Monthly Archives: May 2013

Rosebank 18 y.o. (OMC) Review

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Rosebank 18 y.o. (OMC)021

50% abv

Score:  86.5/100

 

Rosebank was yet another casualty of a rather callous and heartless whisky industry.  It drew it’s last dying breath in 1993.

Every now and then rumblings come along hinting at a Lazarus act with this rather legendary Lowland distillery, but they always amount to nothing more than just that.  No true true quakes…just the foreshocks.

There are some rather interesting bits of gossip out there too.  Conflicting tales of 2002 sales, stolen equipment and a 2013 rumour once again speaking to Diageo’s possible sale or reopening of Rosebank.  Call me a skeptic, but I think ATW will continue to roll forward on the assumption that Rosebank is gone.  Finished.  Over.  Sad, but likely much more rooted in reality than the alternatives.

The Lowlands are famously known as a region built on light, herbal, floral and grassy malts, most often triple distilled.  At the moment there are a mere six distilleries producing in the region, two of which are yet to release a proper distillery bottling.  Rosebank has the distinction of being the ‘Port Ellen’ of the region; quality whisky from a distillery now decades in the grave.  The distillery has continued to grow in the esteem of collectors and hoarders (much like Brora or Port Ellen), even though the malt…may or may not quite justify the hype.  Personally, I’ve yet to make up my mind on that one.

This expression in particular is a rather fine example, if not quite spectacular, of the light and fresh distillate you’re likely to encounter in most Rosebank expressions still out there.  It is a Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask release from a few years back.  Not quite cask strength, but I’m more than ok with the OMC 50% standard.

Good release from a fine distillery.  R.I.P. Rosebank.

Nose:  Meadowy, perfumed and floral.  Eucalyptus and sour candy.  Grapefruit pith.  A little peach and some orange fruit.  Unsweetened pastry dough.  Dirt.  Tart cranberry.  Acidic.

Palate:  Delivery is similar to an anCnoc.  Over-steeped tea.  Bitter and drying.  Hay notes and white pepper.  Grass.  MacIntosh apple.  Very light.  Quite pleasant.  Not really a fan of the finish here though.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Amrut Cask Strength (Limited Edition September 2007) Review

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Amrut Cask Strength (Limited Edition September 2007)014

61.9% abv

Score: 91.5/100

 

Limited Edition 2007 release.

Oh wow.  Uh…I think maybe I need a moment alone to collect myself.

This is so much more than the standard Amrut Single Malt on a steroid rampage.  This is awe-inspiring, really.  Truly as singularly focused and massive as the mighty Himalaya, from which this distillery draws its waters.

So…while not simply content to be the beefier big brother to the standard release, this does in fact have all the hallmarks that immediately announce the familial lineage.  Spice, orange, chocolate and doughy notes.  As soon as I pick up on those now familiar friends, I can settle in in relative comfort and begin the sensuous journey of unraveling another one of these foreign and exotic beauties.  I can’t hide it and don’t try…I love Amrut.

Do rest assured however, my shameless adoration and rooftop-shouting is not at all recognized by the distillery or the industry in any way (ahem…what I mean is…no, I’m not getting kickbacks).  I’m just a shameless shiller, really.  Find something good and do your best to share it with the world.  Religions have been founded this way.  Hmmmm…Amrut as religion.  Services like that I’ve no qualms about attending more than once a week.

Anyway…I’m a bit of a flavor whore, as you may recognize by now.  Big, bold and long-lasting are immediate selling points for me.  Tag-team that concept with one of my favorite distilleries and…hey…you’re bound to find a happy guy sipping whisky in my back yard.  The notes and nuances we get to magnify with each Amrut release at cask strength are simply out-of-this-world.  These folks from Bangalore are blazing their own trails and have built a brand unlike anything available anywhere else in the world.

I toyed with an extra half point, but will leave it at 91.5+.

Nose:  Cinnamon, bread dough.  Exotic sweets (think Indian desserts).  Faint, faint, faint echoes of tropical fruit notes.  White and milk chocolates.  Maybe Glossette raisins.  Just a drop of each rum and smoke.  Hint of dunnage warehouse.  Mature decades beyond its years.

Palate:  Enormous arrival.  Oranges.  Big cinnamon and clove notes.  Straight on into creamy chocolate.  Then fresh scones, orange zest and papaya.  Flavor is an explosion like oral fireworks.  Not as much finesse as say…the Herald, Two Continents or Intermediate Sherry, but this is a whisky flexing it’s muscle, not trying to be dainty.  Yum.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Amrut Herald Review

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Amrut Herald019

60.8% abv

Score:  91.5/100

 

Apologies for what may seem like lazy reviewing here, but I’m gonna sit back with my feet up (and my dram of Herald in hand) while you navigate a paragraph or two from the Amrut website itself.  After that…I’ll step back in and share a little bit of my own personal feelings on this dram.

Here goes…

“This single malt travelled almost close to 5000 miles to touch the finishing line. Unpeated malted barley sourced at the foot of the Himalayas, Initially distilled and matured in the city of Bangalore, India (3000ft above the sea level lie at the heart of the Mysore Plateau with a Geographical coordinate of 12� 59′ 0” North, 77� 35′ 0″East).

After the thirsty Angels of Bangalore have had their sumptuous share and the aged spirit has qualified to be called as whisky, the barrels were moved to an un thinkable location; Helgoland (167 ft above sea level with a average humidity of 82.9%); a small German Archipelago in the North Sea with a Geographical coordinate of 54� 10′ 0″ North, 7� 53′ 0″East). The whisky was matured there for a further period. The sharp contrast in altitude, humidity and temperature have had an impact on the maturing whisky and led it to an extra ordinary finale.”

Cool stuff, that.  This distillery thrives on such innovation.  The really neat part is, though, that while there have been several other very innovative distilleries out there (Bruichladdich, Arran, etc), none have met with the success rate that Amrut has.  Every new release is a treat and has me scurrying like the proverbial rat for the cheese.  Can’t help it.  This whisky is almost aphrodisiacal for me.  (Lucky wife I have, huh?  Now if only she’d believe that!).

Nose:  Typical Amrut spice profile.  Creamy.  Almond.  Swiss milk chocolate.  Raspberry.  Botanicals.  Vanilla.  Spruce tree.  Yellow sugars.  Lime.  Uber smooth and delicate, and like all releases from this distillery…the climate has induced an accellerated maturation that allows this young whisky to swagger with a confidence well beyond the years it can actually boast.

Palate: Cinnamon and almost rum notes.  Deep ribbons of chocolate.  Blood orange and grapefruit pith (the latter is quite fleeting).  Jam-filled scones.  Oh, yeah…and bloody big!!

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Amrut Single Malt Review

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Amrut Single Malt014

46% abv

Score:  88/100

 

Everybody has to start somewhere.  I simply wish they would suspend their snobbery and ignorance for a while and stop reaching for Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and Johnnie Walker for first sips and affordable gifts.

Of all the single malt players on the world stage right now (those distilleries outside of Scotland, that is), I believe Amrut is really the only one producing an affordable, quality, entry level whisky.  And it’s a doozy.  Miles more intriguing and complex than the afore-mentioned malts and blends, and, for that matter, most other comparable young whiskies.  The fact that Amrut single malt is out of India should delight, instead of causing consumer hesitance.

I’m only one guy, but I can say in all sincerity that second to Ardbeg, this is consistently the best and most exciting distillery in the world.  Controversial statement?  So be it.  Try it for yourself and see.  …And those of you with deeper pockets than others…reach for the more high end Amrut expressions.  They will simply knock your socks off.

What we’re looking at with this entry level malt in the Amrut range is the young base spirit, rapidly matured in the unforgiving Bangalore climate, and exhibiting a profile dissimilar to anything else I’ve tried.  The Amrut fingerprint is instantly recognizable, from this whisky on through the rest of the releases.  And while this may be lacking some of the innovative magic Amrut consistently manages to display in their more pricey releases, this is an astounding place to start.

Nose:  Exotic spice blend.  Salty bread dough and sugary barley notes.  Slivered almonds.  Orange zest.  Old cocoa powder.  Wood shavings.

Palate:  Cinnamon buns with icing.  Orange.  Very ‘wet’ and juicy.  Cocoa again.  Very spicy.  Cinnamon and cardamom.  Maybe the vaguest hint of chai.  Delicious…refreshing.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Glenfiddich 15 y.o. Solera Review

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Glenfiddich 15 y.o. Solera008

40% abv

Score:  86/100

a
Don’t be put off by the name Glenfiddich. There is a reason it is the world’s leading single malt. Many malters cut their teeth on this whisky, then for whatever reason, turn their backs on its streamlined simplicity as they start branching out into the wide world of malt. If this is the case with anyone reading this, I recommend a suspension of snobbery for a brief moment or two and to give the 15 year old Solera a shot.

It is truly astounding what 3 more years in the cask and a unique vatting can do to a whisky. The Glenfiddich 15 Solera is absolutely a different beast than its younger kin.

The Solera vat in question is used to marry the casks together which constitute the 15 year old. These casks are American bourbon, Spanish sherry and new oak. The Solera ‘feed from the top, pour from the bottom’ system allows the whisky to be continually blended and ensures a high level of consistency. Not only consistency, but also to theoretically allow the end product to contain some whisky older than its years.  Nifty, but with the amount Glenfiddich produces, I can scarce believe that much of the spirit sits around long enough in the vat to actually accumulate older malt in its constitution.

It is hard to pinpoint just why this is so much better than the 12 year old. It is simply bolder, more refined and has a swagger that the 12 does not even pretend to.

Nose:  A hint of tobacco and spice. Apple, of course. A big young fruity Speyside kick, though mostly made up of a sour berry tang. This has its jagged corners rounded off with a honeyed floral character. Also some chocolate and mild-tempered sherry. None too atypical of most other rather pedestrian Speyside malt, but maybe slightly better composed.

Palate:  Rather bold.  That tart fruity tang hangs in there.  Met with apple and cinnamon spice.  Even though the body is fairly light, the finish is relatively long and surprisingly oaky.

Overall…well worth the extra few dollars over the 12 year old, and gets the extra points for a lack of seams and a rather flawless composition.

         

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bruichladdich Waves Review

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Bruichladdich Waves

46% abv

85/100

 

Another of the younger ‘Laddie releases that came out in the late 2000s as a contemporary of the Links, Peat, Rocks and Resurrection.

From what I understand, this was all new distillate from the revived distillery, containing no older malts, and bottled at (or around) 7 years of age.  To be expected, it is a little sharp and feisty, but that’s ok by me.  It has a youthful personality and vibrancy that is at once charming and refreshing.

We, in these local Calgary circles, demolished more than one bottle of this juice over the last couple of years.  Hmmm…more than several bottles, actually.  Hey, what can I say….we were simply doing our part to support the distillery as it worked to come back online.  Purely an altruistic endeavour.  😉

‘Waves’ went the way of the dodo mid 2012, so if you’re at all curious about this one I would suggest you hit the shops ASAP, as it is likely bordering on distant memory.

Interestingly, the Bruichladdich website had this to say last year: “Waves, a young version of Bruichladdich, was an accident. It started life destined exclusively for the Italian market, it was never intended as a stand alone bottling, and was ultimately incorporated in to the trilogy of bottlings along side Rocks (unpeated) and Peat (clearly peated) as a half-way house between the two.”

Oh well…like many of the ‘Laddie releases, it was fun while it lasted.

Nose:  Wine and whisky…whisky and wine.  Tiny hint of sulfur.  Whiffs of peat and smoke on the water.  Touch of bittersweet chocolate.  Dried cherries.

Palate:  Wine and crab apple.  Sea water saltiness and a little citrus.  A wine-ish familiarity…almost as if the Redder Still met the Resurrection.  One thing I do often find with young wine finishes…the palate almost never lives up to the nose.  Same case here, but not a bad disconnect.  The ooomph of 46% is the perfect vehicle here.  Fairly lingering on some nice tart clingy notes.

Throw back a mouthful and let it crash against your tastebuds.  I think that’s what Jim and Mark intended with this one.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Highland Park 16 y.o. Review

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Highland Park 16 y.o.108

40% abv

Score:  87.5/100

 

I’ve heard some rather mixed thoughts on this one.  Perhaps ‘mixed’ is the wrong word.  None of the watercooler gossip seems to be disparaging, but all of it makes this one out to be rather…mundane, or lacking in personality at the very least.

Hmmm…respectfully, I think I’ll dissent.  This is a very, very enjoyable dram.

While seemingly much more restrained than Highland Park’s usual fare, this one still carries that heavy floral honeyed note HP is so famous for.  The mild, but omnipresent, smoke and peat that usually permeates Highland Park is, if present at all, merely an afterthought here in this 16 year old.  The fruits make me think this one’s pulling the cougar act; telling you she’s one age, but actually maybe a little bit more mature than letting on.  That’s ok, though.  That sort of dishonesty in age is acceptable in malts and MILFs.

40%, huh?  Hmmm…why?  Wonder why the team at HP would elect to neuter this one to such a degree when most of their range is 43% and higher.  Let’s not get worked up about it.  We still like this one.  Like a stone that’s spent a healthy amount of time in a rock tumbler; smooth and polished.  Aesthetically appealing all around.

Nose:  Honey.  Cherry.  Heather.  Pepper.  Creamy vanilla and scones.  Some light latex.  Floral notes.  Orange.  Notes that seem a little more mature than 16 years, almost as if there may be an older csk or two buried in here.  Very smooth and round on the nose.

Palate:  Orange again.  Pepper.  Slightly jammy with honey.  Sugar cookies.  Maybe some green tea.  It’s the oak and fruits that linger.

Very, very pleasant.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Glenfarclas 40 y.o. Review

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Glenfarclas 40 y.o.002

46% abv

Score:  92.5/100

 

Glenfarclas rocked the whisky world a few years back when they released this stunner of a 40 year old whisky for an absolutely lowball price (less than $500 a bottle).  Kinda made us all stop and question the recent antics of a couple other distilleries that keep jacking prices and marketing their wares as the next uber-whisky.  Won’t name names, but I imagine you know who they are.

Glenfarclas has always been a personal favorite whisky.  High quality output, traditional and old school presentation and great price point.  From young to old, the distillery’s whisky is quite good.  The older releases though – especially the family casks – can be quite the stunners.  Fortunately for us Glenfarclas is sitting on a brilliant stock of very mature whisky.  We should be able to see older releases from this family-run Speyside distillery for ages to come.

Generally with Glenfarclas, it’s expected you’ll get a very balanced, heavily sherried malt.  Caramel and spice-rich, with loads of chololate and raisin.  As a general profile…it’s a delight.  A great building block to build upon through years of maturation.

So the question is…what does 40 years of aging do to a whisky like this?  Will it be too much?  Over-oaked?  Bitter?  Nah…not a chance.  This is a highlight whisky.  One of the best ‘Farclas I’ve tasted to date.

Nose:  Deep and rich.  Some caramel and Glossette Raisins.  Beautiful threads of vibrant jammy notes.  Some orange and cherry.  Paint.  Wow…what a striking balance.  Nearly flawless.

Palate:  Sweet and juicy.  Again…those macerated fruit/jammy notes.  Some chocolate.  Some tobacco.  Some licorice.

This is truly a textbook example of well-aged mature sherried whisky.  Beautiful integration of all elements.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

 

Glen Mhor 1982 (Signatory) Review

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Glen Mhor 1982 (Signatory)037

56.8% abv

Score:  87.5/100

 

Glen Mhor is another of the ‘lost distilleries’.  Not a whisky you’re liable to find much of, outside of rather pricey older independent bottlings.

Some of these now-closed distilleries were primarily used in the production of blend components, so if we’re speaking honestly, are not always 100% up to snuff in being considered for bottling as single malt.

Some though, are tasty indeed, and well worth the effort of tracking down.  Glen Mhor?  Hmmm…maybe.  Maybe not.  I’d say ‘why the hell not?’ though.  It is, after all, a piece of history and, if the opportunity presents, a chance to taste whisky as it existing in days of old.

If the name of the distillery rings familiar, it is likely due to the fact that it was one of the mature ‘old school’ style malts that was used by Richard ‘The Nose’ Paterson in his recreation of the Mackinlay Shackleton whisky in 2011.  In needing something a little older, and bearing a more vintage profile, Paterson opted for this vaguely smoky, somewhat malty whisky to prop up the younger malts in his masterwork.  Logical really.  Glen Mhor was a core distillery used in the original blended Rare Old Highland Malt, which the replica was based on.

The distillery itself was situated in the Northern Highlands…Inverness, to be exact.  Neighbouring the infamous Loch Ness.  Sadly, any tour of the region (for those hopeful of sighting the beast), will not include a tour of Glen Mhor.  The distillery was leveled in 1986.  Nowadays it is the site of a shopping center.  Not a fair trade, really.

I have only tried a couple of Glen Mhor to date, so I can’t really speak to the distillery’s general profile, but I can share a few thoughts on this one.  This particular expression is from a wine-treated hogshead.  It was distilled in 1982 and bottled in 2010 from cask #1328, effectively making it a 28 year old single malt.  One of the last distillates before the distillery closed its doors in 1983.

Anyway…the verdict?  Quite good.  Not great.

Nose:  Seems younger than 28 years.  Floral and weedy.  Spices leeched from the cask.  Bit of pepper.  Old cask (dry oak).  Raisin and bitter mincemeat/fruitcake.

Palate:  Still mincemeat.  A little more dried fruits.  Very tannic and drying.  Almost meaty…almost savory…almost smoky.

Thanks to Andrew Ferguson at Kensington Wine Market for the sample of this one.  Appreciate it, mate.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt