This week Joe Ellis takes a look round , the UK’s new largest whisky shop. He then reviews a Port Ellen 1978 20yo.
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The perfect start to our story. Sitting comfortably? Then we’ll be begin.
The Balvenie DoubleWood is our 12 year old single malt, and embodies the culmination of natural alchemy and age-old craftsmanship that distinguishes all our expressions.
THE BEGINNING
Created in the 1980s by our Malt Master, David Stewart, The Balvenie DoubleWood was his first expression to be finished in a sherry cask. A technique that has since been emulated by other distilleries across the globe.
THE MIDDLE
The DoubleWood gains its distinctive character from being matured in two very different casks: a traditional oak whisky cask from which it is transferred to a first fill European oak sherry cask. While the traditional oak softens, sweetens and adds character and produces vanilla and honeyed notes, the sherry wood lends depth and fullness of flavour characterised by dried fruit and spice
THE END
Nose – Upon nosing this expression, you’ll detect sweet fruit and Oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla.
Taste – Smooth and mellow, it combines a certain nutty sweetness with cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned
layer of sherry.
Finish – Long and warming.
For the ultimate words of wisdom, follow the link below and see what our Malt Master, David Stewart and Global Ambassador,
Sam Simmons have to say about this unique expression. Slainte Mhath,
David Mair
The Balvenie Distillery Ambassador
www.ralfy.com goes to the blend-end of scotch with Whisky Review 491 – Bank Note 5yo Blended Scotch @43%
Scotland – Single Malt Scotch
United States – Bourbon and Rye
United States – Single Malt Scotch
K&L Wine Merchants
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Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
Malt of the Month – Glenmorangie Lasanta
October’s Malt of the Month is Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old, an oloroso-sherry-finished whisky that is part of the extra-matured range that also includes Quinta Ruban (ruby port finish) and Nectar D’Or (Sauternes finish). The Highland distillery is regarded as a pioneer of wood finishing, having introduced a range in the mid-1990s, although The Balvenie had been finishing their Classic in sherry butts since the early-1980s (without mentioning it).
Lasanta was launched towards the end of the Noughties as a no-age-statement expression, being upgraded in summer 2010 to a 12-year-old. It is aged for the first 10 years in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, before being finished in oloroso sherry casks for the final two years.
Nose: Complex with notes of green apple, dark chocolate and Christmas pudding with underlying cinnamon spiciness.
Palate: Warming, rich and spicy with dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans, espresso, cinnamon and a hint of ash in the background.
Finish: Medium length with dark chocolate and a dry, spicy kick at the end.
Comment: A rich and sherried whisky, but one that is easy to drink. Lasanta is Gaelic for ‘warmth and passion’ and it lives up to its name, although the warmth comes from the spicy cinnamon rather than from the alcohol.
Lasanta is further evidence that Glenmorangie excels at wood finishing. At £5 off for the whole of October, it’s cracking value – head to The Whisky Exchange website to buy a bottle.
A whisky Mudslide
Timeline; Wednesday 17 September 2014, 5pm.
Location; Craobh Harbour, west coast Scotland.
I had dropped of my guests at their lodgings for the night, superb by the way! And drove the mile and a bit to my cottage (thanks Julie for this), fiddled aboot, changed and made ready for my pick up. Sure enough at 5pm Julie and Ty dropped by to collect me. There started the wacky races to Oban in the batmobile. Julie does have her own way of driving, my foot was pressed on the floor at the imaginary brake all the way! Arriving in Oban ten minutes later (takes any normal driver 30 minutes) we stopped off for a fish supper. Took these to the recording studio/rehearsal rooms and munch em doon. There followed a band practice session – Mudslide; a five piece blues band based in mid Argyll, with a set list that covers all styles of blues. To say it was enjoyable would be an understatement, it was superb – and this is a rehearsal! Go see Mudslide if at all possible before they fill the Glasgow Hydro. If I closed my eyes – far too many drams – I would have thought the Stones, Fleetwood Mac or John Mayall were playing, it was that good. I had taken along a few samples for the band (and myself), poor Julie was driving. A good Aberlour Abunach, Glendronach, Ben Riach peaty, Laphroaig Select, Glen Moray peated and a wee Angels Envy for Julie to take home. The band played on.
Abunach; oloroso galore! big notes of raisins, chocolate, cherry liqueur, powerful but not undrinkable. Glen Moray peat; a new style from Glen Moray – peated. This is the first batch to be released, in a 20cl bottle, and isn’t yet whisky, having not been aged for 3 years. A whack of peat –with fruitiness to leave warming iodine notes. The others we all know about! My own favourite dram tonight was the GlenDronach – as usual. A 1990 I think.
Blues, rock, blues-rock the band were driving me to drink (in the very best of ways). The images do not do the night justice. Best dram? Depends on who you talked to, Ty likes everything, Julie liked the Angels (when home), I liked it all, the band looked on as some were driving.
The session (music) ended, a few drams then load up the van, Evil Kinievel then drove us back to the bothy, 10.30, pitch black, wee winding roads at a speed! During the ride back poor Julie got in around 10 words! Myself and Ty were yappin on music the whole way, myself; Deep Purple and Creedence, Ty; a Zepplelin freak! Zeppo! I cannee believe all the music he has from Zep, I wanted to murder him and take it all! Another time Zeppo. They dropped me at the track to my cottage, dark as the inside of a coffin, I took out my mobile phone as a light and started doon the track, suddenly an owl flew out, frightened me to death! After reaching safety I needed a large dram, so I did and again, and again. What a night, great music, laughs, great friends and some good whisky.
My last thought on the night; when will they write a song – sufferin midgie blues?
Paul was enjoying the evening with Mudslide in Argyll, a half hour south of Oban.
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We have a great selection of limited edition bottlings available at present. Some desirable collector’s items and one-offs as well as some fabulous drinkers.
Happy shopping, Slainte and have a good weekend. Ronnie, Fergus and Claire.
Great savings to be had on a wide range of top selling brands. Buy now while these prices are available.
Slainte, Ronnie, Fergus & Claire.
The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show is just a couple of days away. We’ve been preoccupied over the past few weeks getting things ready, but with one day to go, I’ve had a moment’s respite to write about the special whiskies we’ll be releasing at the show.
Stu’s already mentioned the new Elements of Islay that we showcased at Whisky Live Paris last week, along with the new Port Askaig 15yo that will be appearing online soon, but we have more new whiskies at the show.
On the show bottlings stand, we can now reveal that along with the seven new Single Malts of Scotland bottlings, we’ll also have four ‘Retro Label’ whiskies, celebrating the show – while we haven’t done specific show bottlings for the past few years, these are as close as we get.
We’re focusing on an Islay theme this year, with an 18 year old Laphroaig, a 25 year old Bowmore and a 16 year old smoky Bunnahabhain joined by an 18 year old Clynelish. Yet again, our lead designer has done a fantastic job on the labels, with the Clynelish and Laphroaig rivalling last year’s Ledaig for my favourite that we’ve done in the range.
Along with those, I’ll also be pouring the latest in our Masterpieces series, as chosen by TWE Director Sukhinder Singh. This year it’s a Caol Ila 1996, bottled at a punchy 62.2%. I’ve not had a chance to try it yet (it’s going straight from the bottler to the show), but the boss’s comment was ‘boom’, which is encouraging.
Around the show we’ll have a few more TWE exclusives that will be appearing for the first time this weekend. Among them a range of Signatory Vintage bottlings that were selected during a trip to Edradour earlier this year, as well as the previously mentioned Karuizawas and Balblair 2000, and an Arran 1996 and a Glen Garioch 1973 that we are releasing in honour of our 15th anniversary – more about those on the blog soon…
The show’s dram list is now available (although still being tweaked as a few last-minute bottles are rumoured to be appearing) and there are some treats hidden in there. We might be working all weekend, but we’re looking forward to our breaks…
There are still a few tickets left for Sunday, so make sure you grab one asap.
