A mixture of Speyside & Highland region whiskies – 47.3%ABV – $175
The video below was recovered at the end of last week, one month after my trip to Antarctica.
Found by the Antarctican police (also known as Intersouthpol) and then released by the Antarcticaian natives, the video is here for your viewing pleasure.
This video is my review of the second release of Shackleton whisky or, Whyte and Mackay’s Mackinlay’s replica whisky:
If you’re interested in my written review, I was able to save enough of the liquid to write down my notes.
They are as follows:
On the nose — Flinty, coastal and smelling of goarse flowers (?) and then more earthy wild flowers. Biscuity and touches of lemon water, cold sweet cream butter.
Maltiness that verges on a Belgian beer (*verges*, it’s not quite there).
Very briny and notes of crushed pineapples abound!
On the mouth — Massive smoke, lemons bars, fig newtons minus the fig.
Still malty and with a great mouth feel.
Oddly sweety and peaty (the sweetness, like the first release) reminds me of Pop Rocks (maybe it’s the zippy feel on the sides of my tongue).
This is a great winter-warmer-upper! Briny still and the oily mouth feel makes my mouth happy.
Finish — Lasting, zesty.
In Sum — A fine, fine whisky. I’ve said this before but, if Richard Paterson got it right in his replication (and if anyone could, it’d be him), then the original Mackinlay’s whisky was a cracker!
call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength: he accepted the challenge
a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities.
Today I was challenged to taste and review whiskies from distilleries I’ve had little, if any, experience with: Fettercairn and Royal Lochnagar.
While I can say with 100% confidence that my physical strength has not been challenged in any way, my nose and palate surely were. Very few people can say they have had whiskies from these from these distilleries and I think I’ve had maybe one whisky from either of these producers.
Fettercairn only recently started releasing whiskies (Fior, a 24, 30 and 40yo) and Royal Lochnagar has a 12yo expression but is mostly used in blends such as Johnnie Walker Blue.
As with all Old Malt Cask bottlings we’re looking at the single cask (yet diluted to 50% ABV).
The provenance of the casks is a bit elusive. They are both ex-hogsheads but the first liquid held in them is unknown as both are 2nd or 3rd fill.
Both whiskies are very light in color.
Let’s dig in and see if I’m up to the challenge!
Old Malt Cask 16yo Fettercairn 50%ABV Single Cask
On the nose – A affront of dusty, sugary lemon flavored American Smarties.
Public pay phones (the smell of the receiver to be exact). Dungeons and Dragons dice. For those of you that don’t the smells of either of those previous examples, think of clean and hard plastics. Not rubbery and pungent but clean and plastic-y.
Green and unripened apples and maybe some watermelon pith. Quite unique.
On the mouth – This one actually tastes exactly like the smell so I’m going to focus on the texture:
Very oily, coating the center of the tongue and zapping the sides of the tongue and cheeks forcing my mouth to water profusely.
Finish – Drying and growing with white pepper-like spice then, drops suddenly.
In sum – This is very much an aperitif whisky, something to welcome friends with. It’s not overly complex but it is enjoyable.
Old Malt Cask 14yo Royal Lochnagar 50%ABV Single Cask
On the nose – Very much an elusive whisky.
You shy pup, come out and play! Ok, ok… I’ll be a bit patient here. (taps fingers, looks at the clock, checks email, posts something cheeky on Facebook…).
Alright. Are you ready for me now, little whisky?
Well, there’s some apple cider vinegar but it’s light in scent. Some malt grist but again, light.
Wait a mo, now you rear your head (did I mention I love that term?). Freshly skinned English cucumbers in Saran Wrap. Cucumber yogurt sauce (aka Raita).
On the mouth – Much like the Fettercairn, this is candied like American Smarties. More apple-like in flavor than lemon-like but there is some lemon in here now that I swish it about.
Tinned fruit cups with a focus on the tin.
Lightly oaked and just a touch of sandalwood. This is almost gin like (minus any juniper).
Finish – Very short finish but drying as well.
In sum – Much like the Fettercairn this whisky is one to start your evening with. It’s way too delicate to have after a meal or other drams.
Special thanks to all of the wonderful people at ISW for their help and samples!
Crack that whip / Give the past the slip / Step on a crack / Break your momma’s back
When a problem comes along
You must whip it
Before the cream sits out too long
You must whip it
When something’s going wrong
You must whip it
Now whip it, Into shape, Shape it up, Get straight, Go forward, Move ahead, Try to detect it, It’s not too late, To whip it. Whip it good.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Devo as much as the next guy. In fact, I likely love Devo way more than the next guy and think their music is quite genius but man, these lyrics go on and on and I never got them (but love the ever living snot out of the song).
I’m such a Devo-geek that as soon as I heard what Glenglassaugh was calling their 2nd bottling, Evolution, I thought of Devo. (Who, by the way, got their band name from the concept of De-evolution – “the idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind has actually begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society“.)
Whatevs – rock and roll!!
And now, perhaps my favorite version of The Rolling Stones “Satisfaction”:
Ok, enough with my love of the Devo, let’s get on with my new found love of the Evo(lution)!
On the nose – Another “confident” whisky here.
To start, a great and somewhat forceful interplay between churned butter, oodles of butterscotch and fresh white grapefruit.
Heaps of white pepper and vanilla wrapped in saran wrap and all warmed up (yes, this is a warming nose).
Did I mention butterscotch? Yes, I did. Just above. It’s well worth another mention though…
On the mouth – Perhaps it should have been called “Explosion.” This dram bursts with that now classic Next-Gen Glenglassaugh fruity character.
It is, however, tempered quite well with the very Tennessee oak characteristics of vanilla, honey and spice.
Light malt laden flavors now and back again with white pepper and a bit of that grapefruit I got on the nose.
Oh. So. Butterscotchy.
Medium oil-like texture with some citrus zing on the sides of the tongue.
Finish – Heavy wood spice, toasted oak, long and slightly bourbony.
In sum – I bought a bottle the day it hit the Glenglassaugh store. I had to have it. Glenglassaugh matured in George Dickel barrels? No brainer.
I obviously wanted to do a formal review of the whisky but went through half the bottle before I took actual notes (mainly because I just wanted to enjoy the whisky without dissecting it). Like George Dickel, this is great sippin’ whisky. Perfect for sitting on your porch or deck and letting the hours pass by…
Normally I do not like to mix cigars with my malts but I imagine this would go quite well with a cigar. Perhaps a mild bodied one.
Yet another interesting release from Glen Moray; a 10yo single malt matured exclusively in ex-chardonnay barriques.
I’ve got to hand it to Glen Moray, they have no problem releasing some more off-the-beaten-track whiskies – the single chenin blanc cask as an example.
While others are finishing (many with great success) in ex-wine casks, Glen Moray is releasing full maturation versions these ex-wine casked whiskies.
This is bottled at 40% ABV (remember my admitting my whisky-snobbery regarding 40% ABV in my last Glen Moray post? – that one bottled at 60.7% ABV). Let’s see what happens and if my snobbishness prevails or the whisky:
On the nose — Triple S – Sweet, sugared and supple. Sugary chamomile tea with lemon wedges.
It’s funny how I find most chardonnay wines to be over-oaked and find this one not to be overtaken by oak in any way.
Corn Pops cereal with paperboard box and all.
Bonkers fruit chews and other taffy like candies.
On the mouth — Slightly less sweet to taste with a lovely malted backbone.
Lemon log cake.
Sweetened butter and lemony honey (watered down). Simple syrup.
More that of that chamomile tea and even a touch of white tea (Cloud Mist to be exact). Actually a bit salty after a couple of minutes. Interesting.
Finish — Drying toward the back of the mouth with jujyfruit-like sweetness.
In sum — This is going to sound terribly sexist but, this is a whisky for the ladies.
I say this knowing full well that more than 60-70% of the the women that come to my local tasting events prefer big, peaty whiskies.
I say this knowing that I love, love, love a good martini cosmopolitan.
I say this knowing that I love “chick-flicks” and have no issues weeping on cue.
Like the perfect mixture of bon-bons and the latest episode of General Hospital – this one is sweet, comforting and somehow indulgent.
On the nose — Flinty, coastal and smelling of goarse flowers (?) and then more earthy wild flowers. Biscuity and touches of lemon water, cold sweet cream butter.
On the mouth — Massive smoke, lemons bars, fig newtons minus the fig.
