MILROY’S OF SOHO NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

We dedicate much of November’s newsletter to the 2010 Diageo Special Releases.   As always, these releases are eagerly anticipated.  This year is no different, with some very high quality whiskies.  Having tasted them for the first time last week, I can personally vouch for them!  Read on for full tasting notes and details of prices and availability.   We also feature a couple of exciting new releases from Suntory-owned Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries in Japan, as well as a bottling to celebrate the 170th anniversary of Glen Grant distillery. 

For those that have been waiting for the Balvenie 17 year old Peated Cask to appear, please be aware that it should be with us by the end of this week.

We round out the newsletter with a competition, giving Milroy’s of Soho mailing list members an exclusive opportunity to win tickets to a wonderful art exhibition at London’s Royal Academy of Arts featuring works from the “Glasgow Boys”.

DIAGEO SPECIAL RELEASES 2010

Details of this year’s releases are set out below.  It was great to see a couple of Speysiders in good form; both the Glen Spey and Cragganmore are quite superb.   The Glenkinchie displayed real elegance and refinement, and Caol Ila 12 year old Unpeated showed extremely well. 

GLENKINCHIE 20 Year Old, 55.1% ABV

This Glenkinchie is wonderfully delicate and elegant.  The nose is lifted and aromatic, with honeydew melon and pear drops leading the way, followed by freshly baked madelines and honey.  A very “pretty” whisky, the theme of elegance follows through on the palate.  A touch of water brings out fruitier notes.  The finish is long and warming.

£135 per bottle retail price

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £125 per bottle

AUCHROISK 20 Year Old, 58.1% ABV

This is the first mature official bottling of Auchroisk we have seen since the Rare Malts release several years ago.  It’s a lovely honey laden malt; shortbread, sponge drenched in syrup and butterscotch provide its structure.  Best enjoyed with a judicious dash of water, which reveals marzipan and a touch of ginger.

£125 per bottle retail price

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £115 per bottle

GLEN SPEY 21 Year Old, 50.4%

The use of new American oak, some of which held Sherry, has worked very well here.  Without water, the nose delivers an enticing mix of raisins, toffee, polished timber and even a suggestion of rum.  It drinks well neat, with a gently prickle on the tongue.  Water (just a few drops) opens up the spirit to reveal a fruity core of plums and damsons.  An unexpected gem!

£130 per bottle retail price

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £120 per bottle

CRAGGANMORE 21 Year Old, 56.0% ABV

Cragganmore proved to be the star of the Speysiders (pushed all the way by the Glen Spey), with a lovely exotic nose of egg custard, banana and brandy-soaked Victoria sponge.   There is no spirity edge when tasted neat, but it holds up well with water, maltier notes emerging, including cocoa, dark chocolate and gingerbread.   All in all, this is a very complete, fine and elegant Speyside malt.

£145 per bottle retail price

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £135 per bottle

BRORA 30 Year Old, 54.3% ABV

Without a doubt, Brora was the highlight of the evening.  This is a whisky to nose and pontificate over (as we did last night).  The nose is complex, yet not easy to describe; faint peat smoke is interwoven with toffee, linseed, almonds, dried herbs and pipe tobacco.  The palate is uncompromising and takes no prisoners, sweet fudge meets dry smoke like a clash of cymbals, yet there is delicacy too.  Brora mightn’t be the easiest of malts to come to terms with – it’s a rather intellectual malt, bordering on aloof – but the effort is worth it.  If you treat yourself just once this year, make it a bottle of Brora!

£280 per bottle retail price

TALISKER 30 Year Old, 57.3%

There is only the one Talisker amongst the Special Releases this year.  This 30 year old possesses more up-front creamy sweetness than those of previous years.  Behind this veil lurks the Talisker we know and love; brine, fish rope and dry peat and a suggestion of cracked pepper.  Notwithstanding its considerable strength, it drinks extremely well neat or with just a few drops of water.

£235 per bottle retail price

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £220 per bottle

CAOL ILA 12 Year Old Unpeated, 57.6% ABV

We have loved the unpeated expression of Caol Ila since its inception in 2006.  Now almost an adolescent at 12 years of age, it continues to deliver the goods.  The nose alone is just about worth the asking price; it boldly leaps out of the glass; brioche, oatcakes, brine and seaweed.  The palate is similarly multi-dimensional and packed full of flavour.  Butterscotch and toffee vie with coastal notes of salty brine.  If you like your whisky with a distinctive coastal edge, this Caol Ila is for you!

£50 per bottle retail price

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £47 per bottle

LAGAVULIN 12 Year Old, 56.5% ABV

Big peat….big peat….big peat…..balanced by lovely creamy sweetness and orchard fruit.   For me, the 12 year old is the best of the Lagavulin bottlings, and as good as anything from Islay.   There’s peat in spades, but multiple layers of flavour; seaweed, smoked kippers, old boot leather, bath salts, something slightly medicinal that I can’t quite describe.  What makes this Lagavulin exceptional is its silken texture, reinforcing Lagavulin’s status as the veritable iron fist in a velvet glove.

£57 per bottle retail price

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £53 per bottle

PORT ELLEN 31 Year Old, 54.6% ABV

At 31 years of age and bottled from 1979 distillate, Port Ellen comes over as a tamed monster.  Peat, brine, smoke and salt are evident, but toned down from younger expressions.  The smoky core is nestled in a cradle of sweet honeycomb and creamy vanilla.   In our view, this is a Port Ellen best enjoyed neat so you can enjoy the full impact.

As quantities of Port Ellen are even smaller than usual this year, we will have had to allocate our available stock to customers who have bought from us in previous years.

£250 per bottle retail price – Limit 1 bottle per customer

TWO NEW LIMITED RELEASES FROM JAPAN

Japanese whisky has been a “hot” item for a good 2-3 years now.  Thankfully, this is not just down to chic packaging, but also to the quality of the spirit in the bottle.  Without a doubt, the very best whisky from Japan is world class.

HAKUSHU HEAVILY PEATED, 48% ABV

Matured in American white oak, this peated malt from Hakushu distillery delivers an enticing combination of peat, iodine and tobacco, interwoven with dates, plums and red apples.  I would describe this malt as moderately, rather than heavily peated, but it has real elegance and complexity.  Do act quickly as it won’t be around for long.

£65 per bottle RRP

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £61 per bottle

YAMAZAKI PUNCHEON, 48% ABV

This special edition Yamazaki was matured in an American oak puncheon, making it an interesting contrast to the Yamazaki Sherry Cask and 18 year old.  It is a vibrantly fruity whisky, with sweet apricot, pineapple and pear, overlaid by vanilla oak and butterscotch.  We were really impressed by this whisky when tasted last week; class in a glass!

£65 per bottle RRP

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £61 per bottle

GLEN GRANT DISTILLERY TURNS 170

Glen Grant distillery seems to be on a roll.  We love the superb Glen Grant 1992, a wonderfully elegant and seamless Speyside malt. To celebrate the 170th anniversary of Glen Grant distillery, manager Dennis Malcolm has selected some of the best Glen Grant whiskies over the past few decades and vatted them together. 

GLEN GRANT 170TH ANNIVERSARY, 46% ABV

The result is a soft, elegant and fine malt whisky that marries sweet raisins together with fresh stonefruit, Madagascan vanilla and a gentle hint of peat-smoke.  It is bottled at 46% ABV, natural colour and without chill-filtration.

£79.99 per bottle RRP

Exclusive Newsletter Offer Price – £74.50 per bottle

COMPETITION – WIN 2 TICKETS TO SEE THE “GLASGOW BOYS” EXHIBITION AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

The Royal Academy of Arts presents the first major exhibition in London for over 40 years to celebrate the achievement of the Glasgow Boys, a loosely knit group of around 20 young painters who created a huge stir at home and abroad in the final decades of the 19th century. They produced some of the most revolutionary painting from Britain, drawing praise in London, Munich, Vienna and further afield.

The exhibition runs from 30 October 2010 through 23 January 2011.  Tickets are available to book now.

We are offering two tickets for one lucky mailing list member (and a friend) to attend this exhibition.   For a chance to win, simply answer the following question.

What is the closest currently operating malt whisky distillery to the city of Glasgow?

Please email your answer to competitions@royalacademy.org.uk.  The winner will be announced on Friday November 12.
 
Until next month, slàinte!
 
Best regards

Philip

Philip Shorten
Milroy’s of Soho

3 Greek Street

London, W1D 4NX

T: 020 7437 2385

F: 020 7437 1345

W: www.milroys.co.uk