Tag Archives: Limes

Penderyn, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Two Penderyn Expressions – Sherry & Madeira Wood

This is the Sherry Wood bottling
This is the Madeira Wood bottling

Wales – both whiskies are bottled at 46%ABV – Sherry Wood can be had for £36 | $70 | €41 – Madeira Wood can be had for £36 | $70 | €41

Shame on me.

I’ve had these two whiskies reviewed for sometime now and, for the life of me, I could not locate any of my notes.  I consider myself fairly organized and to misplace my notes pissed me off…  just a bit.

Luckily, they have now been found so I can stop kicking myself in the arse.

Also lucky for me (and for you), posting the review of these two whiskies right now is perfect for the season as I found them to be fairly light and refreshing.

They’re a bit odd as well but hey, that’s a good thing.  I quite enjoy trying whiskies from different regions and countries as they help to challenge what you think you know about whisky on the whole.  Look around the the world-wide-interwebs and you will find reviews of Penderyn that run the gamut.  From delicious to not-so-delicious.  You’ll find it all.

What I ask of you is that you go into to this (or any whisk(e)y that is new to you) with an open mind.  There are a lot of bourbon people out there who hate Scotch whisky; and vice versa.  We all need to get out of our comfort zone and try to learn a bit.  The following is my blinders-off-assessment of these two Penderyn whiskies and I’m glad that I went in without any preconceived notions as, in the end, I quite liked these whiskies.

Penderyn Madeira Wood

On the nose — Wafts of juniper; fresh & bright.  Grinning a grin and stinking of gin.

Light with limes and white flesh peaches soaking in fine muscato wine.

Burning leaves in the springtime – I imagine myself as a little boy using a magnifying glass to light said leaves (this is not smoky in anyway, mind you.  The aroma is just bringing back memories).

Far off scents of the railroad.

On the mouth — Light and almost grain-like in flavor (like an aged grain whisky).

Very one-sided with its light quality and bright, sweet citrus notes (think lime leaf and fizzy like seltzer with lime).

Thinnish in mouthfeel.

A touch of honey.  Actually, a good amount of honey as we near the finish line.

Finish — Lots of cereal notes – very malty all of the sudden.  Honey covered muesli.

In sum —  A summery whisky that can be applied to any social situation.  I can see a lot of blend drinkers liking this one.  Light, sweet, fairly balanced and, simply approachable by anybody.

Penderyn Sherry Wood

On the nose — Similar to the lightness I got on the Madeira Penderyn except there’s no juniper.

It’s all on dark chocolate covered, raspberry nougat chews (if you can imagine a light version of that).

Rain puddles and sidewalk chalk.

It’s got a bite-y little nose on it too; prickily-dickily-doo.

Big-ass bails of hay.

On the mouth — Viscous mouthfeel with a very sherried influence.

Not ooey, sweet and cloying like some sherry bombs; fairly well integrated.

Fruit marmalades (grapefruit, orange and lime).

Thick and chewy but oh so light and brisk in flavor.

Finish — Slightly nutty and tannic (think halved walnuts).  Faint notes of rye (?).

In sum —  More complex than the Madeira version yet still light and easy going.  Like the Madeira, I can picture myself pouring this in a very social setting where both whisky snobs and whisky noobs are hanging out – a easy pleaser.

Special thanks to Luke at Penderyn for the samples!

Arran, Autumn, Springtime

Arran 8yo Single Sherry Cask #1536, bottled by Arran

Islands region – 59.3%ABV – Somewhere around $75

Spring is here, spring is here!!

G-d damn it if this winter didn’t beat the crap out of me (and anyone else living in the North East of the good ‘ol US of A).

I kid you not when I tell you that at one point this winter we had a snow bank at the end of our driveway that was higher than 10 ft (for those folks who use the metric system, that’s a shit tonne of centimeters!).  Storm after storm, foot after foot of snow, shovel after shovel, vertebrae after vertebrae breaking work… Oy.

Thankfully, the storms of 2010/early 2011 are now a not-to-distant memory and we can (I can) finally move on.  Passover, for us, brought about a good deal of spring cleaning (inside & out of the house) which is still going on but, it feels fantastic!  The warm sun hitting this t-shirted bloke feels right good!

The flowers are popping, there’s a new scent in the air brought about by the various flora that surrounds my woodsy/swampy area.  A combination of scents, really — Wafts of skunk cabbage, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, dandelions, pollen (times a gazillion), chainsaw oil, armpit sweat, sunblock… it’s all in the air and it’s LOVELY!

Spring has a good way of making one feel anew.  I don’t know about you but all winter long I felt as if I was just doing what I could to survive through it.

Like a snake, the spring time allows you to feel as if you can shed the recent past and start again with new skin.  Maybe this year will be different, somehow better than last year.  That, of course, is not something you can just hope on.  You have to work to make that come true.  But perhaps the feeling of this new season might help to give you that strength.  Forge ahead, embrace life and cling on (Klingon) to the unexpected for it’s what helps us all to live.  Not survive but live.

Arran single sherry cask #1536:

Color — Oversteeped tea with a slight ruby hue to it.  Lighter than expected given the fact that this has spent all it’s life in a sherry cask (2nd fill perhaps?).

On the nose — Fragrant, flowery, salty and slightly dusty and woody (sort of like an old church pew type note).

Actually, the more I nose it the more dust I detect.  Really dusty stuff…

Fruity too (think red plum without the tart).

Chocolate covered raisins.

On the mouth — Very juicy entry, nice hot attack without losing the flavor.

Think of a red fruit and, it’s in there.

This is insanely sweet and fruity.

None of the dust I got on the nose.

Notes of lime and even a touch of mint (a fun little combination of flavors).

A very different sherry matured whisky profile.

Finish — Lots of lime of the finish – like a lime ricky.  Very long.

In sum — The fruits and raisins on the nose were nice but I found the dusty element to be almost overpowering.  It’s all about the taste and finish with this one.  Flavorwise, this was delicious; one to enjoy with an assortment of desserts.  If you’re going to go sweet, go all the way baby!

A World of Discovery, Longrow, Summertime

Longrow 10yr 100 proof

Campbeltown region – 57% ABV – $90 | £41 | €49

Starting tomorrow I will begin a kosher whisky series (in celebration of the Jewish new year).  Before that series started, I wanted to end this year with one of the better Campbeltown malts out today – Longrow 10yr 100 proof.

Longrow, for those who do not know, is Campbeltown’s heavily peated whisky.  If you’ve not yet tried a whisky from Campbeltown, that needs to change, STAT.  Maybe this can be your first.

On the nose — I initially purchased this whisky because of Dr. Whisky’s notes on it and I have to say that, with regards to the nose on this one, I agree with him — Salt n’ peppa, limes and Thai food (specifically Ming Com – good Thai places will have this dish but most, likely will not have it on their menu).

Lemons.

Salted grapefruits.

Fantastic peat smoke backbone that many may miss.

On the mouth — Vanilla bean ice cream.

Saltier than most Campbeltown malts I’ve had – wow (I can almost feel the salt crystals growing on my teeth – an obvious exaggeration but, damn, this is salty stuff)!

Orange creamsicle minus the orange.

Thick-ooey-and-chewy whisky goodness.

Earthy smokey notes.

Finish — Looonnnggg, this whisky has staying power (the Dirk Diggler of  Scotch whisky).

In sum — Fun and bright.  A great summery aperitif whisky that is unlike most whiskies out there.  If you want something that’s not the hum-drum, seek this out.  This is also one of those great “hey, check this one out” type whisky like, perhaps, the Master of Malt 26yr Bowmore.  Not due to flavor, due to uniqueness.

Glenglassaugh, Refreshed, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Glenglassaugh Fledgling XB – A 1yr old ex-bourbon barrel spirit drink

Highland Region – 50%ABV – 200ml – $29.99

So far we’ve tasted the Glenglassaugh Clearac (new make spirit) and their Peated Clearac.  Today we’re going to fast forward one year with the Clearac.  The Fledgling XB Glenglassaugh spirit drink is their Clearac matured for one year in an ex-bourbon barrel.

So, what should we expect from one year’s worth of maturation?  Tough to say.  I’ll be very honest is stating that, with the exception of young American malt whiskeys, I’ve yet to try very young Scotch malt spirits.

I would hope for some nice bourbon barrel influence such as coconuts and vanilla.  Perhaps an accentuated sweetness as well.

Let’s see what we find:

On the nose – Still very “new-makey”.

Well, it’s only one year old so this stuff is still in diapers.

Much fruitier on the nose than the Clearac — Pears and green apple.

Some notes now suggesting actual bourbon barrel maturation: coconut, vanilla and some sweet corn (slight).

Big grapefruit notes.

Burning plastic.

In that order.

On the mouth – Ooey-gooey new make spirit with a side of sweetened coconut milk.

Wrigley’s bubble gum wrappers.

G-d, that sounds awfully pretentious.

Sorry folks.

Limes and lime leaves.

Finish – Shortly medium and very, very pleasant.

In sum – As opposed to the Clearac & Peated new make spirits, I could actually find myself reaching for this on occasion just to enjoy as a bright clean drink.

To see Jason of Guid Scotch Drink’s notes, click here.

Angry, Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich X4+3

Islay region – 63.5%ABV – 700ml bottle (not available through US stores) – £49 | €58

E=MC2 | a2 + b2 = c2 | ei∏ = -1 | Ax = b <—– what does it all mean?  Perhaps Bruichladdich’s X4+3 can help us solve problems such as these (or at least get us tipsy enough so as we just don’t give a rat tuckas about it…).

The Bruichladdich X4+3 is a damn interesting… whisky?  Hmmm, let’s see.

Ok, before I begin, please know that I am not one for the technicalities.  Actually, scratch that.  I LOVE geeking out on all of the technical ins-and-outs of…pretty much anything, but, ESPECIALLY whisky (oh yeah, and guitar effects pedals).  I just don’t like writing on these subjects.  Too many damn words.  I will, however, try to summarize some techy stuff for you and hope that I get it all right[ish].

Most whiskies (be they Scotch, American, Japanese, Welsh, Swedish, etc, etc…) are distilled twice, two and a half times or three times.  That’s just how it is folks.  Almost all Scotch whisky is distilled twice (The Campbeltown whisky “Springbank” is distilled 2.5 times and Hazelburn distills 3 times).  The Irish, for the most part distill 3 times and it’s a bit of a mixture here in the US.

The good folks over at Bruichladdich thought that they’d go and one-up everyone by quadruple distilling their spirit (unpeated spirit) then age it for 3 years in both ex-bourbon and French oak barrels.

So, 4x distilled, aged three years (X4+3… get it?  Good.).

On top of this, the spirit that goes into the barrels is corked at 90%ABV (feck!).  The average is in the 60’s (63.5 – 67% – average.  Though, some may say otherwise).

Is this the best example of “mine is bigger than yours” or what?

Truth be told, this process is nothing new and the Bruich’laddies are not trying to one-up anybody.  This process of quadruple distilling goes back hundreds of years but has not been mimicked until present date.  The earliest mention of it was back in 1695 by Martin Martin.  He explained the drinking of this type of spirit as such: “…The first taste affect all the members of the body.  Two spoonfuls of this last liquor is a sufficient dose; and if ANY man should exceed this, it would presently stop his breath and endanger his life.”

G-d, I’m getting thirsty!

So, is this or is this not whisky?  Re-cap: traditional whisky is 2-3 times distilled, poured into barrels at 63.5% ABV.  The X4+3 is quadruple distilled and poured into barrels at 90%ABV…

Eh, screw it.  Let’s just taste this stuff.

On the nose – Powerfully strong and filled with limes, grapefruit, strawberries and rocket fuel.

I’m actually getting some grape lollypops and cranberry juice here.

Not as chemically as I expected but powerfully spirited!  Candied fruits.

With water — Peppery (think scotch bonnet – sweet and feckin’ hot as $hit), gooseberries, toy model glue.

On the mouth – Bent plastic superheroes, He-man toys and Transformers (More Than Meets The Eye™).

**Loads** of poached pears with touch of cinnamon.

With water — All of the focus is on those poached pears.  Straight forward but now getting duo-dimensional as some malty notes reared their head(s).

I liked it more without water when I got those plasticy notes along-side the pear notes.

Great mouth feel with water.

Finish – The first three layers of skin in my mouth have been removed but, I’m cool with that.

In sum – This is one to bring out to parties to say, “Hey guys/gals… check this out!”.  It’s beats huffing glue, that’s for sure!

All joking aside, I would never reach for this.  However, the X4+3 is a damn interesting dram and one that may work quite well with the mixologists out there (what, with all the fruits and high alcohol content).  Also, kudos to Bruichladdich for doing something that has not been done for centuries, bottling it and marketing it.  That’s brass balls baby!