We do now have the finalised listing for the Chivas event and the good souls at Pernod Ricard have ‘upped the ante’ by offering us an evening that shapes up as follows:-

Glenlivet 18yo as a welcome drink, followed by

Strathisla 12yo

Strathisla 18yo

18yo Grain Whisky

Longmorn 16yo

Longmorn 18yo

And finally the exceptional Chivas Regal 18yo

To add to the interest they’ll be ‘pairing’ the whiskies with Valrhona chocolate, which is recognised as being the finest in the world. As if this isn’t enough, they’ve also agreed to bring along the very first bottle of a limited edition Chivas that has been designed by Christian Lacroix. There are only going to be 100 of these in the UK and this bottle will be the prize in a raffle that will be held on the night. A handful of places for this event are still available at £25pp and you can grab yours by calling us on 0207 403 8688 (but we wouldn’t leave it too long if we were you….)

Kind regards

The Team

The Whisky Exchange

Vinopolis

1 Bank End

London

SE1 9BU

Tel:-  +44 (0) 207 403 8688

Fax:- +44 (0) 207 403 8788

e-mail:-   vinopolis@thewhiskyexchange.com

website:- www.thewhiskyexchange.com

Our latest release, just arrived, is now available at £125.00 per bottle

Here is the ninth edition of our annual “Single Cask Bottlings” this time a great single cask from that famous Islay distillery, Bowmore.

Cask Number 85163 was distilled at Bowmore Distillery on Islay on 4th October 1982 and held in their bonded warehouses until July 2009 when it was specifically selected from several cask samples at a nosing and tasting by Duncan Elphick, Tatsuya Minagawa, Rachel Richard and, of course, Mark Watt, at Duncan Taylor & Company’s warehouses in Huntly.

 When bottled on 10th August 2009 at its natural cask strength of 49.4% alc/vol, the Angels gave us only 186 bottles (700ml). I hope they let Michael sample it!

As good friends of The Highlander Inn will know, our good friend Michael Jackson wrote the tasting notes on the back label for us for 7 years, until St. Peter ‘called him through the pearly gates’ in August 2007.

From 2008 onwards, we decided to invite a different person each year to write the tasting notes for us. The criteria are that they must have a great reputation in the “whisky world”, and have been Michael’s true friends. Last year, Hideo Yamaoka, Japan’s foremost Malt Scotch Whisky “otaku” and the translator of Michael’s books into Japanese wrote the notes.

This year, John Hansell, agreed to write his comments for us.

John Hansell is one of the foremost drinks writers in the United States. He is a contributor to The Wall Street Journal and has appeared in USA Today, The New York Times, Smart Money, Business Week, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Stuff, Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Food & Wine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and numerous other publications.

He is the creator, Publisher, and Editor of “Malt Advocate”, the USA’s leading magazine for the whisky enthusiast.

In 1997 he created WhiskyFest, the America’s largest independent festival featuring the world’s greatest whiskies and the people who make them with annual events in New York, Chicago and San Fransisco.

 Included with each bottle is a Certificate of Ownership, like the one on the left, that can be framed and hung on your study / office / drawing room wall.

As in all previous years, each label was individually applied to the bottles and hand numbered by Duncan Elphick ~ none of this automatic labeling & numbering for us!!

It is now available to be purchased by the bottle (700ml) from the Highlander Inn for £125.00 and also by the nip (25ml) in our bar at the introductory price of £8.40 so you can taste it without breaking the seal of your own bottle.

Visit the Highlander Inn and their exciting new bottling of Bowmore at http://www.whiskyinn.com/whisky2009.html

The Bladnoch 8-Year-Old Launch
03 October 2009 – 18:00 pm – Main Hall – £10.00

Join us for the launch of Bladnoch’s 8-year-old malt, the first since the distillery reopened. The celebrations will include a tasting by John Lamond, while the Robert Burns Fellow, Rab Wilson, will toast the new arrival in verse. Music is provided by Willie Drennan and members of the Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra.

Visit both the distillery and the festival at;

http://www.bladnoch.co.uk/

http://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society have another website dedicated to events at their venues in the United Kingdom. Full details can be viewed at:

www.smwsevents.co.uk

From the new website;

No-one entertains and delights like The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Our highly experienced team are passionate about creating one-of-a-kind private events that meet every requirement and surpass every expectation. We can come to you for a private whisky tasting wherever you are in the world. Or you can come to us…

Our collection of uniquely stylish venues in Edinburgh and London provide the perfect backdrop to any corporate or private function, from a whisky tasting to private dining to a business meeting – or even a combination of all three!

You don’t need to be a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society to use our private rooms; they’re available to anyone with a taste for quality and sophistication.

We warmly invite you to take a look around…

The 2nd Annual St. Paul Scotch & Whiskey Fest
 
St. Paul Scotch & Whiskey Fest 2009 is our 2nd annual whiskey fest located on the property of The Happy Gnome. This is North America largest whiskey fest by number of whiskies (over 300) and attendees (2500 tickets available). St. Paul Scotch & Whiskey Fest is for the enthusiast of all levels and areas of interests. We will have a separated area where brand managers and distillers will sample a couple of their whiskies and attendees can sit in at no additional charge. There is four classes available being taught by educators from Cellar’s Wine and Spirits. And, of course over 300 whiskies to sample.

Ticket price will only be $10, drink tickets will be available for sale for tastes of whisky. You choose what you want to sample.

On Saturday October 24th in the year of 2009 may the Islay people rub elbows with the Bourbon folks and much rejoicing be abound as the St. Paul Scotch & Whisky Fest bagpipes sound at 12 noon.

http://stpaulscotchandwhiskeyfest.com/

A NUMBER of fine and rare BenRiach and GlenDronach malts are set to be one of the highlights of Whisky Live Paris this month.
 
French whisky lovers are looking forward to sampling some of the vintage expressions which have been maturing in GlenDronach’s Aberdeenshire distillery over the last forty years.
 
Regional Sales Director James Cowan said: “Whisky Live provides the ultimate whisky experience and continues to be one of the leading consumer and trade-based whisky shows globally.
 
“France has long been regarded as the leading Scotch Whisky market worldwide and it is essential that we have our brands on display on this key date in the annual calendar of events.
 
“Although the majority of whisky sold in France is blended whisky, single malt Scotch Whisky is fast becoming a fashionable beverage within the young to middle-aged consumer groups. We hope that both BenRiach and GlenDronach will be well received by all those who visit the stand over the exhibition weekend.
 
“This year’s exhibition has significant interest to us and we will be showcasing the newly-released GlenDronach 15-year-old and 18-year-old expressions together with some fine and rare vintage editions which will appeal to all malt whisky enthusiasts and collectors alike.”
 
Amongst many of the products being presenting are:
 
BenRiach 12yo ‘Sherry Wood’ matured
 
BenRiach 16yo
 
Birnie Moss ‘non aged’
 
GlenDronach 15yo

GlenDronach 18yo
 
In addition, James and his team will be sampling some astonishing vintage expressions from 1971, 1972 and 1996.
 
WhiskyLive Paris takes place at Pavillon Gabriel, 5 avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris, from Saturday 26 – Monday 28 September 2009.
 
Ends                                       14 September 2009
 
INFORMATION – James Cowan, 01324 682220

http://www.glendronachdistillery.com/

http://www.benriachdistillery.co.uk/

http://www.whiskylive.fr/index.php

This time around, we’ll have highlights from the Whisky Guild’s “Whisky on the Hudson” cruise, including the US debuts of the Balvenie Madeira Cask, Suntory’s Hibiki blended whisky, and Laphroaig’s new 18-year-old Scotch. In the news, Bowmore comes out with another edition of its legendary 1964 whiskies, Kilchoman debuts its first single malt, and bureaucrats on the loose!

Listen to Episode #217 on-line at http://whiskycast.com/

Mark Smith

Published on 11 Sep 2009
The Scotch whisky industry is not in crisis, in spite of mass layoffs at Diageo and recent production cuts at Chivas Brothers, and the forthcoming global export data will prove it, insiders at the Scotch Whisky Association claim.
The industry body’s figures for the first half of 2009, set for release at the end of the month, will reveal an uptick in the overall value of shipments around the world, SWA insiders said.
However, they will also show that during the first quarter of the year, whisky distillers saw markedly diminished demand from trade customers, which had difficulty obtaining funds from banks amid the credit freeze – but increases in the second quarter offset the earlier decline.
“We’ve said all along that the whisky industry is recession-resistant, not recession-immune – and we stand by that,” one insider said.
“What these latest figures will show is that global consumption overall has not decreased. The problem was that trade customers were ordering less because they were having trouble getting credit.
“These customers were simply using up existing supplies before deciding to restock. That situation changed in the second quarter.”
The insider told The Herald: “To suggest the whisky industry is in decline is ridiculous. In the past two years alone, around £500m has been invested into new and rejuvenated distilleries. If that’s not a sign of confidence, I don’t know what is.”
Such comments are noteable because Diageo, the world’s biggest drinks group, earlier this week said it would continue with plans to close its Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock and axe headcount at Port Dundas with the combined loss of 900 posts.
The group, which last week also issued a downbeat outlook for 2010, will offset the layoffs by creating 400 jobs through the expansion of the packaging plant in Fife.
Meanwhile, Chivas Brothers, which is owned by French drinks giant Pernod Ricard and controls around 20% of the Scotch whisky market, also this week said it cut production at several distilleries as whisky sales suffered in the past six months. It said volumes of Ballantine’s are down 4% and Chivas Regal off 5% year-on-year.
Earlier this year, SWA figures revealed the Scotch whisky industry has set new records for exports in 2008, earning £97 every second for the UK’s balance of trade. The value of shipments increased by 8% to a record £3.1bn.
Comments by insiders suggest that the latest half-year figures, when published, will reveal that industry is on track to set a new record in 2009.
“Some markets are down, it’s true. Spain, Korea and the US are down – and while this reflects the state of the economy, there are also credit and supply issues,” The Herald was told.
“But there is definitely a vast improvement over the situation at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. Whisky remains a growth industry.”
Whisky industry is not in crisis, claims Scotch Whisky Association

Whisky Intelligence has reproduced (with permission) The Gauntleys Whisky Newsletter for October 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

Well I’ve finished tasting the samples for the 2008 Independent Bottlers competition in the Whisky Magazine and it was the usual array of the good, the bad and the down right ugly. However the overall quality was again very high, and thankfully there were few really ugly ones! Although the evaluation has been completed and the ‘scores on the door’s’ have been submitted, I’m still in the process of collating my tasting notes and thoughts, so a full report will appear in the next newsletter. Hopefully by then I will know the names of the samples I tasted.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

According to AA Gill writing in last weekend’s Sunday Times, it is gastro guidebook season. He says, and I quote. “Guides are a curse and a bane on hospitality. The randomly solicited offerings from people whose qualifications are the ability to chew and the profligate use of exclamation marks are based on the false premise that everyone has an opinion, and all opinions are equally valuable.”

And in summing up adds this pearl of wisdom. “Would you pick five random people from a bus queue and let them decorate your bedroom, dress you or choose your next holiday? Then why on earth would you trust them to feed you?”

This got me thinking about the nature of critics. I mean what qualifications do they have. Some may have what is referred to as super palates, or a raft of qualifications from their field of speciality or un-swerving belief that their opinions are correct and as he or she has the wherewithal to put their neck on the line and go public with their opinion, well they’ve got be right haven’t they.

Taking whisky into account, there is no qualification as far as I’m aware in criticising or praising whisky. If you take someone like Jim Murray for example, he has years of experience in various facets of the industry, from distilling to blending the stuff, so you would imagine that he knows what he is talking about. As for me well I don’t have that sort of experience, but over the years of tasting both good and bad wines and spirits, I think I can say without a shadow of a doubt I know what constitutes and good or a bad one. And as I’m selling the stuff I think that makes my opinion pretty valid. Also having been asked to judge the Independent Bottlers Competition, twice in a row now, and given the fact that if I didn’t believe a spirit was of a good quality, or value for money, then I wouldn’t feel comfortable in selling it. One would like to think that I know what I’m talking about. Oh and maybe having a tendency to be outspoken helps! – But then what critic isn’t forthright.

The reason for this musing is that a woman came into the shop the other day to purchases a bottle of cognac. She informed me that the one that she was currently enjoying at the moment was quiet expensive, so anticipating a good sale I accordingly attached my salesman’s head and went to work. In order to close the deal I brought out a sample of the Maxim Trijol ‘Extra’ retailing for £106.50 and a simply stunning Cognac made from a blend of around 40 year old spirits, which my tasting notes describe as thus:

“Awesome aromas, which have a lovely crisp intensity. A marked similarity to the VSOP but amplified. Lovely soft orange/ apricot fruit with buckets of luscious, liquid honey. It is more delicately spiced than the XO and has a greater degree of luscious natural honey. Stunning in the mouth rich and fruity with an incredible rancio of honeyed dried fruit, raisins, sultanas and the sweetest, delicate spices imaginable. Opens up into a very floral/ violet middle and has a multi-dimensional quality with a superbly balanced, delicate yet powerful finish.”

Oh yes, it’s amazingly good. So I waited expectantly for a favourable reaction. “I don’t like it!” she proclaimed. Momentarily taken a-back by this pronouncement, I asked as to why. “I don’t know” was the answer. Well frankly I was stunned, and I genuinely wanted to know why this woman didn’t like it. After a few minutes deliberation she came up with the following two observations. “It’s not smooth, it tingles”. Yes dear that will be the intensity of the spirit and the declaration that really floored me was, this astonishing pronouncement. “It leaves a coating on my lips and tongue”. Well, duh! That’s called an after taste!

It dawned on me that this woman had absolutely no idea what constituted a good cognac. Yes she had an opinion, but as AA Gill says “Some people are right and everyone else isn’t”. And in this instance I am definitely correct in my belief that this is a truly magnificent cognac and she is, well, frankly, just plain deluded!

Now, you maybe thinking. ‘My you’ve got an ego and a half’, but I have integrity and a belief in my tasting abilities, and damn it if I say its good then its good! I mean I’ve tasted a few whiskies that I haven’t been particularly enamoured of, as you know my tastes veer towards unadulterated Bourbon oaked ones. But I know quality when I taste it and if it weren’t a quality product then it wouldn’t have a place on the shelf.

Right, rant over with. Time to taste some stuff and this month I begin where I left off last month.

MORE JAPANESE

The more I taste the whisky from this country, the more my love for it grows…… Oooh, getting all poetic here!

Nikka Miyagikyou 12 year old 45 % £61.95
A lovely, clean and rich nose of earthy orange fruit, honey, along with dark fruit, liquorice, chocolate and a faint whiff of smoke. A very polished and classy nose with the creamy oak becoming more prevalent over time. The palate mirrors the nose, until the spices explode onto the mid palate. Absolutely amazing stuff! As that spice bomb begins to recede the wonderful creamy oak comes through and tails off with a woody-spice finish.

Nikka From the Barrel 51.4% 50cl £25.95
Nikka From the Barrel 51.4% 50cl Glass Set £36.95
This must be the bargain of the century! This is a truly awesome nose. Very woody and so heavily spiced it’s untrue. The aromas are so dark and treacly with lashing of mature honey and liquorice. Being a vatting I would guess that there is a large dollop of mature spirits on display here, but the late vanilla oak keeps it all in check and balances it rather nicely. The palate opens up quiet softly, almost deceptively so and then whoosh – Wood tannins, orange, dark fruit, liquorice and exotic spices arrive like a bullet train hitting the tongue. Amazing balance and hugely spicy. Although it’s at cask strength the alcohol is definitely not intrusive.

A drop of water definitely tames the beast pushing the spicy wood notes to the background and allowing the most gloriously, luscious orange fruit to shine. If you are at all unsure as to the quality of Japanese malt whisky, then buy this! You will not regret it!

DIAGEO

I had a visit from the Diageo rep not so long ago. So what I hear you say! Well this was the first time anyone from that organisation had paid us a visit. Apparently they are now keen to help sales in the Independent sector. Now one wonders why they have decided to do this now. Is it because sales in the big multiples are slowing and having target, etc to meet, they have turned their attention to milking the independent sector? Cynical moi? Well if they really want to help the independent sector they can stop the supermarkets from heavily discounting those whiskies. I mean it doesn’t help if the likes of Tescos are selling their malts at a cheaper price than we can buy them.

Anyway being cynical aside it is good to know that we (the independents) do our best to sell their malts in what is now a difficult market place. The other reason for the visit was to inform us that Dufftown has had a make over and has been re-branded as the ‘Singleton of Dufftown’, why? I have no idea, and the thought that sprung to mind was ‘making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear?’ – Ooh!!

The Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old 40% – Not Stocking
A pungent and oily nose with some obvious sherry cask influence. Uncompromising (to put it nicely) and rough around the edges. The palate is intense and malty with obvious sherry character. It’s spirity and alcoholic, not exactly what you would call a malt with finesse. A drop of water makes the nose slightly soapy and emphasises the oils. Although it lessens the alcohol burn it still short and a bit rough. At least it seems to have lost its rubbery note, so I guess it’s an improvement after all?

BENROMACH – THE CONNOSSEURS CHOICE?

Oh alright that was a terrible pun, but the I really like what has been happening there since it was taken over by Gordon & MacPhail. It’s nice to see that it is not only Bruichladdich that has the monopoly on innovation. Take there latest release for example, the Origins. I love the fact that they are planning to release a series of bottlings that are produced from a single strain of barley. Now I know that is nothing new per se, but what is different is that they are labelling the variety on the bottle, and I’m sure that in a few years time it will be a fascinating exercise tasting all the different releases side by side. Now unfortunately I wasn’t sent a sample of this so you will have to make do with the distilleries tasting note, but they did send me a sample of the latest bottling of the marvellous peat smoke and tradition. So if you are thinking about a Christmas present for the whisky connoisseur in your life then the origins is an ideal choice

Benromach Traditonal 40% £21.95
Light, crisp aromas of citrus, soft spice and a late oily note. It has a lovely underlying oiliness. Light on the palate, initially a bit floral. Nicely mouth filling with an oily body and extremely spicy too! There is a good depth of rich fruit and a slight touch of peat smoke on the finish. Relatively straightforward due to its youth but dangerously drinkable nevertheless!

Benromach Peat Smoke Batch 2 43% £29.95
I was a bit fan of the first bottling of Peat Smoke, and the second batch definitely doesn’t disappoint. Crisp, clean and floral nose. It seems less overtly peaty than the first bottling, but that’s not to say that it is in anyway lacking in the peat smoke and coastal-rubber. It almost reminds me of a lightly peated Caol Ila with that fresh, garden fruit aroma. It has a lovely sweet-ish entry and a lot more fruit than the nose would suggest and definitely lacking the slight watery-ness of the earlier bottling. There’s a lovely, gradual build up of gentle peat and coastal notes. The mid palate is intense and extremely packed with citrus and finishes with a leafy, bog myrtle hint. Again really leaves me thinking of Coal Ila!

Benromach Origins Batch 1 Golden Promise 50% £35.95
A 9 year old spirit, matured in a combination of first and second fill sherry casks, lightly peated to 4ppm.

The nose has an initial buttery note along with floral influences. A prominent toasted malt note with subtle sherry notes in the background. With water it displays a prominent sweetness with heavy malt influences, delicate orange peel and some smoke. The palate starts creamy and becomes very sweet. Heavily toasted malt influences with a very delicate smoke. Mouth watering and complex. Water brings out a peppery note.

A NEW BOYO ON THE BLOCK!

Awhile ago Stephen Davies, the Managing Director of the Penderyn distillery gave me a call, after Jim Murray had forwarded a copy of my newsletter to him. I explained to him how our ‘relationship’ began and we had a long conversation about all things welsh. He said that he would keep me updated with anything new and low and behold a bottle of Penderyn Sherrywood appeared in the post. He also sent me an up to date sample as the last bottling I had tasted was from 2006!

I was surprised at how young the Penderyn is tasting as I would have thought that by now there would have been a lot more older spirit being used in the ‘blend’, but apparently the average age of it is around 5 years of age, even though the oldest spirits are closer to 8. I personally think that this needs some further investigation and if my request is fulfilled I’ll hopefully bring you an in depth article on just how this wonderful spirit is evolving.

I asked if there were plans to release a ’10 year old’ bottling in a couple of years, but there are no plans currently to do that. Although he did say that they may do a special ‘vintage 2000’ bottling. From a marketing point I imagine it would be a winner, but I guess we will have to wait and see.

Pendryn Sherrywood 46% £35.95
Lovely, rich nutty aromas of hazelnuts and sugared almonds followed by the slightly rose petaly young spirit. Over time caramel and sticky toffee aromas develop. Intriguing, sweet and earthy but nicely balanced by its freshness. The palate is quiet oily with the marc like rose petal spirit character more dominant than the sherry oak (in contrast to the nose), which begins to come through on the middle with hints of sugared almonds, toffee and caramel. Good length with cinnamon and soft, crumbly spice notes. Again lovely balance and not as sweet as the nose suggests.

Pendryn Maderia Finished 46%
April 2008 Bottling
Youthful, fresh and prickly on the nose with white liquorice, cereal/barley and a touch of rose petals, Turkish delight and botanicals. The oak drifts in later with creamy/ buttery vanilla and caramel notes. The palate opens with the oak in its butter/ creamy glory – loads of vanillins followed by toffee, rose petals and botanicals. Still seems very young with crisp barley coming through on the middle. Good length with a crisp, salty finish. By now I would have expected it to be showing more maturity. Maybe it is?

NEW BOTTLINGS FROM DEWAR RATTRAY

Macallan 1998 (9 year old) 54.4% – Not Stocking
A very spirity, acetone nose reminiscent of cheap grain. There is some earthy, orangey fruit, but it’s somewhat disappointing. The palate is equally unexciting, it has some sweet orange fruit and bourbon oak notes along with an intense winey middle, but the alcohol dominates and it all feels a bit dull. A drop of water calms the nose down a bit and brings out buttered toffee and a floral note, but that’s about as far as it gets. All a bit one dimensional to be honest.

Dufftown 1976 (32 year old) 55.4% – Not Stocking
Faintly rubbery aromas of old vegetation – yum! (Note the sarcasm!) There’s some mature orange fruit but the rubber becomes more intrusive. Like the distillery bottling its not subtle, earthy and rustic would be the kind way of putting it. The palate is oily, mature and earthy with a rubbery middle (surprise!). It’s redolent of old fruit, decaying rose petals, manure and alcohol! – Yes it’s that pleasant! A drop of water isn’t much help in fact it my notes say – Yuk, earthy, manure and old rose water with a side serving of old rubber! Enough said!

Bunnahabhain 1976 (32 year old) 49.4% £85.95
A wonderfully mature nose of coastal and refill sherry aromas. Luxuriously decadent with rich coffee and mature honey and hints of light menthol and bog myrtle. Over time some velvety vanilla oak aromas insinuate themselves with a lovely butter/ toffee nuance. Wonderfully inviting and an ideal after dinner dram. The palate opens with a wave of mature coastal fruits which are wonderfully rich and mouth filling. There are plenty of wood notes – coffee and vanilla and walnuts, all balanced by a wonderfully salty edge. Lovely and mellow it finishes with a return of the buttery oak. Personally I’d drink it neat as water softens it a bit too much and the oak overwhelms the mature fruit a bit, as well as brining out a faintly astringent (but not unpleasant) note on the nose.

NEW BRUICHLADDICH & MURRAY MCDAVID

Bruichladdich Peat 46% £32.95
Bourbon
Another new ‘multi-vintage’ bottling. This time the peating levels have been increased to around 35ppm which shows on the nose with a phenolic intensity of medicinal peat and rubbery fisherman’s garments. A classic peated Islay. Yet it is definitely not one dimensional. The Islay notes are backed by classic laddie bourbon coated apple and orange fruit. The palate is lovely, full of the most crumbliest, flakiest ………. peat – hang on getting carried away here! But seriously young, medicinal and bog myrtle it may be but there’s a robust fruitiness to this malt, oh and did I mention the peat?? In conclusion it is youthful yet beautifully rounded, full of Islay charm!

Bruichladdich 21 year old 46% £91.95
Oloroso Sherry
Welcome back old friend it has been awhile. This is a big rich sherry monster and it would appear that an odd rouge sulphurous cask has slipped in here. The nose is rich and sherried with velvety orange and apricot fruit, raisins, nuts and dried fig aromas. The spirit struggles to break through and briefly pokes it’s smoky/ bog myrtley/ coastaly head above the parapet before being once again swamped by rich toffee and pure Colombian and chocolate notes. The complexity is exceptional. The palate is super smooth and soft, like the nose there is a huge amount of sherry wood and tannins. Quiet heavily peated for such an old laddie and it is well into the mid-palate that the distillery character of toffee apple, crumbly spice, bog myrtle and medicinal peat begins to assert itself. The sherry sweetness returns on the finish, but this sweetness is marvellously kept in check by its rampant salinity. All in all an excellent expression, just slightly flawed, but with a palate like this that can be forgiven!

Murray McDavid Tobermory 1995 (12 year old) 46% Not stocking
Bourbon/ Madeira
Its quiet sulphury on the nose, it reeks of match heads. This is quiet unusual as it’s the first time I’ve tasted a non-sherry cask that has been tainted this way. Just for the record there’s a bit of crisp vanilla, Madeira cask and earthy notes. The palate is soft and fruity. Quiet salty with vanilla and Madeira notes with the alcohol being quiet intrusive. Best forgotten about I think.

Murray McDavid Highland Park 1989 (18 year old) 46% £58.95
Bourbon
I have said it many times before that MMcD have bottled some great casks of Highland Park 1989 in the past and finally here is a bottle worthy of praise. The nose is wonderfully soft and imbued with the juiciest orange fruit imaginable along with earth and gentle peat. It even develops some Laphroaig-esque medicinal notes and lashing of coastal fragrance! Soft and gentle on the palate, very much like the nose. Extremely peaty for Highland Park. It has a wonderful crumbly texture and the finish is very long with the smoky/ peaty/ coal dust flavours lingering.

Murray McDavid Craggenmore 1993 (15 year old) 46% £46.95
Bourbon/ Syrah
I thought the previous bottling of this as a 12 year old was quiet charming so I was interested to taste this new bottling and see what a few more years had done to it. Strangely enough the nose was initially a bit on the raw side but the sweet syrah fruit quickly kicks in followed by the creamy bourbon oak. And then………. Good grief!……..what’s this……….. peat!? I definitely wasn’t expecting that. When did Craggenmore start playing around with peat? (I’m sure someone will tell me!) And the peat aromas are not what you would call subtle either. Like the previous bottling the finishing cask is nicely integrated on the palate. There’s not much distillery character (but then does it really have?) and whoosh there’s the peat again backed up by a tremendous salinity! Well it has been maturing on Islay. Lovely finish with the citrus distillery character finally putting in an appearance. Well what a curio, who would have thought it a peated Craggenmore? Worth buying for the novelty value if nothing else. And for the record I do like it!

NEW RAYMOND ARMSTRONG

Glen Grant 1980 (27 year old) 51.6% £66.95
Bourbon Hogshead 20294
Deep, earthy and wonderfully mature aromas of orange fruit, marzipan, apricots in a light citrus conserve topped off with a lifting floral/ perfumed note of blossom and violets. It has a wonderfully soft and delicate vanilla sheen along with the classic nutty distillery character. The palate, like the nose displays the earthy, mature vanilla laced orange fruit and dusty spices, followed by lively orange blossom and a distinctly peachy middle. Its crisp alcohol keeps the mature dram lively, and the length is superb with mature, elegant honey (acacia?) notes.

A drop of water gives the nose even more of a wow factor. It deepens and intensifies the decadent orange fruit and coffee spice, light almonds and hazelnuts as well as accentuating its floral/ violet character. Whilst on the palate a delicate peat note is now perceptible. I have tasted some excellent old sherry casks from this distillery and this wonderful bourbon cask is testament to the quality of the spirit.

Caol Ila 1983 (25 year old) 54.3% £70.95
Bourbon Hogshead 4809
Quiet a light and elegant nose. It maybe light but it displays a massive depth of mature, floral fruit along with apple blossom, light menthol and honey aromas. Give it some time and the complexity level grows! Now there’s a touch of rubber, gorgeously sweet peat and late spice/ wood notes. Not particularly overtly coastal in character, yet that is more an observation than a criticism. The palate opens with a greater degree of peat and coastal flavours than are evident on the nose. It has that wonderful windswept Islay astringency along with a leafy note. The alcohol dominates the palate but there is some wonderful fruit lurking beneath. The length is superb and very elegant, leaving a sooty/ smoky coating on the tongue.

A drop of water brings out wet fern and bracken notes on the nose along with a distinct organic undergrowth character. The peat gently wafts somewhere in the background, yet the rubbery/ fishy notes remain. Water really opens up the palate and shows the complexity of this cask. It is now incredibly lively, definitely belying its age, almost crisply citrus with hints of charcoal and dying embers. The peat gently builds on the palate and it the water highlights the classic ‘garden fresh’ character that I associate with Caol Ila. The length is wonderful and seductive topped of with a sprinkling of wood notes.

AND FINALLY A QUICK ROUND UP!

James McArthur Linkwood 18 year old 50.1% £51.95
What a nose! It opens with aromas of chocolate/ coffee liqueur followed by a huge wave of orange and tangerine fruit and citrus oil. All backed up by the wonderfully creamy vanilla oak. A supremely inviting nose with a slight perfumed/ floral edge. The palate is like the nose, big, juicy and luscious with a slight grassy and earthy note. The alcohol is kept in check beautifully by the sweetness of the fruit. With a drop of water it becomes crisper and cleaner, emphasising its citrus and floral character. In conclusion this is the definitive fruity Speysider!

Well that’s it for now. I hope you enjoy the read and if you have any comments, you know where I am.

Sincerely

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

18, 19 & 20 September 2009

REMINDER: With the Whisky Galore Festival just around he corner, it’s important to book your accommodation as soon as possible.  If you are having any problems finding or booking accommodation, please contact the festival administrator, Gillian Hamill.

Email: info@whiskygalorefestival.com or Tel: 01871810088.
 
The first ever Whisky Galore Festival takes place on the beautiful island of Barra in September, 2009. This Hebridean jewel is the very same island where Whisky Galore – the hilarious 1949 Ealing comedy, based on the book of the same name by Compton MacKenzie – was filmed.

In typical island fashion, Barra and Vatersay embrace the opportunity of yet another party. The Whisky Galore Festival is a unique chance to savour that renowned island hospitality and be part of history in the making.

Experience a little Whisky Galore magic… 
 
Contact: Gillian Hamill. 

Main Office, Castlebay Hall, Castlebay, Isle of Barra.
Tel: 01871810088.  Email: info@whiskygalorefestival.com

For a full list of event on Friday, Saturday and Sunday visit the Festival at: 

http://www.whiskygalorefestival.com/

Accommodation on the island is limited – for information check out the Links page…..