www.ralfy.com revisits a recent scotch-scandal with Whisky Review 504 – The Spice Tree Story

On Sunday the 9th November I was invited to Birmingham’s Hard To Find Whisky, the UK’s largest whisky specialist retailer, for a bloggers day. 

The new shop is located in the Jewellery Quarter, one of the city’s most historic areas. The frontage exudes style and luxury with a modern glass door and marble steps leading in. The entrance area alone displays some seriously rare Johnnie Walker bottlings and a huge variety of rare Jack Daniel’s bottles. 

Once inside, it’s hard not to be impressed. Over 22 units there are displayed 3,500 bottles, from entry level Grants’ blend to their jewel in the crown bottling, the Macallan 1928 50 Year Old, on sale at £35,000. It is clear from spending an afternoon in this shop that this really is a place for real whisky enthusiasts. 

During the afternoon we were treated to some lovely food, masterclasses, a tour of the most rare and collectable bottles, and a competition where we had to guess the whisky we were drinking! It turned out to be a rather fantastic 17 Year Old Clynelish bottled by Gordon & MacPhail. 

One thing that really sets Hard To Find Whisky apart from other whisky retailers is their huge range of masterclasses. So far they have 14 masterclasses on offer, but owner, Jason Kirby, is already planning to increase this number to offer more and more. During a masterclass in the afternoon I was poured five whiskies without them telling me what they were. The idea behind this is that the experts at the shop pick out flavours and build up your palate without any outside influence from the bottle design/label. I personally think this is a great way of tasting whisky as it challenges you to put aside any preconceptions of what you think you know about a certain bottle/distillery! It’s also perfect for beginners to whisky appreciation. The masterclasses range from £20 for the beginners class to £1000 for the ‘Whiskies Most Wanted’ class. Every single masterclass includes a rare bottle and the Japanese whisky masterclass includes the very much sought after Yamazaki Sherry Cask, which has recently been named the world’s best whisky by Jim Murray. Owner Jason Kirby clearly wants people to drink whisky as well as invest and collect. When he spoke about growing the number of masterclasses he said he wants to put on a masterclass where you get to taste all 14 Port Ellen official releases, the Black Bowmore and maybe even the Macallan 1928 50yo! There is nowhere in the UK where you can experience this level of tasting class at a whisky shop. 

Overall I was incredibly impressed with the shop, the vast array of whiskies on offer and the attention to detail given to making it a whisky-lovers paradise. It’s a great addition to the whisky scene of the UK and anyone who loves drinking, collecting, buying or just talking about whisky should pay them a visit. I will definitely be back! 

www.htfw.com

An art steeped in tradition and evolution

Craft is something we at The Glenlivet hold very dearly to us. It’s at the heart of all we do. As a craft, typography is something as steeped in history and beauty as our own Single Malt Scotch Whisky. It’s a centuries old technique which has been handed down from master to apprentice.

Typography is a highly specialised trade but has changed much with the rise of modern computing. Letterpress printing though, is still very much based on the ancient techniques. Its takes years to learn, much like becoming a master distiller.

At The Glenlivet, combining both traditional methods with a contemporary twist is something we do to great effect. This is why we have worked with the world renowned master typographer, Alan Kitching. His timeless methods can now be seen on special edition gift packs from The Glenlivet, bringing his strong contemporary designs to life.

Discover the history of typography

Find out more about letterpress printing

CELEBRATING YET ANOTHER AWARD WIN

Balblair Vintage 1983

Balblair Vintage 1983 has been continually praised in 2014, Jim Murray, the world’s leading whisky guide, has recognised it as the best whisky in the 28-34 year old (multiple casks) category awarding the Vintage an incredible 96.5/100 points. This latest award will sit alongside Gold Outstanding & Gold medals awarded at the International Wine and Spirit Competition and International Spirits Challenge awards earlier this year.

Click here to read more.

Uncover the truth with Jura 1984 Vintage

In the late 1940s, George Orwell retreated to Jura in search of solitude, arriving with only a typewriter, a motorcycle and a few basic provisions. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the era-defining novel penned during his stay, we soon discover that nothing is what it seems.

In the late 1940s, George Orwell retreated to Jura in search of solitude, arriving with only a typewriter, a motorcycle and a few basic provisions. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the era-defining novel penned during his stay, we soon discover that nothing is what it seems.

In anticipation of the big reveal, we redacted our website and social media in true totalitarian style and released a few censored snippets about the launch to come.

Then on November 13th, we lured a lucky few into our very own dystopian nightmare complete with harsh, oppressive décor, propaganda posters and a small army of Ministry officials to keep comrades in check. Fortunately, the Jura-led resistance proved too strong in the end and guests were liberated into a palatial whisky lover’s paradise and encouraged to enjoy a well-deserved dram of our limited edition single malt.

The truth is, with only 1,984 individually numbered bottles released, its intense and completely uncensored flavour is a privilege reserved for only the bravest revolutionaries. Visit jurawhisky.com to buy an extraordinary bottle of the rare and richly aromatic Jura 1984 Vintage – just make sure Big Brother isn’t watching before you enjoy a dram.

Come and join the resistance… Willie Cochrane and everyone at the Jura Distillery.

HIGHLAND PARK Single Malt Scotch Dark Origins – $72.99

WOODFORD RESERVE Master’s Collection Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir Finish – $94.95

CUTTY SARK Prohibition Edition Blended Scotch Whisky – $25.99

KAVALAN Single Malt Whisky – $69.99

KAVALAN Single Malt Whisky ex-Bourbon Cask – $139.99

KAVALAN Single Malt Whisky Sherry Cask – $141.99

KAVALAN Single Malt Whisky Vinho Barrique – $123.99

MACALLAN Single Malt Scotch Rare Cask – $271.99

MORTLACH Single Malt Scotch Gordon & Macphail 25 Year – $184.99

GLEN GRANT Single Malt Scotch Gordon & Macphail 1989 25 Year – $184.99

ARDMORE Single Malt Scotch Gordon & Macphail 15 Year – $62.99

GLENBURGIE Single Malt Scotch Gordon & Macphail 10 Year – $42.99

BUNNAHABHAIN Single Malt Scotch Gordon & Macphail 2005 9 Year – $76.99

BENRINNES Single Malt Scotch Signatory 1997 17 Year – $68.99

ALLT-A-BHAINNE Single Malt Scotch Signatory 1995 18 Year – $68.99

GLEN GRANT Single Malt Scotch Signatory 1997 16 Year – $64.99

MORTLACH Single Malt Scotch Gordon & MacPhail 15 Year – $67.99

GLENDRONACH Original Single Malt Scotch 12 Year – $47.99

GLENDRONACH Revival Single Malt Scotch 15 Year – $79.99

GLENDRONACH Allardice Single Malt Scotch 18 Year – $109.99

GLENDRONACH Single Malt Scotch Cask Strength – $78.99

The Party Source has a unique opportunity to acquire various (Very Limited) Macallan Fine & Rare Vintages from 1937 to 1989. Availability is not guaranteed and is based on a first come basis. These Macallan bottlings are very rare and not likely to be available again. If you are interested in any of these vintages please contact Heather Johnson or Eric Brown at The Party Source to get pricing and complete a special order request.

Last week our spirits department got to sit down with a representative from Cutty Sark, Macallan, Highland Park and Famous Grouse. I think we were all quite impressed with the new Cutty Sark Prohibition and the new delicious Highland Park Dark Origins. The Macallan Rare Cask was amazing; handpicked first fill American Oak Casks by Master Whisky maker Bob Dalgarno. The whisky in Macallan Rare Cask is comprised of less than 1% of their maturing casks.

Don’t get your saints mixed up! St Andrew comes first, then St Nicholas! Christmas can wait while we celebrate the day of Scotland’s patron saint and all things Scottish. (Please note that we reserve the right to repeat this after the Festive season when we will once again celebrate all things Scottish for Burns Night on January 25th)

ROYAL MILE WHIKIES DEALS APLENTY!

This week Joe Ellis reviews Benromach Origins Batch 4 Port Pipes. 

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www.ralfy.com really enjoys a ‘virtual’ visit to the Isle of Skye with Whisky Review 503 – Talisker 18yo @ 45.8%vol

Glenfarclas 1966 Fino Casks, not your average sherry cask

The folks at Glenfarclas are best known for producing whisky of a very specific style: sherry matured. They’ve done many releases with a nod to other styles, but the core of what they do is rich and heavy whisky, showing the classic sherry-matured style. However, every now and again, they find some interesting casks and release something that shows another side of the distillery’s character. The most recent of these special releases is the Glenfarclas 1966 Fino Casks.

The type of sherry usually associated with the classic sherry-cask-matured style is oloroso, a rich and dark wine, packed with dark-fruit flavours. This character usually comes through in whiskies aged in oloroso casks, but oloroso is far from being the only kind of sherry.

There’s a lot of casks in the Glenfarclas warehouse…

The three casks that were vatted to produce this release were purchased in 1966 by George S Grant, father of current distillery chairman John LS Grant, from an Edinburgh-based cask broker. They were simply classified as ‘sherry casks’, filled and then left in the warehouse to mature. Almost five decades passed before someone in the warehouse was tasting cask samples and noticed there was something different about them – they definitely weren’t oloroso casks. Research was done, and George S Grant’s extensive records pointed to a pair of sister casks, which when tasted showed the same character. The difference? The casks had previously contained fino sherry.

Fino is much lighter and typically drier than oloroso, with a zesty bite. It’s not usually matured for long, and does so without contact with the air, helping to maintain its pale colour and fresh flavour. As such, its time in a cask seasons the wood in a very different way to the heavier oloroso, giving quite a different character to whisky later matured in the cask. It’s rare to see fino casks used for whisky these days, since the Spanish export regulations changed in 1981 and forbade the use of wooden casks to transport sherry – it was these transport casks that were commonly used to mature whisky once the sherry had been emptied. The lack of detailed records before that change also means that distillers often don’t know the style of sherry that was in a cask – many fino casks have almost certainly been vatted away without anyone realising.

Fortunately someone at Glenfarclas caught these, giving us a chance to try something very different from what you might expect in a traditional, old, sherry-cask matured whisky.

Glenfarclas 1966 Fino Casks, 50.5%

Nose: Almonds, vanilla toffee and honeysuckle to start, almost like a young and sweet bourbon-cask dram. Darker flavours then start to make themselves known, with nutmeg, cinder toffee and milk chocolate. Nutty and yeasty notes develop, along with citrus oil and dry toast. Sweetness builds as it sits in the glass, with maple syrup, subtle nail varnish, toffee, sweet grape skin and white pepper.

Palate: Sharper and fresher than expected from the comparatively soft and gentle nose, with old oak, leafy ferns and barrel char balanced by peach, ripe pear, boiled sweets, citrusy honey and lemon zest. More depth of flavour comes from dark liquorice and sweet woody spice.

Finish: Old oak, sharp woody spice, nutmeg and sweet butter. It hangs around for a while, with toffee and zesty citrus notes lingering.

Comment: Further demonstration that guessing what a whisky will taste like simply from the previous occupant of a cask is hard. There is some fino-sherry character to the whisky, but it’s run through with honey, toffee and fruit, with a sweetness not often found in a dry sherry. Fortunately, the wine left lots of character in the wood, which we can now taste in the whisky.

The 1966 Fino Casks is the first in a new series from Glenfarclas, celebrating the family’s history. There will be six bottlings, one for each of the six generations that have been involved with the distillery, from founder John Grant to current brand ambassador George S Grant. They’re keeping quiet on what the rest of the series will involve, but for now, this first edition is available on The Whisky Exchange website.