Please
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me here to comment on any Dram-atics article, I'll include as
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Monday February
13th 2012
What a difference a cask makes
or "Four Imperial sisters"
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I guess
it's not that often we get the chance
to try four sister single casks
from the same distillery in a direct head to head. I'm lucky as
today I have just that opportunity with four single cask
Imperials from Duncan Taylor. Specifically they are all 1990,
19y and cask numbers 445, 446,
448 & 449 (what
happened to 447 I wonder?)
They
were all distilled in 1990, are all 19y bottlings, but were
drawn from the casks on different dates in 2009. What an
opportunity, I'm really looking forward to seeing just what
influence and nuances the different casks have had on the spirit.
Let's
take a look shall we? |
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Duncan
Taylor, Imperial, cask 445, 19y, 1990 - 4.4.2009, 53.1% abv
dark golden or perhaps light oak in
colour with a nose which initially offers some semi sweet notes
of floral malt and candy floss. After some minutes in the glass
this develops a mustiness in the background which is reminiscent
of an old musty or dusty library shelf. The palate sees that
mustiness turn more into a leafiness which is accompanied by a
suggestion of slightly bitter fruit, star fruit or apple in
character. The finish is quite long but also quite dry.
Duncan
Taylor, Imperial, cask 446, 19y, 1990 - 6.4.2009, 53.7% abv
this exhibits a colour of pale bronze
whilst the nose is surprisingly fruity with a big burst of apple
and passion fruit and a faint leafiness in the background. The
palate has a wonderfully smooth mouth-feel and is again very
fruity, but this time with mainly peach and cantaloupe melon.
This really is smooth, gentle and very approachable! The finish
is long with a delightful fruity tingle.
Duncan
Taylor, Imperial, cask 448, 19y, 1990 - 12.2.2009, 55.7% abv
this has the colour of light oak and
once again a nose which immediately suggests fruit but with a
gentle hint of furniture polish. Then comes musty oak and after
some minutes further fruity notes, this time cherries or cherry
wood and vanilla. The palate has a mild pepperiness alongside a
suggestion of coconut and again cherries. Overall this one is
really quite fruity.
Duncan
Taylor, Imperial, cask 449, 19y, 1990 - 5.5.2009, 53.4% abv
a rich colour of vivid oak or even
light amber gives a very pleasant glow to this whisky. The nose
has lots of furniture polish and even a faint hint of
rubberiness with oak and vanilla in the background. The palate
is very light and mild and has an equally mild suggestion of
oaky aniseed. It also has a faint fruitiness but one which is
difficult to identify. The finish is long with a further
suggestion of aniseed.
Overall impressions and conclusions;
casks 446 & 448 exhibit lots of fruitiness whereas
cask 445, although still fruity, is not as intensely so.
Cask 449 is maybe the 'odd one out' here with much less
fruitiness and more furniture polish with even a hint of
rubberiness. Individually I found cask 445 to remind me
somewhat of a mix between a grappa and a German
schnaps called obstler with a dry leafiness in there too.
Score-wise it gets a respectable 81 points. Cask 449, as I
mentioned, seems to be the odd one out here but I thoroughly
enjoyed it and will award it 84 points. Cask 448 was surprising
with those coconut nuances and again, as I mentioned it was
really very fruity and also gets a worthy 84 points from me.
My overall preference here was definitely for cask 446 with
those hints of peach and cantaloupe melon making it a delightful
'anytime' dram and extremely approachable.
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Monday February 6th 2012
Growing old gracefully
or "a Gem of a year"
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6th
February is a very significant day for me
as it is, or would have been, my Mum's
Birthday. Sadly she died last year following a long illness but
I still feel the need to take a few minutes to dedicate to her
during this evening.
She
had one small claim to fame that she was always very proud
of and that was being born in the same year as our current Queen
Elizabeth II.
No,
they never met but I still raise my glass this evening to
both ladies in my own mark of respect. |
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On 6th February 1952
Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne of the United kingdon
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and also became the head
of the Commonwealth. Unbeknown to most people outside of one
certain distillery, four days earlier on 2nd February two first
fill sherry hogsheads, numbered 465 & 466, were filled under
instruction of George Urquhart and were left to mature until
some unknown date in the future.
That
distillery was Glen Grant. |
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On 26th
March 1968
Cask 465 was transferred to the bonded
warehouses of Gordon & Macphail and left to mature further until
some unknown future date.
That
previously unknown date for the cask to be bottled was
finally selected as February 2nd 2012, exactly 60 years after
the spirit was distilled and the cask originally filled.
Cask
465 was bottled at a cask strength of 42.3% abv and is
limited to only 85 decanters world-wide, each at a recommended
price of 8000 GBP. This rather exclusive edition has been
released to celebrate and commemmorate the Diamond Jubilee of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. |
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I was
lucky enough to receive an official sample
of this Glen Grant 60y just a few days ago. It arrived complete
with a credit card style memory stick with many of the pictures
I have used here and along with all the official press releases.
The sample itself has its own original Harris Tweed bag, but at
the end of the day, is the whisky any good?
Let's
see shall we? |
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Glen Grant 60y, 1952-2012, 42.3% With
a colour of rich golden yellow this whisky certainly doesn't
suggest its age. Nor does the very vibrant nose which offers
a subtle creaminess, lots of apple and just a hint of
cinnamon just like an excellent apple strudel. There's even a
hint of the vanilla sauce it would be served with. Light floral
or even very faint herbal nuances follow with the slightest
suggestion of something almost meaty, in a Sunday roast kind of
way. Could this be a roast pork joint with a herbal crust? Even
more floral notes appear with time in the glass and finally
suggest rose petals, or even a rose oil fragrance. There's an
abundance of flora on the palate with a hint of something
citrus or even pine-cone like. The apple nuances from the nose
translate nicely onto the palate, albeit without the cinnamon,
but with some slight pepperiness. |
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The
palate also offers a hint of light toffee or even butterscotch
leading into the extremely long finish which is slightly bitter
and certainly quite dry at the end.
My
overall impression is one of amazing lightness and complexity
for such an aged whisky. In fact I am again very pleasantly
surprised by the characteristics of an amazingly old Glen Grant.
I can only hope I'm as light and vibrant at 60 as this is. I
don't usually publish my scores here on WHisky-Emporium but in
this case I'll make a rare exception and say that it is
bordering upon my scale of "Greatness" with a truly excellent 89
points. |
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Thursday February 2nd 2012
It's a rum old do
or "AnyOldBooze.com"
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Oh dear, are we turning into Rum-Emporium.com
or even AnyOldBooze-Emporium.com? No,
don't worry dear whisky lovers, I'm sure it's a passing phase
and maybe something to do with the extremely cold and miserable
weather I'm enjoying here in Bayern right now. Ahhh those
far-away tropical islands .....
So, to
celebrate my longing for sand, sea and sunshine I'm turning my
thoughts to a five-way head to head of rums from Venezuela,
Guyana, Haiti, Martinique and of course Trinidad & Tobago. |
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St.
Etienne VO
is a product of Martinique and has the
colour of glowing light amber. The nose is of very
aromatic vanilla ice cream witrh hints of aniseed. In fact it
even reminds me of my elusive, or no longer existing 'Olde
Worlde Sweet Shoppe' where as a child I was entranced by
those sweet mixed aromas of unwrapped goodies like sherbert
lemons, fruity 'boiled' sweets and many others. The palate
is heavy on the aniseed effect before the sweet fruitiness takes
a further hold. The finish once again suggests aniseed in
a rather long way. My overall impression is one of
pernod-flavoured rum in a fruity childhood kind of way. Maybe
this is not 100% in keeping with my preferred taste, but it'll
certainly please many. |
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Barbancourt 4y
hails from Haiti, has a light golden
colour and a nose which includes leafy vanilla and hints
of unbaked, still-rising bread dough. This leads on to a light,
slightly perfumed biscuit style. The palate is dry and
fresh with a mild leafiness which is what I might expect from a
drier style of rum, but this one continues with some mildly
unpleasant metallic notes. The finish is medium length
and slightly dry. My overall impression is of a rather
unusual dry and leafy rum with some very strange metallic
influences. Maybe the bottle has been open a little too long?
Who knows. |
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Trinidad
& Tobago's offering is Angostora 1919
which has a vibrant rich golden colour.
The nose is quite fresh and herbal with a soft sweetness
reminding me of marshmallow, in fact pink marshmallow! The
palate is definitely lightly perfumed and again suggests
(pink) marshmallow. The finish is extremely interesting
with soft spices lingering long. My overall impression is
one of surprise. This is a good rum, but not with a taste
profile I would have expected with that light perfume and what I
can only describe as a very soft and fluffy character. |
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Ocumare 12y
is produced in Venezuela and has a colour
of light amber. The nose initially reminds me of a
well-aged whisky in that it has lots of aromatic polished wood,
but then it differs again with a medium sweet and lightly
perfumed character which is very rum-like. In fact this dries
even further over time in the glass. The palate offers
more of that wood, then dark chocolate, hints of freshly ground
coffee beans and is very gentle and smooth. The finish is
long but again quite gentle. My overall impression is of
a very good rum which is gentle but yet quite sophisticated.
Now why didn't I discover this some years ago on my two trips
to Venezuela? |
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If you
hadn't guessed by now
I have written my reviews in my personal order of preference,
or more accurately, reverse order. This means that without
further ado, my 'winner' in this mini head to head and
distraction from whisky is the offering from Guyana ...... |
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Solera
No.14
is indeed that lucky winner from Guyana.
It is the richest in colour of the five with a very dark
oakiness and it's also very rich on the nose which
offers lots of aromatic wood and molasses,
but without being very sweet. It even hints at a cognac style.
The palate is extremely smooth with a creamy mouth-feel
offering a selection of light herbs, biscuit and a hint of
chives, but never over-powering. The finish is again
smooth and subtly long. My overall impression is of a
very good rum, one that fits my preferred taste profile for this
type of drink, but it was also a very difficult choice as the
Ocumare 12y came extremely close. Congratulations to
Solera No.14, Venezuela and I'll look this one out should I ever
get back there. |
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Wednesday
February
1st 2012
Whisky Round Table
or "is
once per month too much to ask?"
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I
usually begin the month with an update on The Whisky Round Table
and this month is no exception, albeit a little short maybe.
As you know by now the WRT was started by Jason of
GuidScotchDrink back in June 2010 with the concept of 12 whisky
bloggers and characters taking turns to host a monthly
discussion of their choice.
Sadly
in January all the Mikes of Whisky Party were unable to host
a discussion so I stepped in with a quick question in the hope
of getting it online sometime mid-January to keep the momentum
going. Well, here we are at the start of February and I'm now
publishing all the replies I have received so far.
My
thanks to the three, yes three, knights who managed to find
a few minutes to submit a reply this month!
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So, for
my question this month I reverted to the good old chestnut of "festivals" which is something of a pet subject for me, especially as
I am often quite vociferous about what I personally expect from
one of these events.
Anyway,
I asked a three-part question;
1
- Which, if any, festivals are you planning or hoping to attend
this year?
2
- What dictates your choice(s) here; Is it location and perhaps
ease of travel, or is it more?
3
- What do hope to get from festivals? Meeting people, trying
new editions, bringing samples away to try later or anything
else?
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Joshua of The Jewish Malt Whisky Society
This
is an interesting question. Yes, one that has been asked
before but it's one that always needs a revisit that things
change all the time. My plan is to attend the Single Malt and
Scotch Whisky Extravaganza (held by the SMWSA) as I find that
show to be manageable; smaller. While, with regards to whiskies,
there isn't much in the way of new and different (for me) - it's
a high class show that is always fun and it's one of the best
ways to sample new SMWS bottlings that are due out. What's more
is they have the "Whisky Panel" which is a great, one hour,
conversation with the people in the whisky biz - it's fun and
educational. I love it. There's also 12 different venues
around the US where people can attend. |
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WhiskyFest is on the top of the list as well. Sadly, I
missed it in 2011 but there's no way I'm missing it this year.
It's big, huge and a lot to take in but if planned right, it
could be amazing. Also, in NYC, they're changing it from a one
day fest to a two day fest. Sadly, it falls on Shabbat but I
think I'll have to make an exception this year to join in
Lastly, but surely not least, WhiskyLive in NYC is a must.
I'll never forget the 1960, 10yo Laphroaig I had there. Just
amazing. Plus, there seems to be a better amount of indy
bottles there which is good.
Finally, meeting people and schmoozing is what I love the
most. For me, the whisky is almost an aside. At these
festivals, I want to learn. I want to meet people and talk
whisky!
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Chris & Lucas of Edinburgh Whisky Blog
I'm
hoping to visit the Spirit of Speyside Festival this year
and Feis Islay. These are the two big whisky festivals in
Scotland, and I haven't been to either, so i really need to get
to these. It has started to become a bit of a curse, in that I
plan to attend these festivals every year, but something always
comes up at the last minute which stops me. |
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For
something slightly different, if I had the opportunity, I
would love to go to the States to visit Kentucky for the
Kentucky derby. Although not a whisky festival, I believe the
distilleries put on quite a show for the event.
When
I look at any festival , I am really looking at the Whisky
as only a part of the package. I really want to experience the
area, meet new people, enjoy local produce. For me, it's quite a
touristy experience. A bit of a holiday, if you will.
When
it comes to the Spirit of Speyside and Feis Islay, I think
they both look brilliant because of a mixture of what looks like
excellent food, ceilidhs, whisky geek stuff and the chance to
get away from Edinburgh for a couple of days. On top of that, I
really enjoy meeting the folks from the distilleries. I think
their insight on the process is invaluable.
I
think to round up the points I have made, a whisky based holiday
is what I am looking for. Distance isn't too much of an
issue, as long as it proves to be a worthwhile trip. By that I
mean indulging my main passion, whisky, and also having time to
enjoy the other things in life: music, dancing, food and people.
A fully rounded experience is what I am looking for in a Whisky
Festival.
Oh and
PS: The best Whisky festival I have been to so far was the music
and whisky festival organised by the lads from Connosr in London
at the end of September. It was superb. good music, good whisky,
good times
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Matt & Karen of Whisky for Everyone
We will start with the
second question, if that’s OK. The location is the driving
factor as to which whisky festivals and events that we go to.
We are lucky that a decent number happen in or
around London throughout the year. We do not own a car, so are
heavily reliant on public transport and moving around London is
easiest. This does not rule out other festivals
in other parts of the UK or northern Europe, but costs soon rise
and this has limited these experiences to date.
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Now to answer the first
part of the question. Last year we visited a number of
shows in London – Whisky Live, The Whisky Show, Pure Festival –
and we plan to do the same again. Each festival
offers something different in terms of exhibitiors, whiskies on
offer, consumers attending and atmosphere. New shows are
popping up regularly and London remains a vibrant place for the
whisky scene. However, two of our best
experiences were outside of London at The Whisky Lounge in
Manchester and SpeyFest (not really a whisky festival, but one
where whisky was present). This has led us to think of others
such as The Glasgow Whisky Festival or Whisky Fringe.
Also, the all-time ‘have to go’ is the Feis Isle on Islay but
that will have to wait until another year …
Question three is
interesting. We go and cover all three of the aspects
mentioned. Primarily we go to sample any new
whiskies or ones that we have not tried before, with the aim to
write about anything of interest to our readers. This results
in the bringing of samples away to be reviewed in isolation (and
in a more sober state!). However, we enjoy
meeting many of the industry people, contacts and festival goers
that we have come to know and call our friends over the four
years or so that we have been doing Whisky For Everyone.
Meeting and talking with these people is more important than any
whisky can ever be.
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Keith (that's me) of WhiskyEmporium
Well, as I said earlier this is a pet subject of mine,
but more of that
later as firstly I offer my own answers. There is a local
festival in Munich which these days covers many different types
of drink, although whisky is still the major factor. It is
called Finest Spirits and runs across a weekend in February.
I'll be there again this year, well it would be rude not to!
Secondly, after
experiencing Limburg Whisky Festival some years ago it's
about time I went again and my accommodation is already booked! |
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Travel, or perhaps more accurately location,
obviously dictates or heavily influences which festivals I will
attend in any given year. As I said; The Munich festival is very
local and a 'must' on my calendar. If a festival has an
exceptional reputation then I will certainly consider attending.
Ones which are on my radar for the future are most certainly
MaltStock, Lindores, Spirit of Speyside and possibly Victoria in
Canada one day. I am in two minds about Feis Ile mainly because
it has become so popular and I perceive it to be extremely
difficult accommodation-wise and just one long queue around
distilleries. I'd much rather visit Islay (again) without the
stress!
So, now for (possibly)
the contentious part; What do I hope to get from a whisky
festival? Well there is undoubtedly the aspect of meeting people,
either fellow Maniacs or those from within the trade. Their
ideas, thoughts and experiences are always worth listening to.
For me, actually
sampling as many whiskies as possible during the festival is
quite secondary as I usually go armed with as many empty sample
bottles as possible and hope to bring them home full. There is a
finite limit of what one can try in the space of a festival,
whereas I have weeks and months after a festival to sample the
drams and write my notes in more comfort and time.
Yes, I look to
bring samples away with me and no, I'm not looking for
freebies or to get as much whisky as possible for some small "all-inclusive"
price. I am more than happy to pay an entrance fee and then pay
for my samples! Perhaps this is one reason why I like Limburg so
much. It isn't so much about the current industry, the majority
of stands are held by independent businesses, especially those
selling long-lost rarities that are just no longer available in
the mainstream. One can buy bottles, but more importantly
samples of these rarities too.
Lastly, my thought for the day "A festival is an event
spanning more than a single day. An event lasting just a few
hours is more of a tasting"
Slàinte Mhath
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and now for something completely ... late
or "wait three weeks then
3 come along together"
We have a saying in England which refers to the "London bus
syndrome". Basically you wait for nearly an hour with no bus in
sight, then five come along together. Welcome to February's
Whisky Round Table which appears to have relocated to London.
Sorry Knights, only jesting here! |
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Mike of Whisky Party
What I'm
trying to get out of a festival usually depends on the spirit (p.i.!)
of the event-- where SMWSA is laid back, fun, and can be more
social, Whisky Fest is a manic,
beat-the-buzzer-to-the-best-whiskies kind of thing. But some of
the WF whiskies are unbelievable, and the seminars are great, so
there's different things to focus on at each different event. If
I'm "covering" it for the blog, then I'm really trying to
capture a bit of everything, and not being a professional at any
of the various duties (photog, writer, whisky taster, etc.), it
does get a bit tough! |
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And I'm
not known to waste whisky, but I'll even spit out a few on those
occaissons so as to keep my notes legible.
As for
the tasting vs. festival definition, I kind of agree, although
there's not really much in the way of festivals proper here (in
Chicago, or elsewhere in the US as far as I can tell)
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Gal of Whisky Israel
That is really a sad affair for me. Israel has no whisky
festival whatsoever, no whisky live, nothing. some minor shows ,
but nothing you can compare to any of the EU/US events. The
small size of the market with the addidional draconian taxes on
whisky, drives a lot of brands out, and since 95% , yes you read
this right, 95% of whisky is bought in the duty free shop at the
TLV airport, importers are not very keen on such events. Being a
family man with two small kids, i do try not to leave for long
periods, but this year i do hope on joining a very interesting
whisky weekend, over in the Netherlands "malt stock". |
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While
it's no whisky festival, it involves whisky and a lot of it. so,
i do hope to have a good time there and meet some whisky friends
from europe. Other than that? no plans, but who knows. ;)
My
choices are dictated by family and of course cost and travel
ease. Israel is a few hours by plane from every decent whisky capital,
so that is indeed an issue.
First of
all meeting people. this is the most important. then of course
trying our new expressions and samples is a plus. Samples can be
had also by other means, but there is no replacement for meeting
people face to face. be it fellow whisky lovers/anoraks or
industry figures. |
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Ruben of WhiskyNotes
Sadly, I won’t be going to many festivals this
year. Too busy building a new house and all that. I’d love to go
to Limburg though and there’s still a small chance I will. It’s
the best festival I know because of its stunning array of new
bottlings and legendary oldies. Too bad 7 hours in a car (return
trip) is quite a big sacrifice, even when you’re sleeping over.
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The main purpose for me is to try new releases
(and to be slightly ahead of the masses when it comes to
grabbing my favourites). It wouldn’t be any good without friends
though. Sharing your discoveries, exchanging thoughts and
comments about what’s on offer, grabbing something to eat
together... that’s what it is all about.. |
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