Tag Archives: Malty

Glen Moray, Springtime, Summertime

Glen Moray 10yo Chardonnay Cask

Speyside region – 40% ABV – £25 | $39

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.

Special thanks to IA for the sample!

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.

Cold Winter, Laphroaig, Springtime, Takin' It Easy

Two Laphroaigs, both independently bottled. One from Royal Mile Whiskies the other from Signatory.

This is going to be a sort of cut-to-the-chase review.

More whisky, less preamble.

I’ve got a trip to Scotland to in a few days, lots to review and little time for posting more than notes.

So, two Laphroaigs, both independently bottled. One bottled by Royal Mile Whiskies, one by Signatory.  A death match to the finish (pun intended).

Laphroaig RMW 10yo 56.8% (this bottle is no longer available)

On the nose – Smoky and abrasive yet fruity… sort of like a fruit orchard on fire.

Lemon custard pie with a side of honeycomb cereal.

Very aggressive nose – at 56.8% I’d expect so but… it seems somehow moreish in the hot-alcohol-on-the-nose department.

Pears, cinnamon and pepper; in that order.

Lastly, some notes of tinned pineapple… Tin and all.

On the mouth– 

Not as smoky as the nose lead on.

Fresh oats and other cereals. Very malty.

Creamy attack loaded with lemons and salted, honey and butter slathered toast.

Finish – nice even, drying finish. Like licking a dry Popsicle stick or tongue depressors.

In Sum – A nice well balanced Laphroaig. Well chosen you choosers of cask! I could easily pour this on a warm summer night or a cold winter day. Sounds odd but very doable!  Actually, I’d love to taste this as beer before it becomes spirit.  I imagine it’s delicious.

Laphroaig 8yo Signatory 46% $53

On the nose – very similar, if you ask me, to the RMW version except softer (a result of the lower ABV?).

Here’s an unusual one: blueberry bramble.

Rubber gloves and other things that start with the prefix “Poly”.

On the mouth – A watered down version of the first Laphroaig.

Much sweeter, however, and less malty than the first one.

Finish – Not a dry as the previous Laphroaig and that’s too bad.

In Sum – Something tells me that this would be really nice as a cask strength Whisky.  I might have enjoyed it more if I went for this before the RMW Laphroaig. Note to self, when reviewing two whiskies side by side and one of them is cask strength and the other not… Start with the lower octane one…  That is all.

Special thanks goes out to David H for the samples!

Glenugie, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Old Malt Cask – Glenugie 1982 – 26 years old

Highland Region – Sadly, I do not know the specific cask number on this one.  However, I can tell you that this is a from a refill ex-bourbon cask – 50%ABV – £175 for cask # 4703 from The Whisky Exchange.  Update — as of 2 hours after posting this review, this bottling (cask #4703 for £175) is now sold out from The Whisky Exchange!  Joyal’s in Rhode Island has some (cask not specified) for $154 – scroll toward the bottom of the page for the listing.

GlenWHOgie?  Glenugie, that’s WHO!

Glenugie is one of those lesser known distilleries.  It was closed in 1983 (like so many other distilleries) so finding Glenugie whisky is… hard.  Here’s a quick histories lesson on Glenugie from my friends at Master of Malt:

“The site of the Glenugie distillery is just south of Peterhead, not far from the River Ugie’s convergence with the sea at Scotland’s East Coast. The distillery was built in 1831 by Donald McLeod and Co on the site of a disused windmill. In 1837, a brewery was established at the site and in 1875 the distillery passed through the hands of Highland Distillers Co Ltd who renovated it and subsequently shut down the brewery. Glenugie opened and closed several times, remaining shut for the majority of the First World War. Glenugie was acquired and reopened by Seagar Evans and Co Ltd in 1937, prior to this time it had had a long stint of silence. In 1956, Schenley Industries acquired Seagar Evans and Co and the distillery went through renovations, including the installation of a further two stills and coal power was replaced by an oil burner. In 1971, Seagar Evans was renamed Long John International and four years later the company was sold to Whitbread and Co. The Scotch whisky industry was going through a relative downturn and Glenugie was, sadly, one of many injured parties, closing, as it did, in 1983. Today the site is used by Score Group Plc and engineering company. Official bottlings are, naturally, lacking, but there have been some independent releases of Glenugie single malt whisky.”

There.  Now you are smarter than you were a minute ago.  You can thank me later (you should thank Master of Malt too).

Onto the tasting…

On the nose –  Sweet ribbon candies, flinty and a touch of salt.

Garlic and spiced kumquat.

Say what?  Yup, that’s a crazy mix-em-up but, it works nicely!

Grassy notes with a side of peaches in soaked pinot grigio.

After smelling those wine/peach notes, it’s all I can concentrate on.

On the mouth – White wine all the way.

Think slightly effervescent riesling.

Fresh lemongrass and white grape juice.

A slight breadiness to it.

Mostly though, like a high octane fruity sweet white wine.

Finish – Like a mouth full of Pop Rocks – my mouth is fizzing and popping.  I better not drink any Coke here (another reason not to mix whisky with soda!!!)

In sum – Refreshing.  Pleasing.  Summery.  It’s that simple (if you’ve got a spare £175 lying around).

Special thanks goes out to Aron Silverman for the sample!

All You Need Is Love, An everyday dram, Springtime, Suntory - Hakushu

Suntory Hakushu 12yo – G-d Bless you!

Japan – 43%ABV – £46 | €54

“Hakushu!”

“G-d bless” said a kind yet unknowing man.  We’ll call him… “Kevin”.  He thought I sneezed when I said Hakushu.  No, that was not a sneeze.  It was me yelling out the name of a Suntory whisky that, with hope, will be available in America this year.

“Kevin” is your typical American who, when it comes to whisk(e)y only thinks of Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels, Dewars or Southern Comfort… he has never heard of Japanese whisky.  In fact, if you told him that the Japanese produced whisky, he’d most likely remark, “Japanese whisky?!  I never knew the Japanese made Scotch!!”

Just the facts ma’am —

Only the Scots make Scotch.  Simple fact.  Scotch is a whisky.  Bourbon is a whiskey.  Rye whiskey is, you guessed is a whiskey.  And Japanese whisky is… whisky!  Silly do-do American (sorry to all of my compatriots!)!!

What’s my point here?  Oh yeah, I love Japanese whisky and I find it really frustrating that there is so little of it readily available in the US.  The good news, as I mentioned above, is that Suntory will be bringing Hakushu to the states very soon.  Currently we can enjoy Hibiki (a blended Japanese whisky; the 21yo made my Best Whisky tasted in 2010 award) and Yamazki which is a single malt.  Both are Suntory whiskies.

Hopefully, sometime soon, we’ll get Nikka whisky here in the US.  Until then Suntory’s got our backs.

A special thanks goes out to Yoshi M for the generous sample!

On the nose — Initial reaction: fruity, spicy, grapey, floral, malty and a touch of smoke.

Let’s break it out a bit though… I think we have a case of which came first, the chicken or the omelet.

Many aspects fighting to the fore such as mango and green apple (predominantly).

The floweriness is lovely here too (a bit of jasmine).

This is honeyed as well with a bit of vanilla.

Spiced gum drops.

Lemongrass and black raisins.

Nice and malty.

On the mouth — Much like the nose except there’s a smoked & spiced nuttiness here.

Very malty, gobs of malt – smoked malt (I must stress – this is not an overly smokey whisky).

Fruits abound (they’re all up in this shit)!

Think crabapples and green apple pie.

Smokey still though not overbearing… it’s balancing out the sweet and spice, right nice.

Finish — The finish is all on jasmine tea and spice.

In sum — A wonderfully balanced whisky that can and will hold it’s own against many Scotch whiskies.  This is perfect as an aperitif or as a mid-day dram.  I’m looking forward to this being available in the US.  It’s a keeper, an everyday dram for sure.