Tag Archives: Citrus

Chichibu, In a few more years, Refreshed, Springtime

Chichibu The First – Japan’s newest distillery and their first 3yo whisky released in 2011

March 11, 2014 Jewmalt

Region: Japan – 61.8% ABV – Likely all sold out everywhere but Master of Malt had it at one time for $148

As a lover of Japanese malt whiskies, I’ve been tracking Chichibu since the very beginning. And the beginning can be tracked all the way back to 2008. Yeah, Chichibu is a very young distillery but one that was sure to show promise with Mr. Ichiro Akuto at the helm.

For more info on the Chichibu distillery and Ichiro Akuto, be sure to check it out here at the Whisky For Everyone website.

I’ve tasted many of Chichibu’s new make releases (peated, heavily peated, cask finished, etc…) and was Sofa King excited to hear the announcement of their first actual whisky.

I bought this bottle the day it was released (back in 2012 in the UK market) and have been slowly sipping on it since then. With 2/3 of the bottle still left, I thought it was high time I finally and officially review this whisky.

Here we go, y’all:

On the nose — Well, this is a treat to the nose! Warm milk soaked Weetabix, a new catcher’s mitt and lemon bars. All of those scents are so well integrated and inviting.

Let’s dig deeper, shall we?

Apple porridge and a salted baguette. This is quite a foody whisky. And, for 61.8% ABV, it’s not to hot for the nasal passages.

Finally, there’s a touch of creamed honey and vanilla bean.

On the mouth — Very creamy and rich. Truth be told the mouth experience mirrors the nosing experience so well.

Wrap the nose up in a single spiced gumdrop version of what I described and that’s this whisky!

Due to the holiday season (well, holiday for we Jews – the holiday is called Purim) I feel there’s a lovely lemon filled Hamantashen quality to this, too.

Finish — Medium in length with spiced citrus fruits (namely lemon and etrog)

In sum – At only three years of age, this whisky proves that Chichibu has a wonderful foundation for great older whiskies to come. At only three years old, this whisky shows a balance and beauty that few other whiskies at this age can attain. It’s not the most complex of whiskies but it’s delicious. At 61.8% ABV it’s very easy going and approachable.

Keep your eyes peeled for more whiskies from Chichibu and let’s hope we see some of this lovely juice here in The States!

Cold Winter, Kilchoman

Speed dating… with whisk(e)y! Episode 3: Kilchoman 100% Islay, 3rd edition

October 28, 2013 Jewmalt

Islay region – 50% ABV – $89 | £65

Here I am, back on the dating scene! My first two dates were with a couple of sisters from America – Koval Four Grain Whiskey and Koval Bourbon.

Today I am dating a smoking Scottish lass. I hope she treats me right!

On the nose (Date # 1) – Ashtrays meet white pepper meets rice vinegar and wet cardboard.

Am I on a date with Marge Schott? Did I mention I love her? Marge does have a sweet side, you know…

Tinned fruits, brown sugared boiled apples and a butter crusted apple pie.

On the mouth (Date # 2, This girl seems to have a complex personality. Let’s see how the 2nd date goes. She could be blowing smoke up my @$$) – Heavy smoke upfront with lemon citrus spray. Say it, don’t spray it!

Burnt apple skins – this I like!

Heavy on the white pepper but there are also notes of cherries in sweetened pear sauce.

Finish (Date # 3: The deciding factor)– Notes of re-opened barbecue grill, first time since last summer. Distant smoke and old barbecue sauce…

In sum (The decision)– A fine 100% Islay expression from Kilchoman. I did like her older sister (2nd edition) a bit more as it showed a truly unique character. Still, this young lass is well worth another date…

Special thanks to the folks at Impex for the sample!

Auchroisk, Dailuaine, Springtime

Scotch Whisky Reviews: Exclusive Malts Dailuaine & Auchroisk

August 7, 2013 Jewmalt

We’ve got two Scotch Whisky Reviews for you, both as part of the Exclusive Malts range.

The whiskies are Dailuaine and Auchroisk. Two not-so-commonly bottled distillery single casks (both distilleries are Diageo-owned distilleries, btw)…

Today we’re going to go right into the tasting notes.

Let’ see what we have in store, people!

Dailuaine 21yo – Speyside region – 51% ABV – $138

On the nose — A bit prickly on the nose and smells about 13 years younger than the age statement states.

It is, however, quite bourbon-y smelling and most assuredly spicy with two scents that hit me from nowhere: water chestnuts and unsweetened, uncinnimoned apple sauce. In other words, aside from the spice, it’s a bit light in scent to start.

Leather shoes (new), pineapple and mango (unripe). The tropical fruits are nice here and play well with the spice element.

On the mouth — Massive spice and this one is screaming “Hey!! I’m a Dailuaine just without the sherry maturation you’re used to, Yossi!” I’m sure there are plenty of other ex-bourbon Dailuaine bottlings out there but this is my first. Nice to see that the spirit character remains.

Oily yet effervescent mouthfeel. Silly putty and vinyl capes from my Jawa action figures from my old Star Wars action figure collection. No lie. It’s that specific a note. If only I kept that figure in the original packaging…

Peppery with orange and pineapple syrup from fruit cups. Leather (again) and fresh, unburnt pipe tobacco.

Finish — Lasting and lovely. Peppery and polished.

In sum — A decent offering for a Dailuaine. Not my favorite as I prefer the sherried Dailuaines but this one tells a story from beginning to end and could surely hold it’s own from a flavor and balance standpoint.

This is an early spring dram. It has a hopeful feel to me.

Auchroisk 17yo – Speyside region – 55.6% ABV – $???

On the nose — Boy-oh-boy, why the sour puss, Sourpuss?

Quite sour in scent but with hints of chocolate covered orange rinds sitting ‘neath said sourness.

Winter ski gloves after a full day of skiing. Hey, my notes are getting quite specific today!

Rubber dish gloves and a touch of soap (in a good way. Remember, I dig mild soap notes and this is *mild*). These notes are offset by fresh and dried papaya and some persimmon. Wow, yum!

An unusual nose but inviting, methinks.

On the mouth — ¡Holy frijoles! It gets all sorts of wacky here. Very rye-whiskey-like with dill and seeded rye toast (dry, as it were). Very woody but woody good, like rye or bourbon, not woody bad like whisky gone old and dried out/astringent. This is far from astringent.

I have to put it out there that the nose is off balance from the mouth but the flavor profile is insanely unique and delicious so it sort of makes up for being off balance.

New charred oak (the smell of the inside of a freshly drained ex-bourbon cask), vanilla and banana chips. Orange Tang drink (having nothing to do with Taang!, mind you).

Finish — Finishes with banana chips and a distinct note of what some college students described to me as a “hash pipe.”

Oh, those students!!

In sum — Well, I’m pretty much in love with the flavor profile on this whisky. It noses OK, too. This is a conversation piece. You and some friends can have a lot of fun with this one!

Probably best when part of a tasting. Be warned, it will likely dominate the conversation…

Special thanks to the especially nice people from ImpEx for the samples!

Keys to the Clan, Let's celebrate!

Keys to the Clan – 50ml mini bottles of Single Malt Scotch Whisky – and now, to taste the whisky!

May 23, 2013 Jewmalt

A couple of weeks back you might remember me waxing on about the Keys to the Clan minis program (programme, for my friends on the other side of the pond).

Here’s the link to the post, just in case you missed it.

In short, there have been 48 different Clan minis released into the US market and our friends over at ImpEx were kind enough to send me three minis. All from a different clan.

Thanks to ImpEx, SF and EK for the samples!

Being a New Englander and basically growing up knowing this and that person who knew or was related in some way to the Kennedy family (as in JFK, RFK and Teddy of the famous Chappaquiddick incident) and having a life-long crush on Jackie Kennedy Onnassis… I decided to open the Kennedy mini.

Note: all of the minis contain the same juice, I just wanted to drink a Kennedy under the table.

Here are my notes:

On the nose – Young yet pleasant. I know it says single malt but it almost has the vibrancy of a nicer high-malt-content blended Scotch whisky; orange creamsicle, pears, sherbet and the slightest hint of smoke. (The smoke could be my imagination playing tricks on me.)

A bit of pineapple cake in here as well and then some sugary angel food cake. This is quite the dessert-like dram so far.

All this fruit makes me think of Balblair a bit, to be honest.

On the mouth – As to be expected with 40% ABV, there’s very little attack upon entry which is just fine for the newbie whisky drinker as it’s quite fruity and very approachable (no burn).

That touch of smoke returns, yet the fruit doesn’t go away. But now there’s something sour in here that I can’t quite place my finger on. Not offensive, just sour-like.

Oat cakes lead us in to the finish…

Finish – Shortish finish with slight pepper and that sour element I caught on the palate.

In sum – While this is not really a “sit and ponder” sort of whisky, it holds it’s own well enough.

All I can picture is 200 Kennedys at a wedding or something like that and toasting to the husband and bride.

Mazel Tov, I mean, Kampai, I mean Slainte!!

A World of Discovery, Let's celebrate!, Old Pulteney

Old Pulteney 40yo bottled at 51.3% ABV – the oldest Pulteney bottled to date!

April 30, 2013 Jewmalt

Highland region – 51.3% ABV – 493 bottles – £1399 (or £85 for a dram at Master of Malt)

Forty years old. This whisky is forty years old.

It’s a strange thing to drink a whisky that is older than you. Perhaps what’s even more strange to me is that I will be turning forty this year. It’s actually really messing with me that I’ll be forty. Half way to 80 as it were. Ugh.

I don’t feel forty so, that’s good, right? They say you’re as old as you feel, right? Well, when I think about what happened ten years ago I think about the early 90’s. Not the early 00’s. That’s a bit disconcerting and makes me feel old and a bit disconnected from the new and hip things of the world.

All of my heroes are getting old too! (I.E. Ian Mackaye just turned 51, Jello Biafra is 54, Willie Nelson *just* turned 80.)

Hold on a sec, I seem to be typing myself into a bit of a depressing cul-de-sac here…

Mayhaps it’s best we talk about fun things? Let’s talk about a 40 year old that is way sexier than I’ll ever be. Yup, this Old Pulteney is one sexy beast.

On the nose – Wow. Just wow-wow-wow. Initial thought? Screw nosing and tasting notes, this smells as lovely as can be and all I want to do is stop thinking and enjoy this whisky. The age is there yet it’s lively and juicy and moreish smelling right from the go. Yum.

I suppose I should try to dissect it though – try and get the most out of this and give it the respect it deserves. Begin:

Orange essential oil and savory herbs meets paraffin and the tiniest hint of smoke and what is really tough to explain: the smell of time in a cask.

Let me try to pick it out the time in the cask (good time in a cask, not tiring/tired time)…

Cedar humidors meets old time men’s cologne meets an old study with fine polished wood and leather chairs. Now take those scents and remove the old and tired element from that scenario and there you have it!

Apple slices with cinnamon and orange with touches of clove, filberts and ground nutmeg on the side. Boy, this is really lovely and very hard not to taste!

On the mouth – Very drying upon first sip but the second sip corrects that misstep. Quite ooey with orange syrup, cinnamon and hints of molasses.

Salted black licorice and more of the spiced wood and wood polish element I touched upon with the nosing.

I can’t tell if it’s honied or it’s the mouthfeel that’s tricking me into thinking it’s honied. Nah, it *IS* honied and it’s delicious.

Rhubarb jam/pie filling, moist pie crust.

Finish – Toasted almond slivers and dark chocolates. It lasts and lasts.

In sum – This has to be up there in the category of best of 2013 (best whiskies I tasted in 2013, that is).

This is oh-so-good and obviously, at almost £1400 a bottle, one to break out at the most special of occasions.

Special thanks to LD of Alembic for the sample!!

Jewmalt Whisky Reviews