Marc Pendlebury

Whisky in Lagos: Enter the Ninja by Marc Pendlebury

At the end of this month, after 8 months, my time in Lagos, Nigeria, will be over. Although trying at times, it’s been a great experience overall and one that I will remember fondly, and which I feel I’ve made the most of.  It’s a whole other world. The sheer size of the city and number of people, cars, taxis and motorcycles is astounding; not to mention the brazen corruption, manic streets, extensive poverty, unremitting noise and abundant pollution. (Imagine a post-apocalyptic New York City with 18 million people!).

There are entertainment options in Lagos but they aren’t plentiful, and so to break the monotony of work over the weekend, Saturday mornings I do a weekly shop. Although I usually end up buying a few food items, the purpose of my shopping is to find whisky. Now believe it or not, finding whisky isn’t too hard. There are no dedicated alcohol/liquor stores but most grocers, apart from the few that are strictly Halaal of course, stock a fairly decent range of alcohols. Wine and cognac seem to be most popular with great variety on offer, including more premium swanky cognac bottles than I care to count. Whisky stock however, although present, is erratic and usually restricted to only a few brands. But herein lies the fun.

No two stores are alike in their whisky stock, not even within the same supermarket chains. Visiting a store for the first time is like opening a lucky packet; you cannot anticipate what you’re going to find. Of course there are the usual cheap and premium blends from across America, Canada and Scotland, but more than that one can only guess. The only single malt brands that appear well distributed are Glenmorangie and Glenfiddich, but no surprise there really.

Some of my unexpected finds so far (all unavailable in SA):

• Lots of older Glenmorangie Wood Finishes: Madeira and Burgundy
• Glen Moray 8yo & 16yo Speyside single malt
• Three expressions of Castle Rock: NAS blend, 12yo blend and a 12yo “malt Scotch whisky”
• Two  expressions of William Peel:  8yo “pure malt” in numbered bottle and a 12yo Speyside single malt
• A bottle of Midleton Very Rare 2008
• Cameron Brig NAS pure single grain whisky
• Smokehead single Islay malt
• Glavya and American Honey whisky liqueurs

Out of all the oddities and lesser distributed bottles I’ve stumbled across, there is one that wins the unusual pageant without contest. Enter the Ninja! Ninja Whisky is “a fine blend of matured malts and premium grain spirits”, NAS whisky bottled and blended by Alcobrew Distilleries in India, for Sainov Spirits. When I came across this on a shelf for 800 Naira (≈ R36/£3) I had a hearty chuckle and had to buy a bottle. I intend keeping it closed for my whisky shelf as it’ll bring back my memories of Lagos and make for good story telling, but I am tempted to get another bottle to taste out of pure curiosity – I’m just scared of what it’ll taste like! Credit where it is due though: the packaging is very creative and honest; it isn’t masquerading as anything other than a blended and bottled Indian ninja! Although it is oddly void of place of distillation.

I’ll have two more weekends in Lagos, which means two more Saturdays for whisky hunting. Thereafter I just need to sneak my several bottles of whisky through SA customs in one piece. Hopefully the mystical cloaking skills of the Ninja will help…

Update: Ninja whisky product page that mentions ‘Oakwood’ maturation, and a TV ad. Seems there is a whole family of Ninja spirits including rum, brandy, vodka and gin. (That’s one deadly family!)

Visit Marc at http://whiskybrother.com

Send us your own ‘Vignettes – Moments in Whisky’. If you have a whisky moment please feel free to submit your moment and we’ll do our best to publish it.

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

1982 Glenugie 25 year old, Old Malt Cask Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 1 available ($259.99)

Kilchoman 2011 Spring Release Islay Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($64.99)

BACK IN STOCK… (items we’ve carried in the past that have just arrived again)

Big Peat Islay Vatted Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml – 10 available ($59.99)

1998 Caol Ila 10 Year Old Madeira Finish, Gordon & MacPhail, Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 12 available ($79.99)

Springbank 12 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 11 available ($59.99))

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

It’s been an interesting month during which I’ve moved into a new house, got some new furniture, got a new wife and also got a few new casks…. (no particular importance should be attributed to my order of typing) Thanks to all for the good wishes to Jane and myself.

With demand strong for Cragganmore, I’ve taken delivery of another couple of 20 year old hogsheads. I’ve mentioned previously the delays and difficulties getting casks uplifted from some warehouses and occasional inaccuracies in the amounts gauged. I usually check the volume and strength within a day of arrival in our warehouse.

In the case of the recently delivered 12 year old Bowmore, some of the quantities were lower than they should have been but the quality is excellent.

I bottled one of the casks of 36 year old Inchgower and sold all of the bottles within a couple of days to trade customers. The demand spilled over for the second cask and any bottles remaining will be available on my online shop within the next week, price £50 per bottle at 53.4%. This is definitely a good value product and atthis price you can afford to buy two and keep one. Check out prices on other websites, you’ll find that a 36 yo Inchgower will usually sell at £90plus.

From the point of view of excellent value the pick of the bunch among the new arrivals has to be the hoggies of 14 year old Dalmore. These have matured beautifully and are ready for bottling immediately. Their exceptionally low price is unlikely to be repeated in the future.

Earlier in the year I attended Linkoping Whisky Festival in Sweden. I sold some casks, met some very nice people, was grateful to those enthusiasts among them who were particularly helpful to me and I got some useful experience. It was also apparent that I should have marketed not only casks but some of my bottlings. Even if I had only brought a few bottles for sampling, ensuing sales could have been posted out from Scotland. I am currently trying to decide which whisky festivals it might be worthwhile to visit during the next six months, so any advice or recommendations would be much appreciated!

Casks Currently Available:

Bottles Currently Available:

Distilled at Price (notincluding postage)

Caol Ila 27 yearold, 70cl, 53.1% £49

Cragganmore 20 yearold, 70cl, 54.2% £37

Glen Grant 17 yearold, 70cl, 55% £40

“Mystery Whisky”,20 year old, 70cl, 55.8% (label gives clues to distilleryname) £36

Inchgower 36 year old, 70cl, 53.4%COMING WITHIN THE NEXTWEEK £50

For trade prices please contact me.

If there is any cask you would particularly like to see available, please let me know and I’ll keep an eye open for it. Comments/suggestions can be made on the Guestbook of my website, especially if you have purchased a cask. Alternatively you can email me.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Martin Armstrong

www.whiskybroker.co.uk
info@whiskybroker.co.uk

LIMITED EDITION THREE SHIPS CONQUERS INTERNATIONAL WATERS

The limited edition Three Ships 10-year old single malt recently returned home with a gold medal from the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles held in Luxembourg. A total 7 386 wines and spirits from 49 producer countries competed before a hand-picked selection of some of the world’s foremost judges.

The whisky was matured for the full 10 years in American oak casks of varying ages with the older small wood contributing to the exceptional smoothness of this whisky while also imparting a slight sweetness.  It’s a full-bodied and well-rounded whisky with a hint of peat and estery notes that add a slightly sweet fragrance hinting of dried fruit and fudge.

With only 8 000 bottles launched in October last year, it is highly unlikely that you would still find a bottle in liquor outlets but if you are lucky enough to spot one, make sure it becomes part of your whisky collection.

The Three Ships range of whiskies is produced by master distiller Andy Watts at The James Sedgwick Distillery, situated in Wellington under the shadow of the Cape’s Drakenstein Mountains. The distillery was established in 1886 and over the past two decades has undergone several upgrades transforming it into a state-of-the-art distillery. The Three Ships fleet consists of Three Ships Select, Three Ships 5-year-old Premium Select, Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish and now the Three Ships 10-year-old Single Malt Whisky.

Laphroaig OB Triple Wood 48%alc.

More pleasure and richness for a peaty fan.

Initially ex-Bourbon matured (traditional Laphroaig cask), transferred to a small quarter cask (see “Quarter Cask” also here) to make it sweeter and then to a European oak (“sherry”) cask, which adds richness.

The result is clean and peaty, freshness (as celery) and then richness (Demerara), vanilla (emulsion paint) and tannic (tea).

To taste there is a shot of Laphroaig’s signature note which I still struggle to describe; dry – sewery – carbolicy whateverie stuff. Then the round, sherry-richness comes with peat lingering over the sour receptors on the side of the tongue. Definitely Laphroaig and an interesting if subtle variant. A finish that fades soon then returns and won’t go away. Water emphasises the Laphroaig stuff.

Flavour map reference G9.
on the Smoky side of Rich & Smoky

Laphroaig Triple Wood
Price excluding VAT: £32.42
£38.90 Including VAT at 20%

JOHN CAMPBELL INTRODUCES LAPHROAIG CAIRDEAS

Monday, June 27, 5:00-8:00pm

Meet Laphroaig master distiller John Campbell as he introduces his newest hand selected release. The new Laphroaig Cairdeas is a range of ages from fresh bourbon wood and bottled at cask strength.

Call 312-664-4394 for more information. Chicago – Lincoln Park Store 1720 N. Marcey St. | Chicago | 312-664-4394

Visit Binny’s at www.binnys.com

Rev that throttle bikers and malt-mates, Ralfy wheelies in with Whisky Review #208 – Dewars 12yo with biker-buddy Andy !

vroom vroom !

See for yourself at www.ralfy.com

The Tweeddale Blend Batch 2 Launch Event – 25/06/11
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A new specialist spirits store in Glasgow will host the official launch of the second batch of The Tweeddale Blend scotch whisky. The Good Spirits Co. in Bath Street have barely been open a couple of weeks but are already lining up an exciting array of exclusive tastings and events to promote quality drink products in the city.

Alasdair Day, the creator of the blend, discovered his Great Grandfather’s recipe book and decided to recreate the whisky for the modern market. The first batch has since sold out and he has now put together a new version which this time is 12 years old, two years older than the original.

On Saturday 25th June, visitors to The Good Spirits Co. will be able to sample the whisky as well as talk to Alasdair himself about his lastest creation. The event will run from 1pm-5pm.

www.thegoodspiritsco.com
http://www.stonedean.co.uk

The Good Spirits Co.
23 Bath Street
Glasgow G2 1HW

New range from award-winning Scotch whiskymaker Compass Box Whisky Co. heralds ‘Rebirth of the Blend’

Great King Street launches in Europe on 6th June and in the USA in September

“This is more than a brand; it’s a mission. A mission to get people – all people – to take a fresh look at Blended Scotch; to join in the Rebirth of the Blend: in how Blends are made, how they are viewed, how they are consumed.”  – John Glaser, Whiskymaker

Founded in October 2000, Compass Box Whisky Co. is kicking off its second decade by launching a new range solely dedicated to Blended Scotch Whisky – called Great King Street.

The first whisky in the range – the Artist’s Blend – launches in Europe on 6th June, with the US and other markets following suit in September. Available exclusively in a 50cl format – the first Scotch whisky to do so – and bottled at 43%, the whisky is rich, round and fruity with hints of toasty oak, vanilla and spice.  The name and label are inspired by Compass Box’s registered office address in Scotland – 24 Great King Street, in Edinburgh. The RRP will be around £25.00.

Glaser explains, “In a world where malt whisky gets all the attention, people often overlook the pleasures of good Blended Scotch. We believe that Great King Street will change this. There are good reasons why the blending of grain whisky and malt whisky has been the mainstay of the Scotch industry for over 100 years. Well-made Blended Scotches have an elegance and approachability that make them a joy to drink.  Great King Street will offer a new and compelling alternative for both whisky enthusiasts who ordinarily drink only malt whiskies, and for whisky novices.

By applying the same skill, techniques and philosophy that we use for the Compass Box Signature Range of whiskies, Great King Street will offer a style and approach to Blended Scotch that has not existed before. The keys are using individually chosen casks from some of Scotland’s best distilleries, a high proportion of malt whisky, truly excellent quality grain whiskies, and the careful use of new French Oak aging for added complexity.  All bottled at a natural colour and without chill-filtering. We call whiskies made with this approach ‘craft blends’.”

As you might expect from a four-time Whisky Magazine ‘Innovator of the Year’, Compass Box is also looking to use Great King Street as a way to encourage different ways of drinking whisky:

As John puts it, “As well as being delicious neat, Great King Street is equally enjoyable drunk with ice, as a refreshing Highball with soda water and ice, or in cocktails. One of the wonderful things about a whisky highball is that it slips down as easily as beer.  This gives us whisky lovers a refreshing whisky-based drink for all sorts of different occasions—at the bar with friends after work, on a warm day, parties, receptions, even with food (particularly Asian food). We believe it is time for a renaissance of the Highball.”

Website www.greatkingstreet.com

ABOUT COMPASS BOX (www.compassboxwhisky.com)
The Compass Box Whisky Company is a boutique Scotch whiskymaker and craft blender, started in 2000 by John Glaser.  Compass Box produces and bottles a range of Scotch whiskies, available in over 25 countries around the world.  A four-time winner of the Whisky Magazine Innovator of the Year award, Compass Box is known throughout the whisky world for quality, innovation and passion for great whisky. The Compass Box signature range of whiskies includes Asyla, Oak Cross, The Peat Monster, The Spice Tree and Hedonism.  They also produce limited release whiskies annually, and Orangerie, a Scotch whisky infusion.

ABOUT JOHN GLASER
American ex-pat John Glaser started Compass Box Whisky Company from the kitchen of his west London home in 2000.  Having started his career on a path to become a winemaker, then re-routing himself through the corporate world and ending up as marketing director for Johnnie Walker in London, Glaser has a unique perspective on both the creation and the marketing of Scotch whisky.

Glaser established Compass Box based on his commitment to evolving practices in the industry to make great Scotch whisky more approachable and relevant to more people.  From the beginning, his vision has been to create one of Scotland’s finest and most exciting whisky companies, re-establishing the standards for quality and style in the industry.

Kilkerran OB ‘Work in Progress’ 2011 Release 46%alc.

(From www.lfw.co.uk );

From Glengyle Distillery, Campbeltown.

Great progress from the Wee’toon’s Baby

The nose-experience is initially mild, then prickle and then hot anthracite embers but still pleasing, fat juicy lemon-grass and butterscotch.

That coal fire taste dominates, then grassy-fruity vanilla-apples and Highland style peat, which used to be called Campbeltown-style. This promises to be a big spicy whisky when the work is complete. Water reveals smoke on the nose and a softened, sweet richness on the palate.

This is the third ‘work in progress’ offering from Campbeltown’s new distillery and by far the most digestible, previous offerings have not merited a review, but this shows great promise and is worthwhile now. Look forward to the next.

Flavour Map reference D3
Complex, Light & Delicate.

Kilkerran Work in Progress 2011 Release
Price excluding VAT: £27.08
£32.50 Including VAT at 20%