Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2015! As promised in Blog# 27 I am starting a series of blog’s on some of my picks for drinking this Winter.

First whisky is the appropriately titled “A Midwinter Nights Dram” from High West Distillery in Utah. A blend of Straight Rye whisky taken from their Rendezvous Rye stocks and finished in French oak and Port barrels, Straight Rye whisky is a designation that tells us it was aged for a minimum of 2 years. I do know however that this is a 6 year old Straight Rye Whisky as stated in the technical details on the High West Web Site It is made up of 80% Rye which is a very high Rye content along with a splash 10% barley and 10% corn. Bottled at cask strength of 49.3% this is an unusual bottling for American Rye as it is very hard to find anything not cut to some extent.

So on this my first blog for 2015 and with a balmy -10c and snow outside (better than -30c a week ago) it seemed the perfect time to get a fire going and jump into a Midwinter Nights Dram.

Tasted in the 1st Edition Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar Spiegelau Whisky Tumbler So lets delve in. Stunning colour deep reddish and amber hues.

Nose: Instantly recognizable as rye with spices that envelop and caress. Waves of soft mulling spice and fresh vanilla bean. Just the faintest hint that this is higher alcohol but never burning or overpowering. This is a wonderful nose and I could just sit and smell it for ages. I wonder if High West could come out with a range of car freshning Rye spice pouches…. I’d be a customer. Palate: Cask strength comes through a little more at first sip and activates the entire palate with layers of dried fruits. Finish: Drier than most rye I have had before probably thanks to the Port and French Oak finishing. Hints of caramel sweetness from the corn and a touch of the complex barley note complement the rye. Water: I added the tiniest drops which seemed to heighten the Vanilla but brought out more of the vegetal rye characters and diminished the fruits. For this dram the cask strength is the way to go in my opinion.

David Perkins knows his stuff when it comes to blending and finishing great Rye and Bourbon. This is another delicious expression and it is a pity that it is not available for sale in Canada.

As a caveat I did used to represent High West which I unfortunately no longer do. I have found their Rye and Bourbon releases to be some of the yummiest I have had and this Midwinter Nights Dram would be something that I would encourage anyone travelling to the US to grab if you are a fan of Rye.

I am unashamedly an equal opportunity drinker especially when it comes to whisky. There is a lot of Scotch snobbery vs Bourbon or Rye but for me it’s all about Whisky or Whiskey in all of its amazing forms.

Next week I will grab another of my whiskies to try this Winter and I think I will be going for something extra special. Have a fabulous week and stay warm!

“Swift as a shadow, short as any dream. Brief as the lightning in the collied night …” – Lysander

As fleeting as true love can be as described in this quote from A Mid Summer Night’s Dream, so to can a dram of delicious whiskey disappear. Thankfully, I still have almost a full bottle. Cheers!

Jonathan

singlemalting.com

Aberlour A`bunadh (Batch 50) 59.6% ABV | 70cl

Save £6.00 (RRP £43.99)

A`bunadh, Gaelic for `of the origin` is matured exclusively in Oloroso Sherry butts. It is a natural cask strength malt whisky produced without the use of modern chill-filtering methods or the addition of water. As Aberlour A`Bunadh is released in small batches, the flavours may vary slightly from one bottling to another. Aberlour A`Bunadh is a natural cask strength malt whisky produced without the use of modern chill- filtering methods or the addition of water.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Aromas of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange harmonising with rich, deep notes of Oloroso sherry.

Palate: Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with sherry and oak. Full bodied and creamy.

Finish: Robust and intense with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak.

(Tasting Notes by Aberlour.)

Price:£31.66 ex VAT £37.99 inc VAT

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($74.99)

• Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Sherry Barrel Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($99.99)

• 1994 Glen Garioch Single Vintage Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($119.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Black Maple Hill Straight Oregon Bourbon Whiskey 750ml (1 bottle limit) – 6 available ($79.99)

• Lock Stock & Barrel 13 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml (one bottle limit) – 6 available ($119.99)

• Rock Hill Farms Kentucky Straight Bourbon 750ml (ships as 3L) – 1 available ($44.99)

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

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #103

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whiskyblogger, tries a bottling from Anam na h-Alba. It is is Gaelic for The Soul of Scotland and is the name of a German bottler who specializes in single casks. They have only released one Auchentoshan so far, but what an Auchentoshan indeed. A refill sherry hogshead at cask strength that pack both a bag of flavours and quite a punch. The video was shot at the Jedi-Con in Germany. Ah, Star Wars & whisky, what’s not to like?

http://youtu.be/OVqeJXdWpF0

Chris Bauder, General Manager and Vice President of Beam Suntory

Chris Bauder is the General Manager and Vice President of Beam Suntory’s Whiskey & Cognac Business and Canada Marketing. Before joining Beam, Bauder served as SC Johnson’s Vice President Marketing, International Markets. Prior to this role he held several positions of increasing responsibility throughout his 17 years at the company, including Vice President Marketing, Developing Markets. In this role he led marketing, media and new product development efforts across Latin America, Africa, Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Bauder earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from Duke University and has a Master of Business Administration from Marquette University.

Find out more…

David Frost, CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association

David Frost CMG took up his role as CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association in 2014. Before that, he spent 25 years as a British diplomat. He remains a specialist in and commentator on the European Union, global economic and commercial issues, and multilateral diplomacy. His most recent senior roles were as Head of the EU (Internal) Department and then Director for the European Union in the Foreign Office, where he was part of the UK’s senior leadership team during the EU Presidency in 2005; as British Ambassador to Denmark (2006-8); as Director for Strategy and Policy Planning in the Foreign Office (2008-10); then, a loan to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as Britain’s most senior trade policy official (2010-13).

Find out more…

We take a closer look at the 17 Year Old expression from Craigellachie’s first ever official range. 

You may view the latest post at here

Loch Fyne Whiskies

david@lfw.co.uk

www.ralfy.com tells the internet/online stuff on scotch with Whisky Review 521 – AnCnoc 18yo @ 46%vol:

1997 Glenrothes 17 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Refill Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($79.99)

Sherry-matured single malt is big right now and if you can get it at full proof, even better. Glenrothes has always been a fan-favorite at K&L for its chewy, meaty, full-bodied character and rich, supple profile, but lately more folks have been heading for the Aberlour A’Bunadh due to the higher ABV. We thought: why not combine the best of both worlds? Why not buy a sherry cask of Glenrothes at nearly 60% alcohol and give the people what they want? Even better: let’s double the age! Let’s do a monster 17 year old refill sherry cask and bring all that chewy, cakey goodness for all those sherry-heads out there. And the price! Let’s make sure it’s no more than $79.99. Can we do that? Well, we just did. Classic sherry-aged Glenrothes at full proof for about eighty bucks. Sound OK?

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 18, 2014

Oh man, oh man this is a doozy. This whisky is going to make so many people happy. I don’t remember this being quite so good back in Scotland and what this Glenrothes does right is exactly what lovers of Glenrothes will notice. The nose is powerfully sweet, dried figs, spiced cakes, chocolate frosting. Based on the nose the mouth was certain to keep this theme, but instead the earthy depth of the ‘Rothes spirit pops its head up. Bringing earthy and leathery notes into the fold balances any fears of this being overly sweet. A fine Rothes to say the least.

Mike Barber | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 09, 2014

You rarely see independent casks of Glenrothes, and even more rare are ones with this much age that are this good. This whisky is molasses over buttered toast–with a round, smooth texture. The finish is short and leathery, but the malt is extremely enjoyable, unique, easy to drink, and very well priced!

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

GlenDronach Single Casks Batch #11

Nine single casks from 1971-1995 matured in PX and Oloroso sherry casks. Very popular with very limited stocks! Shop Glendronach Batch 11

This week Joe Ellis reviews Alberta Premium Dark Horse Canadian Whisky

http://youtu.be/qoVubEFQbt0

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