Tag Archives: Honey

Autumn, Glenrothes, Kosher Spirits (not for Passover), Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Glenrothes – Alba Reserve

Speyside region – 43% ABV – $50 | £40 | €48

Kosher whiskies day two.

Another year, another whisky.  I’ve been hearing about the Glenrothes Alba Reserve for some time now.  Actually, I had it last year at WhiskyFest NYC.  However, it was one of the last whiskies of the evening and I have to say that after 25+ different whiskies it’s tough to tell what’s good and what’s not.  Heck, it can be tough to remember what whiskies you had!

Somehow, I’m guessing because I’m a Jew, I’ve had at least 20 people ask me if I’ve had the the Glenrothes Alba Reserve.  It is a kosher certified whisky (by the London Bet Din), matured in refill bourbon casks.  It is also a Double Gold winner at the recent 2010 San Francisco World Spirit Competition.

Kosher & award winning?  I guess I just had to try it.

I sort of like the Glenrothes packaging.  The bottle is often refereed to as being shaped like a hand-grenade.  There’s an odd sexiness to their bottles.

The Alba Reserve carries no age statement.

Let’s see how the fluid is:

On the nose – Initial whiff is that of plum brandy – slivovitz.

Damp wood, old wood.

Vanilla and saw dust (smoldering, smokey).

We’re not going to blow your mind here, just make you want to sip a wee bit.

On the mouth – Cadbury Fruit and nut bar minus the chocolate.

Slight citrus notes.

Watered down honey.

At 40%ABV, this is an easy drinker (upside).

However, it’s not the most challenging whisky (upside and downside).

Some toasted coconut.

Finish – Medium in length with clear vanilla and honey notes.

In sum – An easy everyday drinker.  Nothing super special about it but, that’s not a bad thing.  This may be a great whisky to give to the casual whisky drinker or as a good gateway whisky.

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Glenglassaugh, Let's celebrate!

Glenglassaugh 40yr

Highland Region – 44.6%ABV – 750ml or 700ml outside of the US (with crystal decanter with 2 cut crystal glasses in a wooden gift box)– $2525.00 | £1400 | €1680

After having tasted the 26yr Glenglassaugh, I could not resist in tasting my sample of their 40yr cask strength whisky (a big, huge, ginormous thanks goes out to Alan for the sample!) – an IWSC trophy winning whisky!

This whisky will be available in the US through Purple Valley Imports (well, through stores who have access to the whiskies they import).  And actually, as I am told to understand, there will only be one bottle allocated to the US for the fair price of $2525.00 (suggested retail price).

You can also get this bottle through Master of Malt and other purveyors of fine spirits in the UK.

I’m not going to blather on any longer, I just need to taste this fancy juice:

On the nose – Youthful nose filled with cherry tarts and fresh citrus notes (think Mineola oranges).

Quince jam – maybe with a bit of strawberry mixed in??

Hot soy latte.

Licorice twists.

Brown sugar oatmeal & fresh oats.

Oaken church pews.

More coffee notes – like lightly roasted, fresh ground beans.

Finally some garlic.

On the mouth – Like liking the inside of a humidor thats got Acid “Liquid” or “Kuba Kuba” cigars (oh, to taste that smell!  Ab-Fab!).

That quince jam from the nose is back and along with it came some gorgeous honey and perhaps some fennel seed.

Cinnamon and indian spices (you name it, it’s in there – wow!).

Finish – The spice remains throughout and a nice fizziness lasts a good long while.

In sum – Ok, my birthday is coming up (sort of).  Remember this date: December 6th!  If you feel so inclined to buy me a bottle of this masterpiece, I thank you. 😉

Truly exquisite.  Layer upon layer of goodness.  Immensely complex and not what I’d expect from a whisky that is older than me (by four years) – youthful yet wise.

One to share with the closest of friends who happen to be whisky geeks/lovers.  One to impress the father-in-law with.

All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Balvenie, Let's celebrate!, Springtime, Takin' It Easy

The Balvenie 15yr Single Barrel – my favorite Balvenie in their standard line

Speyside – 47.8%ABV – 750ml – $60-65 | £42 | €51

Balvenie week, Day #5.  The final day in this series (though surely not my final Balvenie!).  A big thanks once again to Sam Simmons (aka Dr. Whisky) for the videos and samples!

The Balvenie 15yr Single Barrel was my first Balvenie ever and currently, my favorite.  I remember the day I bought the bottle as if it were yesterday…

Looking at the storekeepers stock, I had a choice of The Balvenie 12yr DoubleWood for $36 or the 15yr for about $49 (it’s now a good $60-65 bottle of the 15yr these days).  I went into the store with the good intention of buying the DoubleWood but when I saw that I could get 3 more years worth of whisky for only $13, I jumped for it.  It’s sort of silly now that I think about…  I now feel that, for the most part, age doesn’t mean anything.  Taste does.

So, how does this stuff taste?  Well, there are two answers to that question:

A) It tastes damn good (as you’ll see in my notes below)

B) Because this is a single barrel expression, there’s a good chance that every bottle you buy could have come from a different barrel and the fluid could be more than 15yrs old (remember, an age statement with whisk(e)y is a minimum age statement), resulting in a slightly different tasting whisky each time.  This is one of the things I love the most about this Balvenie series – you get something new every time.  It’s like getting the honeymoon period of a romantic relationship in a bottle!  Cool stuff.

On to the video…  At long last (well, not that long.  It’s only been a week), we arrive at the final video of the series.  Today we are featuring Mr. David Stewart.  Yes, the David Stewart.  The man who designs and meticulously selects all of the whiskies for The Balvenie range.  David, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed and for explaining why the Balvenie 15yr is also your favorite Balvenie:

And now my review of The Balvenie 15yr Single Barrel:

On the nose – The higher ABV for this one is dead on.  Good on you, David!

Big bright fruits peaches (in white wine) & cantaloupe.

Marzipan – sharp almond notes.

Thai yellow curry & lightly buttered couscous (even getting some lime leaf here).

And floating on top of it all, those classic Balvenie honeyed notes.

On the mouth – Pure honey and citrus.

Hints of water cured ginger.

A slight brininess to this.

Great mouth feel – thick and sweet but not overly so.

The sweetness is pushed aside and now there a nice tapioca pudding quality to this.

Finish – There’s a fizziness throughout my entire mouth and lingering citrus and honey notes.

A delicious nuttiness returns (reminiscent of the marzipan note from before though, less sharp).

In sum – There’s something so elegant about The Balvenie.  While this is nice enough as an everyday drinker, I can picture myself saving it for a special evening – a nice Shabbat (the Sabbath) dram!  Wait a sec, Shabbat starts tonight!  Also, its my oldest daughter’s 4th birthday.  I think I’ll celebrate both occasions with a little Balvenie 15yr.

L’chayim!

All You Need Is Love, An everyday dram, Autumn, Balvenie, Springtime, Takin' It Easy

The Balvenie 12yr DoubleWood – a tale of two noses.

Speyside – 43%ABV – 750ml – $35-40 | £30 | €36

Balvenie week, Day #4.

Alright, we’re coming down the pike here.  Only two days left of The Balvenie week.  I’ve decided to save my favorite Balvenie whiskies for the last two days.

Here, on our fourth day, I am featuring what is quite possibly one of the best bang-for-your-buck whiskies out today.  Full, rich in character and in flavor and… for only $35-$40??  Come on.

There are other bang-for-your-buck whiskies out there and I think that the good folks over at whiskyparty.net do a great job with their top 40 whiskies under $40 series.  Check it out (then come back).

Also, as an aside and with regards to The Balvenie DoubleWood, this whisky was my good friend Gal Granov’s (Whisky Israel) gateway dram.  You can read about it here in this interview with him on chwisgi.com.

As with my other Balvenie Week posts –  before we get to my review of today’s whisky, please sit back and enjoy this exclusive video with a very special employee of The Balvenie (please note that my saying this is not meant to imply that the other Balvenie workers we’ve shown aren’t special) – today’s guest is Dennis McBain, Coppersmith for The Balvenie for nearly 51 years.  You can read more about Dennis here and here.  I am very honored that he agreed to be recorded for this series.  Dennis, thank you.

Now, my review of Dennis’ favorite Bavenie expression, the DoubleWood:

On the nose – A tale of two noses.

Initial few whiffs offer up great (though not overwhelming) sherried notes filled with chocolates & licorice.  

Better yet, chocolate covered licorice (yes, it exists).

Wine soaked raisins.

Right beside these scents I get notes of a full jar of honey and cup of vanilla tea.

Clove laden orange.

On the mouth – Succulent.

Warm.  Warming.

Chewy toffees and warm butter.

Boston baked beans (the candy coated peanuts).

More sugared nuts.

Finish – Baklava.  Walnuts.  Medium length.

In sum – A solid… let me rethink then restate this…  Beyond a “solid” whisky, it’s a must have.

Inexpensive and interesting enough to give to your guests who have the occasional whisky (perhaps this one will turn them into whisky geeks – as mentioned, that’s how it happened for Gal of Whisky Israel), complex enough for the whisky connoisseur, easy enough to be an every day drinker.

All You Need Is Love, Balvenie, Let's celebrate!, Takin' It Easy

The Balvenie 12yr Signature – Batch 2

Speyside – 43%ABV – 750ml – $36–55 (pretty big spread!) | £32 | €39

Balvenie week, day #3.

Today’s Balvenie is an interesting one.  Quite different from the others I’ve had.  When I first got into The Balvenie I reached for the 15yr Single Barrel (still my favorite Balvenie to date) then the 12yr DoubleWood, the 21yr PortWood then the 17yr Madeira Cask.

When I got my first bottle of the 12yr Signature, to be quite honest, I just did not appreciate it as I should have.  I was expecting something similar to their 12yr DoubleWood and it’s a very different whisky (if’n you ask me).  Now that I am able to sit down and actually review the stuff, I’ve got to say that I think my mind is changed on it.

Before we go to that, however, please sit back and enjoy the 3rd video in my exclusive Balvenie Employee’s favorites series.  Today I am featuring Stephen Archibald:

So, here are my official thoughts on this whisky:

On the nose – Bright nose with scents that stick to your nose as if they had little bits of velcro on them:

Unripened apricots.

Banana peels and then some pears (again, unripened).

Vanilla and flan.

Lightly buttered cream of wheat (love it!).

Some fried pineapple too.

Appetizing, yes? Yes.

On the mouth – Was hoping for a little more oomph on the palate here (maybe a higher ABV would have helped here?).

Not as upfront as I wound have expected after the nose.

However, it’s quite delicious.

A 2nd sip (with multiples chews) reveals hints of fresh brewed teas – actually, more like sun brewed tea.

Plastic shopping bags.

Mustard seed.

Then great orange blossom honey, nice.

Finish – It’s all vanilla, honey and nuts.  Something I realized after the 3rd or 4th sip I was there’s a big, strong oak backbone.

In sum – The balance with this whisky is very strong.  A solid whisky.  This is, to me, a nice aperitif type whisky.  Light and fruity – gets me hungry for dinner.  Enjoy in good company.

I’m not sure how long this deal will last but, Shopper’s Vineyard has this for only $36.99 a bottle.