Ralfy talks about tasting with Whisky Review 614 – Ralfy’s Whisky Tasting Event 2016

Yamazakura Blended Whisky

Yamazakura is a blended whisky from Japan, created from a combination of four malt & grain whiskies. Yamazakura takes its name from two Japanese symbols, ‘Yama’, meaning mountain and ‘Sakura’ which refers to cherry trees, symbol of ‘ephemeral beauty’.

Only £46.39

Day 20 of the Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 3rd Edition Day 20 Blog #155 – Secret Spirits 26 Year Old Speyside Single Malt

Welcome to the second ever cask for Secret Spirits and of course with yours truly being in full control (I use that term extremely loosely) of what gets chosen and where everything ends up on our 25 day countdown I just had to have a whisky that could make it into the final week.

26 years old from an undisclosed distillery in Speyside. I can tell you that is an old distillery that was founded in the mid 1800’s and that it has been known for innovations through the years. There you go can’t say more than that you will have to do the rest of the detective work.

Secret Spirits Speyside 26 Year Old aged in a refill Bourbon cask # 5575 and bottled with no caramel or chill filtration at the cask strength of 55.9%

Color:   Rich Gold

Nose:   Bread and Butter pudding complete with warming spices and raisins topped with cream.

Palate:   Richer on the palate than the nose lets on. Reminds me of going into World of Spice in Seattle, seems like a multitude of different spices all vying for attention at once. Sweet and savory, naughty and nice. Just a great rich flavor.

Finish: Stewed citrus medley with a brown sugar infusion.

This is one multi layered whisky and looking back at my tasting notes from January when I had this sample in front of me I can see why we eagerly grabbed this cask.

Even though we have started off with two “Secret” whiskies I do promise that in the future we will have something with a distillery name on the label. Both these whiskies were too good to pass up and we thought it fitting to have both of them Secret this time around.

On this day in the 2nd edition we had the absolutely stunning 25 Year Old Aromatic Orange Tobacco Glenrothes from Wemyss Malts (I still have a bottle). It was such a shame that we only got 6 bottles in Canada.

For those of you that loved our Speyside 26 Year Old Single Malt please email me at jonathan@secretspirits.com and I can direct you to a retailer that will fulfill your needs.

Lets see how Whiskylassie is doing over there in the East with today’s dram here.

I have to say that being in a position to add Secret Spirits name to the high quality independent bottlers that we are sourcing whisky from is an absolute privilege. I have to continually pinch myself make sure that I’m not dreaming as this wonderful spirit called whisky has taken Cindy and I to places and people that we would never have had the pleasure of making part of our lives.

Thank you so much for supporting us in this endeavor and for your kind comments and feedback over the years. I am looking forward to adding another couple of Secret Spirits whiskies to the mix in 2017 and promise to search high and low for some exceptional casks.

Tomorrow we are in for a treat as we hit hump day and start the downhill run to Christmas. A final offering from the folks at Wemyss lies in your little day 21 cubby hole. No peeking.

See you on the morrow

Cheers

Jonathan – taster of secrets

http://www.singlemalting.com/category/whisky-advent-calendar-2016/

The Lakes Distillery means business with new Master Blender.

In a significant move towards affirming its status as a world-class distillery, The Lakes Distillery, Cumbria’s only distillery, has appointed a new Master Blender.

DHAVALL GANDHI has taken the blending helm at The Lakes Distillery and aims to help guide it to further success. Dhavall joins the multi-award-winning team in the run up to the release of the much-anticipated The Lakes Malt – Cumbria’s only single malt whisky – in May 2018.

As well as being a Chartered Scientist in Whisky Distilling – and alongside a wealth of qualifications including a Master’s Degree in Brewing and Distilling from the globally renowned Heriot-Watt University and an IBD diploma in Distilling – Dhavall brings with him high level experience from both the US Management Consulting sector and the Scottish whisky industry, having left industry giants Macallan to take up the role at The Lakes Distillery.

Prior to working with Macallan, Dhavall held a range of Technical and Supply Chain strategy roles at Heineken.

Bringing a unique blend of exceptional expertise in; finance, creative strategy and distilling science, Dhavall has been appointed by the team at The Lakes Distillery to make the most of his rare cocktail of skills and drive both the brand and its products forward into the future.

Dhavall said:

“I’m looking forward to helping to create something new from the ground up and to having the rare opportunity to influence the house style of The Lakes Malt.

“The Lakes Distillery is a well-executed project and a Cumbrian success story. The state-of-the-art distillery offers a blank canvas and a potential for creativity that is unrivalled within the industry. This is my opportunity to continue telling the story through our brands.”

Paul Currie, Managing Director of The Lakes Distillery said:

“We are delighted that one of the leading Master Blenders in the whisky industry has now joined our team.

“Dhavall will play a key role in ensuring that every bottle of each of our brands is of the very highest quality and he also brings many innovative ideas to ensure that all our products – whisky, gin and vodka – always offer something very special and unique. With our first official Lakes Malt to be launched in 2018, Dhavall joins us at a very exciting time.”

The Lakes Distillery, which is chaired by esteemed North East entrepreneur Nigel Mills, is Cumbria’s first whisky distillery for over 100 years. It produces a range of award winning spirits including The ONE – the first British blended whisky, The Lakes Gin and The Lakes Vodka. The Lakes Distillery also boasts a world class Visitor Centre offering tours and tastings and a Bistro overseen by Michelin-star-winning Executive Chef Terry Laybourne.

To find out more please visit www.lakesdistillery.com/.

Glenfiddich Experimental Series

Now back in stock, the incredibly popular Glenfiddich Experimental Series combines the brand’s passion for pushing Scotch whisky boundaries and collaboration with trailblazers from the whisky world and beyond.

Orders will be dispatched the week commencing 19th December for delivery in time for Christmas.

Free delivery on UK orders over £100 Worldwide delivery available

Project XX

Project XX (“twenty”) is the result of one of the most ambitious malt experiements undertaken by Glenfiddich. Bringing together 20 whisky experts from 16 countries around the world, Project XX is a combination of each expert’s selected cask from the Glenfiddich warehouse, carefully married together in a small batch vatting by Malt Master, Brian Kinsman.

Deep gold in colour, this Speyside Single Malt has the classic Glenfiddich fruitiness on the nose with hints of apple blossom and ripe pear, balanced with oak, creamy vanilla and subtle spice. The palate is refined and balanced with candy floss sweetness complemented by toasted almonds, cinnamon and a rich vanilla oakiness. The finish is long lasting with sweet oak notes lingering.

£50 Buy Now

IPA Experiment

The world’s first Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in India Pale Ale craft beer casks. This expression is the fruit of a collaboration with a local Speyside craft brewer and imbues the whisky with zesty citrus and tangy hops from the oak casks that previously held a bold Speyside IPA.

With delicate ripe green apple, pear and spring blossom on the nose, a vibrant citrus note followed by sweet vanilla and fresh hops on the palate and a long lasting sweetness with subtle green hops on the finish, this unique single malt is bottled at 43% abv.

£45 Buy Now

After getting utterly destroyed this past weekend, we’re back in the store early today putting the shelves back together and getting our inventory tight once again for another busy week of holiday shopping. There’s a lot of new whiskey coming in and just as much of it going right back out! While we’re getting the next round of Hepburn’s Choice selections together, here are some new things you might want to grab while they’re available:

WESTLAND’S LIMITED EDITION “PEAT WEEK” COMES TO K&L Westland’s 2016 edition of “Peat Week” – a limited edition malt made in celebration of a week-long event the Seattle distillery holds each year in October dedicated to the joys of peated whisky-was a originally a prize for whisky pilgrims who made the voyage to the Pacific Northwest this past Fall (basically their version of the Feis Ile Festival that the Islay distilleries throw each year). Luckily for us, however, we have friends in high places at the distillery. We managed to get our hands on an exclusive allocation of the 100 proof smoky single malt delight and we think fans of Westland and Islay both are going to be pleased. The 2016 Peat Week commemorative bottling drinks like a smokier version of Talisker, in that it’s equally as fruity as it is peaty. There are gobs of creamy banana on the palate that blossom into peaty and smokier notes of campfire framed in sweet barley and vanilla. Think of Caol Ila with less intensity or Kilchoman with more finesse. Or maybe put the Peat Week into its own category as a whole. We’ve certainly never tasted a peated American single malt this delicious. And, believe me, it’s delicious. I can’t stop sipping on it because of all that luscious fruit on the entry that sends me back in for more. The finish is a flurry of cinnamon, cloves, and oak spices that come into focus as the peat begins to fade. Westland continues to impress with its precocious line-up of single malt whiskies and the 2016 edition of Peat Week is one of the best releases yet.

You can secure your own bottle here if you’d like to taste this lovely limited edition malt:

Westland “Peat Week” Limited Edition Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $99.99

…or you can buy a ticket for tomorrow night’s festivities at Hard Water on the San Francisco Embarcadero where we’ll host Westland’s director Matt Freerks for a fancy cocktail party with a full flight tasting (and food!). I just heard from the gang at St. George that most of their distillery will be there as well (considering they’re HUGE fans of Westland), so expect a solid crowd of swell folk.

We’ve still got a few tickets left here:

Westland Peat Week Party @ Hard Water, Weds, Dec 14th @ 7 PM $50.00

Erik Adkins and the Hard Water staff will be bringing out seafood towers packed with smoked clams and Texas toast, shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, and scallop ceviche. There will also be crabby patty bites with Old Bay tartar sauce, fried chicken and waffle bites, along with single bite tarts for dessert (pumpkin custard with Abbott’s Bitters-flavored whipped cream and lemon cream with mascarpone, streusel, and satsuma). Of course, the real story here is the whiskey and Matt Freerks is the perfect person to walk you through a guided tasting of the entire Westland whiskey collection – including the new Peat Week release which will only be available at K&L during December. There are 50 spaces available. There are no paper tickets. Your name will be on the guest list as you arrive at Hard Water.

Either way, you’ll be drinking mighty fine!

ANOTHER ROUND OF HIGH WEST’S “MIDWINTER NIGHT’S DRAM”

After the dust settled and all the retail accounts were spoken for, we managed to get back into the vault for one more round of High West’s coveted “A Midwinter Night’s Dram,” a marriage of rye whiskies finished in French Oak and Port casks that is absolutely jam-packed with richness and holiday spices. We previously had a bottle limit, but we’ve removed it now so grab as many as you need for loved ones:

High West “A Midwinter Night’s Dram” Limited Edition Whiskey (750ml) $89.99

This limited-edition blend of straight rye whiskeys finished in French oak and former port barrels offers huge, rounded notes of rich toffee, dark fruit, orange peel and mulling spices. It’s almost like a wintry whiskey punch in a bottle. The language on the label winks at Shakespeare, making this a special gift for a theater lover as well as a whiskey lover.

KILCHOMAN RELEASES FIRST FULL-TERM SAUTERNES WHISKY

Matured for over five years in Sauternes casks (the renowned sweet wine of Bordeaux), Kilchoman’s new dessert-laden peated single malt combines sweet with smoke in a decadent new expression. Bottled at 50% ABV and limited in quantity, we’ve got a few on hand for your holiday sipping needs:

Kilchoman “Sauternes Matured” Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $119.99

This limited recent release of just 6000 bottles succeeds the Port and Madiera cask matured whiskies released in 2014 and 2015. The Sauternes version was fully matured (rather than just finished) in ex-Sauternes casks. The resulting spirit has caramel and vanilla notes, along with the peat and fruit of the classic Kilchoman whisky.

IF YOU’RE COMING TO REDWOOD CITY OR SAN FRANCISCO TO PICK UP…

…we need your canned food! Our SF store is running a program to benefit the SF-Marin Food Bank, and in Redwood City we’re working with Second Harvest, one of the largest food banks in the nation that has been serving the communities of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties since 1974. The support of organizations like K&L and individuals like you allow them to provide food for a stunning quarter million people every month. We’ve got bins in both stores where you can drop off canned foods and packaged items to help local families in need. If you’re coming in to pick out a bottle, we’d love to swap you for a can!

That’s it for today! Watch for our new Japanese Ohishi sherry cask later this week, as well as new Scotch barrels from Hepburn’s Choice!

David Driscoll K&L Spirits Buyer daviddriscoll@klwines.com 650-556-2736 http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com

Parlez-vous whisky?

Our French store has some fantastic old and rare single malt whiskies that you can’t get at The Whisky Shop in the UK. But you needn’t jump on the next Eurostar to get a bottle, simply visit ww.whiskyshop.fr and have your whisky delivered direct to your door.

If you don’t parle français, all you have to do is click “translate this page” when prompted by your web browser.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 150: Ballechin 2004 The Flemish Tour

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, tries a single cask Ballechin. Ballechin is the peated whisky from Edradour, distilled after a recipe from the lost Ballechin Distillery that operated near Pitlochry. Andrew Symington thought it a good idea to recreated this heavily peated Highland malt and started production in 2004. This oloroso sherry cask, that was put to sleep in 2004 with some of the very first spirit, was discovered by several Flemish enthusiast who decided on the spot to bottle part of this cask. Hence The Flemish Tour. And it turns out, this is the best Ballechin Mark has ever tried.

https://youtu.be/zSek3obdWF4

Day 19 of the Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 3rd Edition Day 19 Blog #154 – Samaroli Spey Blended Malt 20 Year Old – Miltonduff and Tormore

Christmas sure is getting close now so it’s time for an older Samaroli whisky. There is no doubt that Samaroli is a fairly high end choice when it comes to shelling out for Independent bottlers. They do consistently however release some of the more amazing whiskies that I have yet encountered. I hope you will consider them for your next extra special bottle.

Today’s dram is a combination of Tormore and Miltonduff. You can read about Samaroli Single cask bottling’s of each distillery that have been part of previous editions. Tormore was included in the 1st edition and Miltonduff in the 2nd. It is going to be really interesting tasting how these two amazing whiskies taste when combined by the skilled Italians. Tormore was close to being the favorite whisky from the 1st edition and it was the first time that I had ever had anything from the distillery.

So lets get stuck into today’s dram.

Samaroli Spey 20 Year Old Blended Malt combined from Tormore cask # 20267 New American Oak and Miltonduff cask # 2845 Bourbon refill. Bottled at the Samaroli chosen strength of 45% with no chill filtration or coloring.

Color:   Another light color due to the new oak and refill Bourbon combination. I have rarely seen a dark Samaroli Whisky with the Glen Scotia from the 1st edition and the 45 Year Old Bunnahabhain that I had in January being the exceptions.

Nose:   Floral leading me to a time when I wandered through the Warratina Lavendar farm in Victoria Australia. It was a heady mix of lavendar and just a hint of eucalypt. Some clotted vanilla cream is there along with a touch of citrus rind.

Palate: Delicate as you would expect from a good Samaroli. Light flavors bounce around on the palate and give me real pause to sit and think a while about this whisky. The creamy vanilla is still there with a light biscuit crust hmmm something like this.

Finish:   A little lemon zest hits right at the end that leaves my tongue crying out for more and the cannoli piece just keeps on kicking.

Took me a little longer as I was getting into this delicate Samaroli to find its secrets. Gorgeous stuff.

On this day in the second edition we had the Samaroli Miltonduff. This has been happening enough to make it eerie as I did not plan there to be a tie in to the past day’s whisky this often. (insert Twilight Zone music here).

Let’s see how much Whiskylassie likes this Samaroli Spey.

Tomorrow we showcase the second whisky bottled by Secret Spirits. Given that we are now getting close to the end I’m sure it will probably have a little more age on it than our first one (spoiler alert).

As you are probably aware I have to get a little ahead of the blogging or I absolutely run out of time so as you read this I will be patiently waiting to board a plane to Australia. Good news for those of you downunder as I will be meeting with an importer and we hope to have both our products available there next year.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s Secret Spirits Dram

Slainte

Jonathan – taster of secrets

http://www.singlemalting.com/category/whisky-advent-calendar-2016/

Day 18 of the Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 3rd Edition Day 18 Blog #153 – A.D. Rattray Croftengea 11 Year Old

Today we do a comparison piece which is really going to showcase how much impact casks have on the flavor profile of a whisky. Earlier on day 9 we tried the Single Cask Nation Loch Lomond, Croftengea and now we get to compare an A.D. Rattray Croftengea in a completely different barrel.

For those that missed the earlier piece and want some background on the distillery and for comparison you can check out the blog here.

So without further preamble lets delve into this wee bottle.

A.D. Rattray Loch Lomond – Croftengea at the full cask strength of 58.9% and aged for 11 years in a sherry hogshead. Loch Lomond is as we mentioned in that earlier blog a Highland distillery.

Color:     Just the palest whiff of a darker reddish hue giving perhaps a hint that this was aged in a refill sherry cask.

Nose:     Montreal Smoked meat on Pumpernickel with a dark molasses and black bean sauce. I will be honest here and say that no such sandwich exists but I want one in the worst way.

Palate:     The weight of the 58.9 seems just perfect with the oily palate coating experience of this dram. Earth Wind and Fire could write a song about this whisky with their sweet soul vibes adding a smooth backdrop. Dark heavy chocolate here and warming dark stone fruit compote with an earthy smoky essence running right through everything.

Finish:     Softening peat that fades to a lasting finish that throws in a sparkle of burnt Tangarine zest.

Loads going on here and the first sherried Croftengea I have ever tried. Amazing that both this and the Single Cask Nation cask have some similarities and yet so much that makes them completely different. Highland peat is certainly a different animal than Islay or Island and I like the flavorful and yet somewhat softer character.

I have the fun and honor of having Jason Johnstone-yellin from Single Cask Nation here with me as I taste this dram and it is fantastic for him to give us his perspective in the light of his excellent company bringing us the earlier Croftengea. I love being able to shed some light on how unique and different each single cask of whisky is. For those that have never done this sort of comparison you can see for yourselves that whisky is incredibly complex even from the same distillery and aged for similar amounts of time.

So over to you Jason what do you think?

“mmmmm … delish”

Nose:   Funky and Pungent with charcoal bricks dipped in cherry cordial, wet kelp drizzled with soy sauce, and driftwood dropped on a beach campfire.

Palate:   Smoky and salty with Camphor, warmed dark cherries, and abundant cinnamon. Hints of eucalyptus as it transitions into the finish.

Finish:   Lingering smoke with some cinnamon heat, hints of grey pepper towards the end of the finish.

Overall:   Oily and mouth coating with drying smoke, a certain waxiness, and pleasant heat. Another winner in the Secret Spirits Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar.

Thanks Jason for jumping in with another perspective on this dram. Head on over to our official taster this edition at Whisky Lassie and see how she fares with this sherried peated Highland.

“I can hear the ocean…in stereo”

On this day in the second edition we had the fantastic Samaroli Miltonduff.

Tomorrow we are in for a real treat from Samaroli as we head into the business end of the 3rd edition.

Slainte

Jonathan – taster of secrets

http://www.singlemalting.com/category/whisky-advent-calendar-2016/