Tag Archives: Indian Spices

Inchgower, Weymss Malts

Weymss Malt “The Dunes.” A 29yo single cask of Inchgower.

 

Highlands region – 46% ABV

Weymss is sort of a new bottler for me.  Sure, I’ve heard of them but I’ve only had one of their releases until now.  That one, btw, was the Smooth Criminal Gentleman I reviewed with the one and only Malt Impostor(s).

The Weymss line of single casks all seem to be diluted down to 46% ABV rather than bottled at cask strength.  While I tend to be a fan of cask strength whiskies (especially with single cask), I can understand some of the reasons to bottling at a lower ABV.  Primarily, and from the customer perspective, a lower ABV can make whisky a little more approachable to the person just getting into whisky.

So, let’s see what this single cask has to offer.

On the nose — Brittle flat bread.

Sort of like poppadum.

Lots of bright notes but all seemingly restrained: lemon wedges, salted green apples, citrus infused honey.

Jaffa cake bread (less the chocolate).

On the mouth — Whoa, this is some exotic stuff!

Buttered naan.

Candied butter (if there were ever such a thing).

A host of light Indian spices, sweet verging on savory but not savory at all.

Imagine a bake shop (breads and sweets) and a Nepalese restaurant were combined.  That’d be this.

Exotic and foodie and surprisingly different than most whiskies out there.

Finish — A touch of spice and lavender (?).  Decent length.

In sum —  It is whiskies such as this one that makes me LOVE the single cask.  This whisky is like a spotlight on the odd, unique and lovely.  A whisky well worth your time and consideration.  This is a mid-summer whisky, one reserved for drinking in the heat with some ice water on the side.

Balvenie, Takin' It Easy

Balvenie 25yo Single Cask bottled at 46.9%ABV

Speyside – 46.9%ABV – 750ml – $404 (wowza! This was originally about £100/$200 when it was first released 5 years ago)

It’s not secret that I’m a fan of The Balvenie.  I’ll be headed there as part of the JSMWS tour this month and have been counting down the days until my arrival there.  I was hoping to meet up with Mr. Sam Simmons while I’m out there but sadly, we’ll be missing one another.

In case you missed my video series on The Balvenie (special thanks goes out, once again to Sam on that one), you can check them out here.

The Balvenie has always nailed it with the 15yo single cask series, let’s see what another 10 years and an added $350 dollars does for this whisky…

On the nose — Lemony goodness right up front.

Indian cooking spices; turmeric and a breath of cumin.

This is a nice bourbon fresh nose.  Oaky, honey, tangerines.  Fresh cotton.  Pineapple and mangoes.  Ripe banana.  Banana peel. I’m almost getting some blue raspberry in there.   This list goes on and on…

Pears, bruised macintosh apples.

This is all rounded out by what seems to be lightly salted peanuts (the smell, not the taste).

On the mouth –– Hot and clean (an oxymoron in the adult film community).

Malty.  Tannic.  Limes.

So far, I enjoyed the nose much more…  Let’s take a break, maybe add a bit of water…

Water calms this one down quite a bit.

Cooked sugar and orange butter.  Malty.  Insanely clean and fresh.

Dried apricots.  Toasted coconut.  Creme brulee.

Finish — Hot, long finish filled with banana, honey and a touch of apple.

In sum — Oh, you tease!  The nose was brilliant.  I can not stress that enough.  The flavor of the whisky was a bit too shy but water woke her up just enough to make it all worth while.  While normally I prefer a higher ABV, I think this one benefited with the addition of water.  This is a watch-your-kids-play-in-the-sandbox-on-a-cool-summer’s-day type of dram.  I’m not sure I know what that means but perhaps it’s the mix of parental pride and relaxation.

Special thanks goes out to Sam Simmons for the sample (sorry it took me so damn long to post on this one!!)

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.