Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 162: North British 2000 Malts of Scotland

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a sherry matured single grain. The combination of single grain whisky and a sherry cask is not often found, but the German independent bottler Malts of Scotland released a North British 2000 that matured for almost 15 years on a sherry butt and it makes for a heavenly whisky indeed. Check it out in this Rambling that was shot at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

https://youtu.be/EfnWU1_tl1g

Invergordon 50 Year Old The Sovereign

This 50 year old single cask single grain whisky from Invergordon distillery is part of the Sovereign range from family-run independent bottlers, Hunter Laing & Co. Matured in a single refill hogshead and bottled without artificial colouring or chill-filtration.

The nose is sweet and mellow with notes of vanilla, sherbet and butter shortbread. The palate is fruity and effervescent with dark chocolate and vanilla aspects, before a long and dry finish with sweet fruits and a hint of oak.

£595 Buy Now Was £845 Save £250

When the folks from Kilchoman approached us about doing a new private barrel selection for K&L, we were interested. There were two caveats, however. First off, we wanted the price to be at or less than $100 per bottle. With single casks of Kilchoman hovering between $120-$150 globally, our cask had to be a value in comparison. Secondly, we wanted something we had never tasted before; a whisky that stood outside the standard selections from Kilchoman and truly offered a new and unique profile. We’ve done seven private Kilchoman casks over the years, but in order to justify doing another there had to be a very good reason. Buying new whisky for the sake of it at this point is passe and unnecessary given the expansion of the market.

While we were skeptical that Islay’s boutique farm distillery could deliver on those demands, they dug deep into their warehouse of odd balls and found us one of the most spectacular Kilchoman whiskies we’ve ever tasted. Aged full term in a red Bordeaux wine barrel, the resulting single malt drinks like a drier version of a Port-finished whisky, buffered by soft fruit on the entry but with a balance anchored in the spirit’s smoky, peaty, briny Islay character. From front to back, this 60.3% cask strength specimen is a dynamo. The nose reveals dessert-like flavors of butterscotch and sweet pudding with subtle smoke, but the first sip dials up the peat and classic Islay intensity. There’s a playful sweetness right off the bat, but it quickly melts into the peat fire. At no point does the whisky’s profile ever allude to its potent power; the richness from the wine influence plays like half-sherry/half-port, tempering the 120.6 proof and mellowing out the middle. The result is one of the most interesting and delicious Kilchoman whiskies we’ve yet tasted, which is exactly what we asked for.

This is honestly the first red wine barrel aged single malt that doesn’t taste like a gimmick or simply an excuse for marketing, which is exactly why I jumped all over it. Because the whisky spent its entire life in that Bordeaux cask, the red fruit is integrated entirely into the malty flavor. This isn’t a finish, where the cask influence acts like icing on a cake; this is a rich and classically-styled Kilchoman with just an entirely different profile than I’ve ever experienced. It’s traditional, yet exotic. It’s big, but surprisingly subdued. Every single time I’ve tasted it I’ve sensed something different that I didn’t notice previously. What I do notice each time around, however, is how much I like it and how delicious it is.

Kilchoman “K&L Exclusive” Single Red Wine Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($99.99)

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 02, 2017

Tasting this as a barrel sample, I had to call the distillery and tell them I needed the whisky at cask strength! They told me: “David, it’s at full proof: 60.3%.” I couldn’t believe it. I’ve tasted sherry barrels where the sweetness from the Oloroso wine masked the power of the alcohol, but never have I seen that happen with a red wine barrel. Simply put, this is one of the most delicious and dangerously drinkable Kilchoman’s I’ve had the pleasure to taste. Islay’s smallest distillery has long been releasing beautifully concentrated and polished single malt expressions, but few have had the richness and the balance exhibited by this single barrel release. The red fruits from the wine barrel never taste like a gimmick or some odd attempt at creating something new. Everything about this whisky is integrated, just in a way I can’t say I’ve ever experienced. Simply put, you should buy this whisky because it’s absolutely delicious. But if you’re an explorer and an experimenter of Scotch whisky, this is also one of the most unique offerings I’ve tasted in some time.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 04, 2017

This is an experiment in using an alternative cask for aging rather than the usual used Bourbon or Sherry barrels and it really turns out to be an absolute success. In the nose it is what one would expect with smoke and sea notes. In the mouth it is complex with layers of smoke , sea and a round soft richness with hints of spice and fruit. This is both interesting and a delicious variation of an Islay Single Malt.

Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 04, 2017

Earlier this year we had an offering from Hepburn’s Choice that was a young Coal Ila finished in wine casks. I really enjoyed that whisky, but I always told people it was a bit of a geeks whisky, good but more fun than finesse. I suppose I had that in mind when I went to taste the new offering from Kilchoman just for us, I was so very wrong, and I am so very happy to have been wrong. Where the Caol Ila had some funky red fruit notes this has seamless integration of whisky and flavoring from the Bordeaux cask. Big rich smoke and spice immediately in the nose are followed up and incredibly complex mix of spiced citrus, BBQ coals, salty caramel and smoke. The finish, OMG the finish, super long and good and all of the words. So yeah I bought a bottle, because I was not about to not buy a bottle after that.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 02, 2017

I’ve found myself going back to this bottle multiple times over the last two days. It’s extraordinarily balanced and integrated and seems to demand you take another taste. The briny, salty, smoky nose is alluring. It’s got caramel and butterscotch, but also citrus and spice. Remarkably, the red fruits I expected to find sitting on top of the whisky like so many red wine finished bottles are difficult to pick out. This is the beauty of the full term in the Bordeaux barrel. It’s folded into the whisky so well. Bottled near the 120 proof mark you might also expect this to be a hot bruiser, but even without water, it’s very drinkable. If you’re on the fence, ask yourself the following questions: Do you love Islay whisky? Do you love unique and well crafted whisky that shows artistry and grace? Do you love the flexibility cask strength whisky gives you, the drinker? And last, do you love an outrageously good deal? For under $100 bucks, this is a steal. If you answered yes to these questions. Don’t hesitate, we just have the one cask.

Blended Whisky – everyone’s doing it

John Glaser, founder and whiskymaker at Compass Box, makes his case for why blending is essential in the world of Scotch whisky.

John Glaser, Compass Box founder and whiskymaker

Everyone blends. This is not well known nor well understood, but in Scotland everyone blends – even single malt producers. Through blending, Scotland’s greatest whiskies are made, whether the whisky is classified as a single malt Scotch whisky, single grain Scotch whisky, or one of the three types of Scotch whisky blends (I’m not including single-cask bottlings, which represent a miniscule amount).

When a whisky drinker truly understands what blending is to Scotch whisky, this knowledge unlocks whole new worlds of whisky enjoyment. Here’s the reason why everyone blends: it provides the whiskymaker with a platform for creativity. It always has, going back to the Victorian roots of the industry.

Blending is how the flavour profile of your favourite whisky is brought to life. It is how that whisky is produced consistently year after year. Blending is also what makes Scotch whisky dynamic in an ever-changing spirits market, because blending is fundamental to how new products are fashioned.

History lesson

Aenas MacDonald, in his book Whisky from the 1930s, comments on the consistency which blending brought to the modern whiskymaker:

‘Blending made it possible to make a whisky which would suit different climates and different classes of patrons’

Blending whiskies from different distilleries became a creative solution for combining heavier malt whiskies, which at the time did not suit the tastes of most people, with lighter grain whiskies. This combination of malt whisky and grain whisky we now call blended Scotch whisky, and today this represents approximately 90% of Scotch whisky production.

Scotch whisky is considered complicated by many people. There are five legally defined categories, but I think it is more telling to expand on these definitions in a non-traditional way:

• Blended Scotch Whisky: a combination of casks of both single malt whiskies and single grain whiskies
• Blended Malt Scotch Whisky: a combination of casks of only single malt whiskies from different distilleries
• Blended Grain Scotch Whisky: a combination of casks of only single grain whiskies from different distilleries
• Single Grain Scotch Whisky: a grain whisky from a single distillery, usually a combination of casks
• Single Malt Scotch Whisky: a malt whisky from a single distillery, usually a combination of casks

Almost all Scotch whiskies, including single malts, are combinations of casks. For every single malt or single grain whisky produced, there is someone responsible for blending the casks for each bottling to ensure consistency. Scotch whisky distilleries use a variety of casks, each flavouring the whisky in their own way. To manage consistency, a recipe is maintained by a person in charge of blending the ingredients in a particular product: the amounts of component whiskies from different cask types, as well as those of different ages. If it is a blended whisky, part of the recipe includes the amounts of whiskies from different distilleries. If it is a single malt or single grain whisky, all the components come from just one distillery.

myriad of styles

The creative potential of blending in Scotch is almost limitless. There is more breadth of style in Scotch whisky than any other spirit in the world. Across the 100+ Scotch whisky distilleries today, you have grain whiskies which range in flavour from clean and light to richly vanilla; and malt whiskies that run a vast spectrum from light, grassy and floral to hugely peaty. Overlay this with the difference age has on a whisky – we appreciate younger whiskies for their vibrancy and distillery character, and older whiskies for their complexity and depth. It’s this tremendous breadth of style that makes Scotch whisky so compelling.

What the five categories do not give you is an indication of the flavour to expect in the bottle. There can be a huge variation in flavour between two single malt releases from the same distillery and while the distillery character may form the backbone of the whisky, further maturation lends another complex component to the overall flavour.  Also consider the difference between Compass Box Asyla and Compass Box The Circus: both fall under the category of Blended Scotch Whisky, but one is delicate, appropriate for an aperitif, while the other is deep and complex, better suited as a late-evening drink.  Through blending, we are able to create a vast universe of styles in any category.

To create a whisky, we begin with an idea for a style and possibly a drinking occasion. We look to our inventory of whiskies and pick out casks we believe might contribute to the style of whisky we have in mind. If you work for a single malt distillery, you look into your warehouse for whiskies of various ages, aged in different types of cask; if you work for a blending house that sources whiskies from multiple distilleries, you look across your inventory of casks. In either case, you draw samples, and over many weeks or months you blend small quantities of recipe prototypes, one iteration after another, to try to achieve the style you have in mind. You blend. You create.

Blending components allows you to layer flavours, to balance heavy flavours with light to create complexity. It’s just as in the world of wine. A red wine from Bordeaux is typically a combination of several grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, for its depth of flavour and tannic structure; Merlot for its fruit character; and small amounts of Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc for their fragrance.

The next time someone says ‘that’s just a blend’, teach them that blending is a platform for creativity. The image of blending has been tarnished by the boring character of so many cheap blended Scotch whisky brands and own-label supermarket products. This is unfortunate, but remember there are some really boring single malt whiskies, too!

I came from the wine industry to the world of Scotch whisky. Blending attracted me because the creative possibilities fired my imagination. When I started my own company, I started a Scotch whisky blending house because I wanted the freedom to create from a vast array of possibilities. I wanted to show the world the creative possibilities of blending. I wanted to use blending to make whiskies with balance, complexity and extraordinary character. And I wanted to create something that no single distillery can create.

This is what blending is all about.

Rare whisky, rare price!

One of the gems of our Price Drop section, The Macallan Rare Cask is the pinnacle of the 1824 series from the Speyside distillery. With a saving of £42.50 at Loch Fyne Whiskies, you’ll be hard pushed to find a better price anywhere else!

Next day delivery available on UK orders We ship all over the world!

Macallan Rare Cask

The rich, ruby whisky distinguishes this as a classic Macallan, and it is the interaction of spirit and wood which delivers this vibrant colour. Crafted only from Spanish oak, sherry seasoned casks, which are amongst the most precious and scarce in single malt whisky, the intensity of Rare Cask’s character was developed by The Macallan’s Master Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno.

The nose is elegantly sherried, with dried fruits and gentle spice coming through. The palate has dark cherry, dates and raisins alongside notes of vanilla, dark chocolate and toffee before lemon peel and a hint of ginger. The finish is very long and satisfying – hard to outshine!

£157.50 Buy Now Save £42.50

https://youtu.be/ScuAI7RIA7Q 

It’s been a while since we spoke about Japanese whisky on the channel, well, here we are! The subject of today’s review is, Nikka White Label, a combination of both heavily peated Yoichi (Hokkaido 1934)  and heavily peated Miyagikyo (Sendai 1969) Matured for solely in ex-American white oak, it has flavours of BBQ smoke, salt, some peat, caramel, toffee and popcorn. A solid all rounder and something that should be taken advantage of while stocks last, it’s now discontinued. Buy it while you can! Cheers.—

Whisky Reviews every Wednesday

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What’s New at The Exclusive Dram?

Whisky – We have been working hard on bringing new, exciting and different whisky to our shop. All our whisky comes in 50ml samples allowing you to try something different at a fraction of the cost. For the full range visit us here.

With Free Delivery For All UK orders over £100 and Worldwide Delivery Available there has never been a better time to shop at The Exclusive Dram.

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GlenDronach Single Malt 21yr Parliament – This big, delicious, deeply flavored and o-so-smooth sherry bomb of a single malt is back on our shelves! Get it while it’s here! GlenDronach Parliament Single Malt Scotch 21 Year is deep amber with a cherry wood sheen. A delicate mix of ripe autumnal fruits – notably blackberries and red plums. Rich Oloroso sherry and candied orange segments. Spiced oatmeal biscuits and toasted oak fragrances bring excellent weight and balance. Resolute flavours of fine Oloroso sherry and bitter chocolate sauce, which has been spread liberally over homemade plum pudding. This is all infused with fabulous spicy notes – cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Full bodied with smooth tannins.

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Ralfy re-reviews after three years with Ralfy Review 647 – Bunnahabhain 18yo @ 46.3%vol (2017)

Fiona, Elle and June at the Retail Awards

STIRLING WHISKY SHOP WINS TOP BUSINESS AWARD 

A popular whisky shop has been named Central Scotland’s Off License of the Year.

Stirling Whisky Shop, based in the city’s Spittal Street, was presented with the honour at the Scottish Independent Retail Awards 2017.

The family firm beat off competition from six other retailers to scoop the coveted title.

June McCann founded Stirling Whisky Shop with her husband Cameron four years ago.

She attended the glitzy awards ceremony with her daughter Elle, who helps out with the family business, and Fiona Sinclair who manages the shop.

She said: “It was a great night and it was just amazing when our name was called out as the Central Scotland winner because we knew we were up against tough competition and some much bigger retailers.

“We’re one of the smallest off licenses in Scotland but really do punch above our weight when it comes to stocking a wide variety of brands and organising big events.

“I think we’re also one of the only off licenses in Scotland to have a chandelier in our shop which is quite a novelty and a good talking point.

“We’re very proud to win this award and grateful to our fabulous staff who work so hard and our loyal customers who support us both in the shop and at the events we run.”

Stirling Whisky Shop, which is based within Stirling’s Highland Hotel, organises annual Whisky Festivals as well as monthly tasting clubs.

Co-founder Cameron McCann said: “This award is a great honour for us, our staff and the city of Stirling.

“It’s the first time we’ve been nominated for an award so to win it was just fantastic.

“We’d like to thank everyone who voted for us and who continues to support our business.”

The winners of the 6th Scottish Independent Retail Awards 2017 were announced at a black-tie ceremony, hosted by radio personality Gina McKie, in Glasgow.

The awards aim to highlight the value independent shops bring to their communities and to recognise and reward the entrepreneurial spirit which lies behind these thriving businesses

Organisers ran an online campaign, via email databases and social media, over the past few months which gave people the chance to vote for their favourite retail outlets.

Stirling Whisky Shop made the final shortlist of seven contenders for the Central Scotland award.

The other finalists included Excel Wines of Perth, Dundee-based Aitken Wines, Luvians Bottleshop in St Andrews and Oban Whisky and Fine Wines Shops.

A spokesman for the Scottish Independent Retail Awards said: “The awards look to give a platform to local communities to voice their admiration and loyalty to their independent retailer of choice.”

For more information, go to http://www.stirlingwhiskyshop.com/ 

Note to Editors: Stirling Whisky Shop was established in 2013 by Bridge of Allan couple June and Cameron McCann. The shop sells a range of spirits and is based at the Highland Hotel in Stirling’s Spittal Street. More information can be found on the website – www.stirlingwhiskyshop.com

Fiona Sinclair in SWS