Tag Archives: Cherries

Cold Winter, Glen Moray, Need To Bundle Up

Glen Moray – 8yo Chenin Blanc, Distillery Only, Single Cask bottled at 60.7% ABV

Image shown is not of the actual bottle itself but shows you what the Glen Moray distillery bottlings look like.

Speyside region – 60.7%ABV – £60 (distillery only)

Many people in the states have not heard of Glen Moray or if they have, they only know of their 12yo whisky (a solid, solid whisky if you ask me).

Most people in the UK think of Glen Moray as the supermarket single malt.  A bargain malt, if you will.

My initial experience with Glen Moray was quite different…

It started with a chance purchase of a single cask expression.  While at the time I had not known much about the distillery, I was attracted to this single cask of Glen Moray as the whisky had spent its full 13 years of life in a new charred oak cask.  Sort of like a Scottish bourbon, I thought.

Yes, obviously, nothing like a bourbon being that the distillate is 100% malted barley but perhaps a bit like an American whiskey in that the maturation took place inside a new charred oak cask (a very un-Scotch whisky thing to do, mind you).  The cask choice intrigued me so I had to buy a bottle.

In four words: I fell in love.

After this my friend David B treated me to their standard 12yo and even at lower 40% ABV — I am usually an anti-40% ABV elitist-whisky-geek prick but often find myself enjoying the strength.  A difficult position to be in… perhaps I’m a mystery broken into a jigsaw puzzle, wrapped in a conundrum, hidden in a Chinese box, a riddle — I found it to be robust, well balanced and had an amazing mouthfeel.  Thanks again David, I am a convert.

Since then I have had my good share of Glen Moray whiskies.

During my last trip to Scotland I had the good chance to visit their amazing distillery which had, perhaps, one of the most beautiful distillery welcome centers (Iain, you’ve done a bang up job!) I had ever seen.

While at their distillery shop I had the chance to taste the following whisky: Glen Moray Chenin Blanc Distillery Only Single Cask bottled at 60.7% ABV.

At only 260 bottles and being a distillery only bottle… this stuff is like hens teeth!

On the nose — Earthy, pungent & sweet.  This is big and bold – a powerful smelling 8yo whisky.

Fresh cut (green) tubers come to mind as I sniff this whisky as do white cherries but, and perhaps more so, white raisins make quite an impression.

(I’m fairly positive that the preceding sentence was grammatically incorrect in some way.  Please forgive me.)

Golden birch, cinnamon sweetened fruit biscuits and the distinct smell of a burning cotton t-shirt.

On the mouth — Well, if I thought the nose was big and bold, it’s a veritable pussy cat compared to the attack of this whisky upon first sip.  Massive stuff!

It let’s you know that it’s 60.7% ABV.  It’s not hot, just *incredibly* forceful.

More (dark) birch beer, quite spicy and drying with touches of over cinnamoned french toast, maple sugar candies and honey reduction.

It’s almost like drinking hi-octane Chenin Blanc except that the malt content is quite obvious (yet so is the cask effect).

Finish — Very sweet and filled with boozy peaches.  Long too.  Let’s not forget that bit!

In sum —  Sweet and puckering stuff.  You might want to put on your big boy/girl boots before delving in!  A little bit goes a long way.  You’re going to want to spend time with this one.

Whether you choose to add water or not is up to you.  I decided not to but a little bit might help (as you’ll learn from the review over at guidscotchdrink.com and another great review from Matt and Karen at Whisky For Everyone.)

Special thanks goes out to IA for the sample – cheers!

Armagnacs, Cold Winter, Kosher spirits, Need To Bundle Up

A couple of Armagnacs by Marquis de Montesquiou – VSOP & XO

France – both bottled at 40% ABV

WARNING & DISCLAIMER – For those who keep, these Armagnacs are not certified as “Kosher” or “Kosher for Passover” (For my kosher keeping friends, imbibe at your own discretion.)

Being that Pesach (Passover) is right around the corner I thought it’d be a good idea to review some non-grain alternative distilled spirits.

I’ve reviewed some Armagnacs in the past and, in general, I find Armagnac to be quite a pleasant and complex spirit.  I would not go out of my way to drink some but I’d never turn it down and I’d surely drink Armagnac over most whisky blends (sorry to sound like a whisky snob.  I actually really like blends – especially Compass Box which is in a league of its own.  When it comes to Compass Box, I think the operative word is *love*).

What is Armagnac?  Wikipedia tells us:

“Armagnac (French pronunciation: [aʁmaˈɲak]) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of Armagnac grapes, including Baco 22A, Colombard, and Ugni Blanc, using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of Cognac. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels before release. Production is overseen by INAO and the Bureau National Interprofessionel de l’Armagnac (BNIA).

Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin distilling spirits, but the brandies produced have a lower profile than those from Cognac and the overall volume of production is far smaller. In addition they are for the most part made and sold by small producers, whereas in Cognac production is dominated by big-name brands.”

For more information from Wikipedia on Armagnac, click here.

To find out more about Marquis de Montesquiou, click here.

To find out how these Armagnacs fare in a nosing glass, read below:

Marquis de Montesquiou – VSOP – $49.99

On the nose –  Lots of oak influence on this one with waves of vanilla and citrus zest (think Minneola Orange).

Not unlike prunes (boozy ones at that) mixed with red currant.

Some coconut off in the distance with dried mango to the fore.

More dried fruits – like a mixed bag of dried fruits.

On the mouth – Cinnamon ribbon candy followed by white flesh peaches, dried apricots and oodles of vanilla spiced chai.

Middle of the road mouthfeel.  This is quite delicious.

The spice really comes through and there’s a touch of a floral freshness to it that reminds me of a blossoming apple orchard (yet without tasting floral – it’s just a feel).

Finish – Spiced rum cakes, decent length.

In sum – I’m happy to have had this Armagnac.  Fine, refined, balanced.  Perfect as an after dinner drink in place of a Port or Madeira.

Marquis de Montesquiou – XO – $129.99 (suggested retail – could not find an online retail source.  It’s imported by Impex – tell this to your local bottle shop and they should be able to help out)

On the nose –  Full of fresh berries – blue, red an incredibly ripe and juicy.

Spiced berry compote and vanilla bean ice cream – being melted by said compote.

Cantaloupe (?) with anise seed powder sprinkled about.

On the mouth – Much more present in mouthfeel than the VSOP however, the flavors are a bit more reluctant to rear their heads.

Trying another sip…  A much more subtle Armagnac than the VSOP.  The fruits are not here but the vanilla remains.

Touches of brown sugar and waxy, candied orange peel.

Finish – Warming and long.  Burnt potpourri.

In sum – A different animal compared to the VSOP.  If I had to choose (based on flavor, overall experience and price point),  I’d go with the VSOP.

However, this XO does offer you a drink that’ll warm your bones as well as any peaty whisky.

Special thanks to the good people at Impex Beverages, Inc for the samples!

A World of Discovery, Arran, Autumn

Arran Sassacaia Cask – Limited Edition Bottling

Islands region – 55%ABV – $90 | £43

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed and Arran (and G-d knows, I’ve reviewed quite a few Arran whiskies).  I’ve had a bottle of this Arran Sassacaia on my  shelf for a while and have been slowly, but surely, chipping away at it.

The first time I tried it was when I was in Scotland doing the JSMWS whisky tour with Jason Johnstone-Yellin and our two guests Meg & Mike.  Mike was the one that turned Jason onto the stuff and it was he, Mike, that turned me onto the stuff during a stop at the Craigellachie Hotel just outside of Elgin.

We put this Sassacaia cask whisky up against another distiller’s Sassacaia cask whisky and this Arran one blew the other one out of the water.  There was no real comparison.  This Arran is big and fresh and vibrant.  The other?  Not so much.  While I will not name the other whisky, I will tell you it was *not* the new Glenmorangie Artien – that whisky wasn’t even released when we did this side-by-side.

Here are the details on the Arran Sassacaia  Cask:

On the nose –  Like bathing your nose in a tub full of deep/dark tropical fruits (think passion fruit, persimmon, over-ripe cantaloupe and then a good bit of cherry which I know is not really tropical…).

A bit of a malty backbone.

Juicy juice grape juice (if there were a not so sugary version of it).

Some notes of rubber birthday ballons too.  That’s said in a very positive way.

It’s like a party in my nose.

A very vibrant smelling whisky.

On the mouth – Thick, deep and honied mouthfeel.

Noticeable notes of, you guessed, Sassicaia wine – cherries, cedar wood and even a bit of chocolate in there.

Cinnamon spice which quickly becomes drying.

A couple of sips later reveals an interesting hint (a tiny hint) of swimming pools on hot summer days.

Finish – Drying, long and filled with cherries and chewing tobacco.

In sum – Not a very Arran, Arran if you ask me.  Nice, well balanced and overall a very satisfying whisky.  However, I did not detect much of the Arran character that made me fall in love with their whiskies.  Not a complaint… it just makes me think about what percentage influence wood *really* has on whisky and what makes that percentage change from cask to cask.  This aside, when should you enjoy this one?  Well, I’d try to do it soon.  These bottles are hard to find!!

Big thanks goes out to Mike A for suggesting the whisky – big thanks goes out to Merwin’s for selling me their last bottle!

Autumn, Glenrothes

Chieftain’s Range (4th release for the US) – Glenrothes 12yo single cask # 16415, first fill sherry

Speyside region – 46%ABV – $53 – $67 (pretty wide spread here – I’ve provided a link to the store that offers it for $53)

What is “Chieftain’s“?  Chieftain’s is a well respected and award winning independent bottler owned by Ian MacLeod Distillers (the same people that own Glengoyne) and have the good fortune of being able to choose their whiskies from one of the largest (if not THE largest) whisky warehouses in Scotland: The Ian MacLeod warehouse which houses many tens of thousands of casks of whisky at any given time.  That’s a nice position to be in for an independent bottler!

This single cask of The Glenrothes interestingly enough, was bottled at 46% ABV rather than cask strength.  When it comes to independent bottlers, and as ABV’s are concerned, Chieftain’s seems to do things a bit different.  As a rule of thumb, most indy bottlers will bottle single casks at 40%, 43%, 45%, 46%, 50% or cask strength and they will stick to that ABV for nearly every release.

Rules, however are meant to be broken.  Chieftain’s seems to bounce around a bit and will bottle somewhere between Cask Strength and 46% depending on the release, yet they are always non-chill filtered (thankfully) and have no added coloring.

As mentioned, this whisky was bottled at 46%; a full 3% higher than nearly all OB bottlings of The Glenrothes (and again, non-chill filtered and no added coloring).  Let’s see what happens.

On the nose –  Seems very true to the Glenrothes house style – Soft sherry, saw dust and slivovitz (plum brandy) fill the nostrils.

It’s like an off-the-shelf, owner’s bottling, Glenrothes with a bit of a kick (the extra 3% ABV points, perhaps?).

Notes that I usually associate with a nice Sassacaia wine – cedar wood, cherries, earthy chocolate.

Fresh birch tree bark (golden birch).

On the mouth – Decent attack with a touch of burn and mild viscosity.

While this isn’t a peated whisky, I’m struck with some coal soot from the start then a slight metallic quality (household knives and forks).

After that I’m presented with spiced apple sauce and spice drops.

Bitter chocolate (80% cocoa bars).

Cedar bark and fresh gardening mulch.

Finish – Bitters and a touch of mint.  Decent length.

In sum – Comparable in experience to The Glenrothes standard 90’s vintages out now – the Glenrothes quality really shines through and if that’s your bag – you’re in for a treat here!  While I think of sherried whiskies as digestifs, I’m more apt to suggest this as an aperitif.

Special thanks goes out to Impex Beverages for the sample!

The Scotch Tasting Bums seemed to like this one.

Glenfarclas, I'd not drink this one if I were you..., Need To Bundle Up

Glenfarclas 1974 and a good friend

Highlands region – 57.5%ABV – $189

A few weeks ago, while on a trip to Chicago, I met up with my good friend Jason Johnstone-Yellin (of guidscotchdrink.com) and during this time we sat a spell at Lady Gregory’s.  A cool Irish pub with a decent dinner menu (actually, a really great menu if you’re not a vegetarian) and a Whisk(e)y & Beer menu that was… not too shabby!

The tough thing is, for whisky anoraks/reviewers/bloggers like Jason and I, well… we’ve tasted A LOT of whisky.  As an idea or hint; when Jason and I were in Scotland this past August with our friends and tour guests, in 7 days alone, we tasted 134 different whiskies (yes, we counted and kept track).  Not everybody does, I understand this.  In fact we talked about it during our time at Lady Gregory’s (how crazy, ridiculous and awesome it is to get to taste so much whisky).  This being said, while I call the Whisk(e)y menu “not too shabby”, for most it’s an amazing whisky list!  Over 200 whiskies if memory serves.

While going over the list we found two whiskies in particular that really intrigued us so we had to try them/review them together.  The first is this Glenfarclas that’s being reviewed today and the other is a Laphroaig that I’ll post up in a couple of weeks.

As mentioned, we reviewed this whisky together so the notes are combined notes from our experience.

Color — Sunlight on a mahogany chair

On the nose — Attic stored afghans (not the people), cinnamon, candied apples, burnt caramel, mahogany, cherry stones/pits, fresh suburban rain, baked granola bars (freshly toasted oats, oven baked raisin notes, warm honey).

On the mouth — WOOD, lots of wood. Hot, overstewed prunes, the spirit character is a bit lost here.

Finish — Moderate to long, sweet and astringent/bitter cherry juice, continues to dry out the mouth

In sum — It was cool taste a whisky that was almost as old as I am but in the end, the real treat was to spend some time and bullshit with a good friend.