Whisky Intelligence has reproduced (with permission) The Gauntleys Whisky Newsletter for July 2008. The author, Chris Goodrum, has some excellent insights into the whiskies being commented on which makes for excellent reading on a Sunday.  Enjoy!

Dear Whisky Customers

It’s been a relatively quiet period since the last newsletter as far as sales go, with the obvious exception of father’s day. There are two rather obvious reasons for this, firstly the so-called ‘credit crunch’ is obviously having an impact. It comes as no surprise that when ones income is being squeezed by rises in food, fuel and mortgage repayments then it is luxury items, which are the first to be sacrificed. The majority of customers that I speak to in the shop are now looking to pay around the £30 mark, whereas last year it would have been considerably more. The second reason is that the retail price of a number of whiskies has increased well above the level of the recent duty increase. As one sales rep said to me, we are seeing the end of the sub £30 decent malt. Is this just plain profiteering on the part of some distillery owners? Obviously they are not immune to the increased cost of raw materials, but one has to ask if rises of in some cases nearly £10 per bottle if they are in the end jeopardising sales?

This means that malts that are going to retail in the £40 or £50 category really have to be worth spending that bit more on, and in my recent tastings there are a number that fall into the price category that, being well made are definite not worth forking out for.

ISLE OF JURA & DALMORE TASTING

Many in the industry believe that Dalmore is White & Mackay’s best whisky, and has been described as Scotland’s biggest sleeping giant and has long been due an overhaul. Thus David Robertson, the former distiller at Macallan has been given the job of awakening the sleeper and the owners have their reps on the road extolling the changes to there range, from the packaging right through to what’s in the bottle. There is an interesting article on this in the latest issue of the Whisky Magazine (Issue No 72) to coincide with this flurry of promotional activity.

However all these changes come at a price and the 12 year old has jumped in price from £ 29.95 to £37.95. Is it worth it? That’s really only a question that you the consumer can really answer, but I would say that the evidence of my recent tasting would lead me to believe that the 12 year old is far better value for money than the 15 year old, and I have no problem recommending it to anyone looking to spend that amount on a malt.

Dalmore New Expression 12 year old 40% £37.95
Aged for 6 years in American white oak, followed by 6 years in Oloroso Sherry butts
A nicely balanced nose between the two casks. Rich and spicy with apricot, dried fruit, and raisins with late toffee and mature honey notes. Very spicy on the palate, smooth and deliciously fruity. Mouthfilling and smooth with the Oloroso fruit evident. Slightly tropical with apricot and dried fruit. It seems older than 12 years and is balanced by a lively citrus edge.

Dalmore 15 year old 40% (approximately £54.95) – Not Stocking
Aged in 100% sherry casks (matusalem, apostoles and amoroso from Gonzalez Byass).
Quiet a perfumed nose with violet notes. Surprisingly delicate for a spirit aged entirely in sweet sherry butts. Quiet pleasant with honey, apricots in syrup, cinnamon and ginger notes. On the palate it is mature and delicate like the nose again nicely balanced by its citrus edge, yet somehow it’s less challenging than the 12 year old. Finishes quiet dry with noticeable wood tannins.

It has been a number of years since I last tasted Isle of Jura (the superstition bottling excepted). In fact the last time was when it was still only an 8 year old, and I remember it being pleasant but somewhat simple. So it would be interesting to see if an additional couple of years had added any noticeable complexity to it. The truth is that it obviously hasn’t. It is still pleasant but simple, and like I said at the beginning the older expressions, in my opinion are not worth shelling out the extra money for. The superstition bottling still stands head and shoulders above the rest of the range, yet even this, like the rest of the range tastes a lot younger than it’s components would have you believe.

Isle of Jura 10 year old 40% (approximately £29.95) – Not Stocking
Crisp, clean aromas of barley, a touch of honey and a whiff of smoke, brine and a pervasive chlorinated note. Nice base of rich orange fruit and wood notes. The palate is dry and soft, slightly watery with barley sugar and honey with a touch of brine and smoke in the finish. Simple and straightforward, the chlorine note on the nose was a bit off putting.

Isle of Jura Superstition 45% £32.95
A blend of old unpeated malt approximately 21 years old and young peated malt, which is approximately 13 years old. A soft, delicately fruity, aromatic nose. Sherry, pine, salt with a young oily edge and hints of peat. On the palate it is young, yet soft, sweet and fruity with tangy caramelised orange, peat and salt. In time it opens up to display spicy honey, peat and salt, exiting with a crisp, tangy, marine ending. Young and exuberant but with lovely rounded edges.

Jura 16 year old 40% (approximately £47.95) – Not Stocking
Deeper and oilier aromas than the 10 year old. Again there’s that brine and chlorine note. It seems a bit dumbed down with a lanolin/ wool fat character although there it has a pleasant spiciness. Soft on the palate with rich, honeyed fruit and butter. Once again it is all a bit simple, yet there is a good salinity and light spice note. Frankly I was hoping for more complexity and intensity.

Jura 18 year old 40% (approximately £55.95) – Not Stocking
Here we go again with the lanolin, followed by wood, orange oils, mature butter, earth and honey notes. Lovely sweet spices intermingle but it seems quiet a lightweight. Again there’s a lack of weight to the palate, with rich toffee and honey, however the fruit is again somewhat simplistic. Polite, sweet spices drift in and it finishes with a crisp salinity yet the alcohol cuts it short.

ARDBEG COMES OF AGE

If you have been following the Ardbeg saga you will know that since being taken over by Glenmorangie they have been releasing their endeavours in steps, starting with the ‘Very Young’ in 2004 at 6 years of age, followed by ‘Still Young’ in 2006, ‘Almost There’ in 2007 and this year we have reached the ‘Renaissance’ at the ripe old age of 10 years of age. I have written about each release over the years and it’s been a fascinating journey of progress from the intense rawness of the ‘Very Young’, through the slightly dodgy patch of ‘Still Young’ it has shown that whisky evolution is anything but straightforward. The ‘Renaissance’ shows a remarkably greater depth than the ‘Still Young’, which by comparison now seems crude and almost harsh. It has more toffee-fruit and a greater roundness of character than it displayed in the ‘Almost There’, and it goes to show how even a year can make a marked difference.

I have included my tasting notes on the other bottlings for no other reason than it should perfectly illustrate this remarkable spirits evolution. I was also fortunate to recently taste the Corryvreckan, the latest ‘Committee Bottling’, which is only available through the distillery and I suggest that if you can get hold of a bottle you won’t be disappointed.

Ardbeg ‘Very Young’ 6 year old 58.3% – No Longer Available
Very pale in colour. Very pungent and almost overwhelming aromas of earthy-peat, charcoal, drift wood bonfires, more smoke and all things Islay. This is not mucking about, it’s an ‘in yer face’ Islay malt. Yet it is not all smoke and peat there is a beguiling citrus fruitiness beneath There is no let up on the palate. Intense, raw (yet smooth), lots of smoke, peat and charcoal fires, combined with a lovely depth of slightly sweet, tangy citrus fruit. If this whisky was a celebrity it would call itself ‘Jordan’ and crash your party.

Ardbeg ‘Still Young’ 8 year old 58.3% – No Longer Available
Clean, rounded aromas of smoky-peat, coastal bonfires, coastal fruit, along with a note of rubber wellies, fisherman’s friends, oily orange fruit and tarry old rope. The nose is displaying a lot more depth; it is mellower, a lot less ‘in your face’. On the palate it has a lovely complexity, opening with peat smoke, oily rubber notes and Arbroath smokies. Very intense and mouthfilling, still youthful but it is monumental in its intensity – Powerful peat, smoke, coal, blood oranges and oily kippers fill the senses. Two years has made a huge difference. It is mellower, more rounded, but it still has more front than Jordon!

As with all cask strength whiskies I like to taste them neat to begin with and then add a drop of water to see how the character evolves. However sometimes it kills the nose stone dead, just like it did with this one. It brought out a soapy, earthy, vegetal note – which wasn’t unpleasant, just a bit disappointing. However on the palate it adds sweetness and brings out a menthol/ eucalyptus note and a touch of vegetation. It reminds me of a classic British sports car. Looks good, is fun to drive, but being British inevitably it would be a flawed beauty. So here it is flawed, yet beautiful, and maybe its flaws make it more real?

Ardbeg ‘Almost There’ 9 year old 54.1% 36.95
Oh so clean, textbook aromas of rich, oily orange fruit, coastal peat, fisherman’s sowesters and tar. Compared to the ‘Still Young’ it has a more pronounced oiliness. It’s amazing what a couple of years has done to the depth and complexity. It has been a fascinating journey from the ‘in yer face’ brashness of the ‘Very Young’ through the flawed excellence of the ‘Still Young’ to where it is now. On the palate it is silky, quiet oily with a citrus sea fruit entry, followed by gentle peat and coal smoke wafting in. It really builds on the tongue and without water it is so silky smooth. Lovely length with the tar, fisherman’s outer garments, a touch of grapefruit and bonfires partying on the palate. This is really showing it fruitiness now. Again it is a lot more oily than the ‘Still Young’, less orangy and quiet mellower, the peatiness is a lot subtler, now playing a supporting role rather than screaming at you.

Ardbeg ‘Renaissance’ 10 year old 55.9% £47.95
Amazingly fruity to begin with, aromas of apricot, banana and pineapple are followed by gentle-ish peat, bog myrtle, vegetation, rubber, orange, brine and earth. It appears to be mellowing nicely and there are delicious hints of toffee, violet and coffee. On the palate it is rich and fruity like the nose suggests, opening with fleshy apricot and banana, followed by sooty/ earthy peat and building majestically in the mouth – coastal bonfires, brine, slightly medicinal notes and alcohol. Incredibly intense and complex. Now there’s a fishy-rubber element and a touch of tar. It finishes with peat smoke and a soupcon of mocha/ coffee and coats the tongue quiet nicely. A drop of water emphasises the brine on the nose and moulds it into the unmistakable Ardbeg aroma, whilst on the palate it brings out the natural oils and a touch of spice. Damn it’s good!

Ardbeg Corryvreckan 57.1% – Only available from the distillery
The Corryvreckan is named after the fierce whirlpool to the north of Islay, and the Viking prince who braved the perilous tumult for the love for an Islay princess.

One sniff and there’s no denying the complexity and youthfulness of this spirit. I would guess that it is around 8 years old and my god it’s fishy! All the classic elements are present – Monstrous peat, rubber, smoked kippers, orange marmalade and a late touch of spice. On the palate it is rich and fruity, opening with orange marmalade followed by peat smoke and coal soot. Again it is very fishy with a lovely rubberiness. Then, hang on, what this? Good God! It’s become incredibly meaty, smoked bacon/ ham with a side salad of medicinal bog myrtle and a sprinkling of charcoal. Unbelievable! A drop of water emphasises the soot, tar and salt encrusted rope on the nose along with hessian and the peat! The palate now screams brine at you, pure and crystalline! – Yes this is Ardbeg and its one hell of a whirl-pool of flavours, a very apt name I think.

GENERAL ROUND UP OF TASTINGS

Longrow CV 46% £34.95
The CV stands for Curriculum Vitae for some reason! The story with this new bottling is that while Frank McHardy and Stuart Robertson were working on the Longrow Gaja, they noticed that the younger Longrow casks were displaying lots more peat/smoke than they were getting from the 10 year old. They wanted the opportunity to play around with vatting young longrow with older stuff to maximise these flavours and this is the end result. Thus it follows a path similar to things like the Bruichladdich 3D3 and the Isle of Jura Superstition.

The aromas begin with a sooty, earthy peat note, which to me is classic Longrow. Its quiet phenolic and briny. It’s the peatiest Longrow I’ve come across, however in saying that it is definitely not monstrous. There is a definite, rounded, mature toffee, butter and marzipan core over which the crisp, youthful apricot, orange and barley sore. This is exquisitely balanced. The palate follows the nose in opening with the sooty, earthy peat followed by sweet barley, malt and mellow, mature fruit, brine and spice. It builds into a lovely smoky middle and finishes with a tangy/ fresh coastal finish – pure sea salt and a late peppery bite.

I was thinking that they should do the same with Springbank as the current 10 year old is quiet disappointing and as we know it doesn’t really start to become anything like a classic until the spirit is into its teens. However I doubt that it will happen due to the fact that more money can be made from bottling older sprirt on its own.

Bruichladdich 15 year old ‘Birkdale Links’ 46% £TBC
Bourbon Oak
Another wonderful, unfettered expression! My favourite! It has that classic ‘laddie nose of honeysuckle, green apples and lashings of coastal notes. It has a lovely depth of fruit, slightly tropical and buttery. The palate is crisp and briny. Fleshy with honeysuckle, green apples, a slight spice and floral note. Lovely length with a touch more maturity than the 12 year old and a pure sea salt finish.

Macallan 15 year old Fine Oak – Not Stocking
Quiet a pleasant, soft, smooth orangey nose with citrus fruit and a touch of spice. Slightly gristy with barley and malt notes. The palate is also soft and smooth, pretty much like the nose, with a touch of marzipan. Simple and straightforward, no faults, but personally I would stick with the 10 year old as far as value for money goes.

Balblair 12 year old 46% (Wee Dram bottling) – Not stocking
Sherry Cask.
A pleasant nose of banana fritter, coffee cream, sweet spice, syrup and toffee. Very sweet! Dry, rich and fruity on the palate, quiet deep, the flavours mirror the nose. Intense with an awful lot of wood tannins (not unexpected) and an alcoholic burn on the finish (very unexpected). With a drop of water the nose descends into a sulphury mess, the palate become quiet watery and very disappointing. If I didn’t know, I would have assumed this had been bottled at cask strength or a minimum of 50%.

Red Breast 12 year old £34.95
Quiet a deep nose of orangey fruit, marzipan, baked apples, spice and vanilla. Very big for an Irish with loads of buttery oak. On the palate it is quiet full and soft, intense and spicy with orange, marzipan and vanilla. It has an intriguing milky/ lactose middle and a crisp grainy finish. Not your average Irish whisky and definitely one to explore!

Well I hope you have found this edition of the newsletter entertaining and hopefully enlightening, I’m now off for a spot of Tai-Chi whilst I dabble with my Feng-Shui and listening to the Vapors (those of you of certain age will get that reference straight away!).

Until next time

Chris Goodrum

http://www.gauntley-wine.co.uk/