Tag Archives: Orangey

An everyday dram, Glenfarclas, Summertime

Buy good whisky at a great price while donating to a charitable cause? Could it get anymore “feel good ” than that?

Highlands region – 53%ABV – £39.99

There’s something really good about feeling really good about… stuff.  You see, I do not believe in altruism.  Mother Theresa was an AMAZING woman that did so many wonderful things for the needy.  But no one can tell me that she did not feel good about all of the work she did; or perhaps feel motherly toward many of the people who counted on her and those that worked with her.  It feels good to do good and there’s nothing wrong with that.

So… do you want to feel good about helping people (and get some good whisky in the process)?

Master of Malt teamed up with Glenfarclas to choose two ex-oloroso sherry casks to marry up (mix together), bottle up and then sell.  This 9yo whisky, bottled at cask strength (53% ABV) is selling at Master of Malt for only £39.99 and £10 of each sale (basically 25%) goes to Movember who fund The Prostate Cancer Foundation and Livestrong as well as help to create awareness on Men’s Cancer Issues.  You can read more on Movember’s Global Action Plan here.

This being said, I did my part by purchasing a couple of these “Movember” Glenfarclas bottles from Master of Malt.  Thankfully, the whisky inside the bottle is pretty damn good (and a steal at only £39.99!)

On the nose –  Out of the gate the nose is hot and sharp; angular (if you can apply that to a scent).  Not the soft sherried nose you’d come to expect from most Glenfarclas whiskies.

It is a very “sherried” nose however…  Think sugared prunes, potting soil, gingerbread men and a shit ton spice and spice cakes.

Some rubbery notes in there too (party balloons).

With water the scent becomes… inviting, round, big and plump.  Sort of like all of those butts Sir Mix A Lot always raps about.

On the mouth – Hot in the mouth with a big spice attack.  Let’s try this again… Yeah, still hot, will add water in a sec.  Let’s talk mouthfeel though:  Sort of thin but flavor packed (almost like a barrel proof bourbon attack – very strong in heat and flavor).

Waiter, may I have some water please?  Just two droppers full.  Thanks.

As I suspected, water is the key.  Still a bit hot but much more tolerable and the mouth feel gets nice and big.  Water is to this whisky as a fluffer is to Ron Jeremy (that’s it with the sexy stuff, promise!).

Orange and spice and everything nice.  Vanilla is huge here.

Finish – Very dry finish, long with spice drops.

In sum – It’s a whacky/wild little ‘farclas. It’s sort of like the “cool” kid in the room that’s maybe not as cool as everybody thinks he is but because everybody thinks he’s cool, he’s just that much cooler…  Maybe like Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  Ok, enough with the tangent.

At £40, this cask strength whisky is a total steal and just the fact that £10 of that goes to Movember for men’s cancer charities… THAT’S cool!  A bit of Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam all in one!  Get a bottle or two before they sell out.

Click here to buy a bottle and don’t forget to use the term “JSMWS sample” in the delivery instructions portion of the shopping cart – Master of Malt will ship you a free dram of whisky if you do.

I can’t believe I mixed Mother Theresa in with Sir Mix A Lot, Ron Jeremy and Jeff Spicoli.  My apologies if I offended anyone.

Special thanks to Master of Malt for the sample!  I’m now working on bottle #1 from the two I bought 🙂

An everyday dram, Talisker

Talisker 57 North – this stuff is crack-a-lackin’!

Islands – 57%ABV – 700ml bottle – £49 (sadly, this whisky is not readily available in the US so you’ll have to go to your favorite UK whisky shop or pick it up in a duty-free shop where it’s sold in 1L bottles!)

Looking through all of my reviews I noticed that I’ve only reviewed one Talisker to date and that’d be the Talisker 18.

Being that I’m headed there next week I figured I’d change that and right quick!

This Talisker started out, if memory serves, as a duty-free exclusive bottling but due to popularity made its way to UK shelves.  Now, I say “if memory serves” because this whisky was released a couple of years ago.  That being said, I think I’m the last whisky reviewer on earth to review it.

Better late than never!

On the nose –  Is there such a thing as vanilla lemonade?

Loads of citrus and pepper, black pepper.

Salty sea spray on a late autumn morning while fishing for blues – this one is really bringing about some nice memories.

Nice round peaty smokey notes and a load of seaweed.

On the mouth – Oily and very *round* in flavor and a bit effervescent as well.

Nothing on the front of the tongue but the top and sides of the tongue are getting some great notes of lemon pastries and pineapple danish.

Oak and apples with still more salt (kosher-type, not sea salt) and delicious peat.

This is a very nice Talisker, tasty through and through.

Finish – The fizz continues as does some smoke and lemon.

In sum – Like most Taliskers I’ve had, this is just plain lovely.  An easy every day drinker for me… if it were easily available in the US.

Nicely balanced, thoroughly delicious and wholly Talisker.  There’s not mistaking it.

Special thanks goes out to David H for the sample (I think you gave it to me, it was a while ago!)

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!!)

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!

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, An everyday dram, Autumn, Springbank

Springbank 15yo – A whisky shelf must.

Campbeltown Region – 46%ABV –$75 – 90 | £44 | €50

I submitted the following to the Edinburgh Whisky Blog in the hopes to win a small sample of The Glenlivet 70yo.  My entry was among 13 favorites chosen by Lucas (one of the two fine chaps who run the blog, in case you’re not familiar…).  I had some tough competition and in the end did not win but hey, it was fun to write and I was happy to be chosen as one of Lucas’ favorites.

Here’s a link to all of the entries.

I’m reminded of a story my father once told about his trying to listen to, and appreciate, Bob Dylan. All of his friends were talking about this protest singer with a gravel-like voice that was telling it like it is. We’re talking circa 1964/65. He picked up two albums suggested to him by friends: “Bob Dylan” and “Freewheelin’”. He listened to these albums but could not get into it — he couldn’t understand what his friends liked about him. But he knew, from all of the praise about Bobby D, there had to be something. So, he listened to them over and over and over again and then realized that he kept playing them because he could not stop listening. He fell in love.

The story near mirrors my experience, from many years ago, with Springbank 15yo. It tasted like no whisky I’d had before and no whisky I wanted to have ever again. Yet EVERYBODY LOVED this whisky. There had to be something to it. I had to come back to it over and over again. It took me about 650 ml of my 750 ml bottle to fall in love. Now, it’s a staple bottle on my shelf (along side many other springers)! The moral is that it may not be the whisky that’s “bad” but our nose or palate that’s not ready for what it has to offer.

On the nose – Flinty soil, coastal hay/grass and a good touch of tinned pineapple and fresh orange juice.

Smoked & oily whitefish – salty stuff!

Peat smoke and burning brush (so well integrated).

Apple juice and mulling spices… a bit waxy in scent as well.

A fun mix that can take a bit to get used to but all-in-all thoroughly enjoyable.

On the mouth – This smacks of doused campfires and morning orange juice.

Candy/chalky wafers (yes, the Necco type).

Very sweet with notes of dried fruits (dates, mostly).

Even mouthfeel with both a juicy and tannic quality.

Browned lemons, grilled lemons and a bit of the fishiness I got on the nose.

Turnips and freshly paved roads.

Finish – A slightly winey finish, tannic, long and notes of burnt wood.

In sum – First & foremost, I threw a lot of scents and tasting notes out there for this one but I must try to express that on the whole; as a summation of all that’s going on here, this is uniquely “Springbank”.  Springbank is thoroughly unique and pretty damn unmistakable.  This is a good thing!  I’d enjoy this one as often as you could and keep it on your shelf – I do!