Tag Archives: Sherry Notes

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Nikka, Springtime

Nikka Yoichi 20yr 1988 Vintage

Japan – 55%ABV – 700ml bottle – $|£|€ ???

No matter where I look, this whisky is sold out.  And, I think I know why  (see my notes below) – here’s what the good folks over that The Whisky Exchange have to say about it:

“A follow up to the incredible Nikka 1987 vintage 20yo that won the World’s Best Single Malt at last year’s World Whiskies Awards, this 1988 is a full-strength mix of both light and heavily-peated whiskies from new oak, refill casks, bourbon barrel and sherry butts – sounds phenomenal.”

Phenomenal??  Hell yes.  A HUGE thanks to The Whisky Wall for the sample!

On the nose — Oh mercy, what an amazing nose!

Very strange notes of baklavah, pipe tobacco (being smoked), kim chee and sherry.

Deep dried fruit (like a fried compote filled with plums and apricots – actually, I’m reminded of a Charoset I had a couple of years back.).

Insanely easy to nose.

A tad spicy and (like many Japanese whiskies I’ve had) some sweet top notes that remind me of bourbon.

Green tea and dark chocolate with elegant peat smoke.

On the mouth — Like chewing on chocolate covered fresh tobacco leaves.

Both salty and smoky (like smoked capers).

Dried dates and papaya.  Floral potpourri.

Stewed fruits then a highlight on sweetly smoked lemons.

Finish — Lasting fruit – every dried fruit imaginable, lovely & lasting.

In sum –– Quite remarkable, really; nearing on ridiculous (or ludicrous) as to how good this whisky was.  The balance is remarkable and at 55%, with the nose/palate/finish combination it’s very drinkable.  Only 3500 bottles were made available and, you guessed it, not in the US.  Feck.

This is a very contemplative dram.  If you can get your hands on some of this, save it for some “YOU” time.  Sit back, enjoy the cool breeze (maybe throw a sweater on, light a fire) and think about “what it all means”.

Blind Tastings

A reader reviews the mystery dram he won…

As you know, dear readers, I recently began giving out free whisky samples to those who try to figure out the “Mystery Dram” of the week.  If you’re not familiar, an example of the mystery dram series (and how to win your own mystery dram by participating) can be found here in this post as well as many more mystery dram posts.

Well, our first winner has received his mystery whisky and was kind enough to send me his notes.  Reading his notes, I was surprised and pleased to find that A) dude can write, but well!, and B) his notes were dead on.  So, I asked if he wouldn’t mind me posting his notes so you, the reader, can try to guess what mystery whisky I sent him.  Quick hint: It’s Scotch whisky!

Take it away Matthew and, thanks for your readership, participation and great notes:

Ok, maybe it’s a little late, I’m a little sleepy, but I can’t resist doing this tonight. My mystery dram arrived today and a little while ago I popped the top, just to take a little whiff. Oh, and what a whiff I whiffed. Oily smoke from a beachfront campfire, brined Spanish olives, fig cake…

So, into the glass. I’m afraid I don’t own a Glencairn (what an amateur!), so I will be tasting in a Riedel Sommelier Series Single Malt glass.

First, the visuals – lovely straw color, legs like a good Sauternes. Reminds me a lot of 1989 Caol Ila, an impression perhaps influenced by that first whiff.

The new whiff – the smoke is still there, but the first impression is medicinal, more briny, like sea-salt flavored Korean roasted kim (seeweed). A few more minutes, and a touch of manzanilla sherry enters in, along with a little oaky vanilla. I’ll risk sounding cliched here and say this is getting interesting.

On the mouth – good lord, Joshua, what have you sent me? This is everything I like in a whisky! Firm peat, not overwhelming. A hint of Fisherman’s Friend. Blackstrap molasses (or should I say treacle), minerally edges. Just enough alcohol to really carry the flavors to the palate. Nice, coating mouthfeel without being too cloying.

The finish – the minerals (Himalayan sea salt, a touch of CaCl) linger, slowly being replaced by a warm, oily smoke flavor that seems to have crawled up into my sinuses and taken up residence. This is lasting several minutes….

I am going to ante up here and give a free mystery dram whisky sample but, for this post, I’m going to change the rules a bit.  In the past, you were in the running for posting a guess (you didn’t have to be right, you just had to participate).  To win a mystery dram (a small 5cl sized sample of whisky) you need to guess the whisky expression.  Or, at the very least, guess the distillery right.

Have fun and may the best guesser win! (guesses can be posted as comments on this post).  The answer will be posted one week from today on Friday, July 23rd 2010.

All You Need Is Love, Macallan, Takin' It Easy

The Macallan 18yr

Speyside region – 43%ABV – 750ml bottle in the US, 70cl in the UK and elsewhere – £70 | $90-$120 | €84

Wow to you oh whisky peeps, for a dram was bought by me to have (because the notes, they sounded so good).  Let him who hath understanding wreckon the number of the dram [that turned me on to The Macallan].  For it is a Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America number.  It’s number is twenty-four point one-one-one.  (sorry, my inner Iron Maiden fan could not help himself).

I am so very thankful to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America for helping to open my eyes once more to The Macallan – for that review, click here.

I received a sample of The Macallan 18yr early last week (special thanks to Igal!) and was not sure what to expect.

I’ve mentioned in the past that their standard 12yr didn’t do much for me (again, I’ve not had their 12yr expression in a bit more than 2 years) so I was not expecting much from their 18yr bottling.

After pouring the whisky into my Glencairn, here’s what I got:

On the nose – Plump dollops of sherry notes travel up my nose.  These notes are covered in chocolate and there is more than a hint of oak and vanilla.

Dried fruits are here — think prunes, dates and fig.  The more I smell it, the more I like it.  Leather & suede.  Big grapes appear in the final sniff.

On the mouth – The first thing I get here is sulphur but that is quickly pushed aside (thankfully) to reveal an incredibly smooth chocolate note.

Pipe tobacco and leather jackets.

Root veggies galore!  I’m even getting a hint of beets here – like whisky borscht (it’s slight but, I am getting it).

The smoothness of this whisky is really remarkable and, it’s nice and chewy too.

Finish – Medium length but there are some long lasting bitter notes to it that really offset everything I just smelled and tasted.  This, I think, is a good thing.

Yes, it’s a good thing.

In sum – This oozes of luxury and all things “comfort”.  This is something to break out for Shabbat (non-Jews, Shabbat is the Hebrew word for the Sabbath which many Jews, myself included, treat both as a holy day and a holiday – read here for more info) for sure!

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.

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Glenmorangie, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX (finally available outside of a Duty-Free Shop!)

Highlands region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $65 | £58 | €68

I have few gripes when it comes to the wide world of whiskies.  To name the top 3:

Gripe #1 — Cost.  Yes, I understand that Whisk(e)y is a luxury item but still…

Gripe #2 — The issue of, or inability to import 70cl bottles into the US.  Why oh why wont the US allow these slightly smaller bottles into the US – we’re missing out on easy access to some fine-ass malts!

Gripe #3 — Duty-Free Shop exclusive whiskies.  Limited editions I can understand.  Limited editions that you can only get in a Duty-Free Shop I can not.  Sorry, from a consumer’s standpoint (a consumer that rarely travels outside of the US) it does not make sense — at least give me (and the thousands of others non-world traveling consumers) a chance to buy these limited edition whiskies.

Well, Glenmorangie did just that.

The Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX started off as Duty-Free 1 litter exclusive bottle.  Being the Glenmo devotee that I am, I was upset right away.  It’s like Dad brought home a new game for my Commodore 64 but only let my older sister play (wow, there’s some fun familial issues coming out – as made up as they are).

Thankfully, Glenmorangie (for one reason or another) changed this approach and released a 750ml bottle to the general public.

So, what in the heck does “Sonnalta PX” mean?  Well, first off, the Sonnalta PX is a fine sherry cask finished whisky.  The “PX” stands for Pedro Ximinez.  If you do not know, Pedro Ximinez sherry is basically the chewiest, richest, most succulent sherry out there (imagine its influence on whisky!).  “Sonnalta”, in Gaelic, means “Liberal”.  In other words, there is a liberal, very generous amount of Pedro Ximinez sherry influence to the Glenmorangie.  Not sure about you but my mouth is watering just writing this review!

So, should we taste it?  Let’s go!

On the nose — Wow, a sherry finish done oh so right!  Banana peels & cinnamon, Banana chips, candied oranges (strange, even orange Jujubees, sort of a soapy quality but good), The nose really reminds me of the palate on the Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey with all of the yummy banana-i-ness to it.  a very un-Glenmorangie nose.  Wait, I sniffed after typing that and I take it back, notes from The Original Ten Years are popping through honey, apples.  It’s all hiding there waiting to sneak up on you!

Palate — Fantastic mouth feel!  Oh, G-d, that’s just so chewy…  Like salted taffy or caramel.  Nuts and root veggies, a touch of chocolate here (sort of like chocolate shavings if you’ve ever had them, a very different taste than a chunk of chocolate), wine soaked raisins

Finish — Quite long.  Chocolate covered leather (oh, so slight with the leather quality), raisins and fresh fruits.  Huh, slight nutty oak after about 45 seconds or so.

In sum — These tasting notes are from the last 5cl or so of my bottle.  What’s strange is, when I first got the bottle my initial reactions to the whisky was that it was a **great** sherried Glenmorangie.  The good news is, that still rings true.  What’s different is that now, as I take my last sip, the spiciness is reminding of a grain whisky.  I know this is a true malt whisky but it’s as if there’s slight grain influence (rye perhaps?).  I’m sure it’s all in my head.  Perhaps it’s just that the warm spring has arrived, maybe my brain is looking for it.  Who knows.

I did love this malt, much more than the Glenmorangie Lasanta Sherry Cask (of course, I’ve liked most malts more than the Lasanta).  Not trying to rub salt in the wound I left from my review of the Lasanta.  Forget what I said about the Lasanta — these aren’t the droids you’re looking for…