Ralfy tries out a new camera with . ralfy review 705 – Glen Marnoch 29yo single malt @ 40%vol:

KWM Whisky Advent 2017 Day 16 – The Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask 

Evan is taking a spin at the Advent Blog today, in his words: 

Balvenie is one of the two major Speyside distilleries owned by William Grant & Sons. It is typically one of the top 10 best selling Scottish Single Malt Brands worldwide – but the distillery’s production and sales are dwarfed by another William Grant & Sons operation that goes by the name Glenfiddich. You could say that Balvenie gets overshadowed by the giant that is its neighbouring sister distillery Glenfiddich, but then again which distilleries in Scotland aren’t?

The Balvenie distillery still operates its own floor maltings on site – though it is only responsible for up to 15% of the malt needed for its own production. The house whisky profile is typically well-rounded and honeyed in style. Hints of peat can sometimes be found, but typically not in amounts great enough to keep it from being a crowd-pleaser.

Both as a distillery and as a brand, Balvenie has enjoyed a great deal of success over the past half century – due in no small part to a gentleman named David Stewart. David is the Malt Master at Balvenie who has played a large role in making this single malt as sought after as it is to this day. He was one of the first to experiment with cask finishing with the introduction of the venerable Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood in 1993. In 2017 David marked his 55^th year of service in the whisky industry with William Grants.

Cask finishing plays a role in much of the of the current lineup for Balvenie including today’s Advent Whisky – the Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask. Originally matured in ‘traditional oak casks’ before being transferred to barrels that previously held Caribbean Rum. Bottled at 43% ABV. 

Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask – 43% – Evan’s Tasting Note: “Nose: Fruity and floral with honey drizzled on top. Peaches and cream, oatmeal with brown sugar, baked apples, pears and even cherries, vanilla, honey roasted almonds and light wood spices. Palate: Smooth and rich. Honey roasted almonds again, apple turnover, poached pears, preserved peaches in syrup, milk chocolate, angel food cake and a gentle, warming spice. Finish: Tangy rum notes, oak and honey on the fade. Comments: Big, rich, and round but so very, very approachable. No real rough edges on this one, just smooth to the point that you wonder where all of the liquid in the bottle went…” – $107 for 700ml – or – $10 for 50ml

Introducing Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare special release

The new liquid is the first in a series of special releases crafted using irreplaceable whiskies from “ghost” distilleries that have long since closed, together with other rare malt and grain scotch.

Diageo Reserve has today announced the launch of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare. Each edition will be crafted with one incredible whisky at its heart, the first being Brora.

Share the Society love this Christmas as December Outturn brings seven sparkling new single casks, sure to be at the heart of your festive celebrations.

CASK NO. 35.172  ALPACA FLEECE

20 years old; 1st fill barrel; 52.9%; Light & delicate

We imagined a tiled floor in a vestibule with new Barbour jackets and waxed leather boots. We were invited in for toast with clover honey. A drop of water and it turned very delicate, almost fragile; candied angelica and alpaca fleece.

CASK NO. 64.91  PORRIDGE OATS ON A TROPICAL BEACH

10 years old; 1st fill barrel; 58.8%; Juicy, oak & vanilla

The sun was beating down on the upholstery as we sat down to honey nut cereal and porridge oats with lingonberry jam and banana. Honeydew melon was thrown in with pear drops, blackcurrant tea and malted milk as we admired the tropical scene of pineapple trees.

CASK NO. 9.124  MADEIRA MARKET COFFEE BREAK

12 years old; refill hogshead; 56.2%; Spicy & dry

The nose is a granary mill next to a Madeira market. The palate contrasts juicy citrus and rosewater against dry ginger, nutmeg and pepper.

CASK NO. 55.44  HONEY ON A STRADIVARIUS

16 years old; 1st fill French oak hogshead; 57.1%; Spicy & sweet

The nose – imagine Baklava in cigar boxes, treacle tarts in spice cupboards, honey on a Stradivarius, weavers glugging Calvados. The palate – syrup, toffee and chocolate sweetness combined with coy, wood-derived spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, clove). This was previously in ex-bourbon wood.

CASK NO. 28.32  SOLAR ECLIPSE

8 years old; 1st fill Oloroso butt; 60.3%; Deep, rich & dried fruits

Bittersweet chocolate ganache, Madeira soaked raisins and dark roasted coffee beans on the nose, whilst 99% cacao chocolate melting slowly in your mouth made this an overall intense experience. Water added tobacco aromas and on the palate now sweet chewy Medjool dates.

CASK NO. 4.227  DREAMING TO THE SOUNDS OF THE SEA

12 years old; refill hogshead; 58%; Lightly peated

Seaweed swayed in the tide, imagining a seafood platter of shrimps and mussels with tempura and sushi. Sweetly floral with a herbal finish.

CASK NO. 3.300  DIRTY MARGARITA ON A YACHT

17 years old; 2nd fill toasted oak hogshead; 59.7%; Lightly peated

The nose is maritime and malty, with heather, smoke, tar and barbecued ribs. The palate has deeper smoke, lavender, pecan pie, bacon Frazzles and ‘dirty margaritas’ on a yacht. This was previously in a bourbon hogshead.

SMWS Canada

Laphroaig Lore

Rich and deep with distinctive smoke, peat and seaside minerality – this expression is unmistakably Laphroaig. This is a result of liquid being drawn from a selection of casks including first fill sherry butts, smaller quarter casks and their most precious stock capturing the timeless passion and very essence of the Laphroaig Distillery.

Was £99

Now only £69 Buy Now

Highland Park 12 Year Old Gift Pack

Introduced in 1979, the Highland Park 12 year old is the whisky that started it all for the Orkney distillery! At the very heart of their range, this Island malt reveals rich, well balanced malty tones, with the subtle floral smoke which makes Highland Park such a distinguished single malt whisky. Presented in a striking Viking styled gift pack with two Highland Park branded whisky glasses.

£42 Buy Now

Generic Torfa Photo

KWM Whisky Advent 2017 Day 15 – Glenglassaugh Torfa 

Glenglassaugh distillery is built into the sand dunes above the east end of the Sandend Bay on the Moray coast. Established in 1875 by Col. James Moir the distillery remained in the family until just 1892 when it became a part of Highland Distillers. The distillery was established at its location near the growing town of Portsoy to supply the town’s growing grocery business. It also helped that the distillery sat on the plentiful clean Glenglassaugh Springs, and it was also surrounded by bountiful barley fields. Highland Distillers, who also owned Macallan, Glenrothes and the Famous Grouse Blend owned the distillery from 1892 through 2008. The distillery didn’t operate uninterrupted during these years.

In 1960 the distillery had a major upgrade, they doubled production and changed to producing a lighter spirit. But the good times were not to last, the late 1970s and early 1980s were a difficult time for the industry. An enormous number of distilleries were closed between 1981 and 1993, many never reopened. Only 26 years after its major upgrade Glenglassaugh joined the list of closed distilleries. The industry downturn was brutal, but it didn’t last forever. In the 1990s interest in Scotch whisky, especially single malts began picking up, many of the closed distilleries we brought back to life, none of them later than Glenglassaugh; though Brora, Rosebank and Port Ellen are set to change this. It is surprising that Glenglassaugh ever re-opened at all, as the distillery was very remote and not especially well known, bottled seldomly even by independents.

In 2007 a group of Dutch investors, the Scaent Group, who had been looking for a distillery to purchase found their way to Glenglassaugh. They purchased the distillery and approximately 400 casks of pre-1986 stock from Highland Distillers. They took possession the following year and released the oldest introductory core range that any Scottish distiller ever has, consisting of 26, 30 and 40 year old single malts. After 6 months of intensive refurbishments, the First Minister of Scotland was on hand to turn on the mill for first time, November 28th 2008, reviving the distillery. In 2013 the distillery was purchased by the BenRiach Distillery Co. who also own BenRiach and Glendronach distilleries. BenRiach Distillery Co. was itself purchased by Brown Forman in 2016. As the post 2008 stocks mature, it will be interesting to see how the whiskies develop. They can’t be the same as the pre-closures stocks as much of the equipment changed, but in the hands of the BenRiach Distillery Co. they will be sure to make a mark. While we wait for more mature stocks, they have released three young expressions including the Glenglassaugh Evolution, our Day 8 whisky!

The name Torfa translates roughly to Turf or Peat in the Old Norse influenced Scots Gaelic of Scotland’s North East, and as the name implies this is a peated single malt. The original Glenglassaugh distilled before its closure in 1986 was unpeated. When the distillery reopened in 2008, cognoscente of the fact that the new whisky would never be exactly the same as the old, the decision was made to produce both peated and unpeated single malts. The Torfa is, according to the bottle, “Richly Peated”, peated to 20ppm, matured Ex-Bourbon.

Glenglassaugh Torfa – 50% – Matured in Ex-Bourbon – Andrew’s Tasting Note: “Nose: big, malty and savoury; a big hit of salted caramel, candied apply and brown sugar melting on warm homemade oatmeal; a touch of decadent spice and marmalade. Palate: still big, brash and malty; there is a surge of tarry-oily-peat on the palate; Dutch licorice and salted caramel with dried orange peel and cloves; more decadent spice and marmalade; still sugary with more melting brown sugar. Finish: clean, smoky and malty with more salted caramel. Comment: I swear the recipe for this whisky is evolving as the maturing spirit at the distillery ages; it is richer, more complex and peatier than I recall; it also tastes a lot peatier than 20ppm!” – $78 for 700ml or $10 for 50ml

Scotland’s first female coppersmith picks up the torch of age-old whisky craft

The most traditional of crafts has achieved a new first with a female apprentice taking up the coppersmith’s hammer and torch.

The most traditional of crafts has achieved a new first with a female apprentice taking up the coppersmith’s hammer and torch.

Rebecca Weir, 18, from Alloa has been recruited by Diageo Abercrombie as a first year Modern Apprentice and is believed to be the first female recruit into the coppersmith trade in Scotland.

Apprentices Steven Key, Rebecca Weir and Calum McTaggart join the team at Diageo Abercrombie

 

Apprentices Steven Key, Rebecca Weir and Calum McTaggart join the team at Diageo Abercrombie

 

Apprentices Steven Key, Rebecca Weir and Calum McTaggart join the team at Diageo Abercrombie

 

Woodinville Whiskey Company

STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY

Surprise them with one of the only 100% straight rye whiskies produced: a whiskey with all the traditional rye spice and flavor that rye whiskey drinkers love. And then some…This 100% rye starts with pure, traditionally-grown rye cultivated exclusively for us on the Omlin family farm in Quincy, Washington. The grain is mashed, distilled & barreled in our Woodinville distillery – then trucked back over the Cascade Mountains to our private barrel houses, where Central Washington’s extreme temperature cycles promote the extraction of natural flavors from the oak.

Prior to being coopered, the barrel wood is seasoned in open air, rain, wind, sun and snow for eighteen months softening the wood’s harsh tannins. They are then slowly toasted and heavily charred to further enrich the wood’s desirable flavors. The result of this meticulous process yields a truly hand-crafted whiskey with aromas of cinnamon, clove, and fruit leather, and notes of caramel, wood spice, and honey on the palate with a long, memorable finish that will leave you anticipating your next sip.