KWM Whisky Advent Day 10 – Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera Reserve

Before we dig into today’s Advent whisky, I have a confession to make. Until earlier this year I had written off Glenfiddich as a little boring, washed up, and increasingly irrelevant. Glenfiddich is the world’s bestselling single malt. One statistic claims that it accounts for 35% off all global single malt sales. That figure seems suspiciously high, but the point remains, Glenfiddich is huge, dominant and ubiquitous. A couple visits to the distillery in the last 8 months and several tastings of the whisky later am willing to admit I was wrong. I was too critical and dismissive of Glenfiddich, and not open to the possibility that their whisky could still be interesting and exciting.

William Grant & Sons, the parent company of Glenfiddich, and also owners of The Balvenie, is huge. On a tour a number of years ago I was given a figure for the volume of whisky they had maturing at their principal site in Dufftown. It was and still is a staggering amount, I did some quick math in my head, comparing it to then Scotland’s smallest distillery Edradour. At the time Edradour’s production was around 100,000L a year. It would have taken Edradour nearly 1500 years running flat out to produce the volume of whisky in William Grant’s warehouses.

Glenfiddich, which means “valley of the dear” was founded in 1886 in the town of Dufftown. Scotland was in the midst of a massive boom in distilling due to the surge of interest in Blended Scotch whisky. The distillery was built by hand by William Grant and his family (seven sons and two daughters) in the glen of the River Fiddich. Spirit ran off the stills for the first time on Christmas Day 1887. Business was so good that just a few short years later in 1892 the family opened their second distillery, Balvenie, just a few hundred meters away.

In 1898 Pattison Elder & Co., William Grant’s largest customer (also that of many other distilleries), filed for bankruptcy. It was the first domino is a massive collapse that knocked the industry on its knees. Many distilleries and whisky companies in turn went bankrupt as a result, but William Grant & Sons held fast. They saw an opportunity to produce and sell their own blends like the appropriately named Standfast. The prohibition era was a difficult time for the Scotch whisky industry, by the turn of the 1930s there were less than a dozen distilleries still operating in Scotland. William Grant & Son’s saw an opportunity. The Depression would eventually end, and then there would be a mad scramble to make more whisky, which would take years to mature. So during the Great Depression William Grant & Sons increased production to position themselves to supply future demand. It was a bet that would pay huge dividends, and put Glenfiddich at the head of the pack of malt whisky distilleries.

William Grants continued to invest in their distilleries and whisky production through the 1940s and 1950s, hiring their own coppersmiths and equipping the the Dufftown facility with its own onsite cooperage. In 1956 they launched their own bespoke and now iconic triangular bottle. A few short years later in 1961 they launched their single malt whisky with the Glenfiddich Straight Malt. Just two years later they took the pioneering step of introducing it to the world, giving birth to the global fascination with single malt whisky.

Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera Reserve – 40% – Matured in Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry Casks. Some of the whisky is finished 2 years in New American Oak. The whisky is mellowed in their famous Solera Vat before marrying in Portugese Oak tuns. – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: doughy, decadent and very fruity; elegant with lots of layers, caramel chews and waxy honeycomb; soft vanilla and crème brule. Palate: round and fruity in character with a base of waxy honey and vanilla; more caramel with milk chocolate and orange and dates; Fig Newtons circa 10 years ago before the changed the recipe; building sherry oak spices and earthy oak. Finish: medium in length, very pleasant and elegant. Comment: this is a very good malt for its age and price; I just wish they would kick up the ABV to 46%! – $80 per 750ml and $8 per 50ml

Ardbeg “Twenty Something” 23 Year Old Islay Single Malt

Here’s what I will tell you about the new Ardbeg 23 year old committee release that just landed in our warehouse: I was lucky enough to try it a few months back when Ardbeg’s distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden was in town for a promotional tour and we got the chance to eat lunch together. He pulled out a small flask and poured me a glass, asking me what I thought about the whisky without telling me what it was. I was utterly entranced by it. It was so soft and silky compared to the powerful and high proof Ardbegs like the Uigeadail and Corryvreckan. The smoke was heavy, but it was muted by rounded vanilla and creamy malt flavors. I knew it had to be old. The finish went on forever and I just sat there grinning as I licked my lips and asked him what I had just experienced. Bill smiled and said it was the upcoming Ardbeg “Twentysomething,” a new committee bottling from the distillery planned for a winter release in the states. It’s by the far the most luxurious Ardbeg I’ve tasted since the 1977 and Lord of the Isles releases of long ago and it’s a legit, top shelf single malt. I’m long past the point of being able to justify what’s worth it to whisky drinkers when they’re throwing down money like this for a luxury bottle, but if you’re worried about the quality here I can squash those concerns. It’s really good.

Ardbeg “Twenty Something” 23 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($549.99)

It’s that time of year again. Advent!

From December 1st to the 25th, some of you will be enjoying our special Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar. 

This year Secret Spirits is proud to release their 4th Edition of unique and rare Scotch Whiskies. 

Geek-out with us as we introduce Scotch Trooper as our guest blogger this year. 

You can find him and all his Trooper Elves at http://scotchtrooper-blog.com/category/reviews/ 

He’s also on Instagram: scotch_trooper 

Follow along as his little elves get into all sorts of mischief with their Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar this Christmas.  

Cheers!

secretspirits.com

Isle of Islay 10 Year Old 2007

Single cask sherry hogshead from a secret distillery which once contained the famed micro distillery Malt Mill, on the A846 between Laphroaig & Ardbeg. Freshly bottled by our chums at Creative Whisky Co. for the Exclusive Malts – just 352 bottles!

Shop – £99.95

KWM Whisky Advent Day 9 – Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban

In last year’s KWM Whisky Advent Calendar we featured the Glenmorangie Original, it was the first time we were able to include a Glenmorangie whisky. Glenmorangie is back this year in the 2017 edition, with the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 12 Year. After maturing 10 years in Ex-Bourbon barrels, the whisky is finished a further 2 years in Ruby Port Pipes, hence the name Quinta Ruban. “Quintas” are the port houses or lodges in Villa Nova de Gaia where the wine is laid to mature before bottling. Ruban is a reference to ruby port.

Port is an interesting fortified wine style with deep roots and a strong connection to the British isles. The British had a great fondness for French wine, especially Bordeaux, which they call Claret. There was only one problem, the English & French were at war with each other more often than not in the 17^th and 18^th Centuries, and that made the importation of French wine impractical to say the least. The British naturally turned their attention to Portugal, a nation with which they had a long allegiance, but this was not as straightforward a solution as one might expect.

During the age of sail, it was seldom possible to sail directly from Portugal. The prevailing winds made the journey long and difficult. The conditions at sea were not favourable to the transportation of wine. So this lead to the birth of a new wine style, Port. Port is named for Oporto, the Portuguese port city at the mouth of the River Douro. After crushing the grapes were fermented as with all wines, but early in the fermentation a neutral grape spirit is added to stop the fermentation and preserve sugar. The combination of higher alcohol and sugar made the wine more durable and stable. And the British loved it! Port was shipped to the UK including Scotland in cask, and many of these barrels would then be used to mature whisky.

One surprising fact about Port, is that the Douro’s appellation is the third oldest in the world. It was granted in 1756 well before Bordeaux or Burgundy. The only older ones are Chianti 1716 and Tokaji 1730 are old.

There are a few distinguishing characteristics which make Glenmorangie unique. First and foremost, its stills, which are the tallest and most slender in all of Scotland. “They are 8 metres high (26ft 1/4 inches) with their long copper necks standing at 5.14 metres (16ft 10 1/4 inches), the same height as a fully grown adult giraffe!” These stills ensure that only the lightest and most delicate vapours make it to the condenser, thus resulting in lighter more delicate spirit. The distillery was converted from a brewery originally established on Morangie farm in the 1730. Rather than the more traditional dumpy pot stills, the founder installed a pair of 2nd hand gin stills in the distillery. Today’s stills are modeled on that design.

Glenmorangie also has a unique water supply. The distillery is fed by the Tarlogie Springs, which bubble up from a limestone aquifer, rather than the granite filtered water used by almost every other distillery in Scotland. These natural minerals give it its ‘hard’ water qualities and provide Glenmorangie with a raw ingredient unique amongst Highland distilleries.

Last but certainly not least, the distillery is famous for its Sixteen Men of Tain. Historically no more than 16 men worked at the distillery. As demand and production grew, there were never more than 16 men on shift at a time. Times have changed, and production techniques have changed too. There are many more than 16 men and women working at the distillery and for the brand today, at last count close to 400 (2004). The company now refers to the “Men of Tain”, craftsmen who make the whisky.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban– 46% – 12 Year – Matured in Bourbon Finished in Ruby Port – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: dried cherry and cranberry leap out of the glass; some musty old wood with dark chocolate, prune juice and cooked dates. Palate: big, nutty and wood; more dark chocolate with some firm old leather and sweet Cuban tobacco; the musty old wood is still there with some licorice nibs and decadent spice. Finish: medium-long and warming; the spicy oak holds on with a touch of chilli heat. Comment: I forgot how interesting this whisky is; I am not generally a fan of Port matured or finished whiskies, but this one is good! – $92 for 700ml – $11 for 50ml

Ralfy gets upset with cosmetic compromise in Ralfy Review 702 – Auchentoshan 12yo @40%vol:(Re-reviewed 2017)

KWM Whisky Advent Day 8 – Gordon Macphail Glentauchers 1996

Glentauchers Distillery was established in 1898, at the height of a major boom in whisky production. There was a surge in distillery openings in the 1890s as global demand for Scotch whisky surged. The distillery was built out of granite by the prominent blender James Buchanan. As with many distilleries built around the turn of the 20^th century, the legendary Charles Doig was the architect.

The distillery’s production surged in the 1960s during the next major whisky boom, when two new pairs of stills were added to the first set. Even though it had been modernized just 20 years earlier, that was not enough to save the distillery from the industry downturn of the 1980s. Glentauchers was mothballed in 1985 and sold off by Diageo in 1989 to one of its competitors Allied Distillers. Allied reopened the distillery in 1992 with an intention of using the whisky in its Ballantine’s blends. Allied became a part of the Chivas Group in 2005.

Bottlings of Glentuachers single malt have been almost non-existent for most of its history, with the exception of the odd independent bottling. The one major exception to this is Gordon Macphail, who have had a long standing relationship with the distillery. Glentaucher’s is one of the many distilleries with which Gordon Macphail has an arrangement to bottle and sell semi-official bottlings, the Distillery Label range. A few Chivas Visitor Center bottlings have been released over the last few years. Early this fall it was announced that Chivas would be releasing Glentauchers 15 Year single malt for the first time, along with Glenburgie and Miltonduff.

About Gordon Macphail’s Distillery Range: “Building and nurturing long-lasting relationships has always been key to curating our collection of single malt whiskies. It’s our relationships from the Sherry bodegas in Jerez, Spain, and the American Oak cooperages in Kentucky – where we source casks of the finest quality – to those who distil the Scottish malt spirit – which we fill into our casks – that has helped shape our foundations and continue to develop the future of Gordon & MacPhail. The result of the mutual support and friendship with some of Scotland’s single malt producers means that Gordon & MacPhail has traditionally matured and bottled whisky from a collection of distilleries, releasing them with a ‘house’ label, unique to each distillery.”

“From the Orkney distillery of Scapa, through to Speyside classics such as Strathisla, Longmorn, and Glen Grant, our ‘Distillery Labels’ series showcases individual producers with whom Gordon & MacPhail has been working, sometimes for over a century. It was these trusted relationships which allowed us to be amongst the first companies to capture examples of the unique styles and individual production from a variety of Scotland’s single malt distilleries, bringing them to the consumer. The ‘Distillery Labels’ range dovetails into the ‘Rare Vintage’ collection, home to our exceptionally rare single malts also featuring the original historic distillery labels.”

Gordon Macphail Glentauchers 1996 – 43% – First Fill Sherry Butts – Bottled 2016 – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: fresh, creamy and very fruity; loads of melon, lemon merengue, lime zest and cream cheese icing; milk chocolate and palines. Palate: still creamy, honeyed and nutty; loads of soft vanilla with a back bone of soft leather and light but nutty sherry; more cream cheese icing with lemon zest, some tart grapefruit and lemon merengue; the melon tones are still there but the citrus and oak are in control. Finish: light and elegant with a good length; creamy and citrusy with floral tones. Comment: sadly this is an Advent Calendar exclusive, there are no bottles to be had; just as well, this is a tempting breakfast dram! – !!SOLD OUT!!

KWM Whisky Advent Day 7 – Millstone Oloroso Sherry

It has been a little over a year now since Millstone hit the market in Alberta, and our customers are lapping up the many different whisky releases we have from the Dutch distiller, which also goes by the name Zuidams. Zuidams is a family owned distillery in Baarle Nassau, The Netherlands. The firm opened its doors in 1974, and for the first 14 years it produced vodka, liqueurs, gin and genever. The latter spirit, genever is the key to the firms progression to making whisky.

Genever, is a spirit with a very long history. In the early days of distillation in Europe, beer made from malted barley was crudely distilled into a spirit. The result was essentially a proto-whisky, but the spirit would have been almost unpalatable. To make it more drinkable herbs were added to alter the flavour. Juniper was also added as it was believed the berries had health benefits. The name Genever, or Jenever, is derived from the Dutch word “jeneverbes” or Juniper Berry.

The origins of Genever go back to at least the 13^th Century, and they are not exclusive to the Netherlands. There is reference to Genever coming from Bruges in the 1200s and Antwerp a couple of centuries later. But most scholars argree that Genever was likely first produced in Flanders, in the Netherlands. By 1606 the industry was sufficiently large for it to attract the attention of the Dutch authorities, who began levying taxes on genever and similar spirits in 1606.

There are two types of Genever, Old and Young. Young or “Jonge” genever is a style that came about around 1900. Modern distilling techniques allowed for the creation of lighter spirits. During the Great War (First World War) there was a shortage of grain and Genever was made from molasses and sugar beets. People started referring to the Old or “Oude” style genever. Some Old Genever is matured in oak barrels, like whisky. It is this style that Millstone is famous for.

In 1988 at the behest of the sons, especially Patrick van Zuidam, the firm started experimenting with whisky making. In 1996 they began laying down casks in earnest. The company produces not just single malt whisky (both peated and unpeated malt), made in the Scottish style, but also 100% rye whisky. We bottled our own cask of Millstone Rye Whisky this year and it has been a hit!

So first and foremost, we know, the whisky is not a 50ml… Apparently Millstone does 40mls instead. We aren’t really sure why. I chalk it up to the Dutch being Dutch. Good folk that they are, sometimes it is best not to ask… besides, we would not have otherwise had this whisky in our Calendar!

Millstone Oloroso Sherry – 46% – No Age Statement – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: thick with chocolate, Kahlua and caramel flavoured Baileys; big notes of liquorice Jujubes, polished new leather and brand new rubber boots. Palate: big, nutty, leathery and earthy; syrupy, juicy dates and more Kahlua; caramel sauce and more cream liqueur tones; the leather and spices build but also some waxy Strawberry Twizzlers; young but layered and rich. Finish: milk chocolate coats the palate along with caramel Baileys and liquorice Jujubes. Comment: this is a malt for those looking to get their sherry on… it is big, proud and unapologetic; very Dutch! – 50mls Available for $12 – 700mls are SOLD OUT in Alberta. Due back in 2018!

Springbank Distillery is delighted to announce that our new Local Barley 10yo is available in the UK today.

The Local Barley 10yo 57.3% ABV is available in the UK now – other markets/countries will vary throughout the weeks ahead. To help you find where you could buy a bottle of the new Local Barley 10yo please visit the “Where to Buy” section of the Springbank website: http://www.springbankwhisky.com/distributors/

Tasting Notes

Nose: The nose on this dram is constantly changing and always exquisite. Pick your favourite dessert: vanilla ice-cream with butterscotch sauce, pecan pie or creme caramel. Custard cream biscuit and chocolate honeycomb are also present. The tasting panel has a sweet tooth.

Palate: The whisky has a lovely delicate floral quality of lemongrass and citrus tea. There’s also the sweetness of almonds and marzipan which is balanced with a hint of peat and ends on a note of luxury, pure smooth velvet.

Finish: You can tell this was matured in a dunnage warehouse, with the soft earthy finish. At the end you can taste salted caramel and the spiciness of freshly baked cinnamon buns drizzled with honey.

Matured in 70% Bourbon and 30% Sherry with approximately 9000 bottles available worldwide.

The Campbeltown Cadenhead shop is selling each bottle for £86.00.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind you all that the new Kilkerran 8yo cask strength from our sister distillery Mitchell’s Glengyle is available in the UK from today.

It will be available in the Campbeltown Cadenhead shop for £48.00.

For more information please visit the Kilkerran Facebook page.