Summer’s in full swing and the July Outturn is full of tasty little numbers! Enjoy the bottle notes below and visit http://www.smws.ca/ for the full tasting notes:

Cask No. 123.10  Sweet treats on deck

9 years old; 1st fill barrel; 57.6%; Sweet, fruity & mellow

Fresh linen on board a freshly varnished yacht. Pear with vanilla ice cream and wafers. Butter icing, French fancies, iced gems. Elderflower cordial on warm, newly polished decking. Champagne tea with bread and butter pudding, chocolate truffles. Kick back, relax!

Cask No. 35.114  A Southern gentleman

19 years old; 1st fill toasted oak hogshead; 58.9%; Spicy & sweet

A slow start, then minty, with linseed and coconut oil, and a shake of white pepper – Rye whiskey character, which increases with water (macaroons, Bounty Bar), with spice. A sweet, soft taste (toasted marshmallows) and a warming finish.

Cask No. 121.74  A box of chocolates

14 years old; refill hogshead; 55.7%; Juicy, oak & vanilla

An emersion in sweets: Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers, Newberry Fruits (sugar-covered jellies), ‘mango cream fondant chocolates’, Thornton’s Summer Fruit Chocolates’, Maltesers, Bakewell tarts, croissant with raspberry jam… Finishing with peppermint Aero.

Cask No. G3.6  A fascinating reminder of a bygone era

33 years old; refill hogshead; 53.2%; Old & dignified

Deep aromatic sweet wood and leather aromas make this a very relaxing and comfortable dram on the nose. The taste neat is surprisingly smoky and ashy but soon followed by sweet, soft and floral aromas of chocolate honeycomb and muscovado sugar. Best enjoyed neat.

Cask No. 3.227  Tasty farmhouse cooking

16 years old; refill sherry butt; 56.4%; Lightly peated

Warm and rich aromas of a beef consommé poured into a rabbit casserole simmering on a wood burning stove. The taste is that of a rich tomato soup and honey roasted sweet potatoes. Water adds sweet earthy notes and the flavour is a tender pork stew with herb dumplings.

Cask No. 29.144  You gotta love this one

22 years old; refill hogshead; 51.2%; Peated

Peat smoke emerging from the pagoda and a beach barbecue with langoustines, scallops and crispy aromatic duck. Adding a drop of water and it becomes like a comfort blanket with flavours of tropical fruit salad and clean sweet peat smoke.

http://www.smws.ca/

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (June 30, 2015) – Buffalo Trace Distillery just completed two big construction projects, having finished a 5,500 square foot expansion of its Visitor Center and having completely renovated the historic Old Taylor House, the oldest structure on the Distillery’s property.

The Visitor Center

Buffalo Trace did a vertical expansion of its Visitor Center by expanding upward into the second floor where there is more room to grow as needed.

A newly constructed grand staircase made of white oak leads to the beautiful new space, which is complete with four additional tasting bar areas and a new meeting and event space. At the top of the grand staircase, guests are welcomed to the second floor by a huge mural of a landscape of the Distillery. A collection of historic article clippings and photos from the Distillery archives can also be viewed on the wall at the top of the stairs.

Future additions from the Distillery archives are already being planned for the second floor, including the construction of a vault. The vault will be built into the back wall to hold rare, old bottles and display them in a unique, interactive way for guests to view. Display cases featuring old bottles and artifacts will also be installed on the second floor, including one dedicated to the Single Oak Project.

By expanding upward, the first floor now has ample space for Gift Shop merchandise and features a new checkout counter and dedicated spirits space. Additionally, new bathrooms have been installed on both floors.

“We are thrilled to have completed this expansion,” Marketing Services Director Meredith Moody said. “The new space looks beautiful, and having this additional space will allow us to accommodate more guests in our Gift Shop to allow for our rapid growth of tour visitors.”

Old Taylor House

The Old Taylor House sits on the Distillery property today as not only the oldest structure at the Distillery, but the oldest residential building in Franklin County, Kentucky. Constructed in the late 1700s, with the second floor added in the 1800s, the house was originally built for Commodore Richard Taylor who served as superintendent of navigation on the Kentucky River and who was great-grandfather to Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr.

Since its inception, the two-story house has held many different roles, including being a residence, first aid clinic, and even a laboratory for the Distillery.

After a long life of good use, the house had begun to deteriorate, but has now been fully restored to preserve its rich history.

Evidence of that preserved history can be seen in details throughout the house down to the horsehair that was used as a bonding agent in the original construction of the walls.

The renovated house features beautiful hardwood floors and fresh paint throughout, and is lit by hanging Edison bulbs. The second floor lab displays old beakers and artifacts once used in the house.

“We’re so excited to have been able to restore such a significant piece of our history,” Moody said. “The restoration looks beautiful and we look forward to utilizing this space for many more generations.”

The Distillery intends to incorporate the restored house into some of its existing tours.

A joint grand opening for the Visitor Center and Old Taylor House will be held in early July.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1786 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com

Happy 4th of July to our friends in the United States of America!

Octomore 07.1 – smoke and mirrors

If you’ve met Bruichladdich’s Jim McEwan, or even heard tales of him, then you’ll know that he’s not a man to do things by halves. His final Islay Festival tasting at the end of last month packed more than 400 people into the distillery’s warehouse, with crowd-surfing the only way to get out once it had started, and he spent the rest of the day surrounded by crowds wanting to get a photo.

Jim McEwan’s final toast. For now…

Now that his retirement is less than a month away, the last releases of his tenure as Bruichladdich’s all-round whisky guy are appearing. The whisky in the distillery’s portfolio that most captures Jim’s attitude to whisky making for me is Octomore, and the latest edition feels like a culmination of his plans.

Octomore is Bruichladdich’s super-peaty whisky. While the distillery is famed for its unpeated spirit, Islay’s reputation for smoke led to the reviving of two old names: Port Charlotte, named after a distillery in the next village to Bruichladdich, which closed in 1929; and Octomore, named after the farm that looks over Port Charlotte, and the source of the water Bruichladdich use to dilute their whiskies before bottling. While Port Charlotte whisky is peaty, Octomore ups the smokiness to ridiculous levels – as Jim told me when I spoke to him recently: ‘I decided to make Octomore to shut everyone up for ever’.

Octomore Farm (Bruichladdich is out of shot to the left…)

Octomore 07.1 is actually a step back in peatiness from the previous releases, with the barley only peated to 208ppm¹, a reduction from Octomore 06.3’s 258ppm. However, as super-fruity 06.3 showed, more peat doesn’t necessarily mean more smokiness in your whisky – how you treat the barley after it has malted can produce a wealth of different flavours. 07.1 continues the trend of the 6th edition, going for complexity and depth of flavour rather than just a slap of peat smoke.

OCTOMORE 07.1, 5 YEARS OLD, 208PPM, 59.5%

Nose: Burning straw, damp grass, freshly crushed grain, liquorice root, sour fruit chews and sweet peat smoke.

Palate: Very sweet, with barley sugar, candy sticks and butter toffee, but also hot – cinnamon, clove and a hint of red chilli. Behind the heat we find the classic Octomore core: maple-glazed ham, baked apple, lime and smoke. The smoke is softer than expected, but covers the whole gamut of flavour: burning logs, peat fires and cold iron stoves.

Finish: Ashy to start, with sweet smoked meat and apple wood lingering.

Comment: Big and smoky on the nose, but much more restrained on the palate, sweetness dominates but is balanced by well-integrated smoke and savoury meatiness.

A fitting send-off for Jim, with the whisky that he created to make a point moving beyond some of the less subtle early releases, and becoming a balanced and complex dram in its own right. Good work, Mr McEwan.

¹ ppm: phenol parts per million – a measure of how much peat smoke has infused into the barley during malting. Most malt used by Islay distilleries is in the 25-45ppm range.

Bernheim Original 7 Year Old Small Batch D&M Exclusive Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey 

The palate is clean with tropical fruit notes, pepper spice and a clean wheat and honey dominated finish. If your part of the world sees a hot traditional summer, this could be your summer jam 

$32.99
Buy Now

Kilkerran Work in Progress 7 – Bourbon Cask

Kilkerran 54.1%% vol. / 70cl

NEW EDITION OF TOMATIN 

36 Year Old small batch Tomatin released

The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd has announced an addition to its range of Tomatin Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky – a 36 year old small batch release – which will be available in all markets later this month.

Batch 1 of this new 36 Year Old expression has been vatted from a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso Sherry casks, producing just 800 bottles. Smooth and creamy, it has been bottled at natural cask strength (46%abv), non chill filtered and natural colour. Packaged in an attractive wooden box, each bottle is individually numbered and comes with its own certificate.

Stephen Bremner, sales director, said: “We are in a unique position to be able to offer a product of this age on an ongoing basis. Following the withdrawal of our renowned 30 year old expression, we expect this new 36 year old to be a welcome addition for stockists, and indeed drinkers, of Tomatin single malt.”

Official Tasting Notes:

AROMA            Pear drops, ginger snaps, butterscotch, vanilla ice cream, sherry notes, milk chocolate.

PALATE            Woody and malty, less sweet than the nose, cloves and cardamom.

FINISH              Elegantly smooth and creamy with just a hint of spice.

Notes

1. The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd is a producer and blender of Scotch whisky, boasting a strong core range of single malt whiskies along with a range of popular blends.
2. Website: http://www.tomatin.com/   Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tomatin1897         Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tomatin1897
3. The distillery was established in 1897, and while historically the whisky produced was primarily sold for use in other brands of blended whisky, the company is now very focussed on growing the Tomatin single malt brand in its own right.
4. Tomatin Distillery also produces Cù Bòcan Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
5. The company’s most popular blends are The Antiquary, The Talisman and Big ‘T’.

The distillery is owned by Japanese company Takara Shuzo:

Talisker vs Borough Market tasting – Skye Harder

The Talisker tasting line-up

Talisker whisky is fiery, peppery and smoky, but does it work with food? We hosted our first Talisker-themed food-pairing night five years ago at the TWE shop, so a sequel was long overdue. Diageo brand ambassador Colin Dunn was on hosting duties, and began by announcing that of all of the company’s 28 whisky distilleries, Talisker offered the ‘most breadth of flavour’. So, on to the tasting…

The pairings

A few drops of Talisker 57′ North poured on Jersey oysters worked a treat

Talisker 57° North with Jersey oysters
An intriguing start, given the high strength of the whisky, but this turned out to be a great match. Bottled at 57% ABV, the Talisker delivered a fearsome whack of peppery spice, but the saline-rich oyster stood up to it, adding up to a tasty combo of salt and pepper.
Colin Dunn: ‘The DNA of Talisker is red-hot chilli pepper’

Talisker Storm with venison chorizo
Heading into choppier waters now. Storm is a turbo-charged version of Talisker, with more pepper, spice and smoke. And just as well, as the venison chorizo it was served with had a big kick of chilli heat at the finish. The Talisker stood up to the meat, but overall the heat from both sides battled it out rather than complementing each other.
CD: ‘This is spice and pepper in HD!’

My favourite pairing of the night – Talisker 18 Year Old with Stichelton cheese

Talisker 18 Year Old with Stichelton cheese
After all that vim and vigour, this third pairing was a much calmer affair, and many people’s favourite of the night. Talisker 18 Year Old is a thing of beauty, offering a honeyed richness that paired wonderfully with the piquant, creamy Stichelton. The perfect match.
CD: ‘The distillery manager once told me that Talisker doesn’t age – he said it should all be released at eight years old…’

Time for a halftime break, with Talisker Skye served on its own, followed by a Skye Rocket cocktail created by top mixologist Andrea Montague. Skye is the newest Talisker release, and is a gentler expression with less of the peppery heat that typifies the distillery’s output. Combining Talisker 10 Year Old with lemon and apricot, as well as rosemary-and-rocket-infused sugar syrup, what lifted the Skye Rocket was the addition of a rocket-leaf garnish, delivering a peppery hit to balance out the sweetness of the liquid.
CD: ‘Talisker Skye was designed to break people in gently; it’s Talisker with two sugars’

Mixologist Andrea Montague makes her Skye Rocket cocktail with Talisker 10 Year Old

Talisker Port Ruighe with almond and orange cake
We’re pushing the pepper to one side briefly, and trying a Talisker much more on the fruity side. Port Ruighe is finished in ruby port casks, adding a red-berry note and slight jamminess to the whisky. We tried it with a sticky almond and orange cake, and despite my reservations about the red fruits in the Port Ruighe fighting with nutty, citrusy cake, it actually worked well, primarily due to the similar sweetness levels in both.
CD: ‘We’re moving into dessert time…’

Talisker 2002 Distillers Edition with salted caramel praline
Something of a surprise, this one. If you matched a Talisker finished in amoroso (similar to cream sherry) with praline, you’d expect the results to be a sweet, sugary overload. Not a bit of it. What made this pairing was the delicious salinity in both the whisky – juicy and refreshing – and in the salted-caramel praline. Neither were particularly sweet, and the two worked beautifully together.
CD: ‘Talisker in a leather coat on a bed of oaky spice’

Diageo’s Colin Dunn took us on a tour of Talisker

Talisker 30 Year Old – served solo
A fitting way to end. Rather than a long speech, Colin instructed the room to take a mouthful, close our eyes for 30 seconds and contemplate it. Despite a few sneaky peeks, the room did as they were told, with all attention firmly on the whisky. Over those 30 seconds, the whisky was rich, refreshing, lip-smacking and soft, with bitter-orange-marmalade notes blending with the soft, salty peat.
CD: ‘Talisker acoustic. A volcanic whisky from a volcanic island’

Whisky tastings with food always go down well, and this was no exception. Many thanks to Colin Dunn for (another) bravura performance, and also to the top-notch Borough Market team who supplied the delicious pairings and introduced them to guests.

BACK IN STOCK…

Single Malt Whisky

• Amrut “Fusion” Indian Single Malt Whiskey 750ml ($69.99)

• Kavalan Single Sherry Cask Taiwanese Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 4 available ($169.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Corsair Experimental “Ryemaggedon” Whiskey 750ml – 4 available ($49.99)

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

Sunday, July 12 — Scotch Tasting with special emcee, “Skippy” 4:00 pm, $50

If you haven’t been to our tastings, then you need to come experience one. Bring some friends!

We provide generous pours, extensive knowledge, and a lot of fun people who just love to try new things.

Give it a try.

Dundee Dell | 5007 Underwood Ave | Omaha | NE | 68132

www.dundeedell.com