Jameson NAS (40%, OB, 2010) Lot JQ-058548

From www.jamesonwhiskey.com

“Triple Distilled, Twice as Smooth. The number three. The ancient Greek, Pythogoras, described it as the perfect number. And, as everybody knows, three time’s a charm. So, unlike American whiskies, which are usually distilled just once, and Scotch whiskies, which try a little harder with two distillations, we distil Jameson Irish Whiskey three times.

Perfectly Balanced. Balance is also important. While we love the number three (it’s been good to us), we’re also very keen on the dynamic equilibriums of two forces balanced to create perfection. We mix precisely the right amount of malted barley and exactly the right amount of unmalted barley. Likewise our pot still whiskeys complement our delicate grain whiskeys beautifully. We balance the nutty flavours of our sherry casks with the fragrant vanilla of our bourbon casks. All resulting in a perfectly balanced whiskey.

Single Distillery. And finally, we could not talk about our triple distillation and perfect balance without mentioning our Midleton Single Distillery. It is where, under the one roof and under the careful gaze of our whiskey masterminds, that every drop of Jameson Irish Whiskey is created, meaning we can guarantee the quality of every last sip.”

On the nose there is a distinctively oiliness intermingled with some grains and some really good sharp notes. The descriptors are quite quickly joined by some sweet notes. The lighter notes can be described as fresh cut grass and all is all it’s very vibrant. The taste quite honeyed at first followed by the oiliness and then the grains in quick succession. It’s very good and is still quite vibrant. Loads of flavour here. Moments of black pepper and further sweetness although this does not dominate; everything works very well together. Excellent! The finish is a mirror of the previous descriptors but then it becomes dry along with some malty moments (cocoa and oak spice) and it’s very long and lingers.

Lashings of activity here even for a 40% ABV but presents and tastes very well.

A mere $30

Score 85 points

Angels

 W H I S K Y   C L U B

www.angelswhiskyclub.com

Angels Whisky Club – St Patrick’s Day Tastings 2011

O’Neill’s Dublin, Clontarff castle and Kilkenny.

We’ve been tasting whiskey for St Patrick – Angels’ Whisky Club members have, during the week ending 10th March, been tasting as many Irish Whiskeys as possible. Back in January when this idea was conceived we set ourselves an extremely ambitious target but, with the help of Angels’ members around the globe (too numerous to mention), I think we’ve succeeded. Our members have again excelled themselves, giving up their valuable time totaste whiskey – it’s an onerous task but someone had to do it, and Angels’ members, showing no small measure of self sacrifice, volunteered.

A huge success it was with so many drams being tasted around the world, including; Green Spot, 3 varieties of Bushmills, many types of Cooleys inc Connemara (x 6), Tullamore Dew, Clontarf, Knapogue Castle, Hot Irishman, Redbreast, Tyrconnel, Jamesons, Colraine, even a homegrown potcheen!  Irish Mist, Paddy’s, Black Bush, Power, Lockes, Kilbeggan,Greenore, Hewitts, Feckin, Midleton, and Michael Collins.  We did our best!  Our thanks go to Angels’ members from: Germany; Australia; Holland; South Africa; Israel; Norway; Sweden; Italy; Canada; USA; Scotland; Russia; even England! and of course Ireland.

Some of the results of their labours are as follows:

Knapoggue castle 12 year old  Liz; vanilla and peaches, I can drink this easy and like it. She did.  Light and easy to drink, citrus, spice, a nice dram. reminds me of donkey’s in the fields of Kilkenny. PAUL (he has a thing about donkey dung, too much whiskey).   WILLIE said; fruity nose, lemon and apple, quite a sharp taste, wee bit of straw, confectionary sweetness here, never seen this one before, fascinating; nose and taste so different from each other. JANICE: medicinal but smooth, a good intro whisky, ie; more than one is ok.

Connemara Turf Mór Again Cooley, but this time a peaty one. Bloody awesome mellow, warm and peaty! Our notes go like this: mmhmmmm hmmm mmmhhhhmmmm….Me likey, me want!!!!  A definite hit in Germany then.

Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey A very light Whiskey floral in the nose and indeed fruity in the palate.
It does fit perfectly in my Irish Coffee and indeed Hot Toddy (isn’t it, Liz?)

Connemara Peated Single Malt Matured in Bourbon casks, the beautiful lingering peaty taste is complemented by vanilla and honey notes which lead to a silky smooth finish and the peat returns, making you come back for more

TYRCONNEL SINGLE MALT  nose of cherry boot polish, iodine? After the swallow it creeps back up my tongue. So unlike potcheen it hurts! This is easy and could be drunk too much, nice warm mouth to it lads!.

GREEN SPOT A grand wee dram so it is, a touch of the farmyard here somewhere? A favourite of a real whisky man Mark from Speyside, one wonders; why?  Says Paul “will take the paint off a door”.
MICHAEL COLLINS  as rare a dram as the man himself so it is, hard to fine, like man like whiskey! Seamus. First saw this in New York State, been drammin it ever since, no so much for the drink as fer the man. Sean.

PADDY’S  easy to snuffle down and even better when yer cousin buys it!

HOT IRISHMAN is this a ladies drink? Very difficult askin at the bar fer it when we are three fellas!  Did this just so we could write it for you all.  It is a good drink says Liz. Better than Baileys said Mahri. Its what I want goin to me bed says Marie.  Stop that girl.

KILBEGGAN Liz loved the shape of the bottle! Paul just liked the dram, as did many others. A blend but a good one, one of those you can drink all night, where’s the donkey?

FECKIN  easy to get at duty free and all over Ireland, basically, its what you say after a swig of this

COLRAINE is it a whiskey? Infamous quote from Russia.  Scots love it!

Greenore from Ireland. I found this strange but nice (Paul). Bit like my pal in Derry actually, ok and sometimes fine but don’t need too much of it.  Grant; never heard of it, but will put it on the shelf now in the pub! Willie, never had a grain before, don’t know what to think?  Bob, “is it free?” 

Connemara Peated Single Malt; Colour: light gold. Nose: pretty smoky, tannery aromas, hints of unripe hazelnut and Amaretto liquor, pastry. Palate: rather sweet and smoky (notes of smoked ham), lots of liquorice, iced caffe latte, Demerara sugar, drop of menthol. Finish: develops the palate, liquorice with milk and coffee, slightly bitter in the end. Summary: 8/10 our expert in Russia liked it.

BLACK BUSH  almost got a smack asking for this in the pub, but after explaining, it was a really excellent dram.

IRISH MIST true to its name, I tasted this and ended up in it! Mind, we did have one or two too many, but all in a good cause.

HEWITTS  for what it is and hard to find, this is a really good dram, a hidden gem. It’s available in the Foundry in Perth (Paul’s local) along with a few other Irish drams, we need keep the flag flying here for Irealnd. The pub now has two more Irish than it had before; Greenore and Kilbeggan, available for St Pats Day everyone.

POWER seems this is popular in Ireland with the older set, sorry, cousins of an age past 40. Its good as a side kick to a pint of Kilkenny beer. Says Cormac “its got a donkey kick, and tastes the same”. Michael; he cant tell the difference. Marie; they all have the manners of a donkey after it! The Daley’s should have tasted this away from each other I think!

POTCHEEN aye well, memories come to mind, Andy almost was divorced after his taste, his missus is still lookin to kill Paul, who forgot where he lived, Willie – never seen a face like that before! Ray liked it! Tracy fell over, Dave spat it out, Bob said he liked it, but he takes anything for free, Ron would hate it but drink it all.  If you are sane and sober, you won’t go anywhere near this stuff. But – och after a dram or 7 it does tempt you…

Someone mentioned a Bailey’s …come on lads we are tasting REAL Irish drinks, what whiskey is in this one?  Many of our Irish tasters ended up with an Irish coffee, no bad you would think and maybe what you would expect. Well – an Irish coffee to an Irishman is a hot whiskey with no coffee near it! There’s Irish for ya.

Overall best liked Irish whiskey tasted by Angel members;  most of the Connemara’s!  Well done to Cooley’s!!!

Angels Whisky Club is free to join, has membership all over the world, patron is Charles Maclean and ambassadors in place all over the globe. The website is full of facts and figures, photos, tastings, interviews, video links and fun!  www.angelswhiskyclub.com  Contact them to join up to an ever growing membership for whisky lovers! 

M C L E A N S C O T L A N D
W H I S K Y    T O U R S    T O    R E M E M B E R

Partners Liz and Paul are away for St Patrick’s Day to Islay to research the whisky and scenery for forthcoming tour groups. Aye, a trip was deemed necessary to meet friends old and new on the isle, in preparation for many whisky tours they will be sending to Islay this year. With groups coming from Canada, Norway, Sweden and more, they are doing what comes natural to them; every year Liz and Paul double check all accommodation, visit locations, distilleries and ensure all is 100% for the coming tour season.  No doubt they will also be checking the local drams are good enough for their clients too!  Liz and Paul  www.mcleanscotland.com Why Islay for St Pat’s? Well; its close to where he is buried – so why not? Said Paul.

Whisky Magazine has provided an update on the status of the Japanese distilleries

http://whiskymagazine.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/updates-from-japanese-distilleries-16th-march-2011/

You may donate to the Japanese Red Cross at;

 http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

“We heartily appreciate your kind offer of donation.

If you want to donate money to the affected population of earthquake and tsunami, please contact your national Red Cross/Crescent society, which may have already launched fundraising campaign within your country.

If your national society doesn’t collect donation or you wish to send your donations directly to the Japanese Red Cross Society, please direct your fund to the following bank account. If you need the receipt of your fund, please state so clearly in the comment section of the bank transfer order. All the fund received under this account will be transferred to the Distribution Committee, which is formed around the local government of the disaster-affected prefecture and to be distributed directly among the affected population of earthquake and tsunami,

　Name of Bank: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
　Name of Branch: Ginza
　Account No.: 8047670 (Ordinary Account)
　SWIFT Code: SMBC JP JT
　Payee Name: The Japanese Red Cross Society
　Payee Address: 1-1-3 Shiba-Daimon Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN

Thank you once again for your generous offer. It is surely the source of encouragement for the affected population in Japan.”

The new Icon of Arran!
 
Please meet Ruaraidh (pronounced Roo-ree) the West Highland Terrier belonging to our Distillery Manager James MacTaggart. Ruaraidh is independent of character with a mischievous glint in his eye and is much admired by visitors to our Distillery in Lochranza. This limited edition bottling was drawn from 22 ex-Sherry Hogsheads distilled in 1998 and specially selected by James MacTaggart under the careful supervision of Ruaraidh. After 12 years of maturation this expression of Arran is rich & warming with a delightful complexity.

Click on the link below to see the pdf information sheet:
 
http://www.arranwhisky.com/App/uploads/Icons%20of%20Arran%203%20The%20Westie.pdf 

·         Limited Edition of 6,000 bottles worldwide

·         22 Ex-Olorosso Sherry Hogsheads

·         Stunning Packaging

·         Ideal for both the collector and connoisseur
 
·         Bottled at 46% abv

·         Non- Chill Filtered

·         No Added Colouring

Tasting Notes

Nose:    A fresh aroma with notes of toasted oak, treacle-toffee & orange zest.

Palate: Full-bodied and buttery with an initial rush of vanilla essence and Demerara sugar. The sweet character subsides leaving cocoa powder and cardamom seeds.

Visit Isle of Arran Distillery at www.arranwhisky.com

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked a new item, ‘Glenmorangie Finealta’

Glenmorangie Finealta OB 46%alc.

In short, this is limited release Glenmorangie made with lightly peated barley, however the fluff and verbiage explaining this is looks as if it was dreamt up by Tommy Sheridan – utter nonsense.

Never mind, it’s a very good dram in the quite-rich-Glenmorangie style; malty and oily, evidence of vigorous youth but nothing hooded.

An aroma of warehouse oakiness with vanilla and eventually the smoke that you have been conditioned to look for and would probably miss without the suggestion. The age is the first query when tasted, quickly dismissed by a rich cherry-ruby-porty notes, could be a finish – but it isn’t. A quiet orange swallow and a smoke harr (the immediate exhale into the embouchure), a long low-key finish with smoke in it. Water confirms the Glenmorangie style, adds a rose perfume and more smoke.

Despite the smoke and richness it remains in the middle of the Flavour Map Ref: F6 Complex

Glenmorangie Finealta Private Edition
Barcode: 5010494903584

Price excluding VAT: £50.75
£60.90 Including VAT at 20%

https://www.lfw.co.uk/blog/2011/03/11/glenmorangie-finealta/

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

Just 69 chances left to win an Irish whiskey getaway for two!

This fantastic prize includes:

2 Nights at the Bridge House Hotel
A personal tour and tasting at the Cooley distillery
A signed bottle of a very special whiskey to take away
An evening at the races
Followed by dinner at the distillery’s own restaurant
Flights to and from the UK
To enter, simply buy any full-sized (70cl) bottle of Greenore, Tyrconnell, Connemara or Locke’s from our site…

We’ve even knocked £5 off each bottle! Visit the link below browse the eligible Cooley whiskies;

http://tinyurl.com/6cgn2qn

Kentucky Festivals & Events Association Spring Conference is March 25th in Lebanon, Ky.

Event directors will have a unique opportunity to learn skills to sustain their projects

LEBANON, Ky. (March 11, 2011) – Learn how to improve your event’s chance for success, or maybe even survival, in this economy during the Kentucky Festival & Events Association Spring Conference Friday, March 25, in the Convention Complex at Centre Square in historic downtown Lebanon, Ky.

With a tough economy, travelers are more selective about which events they attend and marketing strategies are changing every day. This conference will feature topics such as social media and other promotional opportunities and fund-raising.

There will also be a field trip to tour Kentucky Cooperage, a bourbon barrel-making factory, and a tour of the Fine Arts Building at Centre Square. Registration is $25 in advance and $35 on-site, which includes lunch from one of Lebanon’s wonderful restaurants, Ragetti’s Italian Food. The field trip begins at 9:30 a.m. sharp and the conference ends at 4:30 p.m. Door prizes will be given away at the conclusion. For more information or to get a registration form, contact the Lebanon Tourist & Convention Commission at 270.692.0021 or e-mail VisitLebanonKy@windstream.net. For more information about Lebanon, the true Heart of Kentucky, go to www.VisitLebanonKy.com. The purpose of the KFEA is to promote and market the members of the organization, to provide a network for the exchange of ideas and leadership management and to act as a liaison to encourage and assist cooperative efforts among all festivals, state government and other tourism-related organizations.

Notes

The mission of the Lebanon Tourist & Convention Commission is to develop, increase and promote tourism in Lebanon and surrounding areas by featuring its history, culture, products and recreation/convention facilities. Our goal is to become a choice destination for group travel, conventions and individual leisure/recreation travel. Through these efforts, the commission seeks to increase visitor spending, local revenue and job development, thereby enhancing the area’s quality of life.

Whyte & Mackay Tasting

Wednesday 23rd March – 7pm SHARP
Butchart Centre

Dalmore Rivers Collection Tasting 🙂

Attending??

Tickets go on sale this Wednesday from Butchart Reception.

Our mailing address is:

University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Butchart Centre
University Road
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3UT
aberdeenwhisky@googlemail.com

Isle of Arran “Machrie Moor” 1st Edition (46%, OB, 9,000 Bts., 2010)

“On the west coast of the Isle of Arran lies a windswept and mystical peat bog called Machrie Moor.  Bronze Age stone circles and standing stones are strewn across its barren, undulating terrain.  One of the stone circles is known as Fingal’s Cauldron Seat, where sits a stone with a carved hole.  The legendary warrior giant Fingal is said to have tethered his favourite dog Bran to this stone.  This peated expression of the Arran Single Malt perfectly captures the rugged beauty and lore of this landscape. Unleash the legend that is Machrie Moor.”

Machrie Moor Specifications;  Peated Arran distilled every year since 2004. Malted barley peated to a level of 14ppm. Machrie Moor First Release – Limited Edition of 9,000 bottles worldwide. Classic Arran with a peaty punch. Bottled at 46%. Non chill-filtered and No artificial colouring.

The nose starts with honeyed malt and then some peat smoke along with some good vibrancy that is quite attractive. Surprisingly sweet and a delightful interplay between the two however with time in the glass some fruity notes emerge with the peat smoke taking on some definition that is certainly not Islay in style, perhaps leaning a little towards a peated Speysider. There is also some youth in the foreground along with some gentle orange notes (perhaps more Clementine than orange). It all works very well. The taste is gentle at first but this quickly is swept aside by some peat and malt, the two are quite aggressive together. Very, very peppery along with some later moments of oak spice and dark unsweetened chocolate. The peat is an equal partner in this project and it does not dominate. The finish is Arran biscuity malt followed by the peat, some fruit and the pepper. The finish is very long and then the characteristic Arran biscuity notes re-emerge to take over the finish.

Not a hugely peated single malt and some what restrained however there is loads of flavour here, another good dram from Isle of Arran distillery. It’s good.

£37.99

Score 85 points