Booze

Whisky kristof Sun, 06/15/2008 - 21:34
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I love whisky. I discovered this liquid during my student years, and I'm still fond of it. I hardly have a standard whisky brand I'm allways buying : I'm discovering many new brands, some I love, some I dislike. On this page, I try to give you, dear reader, an overview of the many whiskies I tried, and a glimpse into my personal top 5 list of whiskies.

Top 5 :
1. Scapa, 13yo
2. Bruichladdich, peat
3. Highland Park, 16yo
4. Black Bush
5. Tullamore Dew

List of tasted whiskies :

Tomatin, 18yo kristof Tue, 02/12/2013 - 21:19
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Long time since I tasted some Speyside whisky - Tomatin is one of Scotlands highest located distilleries, nestled between Aviemore and Inverness. The name 'Tomatin' comes from Gaelic and means 'the hill of the juniper bushes'. At least, that's what I have been told and am inclined to believe due to my naive and romantic character. Whatever. This Tomatin is newly formulated in 2009, with an Oloroso Sherry Cask finish, and bottled at 46% non chill-filtered.

Color : dark amber, almost like red gold
Nose : Vanilla, fruity, maple syrup and sweet smoke.
Taste : Oooh, much sweeter than the smell predicted, a whole orchard is coming trough life with some chilled water added. Citrus, orange zest, dark chocolate and some faint smoke in the background.
Finish : Long and sweet, slightly bitter (that zest again) and a bit of pepper.

Niiice - quite complex for a Speyside (the Highlands are not so far away after all), but extremely well balanced. I expected more peat and smoke, but it turned out a true Speysider on that matter with its fruitiness and sweetness.
I like this *a lot* : the sweetness of Speyside combined with the complexity of the Highlands.

Port Charlotte, An Turas Mor kristof Fri, 11/11/2011 - 19:59
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Anyone familiar with the typical shape of a Bruichladdich bottle, knows that Port Charlotte is a product of the same distillery. 'An Turas Mor' means 'The Great Journey', and should be comparable with the Peat version of Bruichladdich, although slightly less peated. Sounds promising, not ? So cut the talking, and let's dive in, shall we ?

Color : Gold
Nose : *lots* of smoke and a hint of fruit & the sea. Hmm, surprisingly unpromising, and quite one-dimensional.
Taste : Fruity at first, nicely balanced sweetness, and then the peated smoke army rolls in. Still quite balanced. A hint even of wine, and more fruit in the aftertaste, maybe pear ? I expected pepper, and saltiness, but these stay absent. Much better than the smell promised.

What is there to say ? Clearly again a great whisky from Bruichladdich, only if the smell was a bit more interesting, this would be a winner ! Anyway, if you're into Islay stuff, be sure to check this one out !

Highland Park, 16yo

By kristof on Thu, 12/23/2010 - 20:45
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One of the drawbacks of the gaining popularity of whisky, is the increasing amount of wannabe-connoisseurs. How to recognize them ? Simply, they're the ones sending back a perfectly good single malt because there's a tiny ice block in it. Because "it's diluted with water" ! Dude, just go back to your bottles of Chivas or Jameson, shees !

That issue been vented, time for another tasting of one of my favorites : Highland Park, this time the 16yo variant. This Highland Park was created exclusively for global travel retail and duty free markets and was first released in October 2005, it was withdrawn in April 2010. I found this one liter treat while waiting for my plane in Budapest. One of the advantages of duty-free shops, is that they provide a more cheaper provisioning as whisky gets more and more expensive.

The color : amber
The nose : a wealth of floral bouquet, a speck of peat, layered with a thick honey aroma. This is gonna be a real treat !
The taste : oily, then some malt and full of pepper; and after that, spices and flowers. A loooong gentle aftertaste that keeps caressing your taste buds with marvelous caramelized fruit and honey.

Again a clear winner, but that's no surprise from a Highland Park.

Macallan, 1999 kristof Fri, 12/17/2010 - 17:35
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The people behind The Macallan have managed to cultivate an 'exclusive' and luxurious brand perception, even though the distillery actually has the second largest production capacity in Scotland, right behind Glenfiddich. The distillery is Speyside’s best known heavyweight – and constantly embracing a new challenge : its current view is that the reaction between wood and sherry is also of great importance. This appears to wash out the harshest tannins and help release a rich, rounded spiciness. This is felt to be far more significant than any aromas and flavors imparted by the sherry itself. One rather extreme piece of research suggested that barely a third of aromas and flavors originated from the spirit, almost 60 per cent from the oak, and less than 10 per cent from the sherry.

That's why it's no surprise that my whisky reseller praised me the Macallan Gordon & McPhail 1999 vintage edition, as a must in every liquor cabinet. As I'm a man who's fond of good advice, the bottle was mine some minutes later.

The color : amber, dark gold.
The nose : sweet, fruity, typical Speyside. So far no surprises.
The taste : oh so sweet, could be creamy rum for what it's worth. Apples, honey, raisins. Some chocolate and malt, and after that, light sherry tones flowing in, with an amazing caramel candy aftertaste that lingers forever. Wonderfully complex and ditto balanced.

This Macallan is not good, it's excellent ! One of the best Speysides I've ever tasted. So sweet, so friendly, such a marvellous combination of sherry & whisky tastes.

Ben Nevis, 10yo kristof Thu, 07/22/2010 - 20:21
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The Ben Nevis distillery, now overtaken by the Japanese Nikka distillers, is named after & located at the foot of the highest mountain in Scotland (1334m). For one or other strange reason, Ben Nevis is called the Banana Whisky. My interest in Ben Nevis was sparked by my colluegue Peter B., who refers it as one of the best whiskies ever made, and very difficult to find. However, I had no problem locating it in my favorite dram shop.

The color : dark amber
The nose : orange with chocolate flavors. Some maltiness, then spices are flowing in.
The taste : *Very* malty, quite spiced, bit of pepper. Lots of dark chocolate, the very bitter taste of orange zest. Bit of spice & smoke. Smooth but very firm. Not complex at all, warm.

Where are the bananas ? Probably a referral to the littering of banana peels on the peak of Ben Nevis ?
This whisky has a very strong taste, especially empowered by the malty taste in combination with the bitterness of chocolate and orange. I'm sorry, Peter, too bitter for my cup of tea.

Springbank CV kristof Wed, 07/07/2010 - 17:13
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Temperatures are soaring outside, not really the time for a dram. Or is it ? Some people drink whisky at any season, others prefer a warm fireplace while the rain is pouring outside. Count me in the last group. However, duty calls, so here's a new tasting note. Springbank is the oldest independent distillery in Scotland, and created in Campbeltown. From a traveller's perspective, visiting the Campbeltown area is a small nightmare. One has to make a long trek to the Southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula on the Western coast of Scotland to reach Springbank - or the nearby Glen Scotia distillery. Except for the distilleries, there's not much happening in Campbeltown. And even for the people that want to 'get away from it all' for a few days, Springbank is a fairly poor destination. It's one of the few distilleries that isn't surrounded by the lush Scottish countryside - located in the middle of a busy town.

Springbank CV is an unusual whisky, for several reasons : first, it’s not quite clear what ‘C.V.’ used to mean. Some say ‘Chairman’s Vat – or Vatting’, others ‘Curriculum Vitae’... It contains a blend of different single malts between the age of 8 and 30, therefore presenting a 'taste visiting card' of Springbank. Then, there’s been several versions, notably an earlier ‘white cap’ version that’s the one we’ll have right now, and then a more recent ‘gold cap’ version. Second, it has a quite complex tasting :

Color : *very* pale gold, almost white wine.
Smell: complex. Spirits and grain. Spicy. Adding drops of water emerges a burst of pepper. Is that fruit there hiding in the back ?
Taste : oily, malt and more spices. So much pepper, it makes my mouth tingle ! Tears in me eyes. Again some fruit (lemon ? Pear ?) hiding in the pepper cloud. Lots of other stuff too, like liquorice, peat and some bitterness but almost killed immediately by spice and pepper.

Aaa-choum ! Did I mention the pepper ? This could have been a balanced complex whisky, but unfortunately too spicy for me.

Bowmore, 15yo kristof Sun, 12/27/2009 - 19:35
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In his book, Raw Spirit, Ian Banks writes , "If you can't find a Bowmore to fall in love with, you may have to consider very seriously the possibility that you're wasting your money drinking whisky at all." True words that any whisky apprentice should remember.

I've tasted the Bowmore 12 yo, and I immediately fell in love with it. It was my first Islay whisky I tasted, and it opened the wonderfull world of peat for me. So it has earned a firm place in my favorite top 3 of all whiskies. Time to find out more about Bowmore, so I took the 15yo with me.

Color : deep amber brown.
Smell : like a strong caramel desert with hints of raisins and dark chocolate. Smell indicates an oily taste.
Taste : quite different from the smell, I must say. No oily but quite watery texture. Lovely taste of peat, not too brute but quite gentle. Black berries and after that, the caramel toffee taste pops up again.

Verdict : impressive as usual with Bowmore. However, quite a strong caramel taste - a bit too much for me.

About whisky and ice kristof Thu, 11/26/2009 - 20:58
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One of the fun things about the rising popularity of whisky, is that there are lots of people discovering brands, so you can discuss the whisky tastes with many. The gain in popularity unfortunately also gives rise to many so-called experts. I hate it when someone acts like I just killed a puppy when I add an ice cube to my whisky.

First of all, drinking whisky on-the-rocks is indeed not done : filling your glass with ice cubes to the top, and then adding whisky only leaves you halfway with a dram of cold water tasting like cheap whisky.
However, adding a touch of water to a shot of pure whisky, especially cold still spring water will enhance the aroma and flavour and bring out the whiskies hidden characteristics. It is worth noting that tap water can contain high levels chlorine and would spoil rather than complement your whisky, if this is the case with your tap water it is best avoided.

Adding one ice cube cools down the whisky, so the alcohol doesn't evaporate so quickly and doesn't leave you gasping for air when you take a large sip. Don't add more than one or two cubes (depending on the size of your dram) : adding too much ice will freeze the taste, and your tongue will be numbed too much by the coldness of the ice.

There is no art of drinking whisky. There is no heresy in adding stuff to a dram. There's only your favorite taste, and some evident facts on how whisky reacts to additives. Just try to experiment on your favorite way of having a drink. But do try once to have a shot of pure whisky. You will be amazed how different the taste will be.

Glenmorangie, Madeira wood finish kristof Sun, 08/30/2009 - 20:15
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When a whisky gets 'finished', it means that it gets transferred from its first cask to wooden barrels, mostly ex-bourbon barrels to mature during a large amount of time. Traditionally, the type of barrel is always the same, but during the last decade, some distilleries have experimented with other wood finishes in order to get new taste into their whiskies. While I applaud this creativity, I sometimes get the impression that many non-conventional wood finishes are just marketing tricks in order to boost the price up and create a false sense of whisky collector items.

The folks at Glenmorangie are seen as pioneers of the 'wood finish' trend that has come to the world of whisky over the past decade. This is part of the old wood finishes range (burgundy, madeira, port, sherry) that has been replaced in recent months by a new trio of finishes. Port is now called "Quinta Ruban", sherry finish is "Lasanta", and a Sauternes finish called "Nectar d'Or". I got my hands on an older Madeira wood finish; I like Glemorangie, and the Madeira sweet taste blended into the light Glenmorangie seemed an interesting combination. The price was awesomely high, but probably because spanish oak casks that once held madeira are about 10 times more expensive that bourbon casks and still significantly more expensive than wine or wine spirit casks.

Smell : starts interesting with an explosion of caramel, chocolate, apricot and raisins.
Taste : what a disappointment. All the subtleties of Glenmorangie are blown away by the crude taste of Madeira wine. It just tastes like someone mixed a gallon of port wine with some whisky blend, and nothing more. Alcohol exploding in the mouth and leaving you gasping for air. Awefull lot of pepper in the aftertaste.

Sadly, this combination doesn't work (for me). The Madeira finish takes away the mild whisky taste, and is so unexpected, as if you suddenly get smacked in the face by a 10 year old schoolgirl.

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