Drams of 2012: Part 2
I choose my final three favourite drams of the year...plus give a special mention...
Revisiting Glenfiddich
I revisit some Glenfiddich drams to see if they hit the spot.
An Emporium of Whisky Delights
What happens when you combine whisky and the bonkers antics of the Whistling Shop?
Tea for two and two for whisky with Auchentoshan
Auchentoshan will host its first Ladies Only Afternoon Whisky Tea on 8th December.
The Whisky Exchange Show 2012
I discover loads of new drams & catch up with the whisky community at the TWE Show.
The Whisky Lounge: Celebrating 10 years
I speak to The Whisky Lounge's Eddie Ludlow ahead of the company's 10th anniversary.
New Yawk, New Yaaaawk…For One Night Only…
I head to New York in London For One Night Only...
Whisky Live London Favourites
At Whisky Live London this year I tried an extraordinary number of drams, caught up with some fantastic people and reveled in the whisky shenanigans.
It was also the place where three of us whisky sistahs (Whisky Girls founder, Allison Patel, and Whisky London founder, Cat Spencer) managed to get together in the same room for a cheers! As such, there were many a memory made that day.
My goal was to try only whiskies I’d not had a chance to drink before. So, here are my favourites from the fest:
The Glenlivet, 16 yo Nadurra: 57%
Aroma: I got the very odd hints of cinnamon and milk – a similar scent to hot milk with sugar and a cinnamon stick! Milk is not a smell I’d not noted before in a whisky, so I was intrigued! There was also a slightly biscuity note and aniseed.
Palate: A sugary sweetness like super-sweet Hershey’s chocolate, slightly oily and heavy in the mouth (due to the non-chill filtering) but with a teeny hint of citrus. A few drops of water cut the full-on mouthfeel and I preferred it that way. The Glenlivet team had paired each of their whiskies with chocolates and this was matched with a white chocolate, which worked beautifully. It was a vanilla burst on the palate.
Old Pulteney, 3o yo: 44%
This very special dram costs a whopping £250 a bottle so the festival was a great place to get my hands on some, since I won’t be buying a bottle any time soon. This version is matured only in ex-bourbon casks, is non-chill filtered.
Aroma: On the nose I got a salty-sweetness that leaned more towards the sweet side, an uncommon thing compared to other Old [...]
Whisky Squad #31
In the UK – and abroad – Irish Whiskey can sometimes be passed over in favour of the output from its British neighbour. But, this shouldn’t put you off. It’s a different style, has an intriguing history and creates a lot of fantastic products.
At a recent tasting with the Whisky Squad, I had the opportunity to try five great varieties and learn about the country’s history from Tim Forbes, an Irishman (and now Londoner) who runs the Whisky Exchange’s blog.
In short, Tim told us that Irish Whiskey had – in the late 19th century – been highly profitable. But, during a period of 20-30 years, it saw itself decimated due to Prohibition in the US, a trade war with the UK and a huge increase in the output of blended Scotch whisky due to the Scottish decision to embrace the Coffey Still, which decreased the cost of production.
Throughout the 20th century, distilleries in Ireland were merged continuously until it was all made at only one distillery (Midleton). This remained up to the point Cooley came into the picture in 1987, although this company has since been bought up by Beam Inc., an American spirits company.
Despite this concentration of ownership, Irish Whiskey still provides a wide variety of taste.
So, what did I think of the five I tried? Here are my thoughts:
#1. Inishowen Peated:
This peated whiskey is made from a mix of malt and grain. On the nose, I got spearmint and chocolate, while the taste provided flavours of pancakes, coffee, rubber and Terry’s chocolate orange. It had a nice mouthfeel and was softly pleasant. Not my favourite of the night, but a good starter.
#2. Bushmills Black Bush:
I found this to have [...]
Glenfiddich’s New Releases
Last week I tried a set of three whiskies from Glenfiddich at an event in London to showcase some of their new releases. I had only tried the more general, run-of-the-mill varieties before so it was a great privilege to have the chance to sip some special ones, especially the 1974 Vatted Vintage Release, of which only 50 bottles will be available in the UK.
As always, these are only my views on them and I’m sure you will read differing opinions elsewhere, but here are my thoughts based on how all three whiskies tasted on the day I tried them:
Glenfiddich Gran Reserva, Rum Cask Finish, 21-year-old:
This bottling has recently been re-housed in a new bit of rather eye-catching packaging so is being released as the same whisky but with a style makeover.
The whisky is matured 21 years in American oak before finishing in Caribbean rum casks.
On the nose I got hints of vanilla, baked sugar (like the smell you get when you fire a crème brûlée top) and banana.
Despite these sweet scents, it was still fairly crisp on the tongue and not overly tacky, like you sometimes get with toffee flavours. It was very light and had little aftertaste.
Adding a bit of water brought out the fruitiness more, making it blossom.
Glenfiddich Age of Discovery, Madeira Cask Finish, 19-year-old:
This Glenfiddich celebrates the Portuguese explorers of the 15th century and comes in a stunningly designed box with intricate maps showing the explorers’ journeys.
Master Distiller Brian Kinsman told us they were trying to find a way to honour people that step out in life and take risks, akin to the explorers of the past, and it’s a good way of tying together the Madeira casks from Portugal [...]