Tag Archives: Fruity

All You Need Is Love, An everyday dram, Springtime, Suntory - Hakushu

Suntory Hakushu 12yo – G-d Bless you!

Japan – 43%ABV – £46 | €54

“Hakushu!”

“G-d bless” said a kind yet unknowing man.  We’ll call him… “Kevin”.  He thought I sneezed when I said Hakushu.  No, that was not a sneeze.  It was me yelling out the name of a Suntory whisky that, with hope, will be available in America this year.

“Kevin” is your typical American who, when it comes to whisk(e)y only thinks of Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels, Dewars or Southern Comfort… he has never heard of Japanese whisky.  In fact, if you told him that the Japanese produced whisky, he’d most likely remark, “Japanese whisky?!  I never knew the Japanese made Scotch!!”

Just the facts ma’am —

Only the Scots make Scotch.  Simple fact.  Scotch is a whisky.  Bourbon is a whiskey.  Rye whiskey is, you guessed is a whiskey.  And Japanese whisky is… whisky!  Silly do-do American (sorry to all of my compatriots!)!!

What’s my point here?  Oh yeah, I love Japanese whisky and I find it really frustrating that there is so little of it readily available in the US.  The good news, as I mentioned above, is that Suntory will be bringing Hakushu to the states very soon.  Currently we can enjoy Hibiki (a blended Japanese whisky; the 21yo made my Best Whisky tasted in 2010 award) and Yamazki which is a single malt.  Both are Suntory whiskies.

Hopefully, sometime soon, we’ll get Nikka whisky here in the US.  Until then Suntory’s got our backs.

A special thanks goes out to Yoshi M for the generous sample!

On the nose — Initial reaction: fruity, spicy, grapey, floral, malty and a touch of smoke.

Let’s break it out a bit though… I think we have a case of which came first, the chicken or the omelet.

Many aspects fighting to the fore such as mango and green apple (predominantly).

The floweriness is lovely here too (a bit of jasmine).

This is honeyed as well with a bit of vanilla.

Spiced gum drops.

Lemongrass and black raisins.

Nice and malty.

On the mouth — Much like the nose except there’s a smoked & spiced nuttiness here.

Very malty, gobs of malt – smoked malt (I must stress – this is not an overly smokey whisky).

Fruits abound (they’re all up in this shit)!

Think crabapples and green apple pie.

Smokey still though not overbearing… it’s balancing out the sweet and spice, right nice.

Finish — The finish is all on jasmine tea and spice.

In sum — A wonderfully balanced whisky that can and will hold it’s own against many Scotch whiskies.  This is perfect as an aperitif or as a mid-day dram.  I’m looking forward to this being available in the US.  It’s a keeper, an everyday dram for sure.

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Cold Winter, Lagavulin, Let's celebrate!

Lagavulin 21yo – a stunningly magnificent Scotch Whisky!

Islay Region – 56.5%ABV – $895 (750ml) | £575 or €684 (700ml)

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday… To the JSMWS blog!

That’s right people, today is the one year anniversary of the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society’s blog.  It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a year since the blog was started.

We celebrated the birth of the blog with an Islay malt – the Ardbeg Uigeadail.  Even though the newer version is slightly different than the one I reviewed, I still can not drink that whisky without thinking of the combination of seaweed, leather, blood and raisins.

Being that the blog was birthed on Islay peat, I thought it’d be a good idea to celebrate the anniversary with Islay peat.

Folks, what I’m about to share the details of has to be the finest whisky I’ve had to date.  Plain and simple.

On the nose — This is 56.5%ABV?!  Insanely soft on the nose.  Not quite sure where to start as this nose seems to be filled with a bazillion different scents…

Instant sweetness – dark brown sugar and black strap molasses.

Sweet cigars, smoked dates (is there such a thing?) and fresh sea air yet something a bit musty or dusty about it.

Warmed and sticky chocolate fudge – I can practically smell the fudge soften!

This is just plain brilliant!

Oysters on the half-shell as well dried and salted whitefish.

Driftwood, salty capers and warm salted carmel.

The nose is incredibly dense and rich and purely decedent.

On the mouth — Much more tannic/dry than expected.

Fantastic smokey attack accompanied by Mineola oranges and powered sugar candies.

The smoke attack turned into a “sweet blast” which then turned quite peppery.

Some more of the oyster notes I got on the nose but now it’s transformed into smoked oysters.

Sugared and dried figs as well as vanilla pods.

Dusty attic furniture, a very active humidor, dates mashed with demerara sugar, nutmeg and cloves.  Fresh potting soil.  The list could go on and on and on…

Finish — Long and nutty with traces of fried walnuts, green olives and a honeyed oakiness.

In sum — Do you have an extra $900 or so?  If so, buy a bottle STAT.  This is the ultimate in smoky celebratory whisky.  I had this one to celebrate the one year anniversary of the blog.  A well chosen dram for the occasion.

If I had a full bottle, I’d save the next dram for my oldest daughter’s Bat Mitzvah.  Yup, I’d wait 9 years to pour this again.  It’s worth the wait.

Unending thanks goes out to Stephen L, Marshall N, the LA Scotch Club and the Green Bay Packers.

An everyday dram, Cold Winter, Jura, Summertime

Four whisky reviews today – tasting the Isle of Jura range!

Isle of Jura.  A lot can be said about Jura but, as you’ll see below, I’ve got a shit ton to cover just with my tasting notes.

This said, let’s hit the highlights shall we?:

  • The Isle of Jura is a small little Isle located east & north of Islay
  • Isle of Jura distillery is the only distillery located on Jura- “On an island just 7 miles wide and 30 miles
    long, there is but one road, one hotel and one distillery.    “
  • People from Jura call themselves Diurachs (Gaelic)
  • Diurachs are a superstitious lot but they make some pretty tasty whisky!

Isle of Jura 10yo – 43%ABV – $35 | £25 | €29

On the nose — Soapy fresh nose, even surpassing a Bowmorian soapiness (slightly soapier than many Bowmore whiskies I’ve had).

Limon™ sweetness of 7UP™ soda with gobs of malt to boot.

Spider mums and an absolute hint of peat smoke.

On the mouth — A decent and slightly oily entry filled with malty notes and a touch of the soap I got on the nose.

Very sweet potpourri, aniseed and toasty oaken notes.

Finish — Peppery and spicy finish with more soap and malty sweet notes.

Isle of Jura 16yo – 43%ABV – $45 | £41 | €48

On the nose — Soft nose; sweet yet salty and strong with a note of licorice.

Soapy yet not as much as the 10yr Jura.

Threads of smoke and spicy citrus.

Candle wax, malty and hay.

Heide brand candy cardboard box (one which previously held Jujyfruits).

Plastic shopping bags too.

On the mouth — Spicy attack from the get-go.

Lipstick and eyeshadow (smell a make-up bag and this is what I’m tasting).

Light (ever so light) peat smoke and some of that hay I got on the nose.

Chewy wine gums, even Jujubees (another Heide brand candy) and fresh tobacco.

Finish — Short finish, slight spice and a touch of that wax from the nose.

Isle of Jura ‘Superstition’ – 43%ABV – $40 | £29 | €34

On the nose — Waft of burnt pricker bushes, peat smoke and rosewater.

Toffee, caramels and fizz candies.

Toasted, nearing burnt, apple skins.

Figgy pudding – there’s even a little mustard seed in here.

On the mouth — Very sweet and a viscous mouth feel.

Back to the fizzy candies and lemon sugar drops.

The peat does not seem to translate to the palate as much as I expected.

Finish — Peppery and sweet yet shorter than that dude from Ron Howard’s “Willow” (do you think Mr. Howard is happy about having his name on that crap movie?).  Granted, that guy was great as Wicket, the fun loving Ewok from Return of the Jedi.  But, Willow!?  Come on folks.  Oop, sorry.  I digress….

Isle of Jura ‘Prophecy’ – 46%ABV – $65 | £50 | €59

On the nose — I like what I’m smelling here.

Smoke and seashells by the seashore.

Oak and soy sauce.

Very nutty with hints of wood shavings.  A tad suphuric but it seems to add to rather than take from (as opposed to many other “match-stick malts” that will go unnamed here).

On the mouth — Sweet peat, peaty and sweet (I see you rockin’ that peat from across the street).

Sugar lemon drops, just like with the Superstition but there’s a general ashiness here that I didn’t find in the Superstition – very appetizing.

There’s more fruit as well.

Perhaps some golden delicious apple and hints of fuzzy peach (unrippened as it were).

Finish — Rhubarb pie, key lime pie, π.  Good length.

And finally, in sum — While I found the 10yo to be a bit one dimensional with all of the soap and sweetness it was enjoyable and very easy going.  One to keep on the shelves as a nice mid-summer dram. Nah, I take that back, there’s a slightly wintery feel to this as well.  Enjoy in front of a fire perhaps with a good book.

The 16yo had a nice balance to it; more enjoyable than the 10yr.  Obviously, it’s older than the 10yr but there’s a maturity there that seems beyond the 16yrs.  Very enjoyable stuff.  A nice mid-day, autumn dram.

I found the ‘Superstition’ to be an interesting one.  Maybe not the whisky itself but my approach to it.  I had a bottle of this a couple of years ago and found it quite one-dimensional; all peat smoke (and odd smoke at that).  Being that this is a lightly peated dram, I’m not sure why I was unable to get past it at the time.  Today’s tasting found it to be more one-dimensional toward the sweet side.  So, where does that leave me (us).  Not sure…  I will say, this may be one that’s better to just enjoy rather than dissect…

The ‘Prophecy’ was really enjoyable, the star of the current range if you ask me.  Can be enjoyed at anytime and in any situation.  Dare I say, an everyday malt??

Special thanks goes out to Lyz Nardo for the generous samples!

Glenmorangie, Let's celebrate!, Need To Bundle Up

Glenmorangie Finealta – A touch of peat, a dash of oloroso sherry & I’m a happy man with this elegant whisky

Highlands region — 46% ABV — $80 | £55 | €66

Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Port Ellen, Lagavulin, Ardmore, Port Charlotte, Bowmore, Bruichladdich… The list can go on.  What list?  The list of Scottish distilleries that produce, or bottlings that are known for, peaty, smokey, medicinal qualities.

There’s a new list though, Scottish distilleries that are now releasing peated whiskies: Arran, Benromach, Bunnahabhain, BenRiach… I am sure there are others (feel free to add to this list in the comments section of the post).

Apropos of peoples’ current thirst (or lust) for peated whisky, the Sixteen Men of Tain over at Glenmorangie are now throwing their hat in the peat ring.

Though, for the amount of peat or smoke in this whisky, it’s more like a yarmulke being thrown in the ring.

Actually, what we have here is not another peated whisky crafted for the sake of being a smokey.  Rather, according to Glenmorangie, they set out to recreate a recipe for a Glenmo whisky as it would have been made back in the early 1900’s.  So we have some minor peat here and the whisky is a mixture of both American Oak barrels and European Oak (ex-Oloroso Sherry casks).

The combination delivers pretty damn well:

On the nose – Big cherry presence on the nose along with something minty.

An earthy quality to it – fresh potting soil, new ferns.

The peat in here is very light.

Toffee & caramel.

Cadbury fruit & nut bar.

Some soy sauce.

On the mouth – Spiced orange gum drops.  Red ones too.

Lots of nuttiness and now some coffee tones in there.

Solid mouth feel here, folks!  Creamy, ooey – I love it.

Peppery and more soy sauce notes.

Again, lightly smoked & very elusive.

Finish – Now quite tannic.  Quite long too.

The mild smoke returns for the finale.

In sum – This here is a well designed whisky.  The light peating is a welcome thing as is the added element of whisky matured in Oloroso Sherry casks.  Pseudo-techno-stuff behind, this is a whisky that will put you in your happy spot.  Not because it’s 46% ABV alcohol whisky (and will tipsy-fy you) but because it’s just damned delicious and warming in all the right ways.

Special thanks goes out to David Blackmore for the generous sample!

Arran, Let's celebrate!

Arran 15yr – Distillery Only, Open Day Dram

Islands region – 700ml bottle – £95.00 – Sold through the Arran website or at the Distillery only, 600 bottles in all!

Man-o-Maneschewitz, did I have a lot of fun opening this bottle or what!?  I did mentioned it in my post about WhiskyFest NYC — I was not planning on opening this bottle for a while but an opportunity presented itself and whisky is meant for enjoying and sharing in the right company.

Well, the opportunity was there – I had a bottle.  The company was there too – Andy Hogan of Arran, John Hansell of The Malt Advocate magazine and the What Does John Know? blog as well as Lew Bryson (managing editor of Malt Advocate).

The time was right — it was the night just before WhiskyFest; a very festive time… what better reason to open the bottle!?

What’s more is, I got to share this again later that night at Ward III with Michael Neff (one of the owners of the Ward III), a new friend Keith and the infamous World Traveler, Prankster & Ladies’ Man, Greenie D. McGee!

So, what is the Arran Open Day Whisky?  Not to be confused with the Arran 15yr Anniversary dram which is actually an 11yr old whisky finished in Amontillado Sherry casks — It’s a bottling of whisky (600 bottles in all) made of the first spirit fun from their stills back in 1995.  They vatted three casks from this run (all first-fill bourbon) to create this very limited bottling.

Here are my thoughts on the whisky (preview: great stuff!) —

On the nose — Big yummy bourbon nose!!

Hazelnuts – freshly cracked.

Coconut – freshly shredded and toasted.

Creamy and thick quality with over-ripened bananas.

Abundant vanilla and caramel.  Just a joy to nose.

Lychee nuts in syrup.

Some ocean breeze.

With a touch of water a really pleasant soapy quality is revealed.

Surgical soap and fruity taffy.

On the mouth — Apples, dowsed in caramel and nut laden.

Banana returns with a toasty feel to it.

Perfectly fresh mouth feel.

A touch of water brings out some pears.

But really, the water accentuates the apples and brings out a spiciness, also, the brine/salt that I got on the nose is now more pronounced.

Finish — A toasty & spicy finish, decent length.

Actually quite long with those lychee nuts just lingering about.

In sum — The balance is fantastic.  A wonderfully mature whisky but with enough spice to give you a “what for”.  A celebratory dram and one to enjoy on special occasions and with friends.  As you can see, I’ve done just that!