Whisky Ramblings Via Video #45
Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries the new single cask release from Auchentoshan. Cask #561 yielded only 110 bottles and is an absolute stunner of a whisky. It is also the 100th Auchentoshan that Mark (aka The Toshan Man) tastes. A bit of a milestone, eh?
NEW ARRIVALS
Scotland – Single Malt Scotch
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
Highwood 25 year old Calgary Stampede 100th anniversary whisky
This 25 Year Old Calgary Stampede Whisky was distilled and bottled at Highwood distillery in May 2012 in High River Alberta, in the heart of the Canadian Foothills. Bottled to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, This commemorative … Continue reading →
THREE BOURBONS FROM 1792 DISTILLERY WIN HIGH ACCOLADES AT THE 2013 ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE
BARDSTOWN, kENTUCKY (April, 2013) –The winners from the 2013 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, held in New York City last month have been announced, and three bourbons distilled at the Barton 1792 Distillery won high honors.
1792 Ridgemont Reserve was awarded a rating of 92 points and given an “Excellent, Highly Recommended” rating. Consumer favorite Kentucky Tavern garnered a rating of 90 points and was also given the accolade of “Excellent, Highly Recommended.” A new entry in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Zackariah Harris Bourbon, was not only also honored with the “Excellent, Highly Recommended” accolade, with 94 points, but named a Finalist for the Chairman’s Trophy in Bourbon. In addition, both Kentucky Tavern and Zackariah Harris were named “Great Values.”
Tasting notes from the judges for 1792 Ridgemont Reserve describe it as, “A heavy bouquet of toasted oak, cherry and vanilla open up into a gentle array of brown sugar, baked cherries and dried stone fruits.”
2013 was the fourth year for the Ultimate Spirits Competition, founded by noted spirits writer Paul Pacult. This year, 49 different bourbon brands were entered in the prestigious competition. Full results of the USC can be found at http://www.ultimate-beverage.com/the-results/2013-spirits-results/.
About Barton 1792 Distillery
Barton 1792 Distillery is part of Barton Brands of Kentucky, with facilities in Bardstown, Ky., Carson, Calif., and Baltimore, Md. Barton Brands is owned by the Sazerac Company, a family-owned company based in New Orleans, La. Barton 1792 Distillery was established in 1879 and continues today as the oldest fully-operating Distillery in the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Bourbon whiskey is produced at Barton 1792 Distillery. This small batch Bourbon whiskey is the recent winner of a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. To learn more about the Distillery visit www.1792bourbon.com.
Caroline Martin, Diageo.
Hi again Caroline, your tasting session recently in Edinburgh prompted me to ask you more questions! (asks Paul Mclean)
I know you have been with Diageo for umpteen years, but – What first got you interested in whisky? I started working with the company in the New Products Innovation area in 1986, primarily working with flavours, colours, thickeners and different spirit types. From that starting point I became involved with whisky from the perspective of developing whisky liqueurs. I enjoyed being able to blend different flavours together as I had done previously when I studied Home Economics at Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh with food recipe development.
What exactly does a whisky master blender do? A wide variety of things on a daily basis, there is no “typical” day at work. Mostly I ensure the consistently high quality standards of our established brands are fully met – including Johnnie Walker, Bell’s J&B Rare. I also am involved in the creation , crafting and innovation of new whisky blends. The key skill required is the ability to nose, taste and describe whisky attributes – known as sensory capability. I manage a small team of highly motivated whisky technical specialists too.
How did you become a master blender? My journey to become a Master Blender happened over quite a few years. I built up of lots of experience of nosing whisky samples over time. Being knowledgeable and keen to understand the new make whisky characters and then appreciating what the different casks can bring to the flavour styles in the maturing spirit. The ability to then craft new blends by understanding how the different whisky flavours interact to produce something exceptional and unique.
When did you realise you had a “nose” and “taste” for whisky? I was always keen to be able to put descriptors to what I nosed and tasted in different whiskies. In fact my interest in this area took me on a different career path for a while, where I actually managed and trained sensory panellists for the company. Sensory skills are paramount for a master Blender and I benefitted greatly from investing my time in this role. I also had a keen interest in aromatherapy, blending essential oils, around this time and qualified as a Clinical Aromatherapist after two years of studying and completing case histories.
How hard is it to nose/taste so many whiskies each day? Most whiskies are nosed and not tasted. With experience you learn to be aware of your own tolerances to nose effectively and I pace myself accordingly. If I feel my nose is becoming exhausted when nosing a large number of whisky samples, especially if they have strong peaty notes, then I will take a break and come back to them when my nose is refreshed and able to perform as required.
What happens if you have a cold? I have the reassurance that there are other expert whisky panellists onsite who perform as a trained sensory panel alongside me. So when I have a cold there is no real cause for concern – just frustration on my part!
What do you look for in a new whisky? A new whisky blend for me has to deliver something exceptional from an aroma and flavour perspective. Its ability to stand up to different serves on different occasions is also important to me – it should be adaptable! Once I’m intrigued enough to try it, and assuming I like it, the blend must then be consistent in quality.
Are you working on anything new/special just now? I’ve always got a few new projects in progress, but like all good Master Blenders they’re not spoken about until they’re available on the market!
What is the best blend you have achieved? I am delighted with the positive feedback I received on the Johnnie Walkers Directors Blend for 2011. I put considerable time and effort into this blend to create very soft, mellow fruity flavours with a subtle hint of smoke in the background. I’m glad that the guests invited to a recent Director’s Blend event in Edinburgh found it to be very enjoyable.
Can you briefly outline a typical day? The variety within my role means that there is no real typical day. I could be travelling to Elgin one day to nose new make malt whiskies and the next day travelling to Fife to nose new make grain samples. On other days I may be assessing mature cask samples with a view to using them to create new blends. Ongoing quality assurance is an important part of the role and training sensory panels at our production sites is crucial. I also manage a small team of 4 people who are also contributing to the world of whisky at Diageo.
What skills and qualities do you need to become a master blender? The key skill is sensory capability – you have to be able to nose and taste whiskies and describe them in detail. This skill either allows you to be able to create new blends or highlight when something is wrong in a blend –and more importantly why! Accuracy and repeatability are other important aspects of the role and an understanding of the inventory too!
Apart from our membership (of course) is there anyone in the whisky world you wish to meet? Past or present. I’d love the opportunity to meet up with the original Arthur Bell or Johnnie Walker and ask them what they think of the whisky industry today. I wonder what advice they would offer us……?
Many thanks for being honest and putting up with all of my questions, do you have a parting shot? Peoples’ tastes change over time – I’d encourage you to be aware of this. Because you don’t like a particular whisky today doesn’t mean this will always be the case. Keep trying new blends- they bring with them new flavours. And keep trying them on different occasions, in different serves. The world of whisky offers much in the way of variety of flavours. Finding your favourites is all part of the enjoyment!
Caroline Martin, Master Blender, Diageo, interviewed by Paul McLean, Angels Whisky Club.
Hi all,
8 lucky journalists from around the world joined me in Dufftown on Friday for a look around our distilleries, and to enjoy a unique opportunity to create their own bespoke blend.
The day started with a tour of Dufftown, the village where William Grant was born. With only 2 main streets, that didn’t take particularly…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…
Kind regards,
Ludo
Speyburn 25 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
In November 2012 Speyburn Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky unveiled a new version of its 25 year old expression, featuring a premium silver design and a personal signature from the distillery manager. Actually every aspect of the packaging has been … Continue reading →
TWE Karuizawa Whisky Trip Pt.7: Endgame for Karuizawa
Welcome to the seventh instalment of TWE’s big Karuizawa trip to Japan. After our excellent evening out at Helmsdale we awoke the next morning to a cold, … Continue reading >>
Some Great New Whiskies in stock & news of our Grain Whisky Tweet Tasting!
We’ve already got a 1000+ whiskies crammed into our tiny emporium but there are so many temptations come along that we’ve been busy adding more delights! We’ve put a selection of the new arrivals below but to see them all check out our New Products section on the website. You’ll find not just the latest expressions but also some old and rare whiskies – with something in most price brackets.
Just in case you’ve missed out on seeing it, we were really thrilled to announce earlier this month that we are partnering with that great guy Steve Rush of The Whisky Wire on a grain whisky tweet tasting. It’s taking place this Wednesday (24th April) at 7pm and you can follow the action on twitter via #GrainWhiskyTT. If you’ve not followed a whisky tasting on twitter before then take the plunge and find out what tasters round the world think of four different grain whiskies! You will be able to buy sample packs of the whiskies being tasted, and full size bottles too of course, but we can’t reveal what the whiskies are until after Wednesday as it’s a blind tasting.
Finally, to get an idea of what a tweet tasting involves then why not read the first article by our new guest blogger Kieran Smyth? He gives you the lowdown on just what it’s like to take part in one of these events and will be reporting back in due course on Wednesday’s tasting plus future articles will include his forthcoming visit to the Bushmills Distillery.
That’s all for now but we hope you’ll find something of interest among the new whiskies and join us if you can on Wednesday for the tweet tasting. As ever, if you have any queries just contact us.
Sláinte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com
