky, oaky and chocolatey.

In sum – A decent whisky.  Expensive but tasty.  Well balanced and would satisfy many an Islay worshipping, peat loving Smokehead.  You might think me an odd duck but, as smoky as this is, I could easily pour a dram in the summertime…  Perhaps after mowing the lawn or gardening the… garden.

Special thanks goes out to the good folks over at Impex Beverages for the Smokehead NAS sample!

Special thanks goes out to David H for the sample of the 18yo!

Dark Corner, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Dark Corner Moonshine – A review with one part Corn Whiskey and a few parts Americana

America – South Carolina – 50%ABV – $38 – currently sold at the distillery only.

It’s that time of year again (well, at least is was a few days ago…) when we Americans all get together as friends, families, congregations, etc… to celebrate Thanksgiving.  I do my best to not think of all of the horrific historical stuff that ties into this holiday or the countless, flightless gobble-gobblers that get gobbled up in the form of legs, giblets, sandwiches, stews, etc…

Instead I focus on what matters in life.  Not the football, not the food or the drink.  It’s the friends and family.  Thanksgiving is a wonderful time when (at least in my family) everybody gets along and shows love for one another.

It’s also a time when we as a nation come together and listen to Alice’s Restaurant over and over again.  Or perhaps we’ll watch The Wizard of Oz together.  Maybe even a listening of some Bonnie ‘prince’ Billy while you hang out by the fireplace sipping on cheap merlot and riesling.  Thanksgiving is all about togetherness.

America has a long history of making whiskey – predominantly rye and/or corn whiskey.  Being that my favorite American/secular holiday is just behind us, I thought I’d review an American whiskey/moonshine.  That Moonshine is from Dark Corner out of Greenville South Carolina – “South Carolina’s First Legal Moonshine”.

Dark Corner has a single small still that’s really quite beautiful to look at (to your left).  I had a conversation with Joe Fenten (one of Dark Corner’s two founders – the other gentleman being Richard Wagner) and he gave me some insight into how they distil their moonshine:

“We do what I like to call a 1.5 times distillation. Since we have an 80 gallon pot (very small) we do 5 beer stripping runs over 5 days. We make a very conservative hearts cut on these runs and collect the hearts for later use. We then take the heads and tails from the 5 runs and re-run them through the still for a spirits run on the 6th day. We then make a precise hearts cut and blend that with our hearts from the 5 previous runs. Essentially you are mixing 100 proof hearts (15 gallons) with 150 proof hearts (15 gallons). You get full flavor lows plus smooth highs and the end result is like cool mountain creek water.

Keep in mind Greenville was voted best tasting water in America this year and beat out sources of water in the Rockies! We are very proud to use this water in our hand-spirited whiskey. The Dark Corner is home to 1/3 of the water provided to the whole upcountry of South Carolina. It’s named the North Saluda Reservoir and is one of the most pristine bodies of water in America.”

Good water, small batch, attention to distilling detail, let’s see what comes of it.  Let’s pour some:

On the nose –  Huge (!!) corn on the nose accompanied by a nice amount of spice.

Very light citrus note (etrog?).

Various crushed pepper seeds.  Am really enjoying the movie popcorn quality to this nose on this moonshine.

On the mouth – Warming and buttery – buttery movie popcorn (or buttered popcorn flavored Jelly Belly jelly beans).

Decent mouthfeel.  Some nice viscosity.  Not super chewy but very satisfying (making me want to sip more and more).

The spice stays on the tip of the tongue and the mouth starts to dry out a touch.

Finish – Nice, long and drying finish with lasting notes of buttered popcorn.

In sum – A simple, and somewhat one-dimensional, yet satisfying whiskey.  Something that can be sipped on at anytime but I suggest it as a late summer weekend dram after you’ve worked on your lawn all day – it’s very easy going and smooth even at 50% ABV (and you should use the finger hole provided to sip it straight from jug!  Once you’ve finished the bottle, you can use it to start your own jug band with Emmet Otter).  This is a solid new make spirit/moonshine that would work magic in a new charred oak barrel.

Special thanks goes out to Joe Fenten for the sample!

An everyday dram, Glenfarclas, Summertime

Buy good whisky at a great price while donating to a charitable cause? Could it get anymore “feel good ” than that?

Highlands region – 53%ABV – £39.99

There’s something really good about feeling really good about… stuff.  You see, I do not believe in altruism.  Mother Theresa was an AMAZING woman that did so many wonderful things for the needy.  But no one can tell me that she did not feel good about all of the work she did; or perhaps feel motherly toward many of the people who counted on her and those that worked with her.  It feels good to do good and there’s nothing wrong with that.

So… do you want to feel good about helping people (and get some good whisky in the process)?

Master of Malt teamed up with Glenfarclas to choose two ex-oloroso sherry casks to marry up (mix together), bottle up and then sell.  This 9yo whisky, bottled at cask strength (53% ABV) is selling at Master of Malt for only £39.99 and £10 of each sale (basically 25%) goes to Movember who fund The Prostate Cancer Foundation and Livestrong as well as help to create awareness on Men’s Cancer Issues.  You can read more on Movember’s Global Action Plan here.

This being said, I did my part by purchasing a couple of these “Movember” Glenfarclas bottles from Master of Malt.  Thankfully, the whisky inside the bottle is pretty damn good (and a steal at only £39.99!)

On the nose –  Out of the gate the nose is hot and sharp; angular (if you can apply that to a scent).  Not the soft sherried nose you’d come to expect from most Glenfarclas whiskies.

It is a very “sherried” nose however…  Think sugared prunes, potting soil, gingerbread men and a shit ton spice and spice cakes.

Some rubbery notes in there too (party balloons).

With water the scent becomes… inviting, round, big and plump.  Sort of like all of those butts Sir Mix A Lot always raps about.

On the mouth – Hot in the mouth with a big spice attack.  Let’s try this again… Yeah, still hot, will add water in a sec.  Let’s talk mouthfeel though:  Sort of thin but flavor packed (almost like a barrel proof bourbon attack – very strong in heat and flavor).

Waiter, may I have some water please?  Just two droppers full.  Thanks.

As I suspected, water is the key.  Still a bit hot but much more tolerable and the mouth feel gets nice and big.  Water is to this whisky as a fluffer is to Ron Jeremy (that’s it with the sexy stuff, promise!).

Orange and spice and everything nice.  Vanilla is huge here.

Finish – Very dry finish, long with spice drops.

In sum – It’s a whacky/wild little ‘farclas. It’s sort of like the “cool” kid in the room that’s maybe not as cool as everybody thinks he is but because everybody thinks he’s cool, he’s just that much cooler…  Maybe like Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  Ok, enough with the tangent.

At £40, this cask strength whisky is a total steal and just the fact that £10 of that goes to Movember for men’s cancer charities… THAT’S cool!  A bit of Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam all in one!  Get a bottle or two before they sell out.

Click here to buy a bottle and don’t forget to use the term “JSMWS sample” in the delivery instructions portion of the shopping cart – Master of Malt will ship you a free dram of whisky if you do.

I can’t believe I mixed Mother Theresa in with Sir Mix A Lot, Ron Jeremy and Jeff Spicoli.  My apologies if I offended anyone.

Special thanks to Master of Malt for the sample!  I’m now working on bottle #1 from the two I bought 🙂

All You Need Is Love, Kavalan, Let's celebrate!, Summertime

Kavalan King Car Whisky – bottled at 46% ABV

Taiwan — 46% – 200ml sample (thanks to Ian Chang of Kavalan for the sample and patience with the post)

Last November I had the good opportunity to taste Kavalan King Car Whisky bottled at 40%ABV.  Kavalan is single malt whisky from Taiwan.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  What’s more, they’re producing some top notch whisky.

As excited as I was to taste this whisky for the first time, I have a strange prejudice against whiskies that are bottled at the minimum 40% ABV so I was a bit apprehensive.  However, I was pleasantly surprised.  What’s more is this whisky is also now bottled at 46% and non-chill filtered.

Before we get to the tasting, I thought I should direct you to images of Kavalan’s beautiful faciliety.  Just surf the web (or, just look below) and you’ll find some truly stunning pictures of their distillery:

 

 

 

 

Picture above in the image on the right hand side is Ian Chang admiring the casks in his warehouse.  If I could, I’d bottle one of those casks myself.  I really am a fan of the Kavalan line.  Ok, enough daydreaming.  On to the tasting…

On the nose — Mouthwateringly fruity – think mangos and tangerine, bananas and honey dew melon.

Honey and sugared lemons.

Freshly ground coffee (just like with the 40%ABV version).

Lots of malt, a bit floral and a touch salty.

Here’s one that brings back memories from weekends at my grandparent’s house…Musty Afghans that have been stored in laminated oak cabinets (I’m referring to the blanket-type Afghans, not the people.  This is not a slur against the Afghani people or the Afghan Whigs).

On the mouth — Nice mouthful yet nowhere near as fruity and tropical as the nose lead me to believe.

Highly vegetal and more of the salt I detected earlier.

Leafy greens, cucumber sauce.

Unsweetened lemon chews (if that makes sense).

Finish — Short but with a bit of a lemony zing to it.

In sum —  The wonderfully fruity nose was very promising and got me in the mood for warmer times.  The salty, more vegetal flavor of this whisky took me a bit off guard which could be a good thing.  Yes, I think it was a good thing.  The finish was just a bit to short for me.  I wanted it to stay with me longer.  Maybe that was purposeful.  It just made me want to sniff and taste more!

Gal of Whisky Israel also reviewed this one recently and seemed to like it quite a bit.

Karen & Matt of Whisky For Everyone agrees, this is a fine whisky.

Penderyn, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Two Penderyn Expressions – Sherry & Madeira Wood

This is the Sherry Wood bottling
This is the Madeira Wood bottling

Wales – both whiskies are bottled at 46%ABV – Sherry Wood can be had for £36 | $70 | €41 – Madeira Wood can be had for £36 | $70 | €41

Shame on me.

I’ve had these two whiskies reviewed for sometime now and, for the life of me, I could not locate any of my notes.  I consider myself fairly organized and to misplace my notes pissed me off…  just a bit.

Luckily, they have now been found so I can stop kicking myself in the arse.

Also lucky for me (and for you), posting the review of these two whiskies right now is perfect for the season as I found them to be fairly light and refreshing.

They’re a bit odd as well but hey, that’s a good thing.  I quite enjoy trying whiskies from different regions and countries as they help to challenge what you think you know about whisky on the whole.  Look around the the world-wide-interwebs and you will find reviews of Penderyn that run the gamut.  From delicious to not-so-delicious.  You’ll find it all.

What I ask of you is that you go into to this (or any whisk(e)y that is new to you) with an open mind.  There are a lot of bourbon people out there who hate Scotch whisky; and vice versa.  We all need to get out of our comfort zone and try to learn a bit.  The following is my blinders-off-assessment of these two Penderyn whiskies and I’m glad that I went in without any preconceived notions as, in the end, I quite liked these whiskies.

Penderyn Madeira Wood

On the nose — Wafts of juniper; fresh & bright.  Grinning a grin and stinking of gin.

Light with limes and white flesh peaches soaking in fine muscato wine.

Burning leaves in the springtime – I imagine myself as a little boy using a magnifying glass to light said leaves (this is not smoky in anyway, mind you.  The aroma is just bringing back memories).

Far off scents of the railroad.

On the mouth — Light and almost grain-like in flavor (like an aged grain whisky).

Very one-sided with its light quality and bright, sweet citrus notes (think lime leaf and fizzy like seltzer with lime).

Thinnish in mouthfeel.

A touch of honey.  Actually, a good amount of honey as we near the finish line.

Finish — Lots of cereal notes – very malty all of the sudden.  Honey covered muesli.

In sum —  A summery whisky that can be applied to any social situation.  I can see a lot of blend drinkers liking this one.  Light, sweet, fairly balanced and, simply approachable by anybody.

Penderyn Sherry Wood

On the nose — Similar to the lightness I got on the Madeira Penderyn except there’s no juniper.

It’s all on dark chocolate covered, raspberry nougat chews (if you can imagine a light version of that).

Rain puddles and sidewalk chalk.

It’s got a bite-y little nose on it too; prickily-dickily-doo.

Big-ass bails of hay.

On the mouth — Viscous mouthfeel with a very sherried influence.

Not ooey, sweet and cloying like some sherry bombs; fairly well integrated.

Fruit marmalades (grapefruit, orange and lime).

Thick and chewy but oh so light and brisk in flavor.

Finish — Slightly nutty and tannic (think halved walnuts).  Faint notes of rye (?).

In sum —  More complex than the Madeira version yet still light and easy going.  Like the Madeira, I can picture myself pouring this in a very social setting where both whisky snobs and whisky noobs are hanging out – a easy pleaser.

Special thanks to Luke at Penderyn for the samples!