Tag Archives: Honey

High West, Summertime

High West Rocky Mountain Rye 16yo vs 21yo

Park City, Utah – Both bottled at 46%ABV (or 92 proof)

What do you think of when you hear “Utah?”

Some people think of the beautiful landscape.

 

 

 

 

Some think of Mormons.

 

 

 

 
Some, Polygymists.

 

 

 

 

Me, I always thought of Crispin Glover’s character in Rubin and Ed.

(I effing LOVE that movie!)

 

 

 

 
I think it’s time to get a new image in our heads – WHISKEY!
Today I’m putting up two really nice Rye Whiskeys from Utah’s High West up against one another.  A 16yo vs a 21yo.

Who will be the victor?  Generally, I’ve always found that Victor remains the victor so let’s try to find a winner instead:

High West Rocky Mountain Rye – 16yo, 46%ABV – $80

Details on this whiskey from the High West Folks:

“This is one of the most intensely ryed rye whiskeys we’ve ever had the chance to taste. That’s because of its very unusual mash bill, which boasts 80% rye, 10% corn, and 10% barley malt. Almost all rye whiskeys on the market today contain just over 51% rye because that’s the minimum the U.S. government requires for the label to say “rye whiskey”. Distilleries today tend to use more corn because corn costs less and they think consumers don’t like rye’s spiciness. We disagree. With its high rye content, this 16-Year-Old gem is one of the most intensely flavored sipping whiskies out there.”

On the nose –  First impression? A wonderful mixture of blueberry tarts, dill weed and funyuns.

Quite the spicy drop yet honied nonetheless.

Model glue is in here too (along with the burn you get from huffing it. (Hey, I was young and impressionable.  Don’t judge me.)

Cinnamon and other, yet spices — anise seed, fennel seed & licorice.

On the mouth – Nice & satisfying mouthfeel.

Spicy… similar to what we get on the nose.

Lots of dill, honey and now some vanilla helping to balance it all out a bit.

Orange slices & clove powder.

There’s something a bit plastic & artificial feeling about this… in a good way. (Reminds me of old action figures.)

Warming and very easy going down.

Finish – Long & with orange spice toward the back of the tongue.

High West Rocky Mountain Rye – 21yo, 46%ABV – $118

Details on this whiskey from the High West Folks:

“The Federal Government term for this is “Whiskey Distilled from Rye Mash Stored 21 Years in Re-Used Cooperage.” Translation: This is very rare whiskey aged in — USED barrels. All were aged on the lower three tiers of the rickhouse. Mash bill is 53% rye, 37% corn, 10% barley malt.”

On the nose –  Much more of a shy guy as compared to the 16yo.  Lighter in color too. (Less active, refill casks here.)

After spending a bit more time with this whisky, I’m finding that the notes are similar to the 16yo.

Just a bit more subdued.

On the mouth – Some fresh yet dusty here, lively yet timid…

Fresh blueberries dance around the palate doing a two-step tinned fruits (heavy one the orange slices and pear).

After a few minutes, this one quite right up.

You know?  This is quite fantastic.

Fruits are massive and there’s a delicious underlying spice to this 21yo.

Finish – Wonderfully long & fruity with vanilla & cinnamon ribbon candies

In sum – Ding ding ding!!!  We have a winner!  The 21yo is glorious, through & through.  The 16yo is no schlub and it has retained its youthful spunk.  Both are great examples of great rye whiskey but dang, that 21yo is a cracker!!

**As a note: these older whiskeys from High West have not been distilled at their location. Rather, they have purchased this whiskey and, as you can see, are making some amazing blends from that stock. The good news for you is two fold: 1) They have a good deal of this older, purchased stock and 2) High West is also now a true distillery and has been for a few years so we should be seeing some younger stuff come from them very shortly!!**

Special thanks goes out to David Perkins and Erik Fitchett for the samples!!

An everyday dram, Summertime, Suntory - Hakushu

Hakushu Heavily Peated

Japan – 48%ABV – £64

I’m currently stuck at my “favorite” airport in Philadelphia.  I swear, it seems every time I fly through this airport I get screwed by something.  Gosh dang it.  At least I can count on it though, right?  Maybe I should be happy that I can rely on unreliable flights that go in and through the Philly airport.

It is, however, nice to commiserate the reliability of a delayed flight with your bar mate over a nice beer – even if it is 10:30am.  Don’t you feel that your having been inconvenienced on your way home warrants a beer?  I do.  Hello Dogfish Head 60 Minute!!

Misery aside, one thing I do rely on is the quality of Japanese whiskies.  While I can honestly say that I’ve only had 20-25 expressions of Japanese whisky, I can also attest to the fact that there was ever only one that I found to be unpalatable.

The whisky I am reviewing today falls easily within the “wow, this is a damn nice whisky” column.  Hakushu Heavily peated.  This is a NAS (no age statement) whisky that has been matured in ex-bourbon casks.

Special thanks goes out to Yoshi M for the sample!

Let’s give this one a go:

On the nose –  Some interesting stuff going on here: plastic air mattresses, smoked sugar, lemon whoopee pies and imperial hops – a fantastic multi-layered nose.

Let’s press on and see what else we can find:

Distant ashtrays and a good deal of pepper (green peppercorns to be specific).

Baked apples and spice, honied hot water and more lemon.  After a bit, the fruitiness really makes itself known as does some vanilla influence.

On the mouth – As expected, fantastic mouthfeel.  Oily yet lively, bright and satisfying.

In the flavor department, we’ve got all things burned – twigs, elastic waistbands (or gym socks), band-aids and scotch tape.

Antiseptic for sure but not in the way Listerine is; this whisky is really delicious.

There’s a malty (and yet, almost rice-like) quality here to and I reminded of a bit of a Hitachino Nest beer I had last year…

I chugged and finished it 18 minutes before Pesach (Passover) started; just to stay kosher 🙂

Finish – Decent length with a touch of the baked apples I got on the nose and a slight pepperiness (on the sides of the tongue).

In sum – While not as elegant or fruity as the Hakushu 12yo (one of my favorite whiskies, by the way), the extra 5% ABV points and the heavy peat levels on this whisky makes for a fun ride!  Complex and balanced, clean yet smoky, I could find myself pouring this whisky in many situations… even on a summer day (perhaps as a kiss-@$$ peated Mizuwari).

The Hakushu Heavily Peated was a limited release and not available in the US.  Thankfully, if you do want to try Hakushu and want to pop into a US store, you can find their 12yo available in the states now.

A World of Discovery, Glen Grant, Glenglassaugh, Let's celebrate!

Two of the best “Thirty-Somethings” I’ve had in 2011 – One is a 35yo Glenglassaugh and the other a 37yo Glen Grant

Before the year is out, I wanted to make sure that I post up my reviews of two of my favorite whiskies I tasted this year.  Both are in their thirties and are from a single ex-sherry cask.  The Glen Grant was bottled by Duncan Taylor back in 2007 and the Glenglassaugh is an OB and is the first in a new set of releases entitled: “The Chosen Few“.

The first bottle in "The Chosen Few" series - Ronnie chose a damn fine cask of whisky - 35yo Sherry cask

You might my mentioning a little detail about Glenglassaugh’s “The Chosen Few” series a little while back.  As a reminder (and so as to toot my own horn):

When looking to name this series of single cask bottlings, Ronnie Routledge posted a contest on the Friends of Glenglassaugh Facebook page looking for a name for the range and yours truly (that’s me, Joshua Hatton, by the way) picked the winning name:  The Chosen Few.

Even if I hadn’t had the winning name I still would have chosen this whisky as one of my favorites for 2011:

Glenglassaugh – Highland region – The Chosen Few – Ronnie Routledge – 49.6%ABV – £290 | $450

On the nose –  There’s a good mix of interesting things going on in here.  A wood paneled pantry full of powdered sweets on a hot and humid summer’s day.

Lemony sugared pinwheels (or perhaps candied lemons – I love finding this note; you should try one sometime) as well as bruised, or perhaps, overripe peaches.

Tinned pineapple, walnut shells and huge notes of juicy mango.  More tropical that I expected.

Some wisps of smoke in the background (??).

My grandparent’s afghan from their finished basement storage somewhere around 1984.

You can smell the age here but it doesn’t smell old or tired in anyway.  All of those candied notes balance off the wood panel & stored afghan scents I got (which are not bad notes at all.  Left unbalanced by the sweetness well, then it’d be a different story…).  Lovely nose.

On the mouth – Fantastic attack with a great combination of youthful fizziness (a seeming effervescence) and a strong sweetness (light fruit compote) without being cloying in anyway.

Licorice and spiced dried fruit pastries.  This is yummy,yummy, yummy stuff!!

A second sip in and I notice that the tannins kick in pretty quickly but that dryness is accompanied by some of those powder sugar candies I got on the nose (as Spock would say, Fascinating).

Finish – Spicy and long on the finish.  Wow, really long with notes of spiced berries and even some cranberry/ginger relish in there.

In sum –  Complex, intriguing and so very balanced.  Ronnie Routledge chose insanely well.  I was so sad to see my sample go.  I took my sweet time with it.  If you have the funds, I suggest you pick up a bottle and start exploring.

Special thanks goes out to Iain over at dramperday.com for the sample.  You can read his thoughts on this fine whisky right here (you’ll see that he LOVED it too).

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Glen Grant – Speyside region – 51.5%ABV – Duncan Taylor Cask # 3480 1970/2007 – $299

On the nose — Forceful nose; like a high school senior boy after the prom.

Giving this just a little time to air out will make a difference, methinks.

Bitter cherries, cherry skins & stones/pits, prunes and potpourri.

Floral and bitter and deep inside notes of heated, over-cinnamoned apple sauce.

Oak furniture, fresh potting soil and party balloons.

A nicely sherried nose showing depth and age but I’m afraid that all of those bitter notes will prove over oaken on the palate.  Let’s see…

On the mouth — I LOVE it when I’m wrong!  All sorts going on in here but let’s start off with the fact that this has a a nice oily mouthfeel from the outset.   Yes, it gets a bit dry but nowhere near as dry and oaky as I expected.  Thank G-d!

Now, on with the flavor:  Cherry Cola, honey reduction, Sweet cherry pie filling (minus the pie crust), the taste of the smell of potpourri, baked pear and solid rolled cinnamon bark.

No sign of sulphur, match sticks in this one.

Holiday brown bread and boozy raisins, walnuts and some dark chocolates.

Finish — Long, spiced, really long… warming and soothing, oak and warmed butter biscuits.

In sum — A fantastic single cask of whisky! This one surprised me.  I was truly expecting an over oaken old fuddy-duddy but no.  There’s a ton of personality and balance in here.  A well chosen cask!

Special thanks goes out to Mike W for the sample!!

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.

An everyday dram, Bruichladdich, Takin' It Easy

Bruichladdich 10yo – the new 2011 “Laddie Ten”

Islay region – 46% ABV – $45 – $55 | £32 | €45

The complaint, if there ever was one, with Bruichladdich was that there were WAY too many releases coming out of the distillery which made it difficult for people to keep track of or understand the distillery; myself included.

This is not to say that many of the releases were bad releases.  Quite the contrary!  I think the vast majority of whisky reviewers/bloggers would agree with me in saying that the bottles being churned out of the Bruichladdich distillery were, for the most part, top notch releases. Heck, I gave the Bruichladdich Blacker Still an award last year (brill-i-ant whisky!)

So why did our friends at Bruichladdich release so many whisky expressions over that past 10 years?  My guess is that they needed to generate funds to help create and launch this whisky we will be reviewing today.

Bruichladdich does not sell their whisky to blenders.  All of their 750,000 liters (per year, when run at full capacity) goes to their single malt – no blends.  So, if they can’t make money by selling malt whisky for blends, they had to sell of old stock from the previous distillery owners.  Hence, the many many releases from Bruichladdich.

We are told, however, that the frequency of these machine gun fire releases will come down now that a new 10yo expression has been released.  For Bruichladdich, the “Laddie Ten” 10yo expression is all about fresh starts and new beginnings.  New beginnings are something that I am very familiar with (*especially* as of late).  New beginnings can be good things (great things) and for Bruichladdich, they sure are.

On the nose –  A nice, delicate nose overflowing with scents of chamomile and other teas, dandelion jam with a touch of honey.

Before this, however, there was some spice right upfront and coastal notes that are almost reminiscent of a young Springbank whisky with notes of flinty soil, ozone, coastal long grasses.

A bit herbal as well but very sweet smelling overall.

On the mouth – Like a flavor punch to the mouth this whisky is… with a fantastic mouthfeel!

The flavor is very similar to what I got on the nose but there is an addition of sharp cheese in here which, combined with the sweet of the jam and honey really helps to balance it all out.  The roundness comes from a mixture of ex-bourbon & ex-oloroso sherry casks (however, the majority of the whisky in here is from ex-bourbon barrels)

Coming back after a couple of minutes and there is a huge creme brulee quality to this whisky (I’m guessing this comes from some top quality ex-bourbon casks).

Finish – Long in length with a spicy/sweet note that rides the center of my tongue like Jim Morrison’s seven mile long snake…

In sum – A solid whisky that is aggressive yet delicate.  It has a way of saying: “Hey guys – here I am.  I AM BRUICHLADDICH!”  Brilliant stuff that will have a permanent spot on my whisky shelf.  I could easily sip on this most any day.  Great job Mr. McEwan and the rest of the Bruichladdich team!!

Special thanks goes out to Shane H for the sample!!