Tag Archives: Mint

Macallan

Macallan 13yr Single Cask – Bottled for the SMWSA – Cask number 24.111

Speyside region – 59.7%ABV – 750ml bottle – Exclusive Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America

I am a proud new member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America (from here on out to be referred to as SMWSA).  I’ve got a few friends who’ve been members for a while now and I was going back and forth; should I join? shouldn’t I join?, etc…

For those of you unfamiliar with the society, the SMWSA is the American arm of the parent society based in Leith, Scotland.  Every month they offer up new exclusive whiskies to their members.  Whiskies you can find NOWHERE else and they are all Single Cask, Cask Strength expressions.  Their whiskies come from over 125 different distilleries (Most are Scottish distilleries but they now include Japanese expressions such as Yamazaki, Nikka and Hakushu).

Back to my becoming a member — again, I was really hemming and hawing over whether or not to join the society.  YES I would have access to these great whiskies but hey, there’s a membership fee involved…  It wasn’t until I started talking to, and began reading reviews from, my fellow whisky blogger Jason of Guid Scotch Drink that I decided to bite the bullet and join.  This is perhaps the tastiest bullet I’ve ever bitten.

For information on the SMWSA including their current whiskies and how to join in on the fun, click here.  If you are outside of the US, click here for international branches.

The first bottle I got from the SMWSA was a 13yr Macallan which was matured in a first fill sherry butt (tee-hee… when will I get past the whole ‘laughing at the word “butt”‘ thing?  Never, me thinks).  This is high octane killer whisky!

On the nose – A word to the wise: give this whisky some time to breathe.  It was bottled at 59.7%ABV so it’s… strong stuff.  It’ll trim your nose hairs if you let it.

After a good 10 minutes, this beauty (and, it IS a beauty) opens up like a lotus flower.  Indian food galore!  Mango chutney, heavy on the ginger.  A hint of green mint sauce with a nice amount of spice.

Then some nice balsamic vinaigrette notes with a side of green plastic toy soldiers.  Banana nut bread, banana peel.  Bananarama.

On the mouth – Sour and spicy cabbage (think Kim Chee) and salted nut mix.

Tremendous mouth feel – chewy but, oh so drying and in a really good way (sherry wine tannins, hard at work).

Nutty goodness.

Finish – Wow, all of those great nuts (think stale filbert minus the saltiness I detected earlier) and bananas keep coming back up; over and over, it’s near endless.

In sum – Quite brilliant, really.  There is so much going on here to occupy my brain and senses but, at the same time, I could find myself easily sipping on this one without even thinking about it.  Scary that a whisky at 59.7% ABV could be an everyday drinker for me!  This whisky made the top place in the SMWSA’s “President’s Choice” list of the April outturn and I can see why.  Fabulous.

Kosher spirits, Refreshed, Siembra Azul, Summertime, Takin' It Easy, Tequilas

Siembra Azul Tequila “Blanco”

Jalisco, Mexico (Highlands Region) – 40%ABV – 750ml – $35

WARNING & DISCLAIMER – this tequila is certified as “Kosher” but not “Kosher for Passover”

Even though it’s not K for P certified I thought I should list both the fermentation process as well as the aging process as I can not see why this would not be K for P:

Fermentation Process — “The agave juice is extracted into a large vat where it is fermented with the same “prisse de mousse” yeast used in the fermentation of Champagne. Throughout this delicate slow fermentation process, Siembra Azul is gently serenaded around the clock by the sounds of Vivaldi and Mozart, in a sophisticated technique known as “serenading” the tequila. The soothing rhythms and gentle vibrations is thought to have a positive effect on the living yeast cultures, and helps to produce a smooth, mellow tasting tequila.” (I wonder what would happen if they played some Kimono Draggin’ during the process…)

Aging — “Before bottling, Siembra Azul’s Reposado and Añejo rest in virgin American White Oak “medium toast” barrels from the Ozarks in Missouri. These barrels were selected bcause of the impact the virgin oak from this region has on the flavor profile of Siembra Azul. The Reposado is aged for 3 months and the Añejo rests in these barrels for 12-36 months. The Añejo is bottled when the Master Distiller feels it is at its prime” (This is the “Blanco” which, correct if I’m wrong, does not spend much time, if any, in a barrel.)

Seems good to me – I’m moving on.  Before I do, here’s some more info on this fine tequila (and, it is a very fine tequila, worth more than the price I paid for it):

Quick Description of Siembra Azul — “Siembra Azul, meaning “blue harvest”,  is created in the town of Arandas, Mexico from only the finest blue agave. This premium quality spirit is different because more agave is used per bottle. The agave is also allowed to mature longer, which gives it a rich, pronounced flavor. To preserve this flavor, Siembra Azul is bottled by hand in specially designed bottles with air-tight metal caps.  High quality ingredients combined with the creator’s attention to detail has resulted in a truly exceptional spirit.”

Sounds appetizing, right?  Lets go!

On the nose – Mint – right off the bat, tobacco, lemonade, gingerbread man cookies, maybe ginger snaps, it noses more like a malt than it does a tequila, oaky (which is strange if this did not spend time in a barrel.  Perhaps it’s a natural flavor from the agave?)

Palate — Black pepper (am I tasting salt too?), back to the mint and spiced tobacco (like licking an unlit cigar wrapper – “Roam” Acid Cigar to be specific), back to the citrus, this time it’s more orangey – Mineola Oranges (sweet and tart)

Finish – Peppery, lasting, citrus, more pepper

In sum – What a nice little break from whisk(e)y.  This is really getting me ready for summer.  While I am tasting this at room temperature, this would be quite nice chilled.  Not sure I would ruin it with a lime but, if I wanted to make a bad cocktail taste good, I’d add this for sure.  Out of the way Cuervo, Patron, there’s a new tequila in town!  YUM!

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Glenmorangie, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime

Glenmorangie Quarter Century

Highlands region – 43%ABV – 700ml bottle $750 | £190 | €223

I was hoping to do three ti-pity-top shelf whisky reviews before Passover (the Laphroaig 30yr, The Glenmorangie Quarter Century and one other) but, for many reasons, plans have changed and I am only able to do the two.

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of the current Glenmorangie range.  I think it’s nothing short of brilliant (with an exception or two; I’ll get to that in a later post).  If you’ve stayed away from Glenmorangie in past years, now may be a time to return as they seem to have been born anew.

Today, I will be exploring Glenmorangie’s top dog – The Quarter Century.  Twenty Five years of maturation for this fine-ass fluid.  This whisky has been matured in an array of barrels: Bourbon, Sherry Butts (tee-hee :), my inner 9 year old always chuckles when I see the word butt) and Burgundy Casks.  This being the case, you can imagine that there’s going to be some depth and complexity to this whisky.

Let’s find out:

On the nose — Even at 43%, my nose is getting a little tickled (and I pride myself on having a nose of steel), refreshing, quite the fruit basket – melon, quite some apricot (G-d damn, I love smelling the apricot in a whisky and this is just so, so nice), honeyed toast, a slight whiff of smoke (ever so slight but there nonetheless), a dash of salt (maybe salted macadamia nuts?), jammed fruits, plums & prunes – where’s my rye toast right now – I don’t want to drink this, I want to eat this.

Palate — Oh, wow.  Really wow.  Succulent & lush, quite minty (not the full flavor of mint but the cooling effects of mint), thick creamy honey, almonds, my mouth feels like it’s wearing a hand knit whisky sweater – warming, yet cooled by the mint – quite paradoxical.

Finish — Ever so slight smoke creeps back with a bit of oak and vanilla, honey and back to some of the fruits – now some ginger??  If I didn’t have the natural reflex to swallow, I could keep this whisky in my mouth forever.

In sum — Tasting this reminded me of the time my friend Jeff tasted the Ardbeg Uigeadail.  We were at Whisky Fest in NYC and I brought him to the Ardbeg booth and he tried the 10yr, Corryvreckan, Supernova and the Beist.  Then, they poured him some of that ever so special Uigeadail and he paused for a moment and said, “Josh, I think I just found out why I was born”.

While the Uigy & Glenmorangie Quarter Century are WORLDS APART, I can say I had a moment just like that tasting this stuff.

This is the type of stuff that you break out when your kids graduate from college, become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, when that mother-in-law you hate passes (if applicable) ;)– in other words, enjoy this at the most special of occasions.

You know, after having this stuff (and re-reading what I just wrote above), I was reminded of a great scene in Pineapple Express where James Franco’s character was explaining to Seth Rogan’s character exactly what Pineapple Express was.  Here’s the pot version of the Glenmo Quarter Century for me (Disclaimer: I do not smoke, nor do I promote the smoking of marijuana, I just dig stoner flicks and this scene is awesome!):

Autumn, Cragganmore, Need To Bundle Up, Springtime, Takin' It Easy

Cragganmore 1992 Distiller’s Edition (Double Matured in Port Casks)

Speyside – 40%ABV – 750ml bottle – $58-80 (seriously, where are all of these spreads coming from??) | £35 | €40

Not sure if you’ve seen it yet but Jason of WHISKYhost just posted a stellar review of the Cragganmore 10yr Cask strength.  If you have not, check it out now, then come back for my review of Cragganmore’s 1992 Distiller’s Edition.

The standard 12yr Crag’ is such a cracker of a dram.  The price is right (about $40USD) and I’d say it’s just an all-around-great-everyday-dram.  I read a review somewhere whereas the Crag’ 12yr was referred to as “the little dram that could”.  While I can appreciate the loving note on the Crag’ 12, “little” is not really be applicable to Cragganmore…

Wait a sec, I’m reviewing the 1992 Distiller’s Edition, right?  Ok, enough of my blathering on about the 12yr.  Here we go on the dram-at-hand:

After having the Balvenie 21yr Portwood, then the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, I was excited to find out that Cragganmore also had a Port finished whisky: 1992 Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition (picture shown is their 1993 edition which I have not yet tried).

Initial whiff — Some brine & spirit (more spirit than I expected for the ABV), peppery oak and perhaps some minted honey & orange rind. All this was drawing me in, big time.

On the mouth — Nothing, at first, like the nose. Initial reaction: Butter, the feel is like melted butter with a warming toffee flavor. Then, it gets a little spicey and tingley (think ginger on a good sushi roll). There more wood influence then port but wow, a nice experience so far.

Finish — Lasting, oaky, spiced orange (the taste of the smell of oranges that have cloves stuck in them, if’n you know what I mean).

In sum — I was expecting a little smoke here, as with the standard Cragganmore (just a little smoke) but I think something overtook it, perhaps the port…  As interesting as this one is (and as much as I like port finished whiskies), I have to say that I prefer the standard Cragganmore 12yr expression over this.  I can’t wait to try their 10yr Cask Strength