Category Archives: Cold Winter

Angry, Cold Winter, Glenmorangie, Need To Bundle Up, Summertime

Glenmorangie Astar

August 20, 2010 Jewmalt

Highlands region – 57.1%ABV – 750ml bottle – $65-75 | £52 | €63

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.

Whether is the Signet, Nectar D’or (Sauternes finish), The Traditional (not a standard in their new line up but a damn good whisky), Sonnalta PX, The Quarter Century… we sure as shite can’t discount their “Original” Ten year or Quinta Ruban (Port finish) — Glenmorangie has kicked it up a notch (many, many notches).

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.

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Cold Winter, Glenmorangie, Let's celebrate!, Need To Bundle Up, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Glenmorangie Signet – Wonderfully different yet so quintessentially Glenmo!

August 13, 2010 Jewmalt

Highlands region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $150–200 | £110 | €134

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.

A World of Discovery, Ardbeg, Autumn, Cold Winter, Springtime

The Great Space [Ardbeg Roller] Coaster

July 14, 2010 Jewmalt

Islay region – 57.3%ABV – 750ml bottle (70cl outside of the US) – £100 | $80-$115 | €120

G-d bless Federal Wine & Spirits out of Boston, MA! If it were not for them, I’m not sure I would have had my bottle of Ardbeg’s Committee Release of their Rollercoaster.

Those poor folks.

They announced that they were going to be getting some bottles early and was taking some pre-orders for it but did not know how many people may be calling them. Harassing them for a bottle of this fine whisky. I, good readers, was one of these people but I did my very best to be as *unharassy* as possible. They told me they had “X” amount of bottles and “XXX” amount of people looking for one. To make matters worse, their number of bottles went from a couple of cases down to 18 so now they had the hard job of telling even more people that they could not help them.

Those poor folks. I hate saying no to anybody. I feel sorry for them having to say no, to, my guess, a couple hundred people.

Luckily for me I was one of the first 18 people to call so, I got a bottle. It took them a while to get through it all (my guess, about 3-4 weeks) but they eventually did get their bottles out and made 18 people (including myself) extremely happy.

While I was waiting for my bottle I made an agreement with Gal of Whisky Israel that I would hold off on opening the bottle so’s we could do a live Twitter tasting.

Well, Gal had issues of his own that I’m sure he’ll post about but let’s just say that waiting another 3-4 weeks to open my bottle just sort of… happened.

People who know me know that I am a patient guy. So, no worries here. But shit, I wanted to taste this nectar more than the folks who waited in line to taste New Coke way back when. Thankfully Ardbeg’s Rollerocaster is FAR better that that short-lived shite!

While I did get around to tasting seven Ardbeg whiskies back in May, I only recently had a chance to taste the stuff as a stand alone whisky.

Let’s ride the coaster, shall we?

On the nose – Part of me wishes that this is what oxygen smelled like all of the time. However, if it did, then nosing this whisky would not be as special as it is.

A very, very sexy nose filled with mature-for-its-age-peat-smoke, a salt lick and olive oil.

Peel the smokiness away and I am now confronted with some strawberry jam and those delicious Ardbegian lemons – the salt carries through the entire nose-capade.

On the mouth – A great entry here filled with savory bacon bits, tarred ropes and chicory.

Oily, like real olive oil in my mouth here, salted pie crust, onslaught of smokey peat, strawberries return and the citrus fruits evolve into something a bit bigger – pomelo!

Charred wood, cherries and tobacco.

Finish – Medium long. Lovely burny bubbles stay in my mouth for some time and then out of the blue some nice green tea notes.

In sum — Well worth the wait.

A fantastic dram that, although amazingly smokey, is so very fruity for me (Lemons, Pomelo, Strawberries, Cherries).

Also, the peat seemed less of a direct attack on my tongue that I could enjoy this one in the late spring (winter for sure) and the autumn time.

A cracker of a dram that I hope Ardbeg will bring in as a standard expression.

One of the things I love about whisky is that everyone can take something different from them. Chicory to me may be chipotle to another. This being said, check out Jason from Guid Scotch Drink’s notes on this beauty – a world a difference but I would still drink the stuff if I got what he wrote in his notes.

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Bruichladdich, Cold Winter, Need To Bundle Up, Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte “PC6” – Bruichladdich’s heavily peated young whisky

June 9, 2010 Jewmalt

Islay region – 61.6%ABV – 750ml bottle – $120 | £95 | €115

Let the love affair begin. I’ve heard lots of good news about Bruichladdich’s newer Port Charlotte range. LOTS of good news. And lately, I’ve been hearing some great stuff about the “PC6”. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, “PC” stands for “Port Charlotte” and the “6” tells us that, you guessed it, it’s a 6 year old whisky.

My first reaction to the fact that this is only six years old is similar to the reaction many people have had — “only six years old and it’s how much money???” Oy vey ishmir!

I had a conversation with a guy from Binny’s a while back on the same subject – why so much for such a young whisky (at the time we were discussing last year’s Ardbeg Supernova)? He brought up a good point: “Who cares? Is it good whisky?” he asked. “Yes”, I told him. He went on. “Then why does age matter? You’re paying for a well crafted single malt. You’re paying for a work of art. Who cares how old it is”. Like I said, he makes a good point. Deep in the back of my head there’s that little voice that says “still though…” — But truly, I think he’s right.

So what’s all of this good news I speak about? Check out my links below. Firstly, let’s taste this and see if it’s worth it’s weight in whisky (a special thanks to DH for the sample!!):

On the nose — Big-ass smoke! Powerfully pungent with smoke like burning driftwood (think salty peat or perhaps a beach bonfire). Sparklers on the 4th of July (for my US readers out there). Soured & sweet milk notes (baby vomit).

Serge of Whisky Fun nailed it with his detection of buttered mashed potatoes – on the nose Serge (pun intended)! Leather jackets and damp horse stable. That leather smell alone makes me want to break out Iggy Pop’s “Raw Power”. Either that or Yes’ Close to the Edge and put in on full blast – two very different albums but somehow both fitting to this whisky. Powerful yet complex and beautiful.

On the mouth — Mmmm, mmmm – chewy smoked cheese, electrical charges and spent matches, tannic, drying but first a nice juicy entry. Fruity notes and buttermilk biscuits (albeit burnt ones).

The peat is wonderful here and somehow refreshing even in this hot weather (it hit 89 deg fahrenheit today!). At 61.6% ABV I know I should add a little water but this is so nice at full strength.

Finish — It’s all on the leather and now some great grassy floral notes (almost rose petal) come out, then some burn arrives and it gets a tad effervescent. Even an hour later and my mouth is still filled with smoke and ash. Love it!

In sum — Wonderfully heavily-peated expression. If you’re not a peat fan, you probably have not read this far down in the review… If you’re interested in getting into peated and smokey whiskies this will surely pique your interest (but may scare the living shit out of you; in a good way though, like the first time you saw The Exorcist. Scary as hell but, you watched it again and could not wait for the pea soup to flow). If you’re a peathead, welcome to heaven.

See what others have to say:

Serge of Whisky Fun!

Dr. Whisky

The Casks

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

June 8, 2010 Jewmalt

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.