House Spirits, the makers of Aviation Gin, has expanded into the whiskey world, and they aren’t messing around. Westward is a very small-batch 100% single malt whiskey made from locally sourced (Pacific Northwest) barley. Westward Oregon Straight Malt is fermented with Scottish and American ale yeasts, then double pot distilled. The spirit is aged in full-size, new American oak barrels for two years.
Continue reading “Review: House Spirits Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey” »
Washington state’s Dry Fly Distilling recently launched a line of specialty whiskeys (and an aged gin) called the Creel Collection. These exotic spirits offer no age statements and are available only in half-size bottles. We sampled two of the five offerings. Thoughts follow.
Dry Fly Distilling Straight Triticale Whiskey – Triticale isn’t a very sexy name that rolls off the tongue, but this rye/wheat hybrid developed in Scotland in the 1800s is as unique a whiskey as you’re likely to find. The nose is young — grainy and rustic, but far from rough. Those grain notes evolve in the glass to release some fruit flavors on the body — cherry notes, some apple — plus a touch of wood. All the while that graininess hangs on, leaving a bit of cereal on the finish and just a touch of spice, sweetening up as you sip on. 88 proof. B+ / $36 (375ml)
Continue reading “Review: Dry Fly Distilling Triticale Whiskey and Port Finish Wheat Whiskey” »
Either Whiskies of the World is getting bigger or I’m getting slower. Looking at the list below you’d think I scoured this increasingly high-quality event from top to bottom. In reality I barely scratched the surface, completely missing tastings from Kavalan, Amrut, Tyrconnell, and more. Note to self next year: Focus!
Brief thoughts on everything I sampled at the event follow.
Tasting Report: Whiskies of the World San Francisco 2013
American Whiskey
Hirsch Small Batch Reserve Bourbon / A / great vanilla, butterscotch character
Old Medley 12 Years Old Bourbon / B / big wood, some spice
Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon / B+ / lots of grain influence, dry wood
High West Rendezvous Rye / B+ / interesting dill notes
Lost Spirits Leviathan II / B+ / similar to the original, a monster peat bog
Lost Spirits Ouroboros Cask #1 / A- / crazy, smoke collides with fruit in a big way (full review coming soon)
Corsair Artisan Quinoa Whiskey / B / big grains, fiery nose
Scotch
Arran Sauternes Finish / A- / big almond influence, malty
Bruichladdich The Sixteen / A- / chewy, nougat, slight woodiness
Chieftain’s Miltonduff 1989 22 Years Old / B+ / huge fire, citrus notes
Chieftain’s Craigellachie 1991 21 Years Old / B+ / relatively easy/simple
Glenglassaugh North American Exclusive 27 Years Old / A / a big whiskey, tons of power, depth
Glenmorangie Ealanta / A- / unpeated 19 year old whiskey that’s spent its life in virgin, unused casks; lots of Bourbon and vanilla character, chocolate
Douglas Laing Dailvaine 28 Years Old / B+ / lots of smoke of front, some tobacco, wood
Douglas Laing Inchgower 30 Years Old / A- / huge cotton candy, caramel notes
Gordon and MacPhail Ledaig St. Joseph Finish 1993 / B+ / smoldering, chewy, dry finish
Gordon and MacPhail Speymalt Macallan 21 Years Old / A- / big, chewy Mac
Gordon and MacPhail Old Pulteney 21 Years Old / A / great balance, some fruit, vanilla, cookies
Muirhead’s Silver Seal Speyside 1992 Limited Edition 20 Years Old / B+ / big grain character
Samaroli Bunnahabhain 1978 / C+ / sweaty, not drinking well
Samaroli Caol Ila Selezione Samaroli Top Class 1980 / B+ / big, peaty, chewy
Samaroli Glen Garioch 1990 / B / minty, a bit odd
Samaroli Evolution Selezione 2011 / A- / not feeling the usual awesomeness tonight
Samaroli Glen Scotia 1992 / B / leathery, coal fires
Samaroli Isle of Jura 1997 / B+ / fiesty, gritty
Samaroli Tomintoul Selezione Samaroli Top Class 1967 / A- / malty, surprisingly light; gingerbread finish
Old Pulteney 17 Years Old / A- / 17 years all in sherry casks, intense citrus and nuts
Old Pulteney 21 Years Old / A / great body, rich nougat character
Old Pulteney 30 Years Old / A / lovely and rich, a standout
Talisker 30 Years Old / B+ / smoke and sweet, well-melded
Tomatin 30 Years Old / B+ / silky, then a brooding finish
Other Whiskeys
Bushmills 21 Years Old / B+ / lots of grain influence
Nikka 15 Years Old / A- / light, delightful smoke and sweetness
Angel’s Envy is one of the best affordable Bourbons on the market, and now its mad master distiller, Lincoln Henderson, is raising expectations again with Angel’s Envy Rye, one of the best rye whiskeys on the market.
The mashbill will likely sound familiar to regular readers — 95% rye and 5% malted barley — the signature grain blend you’ll find in ryes from Bulleit, Dickel, and just about everyone else in the business who’s sourcing whiskey from LDI in Indiana (though AE will not confirm this). But as with AE Bourbon, Henderson has tricks up his sleeve to make this otherwise commodity whiskey his own. To wit: He finishes six-year-old rye (older than most already) for 18 additional months in Caribbean rum casks. (Those casks in turn began as Cognac barrels, making Angel’s Envy stop #3 on the road to boozedom. The Cognac is originally from Ferrand; the rum is a 10-plus year old bottling from Barbados, part of Ferrand’s Plantation Rum XO 20th Anniversary release.)
Continue reading “Review: Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey” »
This year’s Single Barrel release from Four Roses trots out the OBSK (high-rye) recipe at 13 big years of age.
Slightly older than the usual Single Barrel bottlings (typically 11 or 12 years old), this release is a monster whiskey. If you’ve been waiting for something incredibly bold from Four Roses, wait no longer.
Four Roses 2013 Single Barrel is a bruiser, punchy with cinnamon, big wood notes (particularly heavy on the nose), and a long, sweet, applesauce finish. Bold and spicy on the finish, this whiskey doesn’t let up. Moments after the sweetness starts to fade, a big, Bing cherry note jumps out at you, leaving this whiskey, woody up front, with a distinctly fruity finish. Unique and lots of fun, it’s altogether another winner in a long string of outstanding spirits from Four Roses.
Sample bottles were bottled at a fiery 120 proof — water was a huge help in coaxing out the Bourbon’s most interesting notes. Actual bottle proof will be considerably lower: 100.6 to 114.4 proof, depending on the barrel. 4000 bottles will be released this April.
A / $80 / fourrosesbourbon.com
The second release of Highland Park’s Norse God-inspired Valhalla Collection is upon us, this one inspired by the master of mischief, Loki.
While lighter in proof than the massive Thor, the 97.4 proof, 15 year old Loki is immediately hot and fiery. Even the nose brings a bit of a burn to the nostrils, offering thick, resinous wood and tar. The body offers that and more, plus some maritime sea spray character you get from Orkney malts. Lots of smoke here, too. Sweetness comes more from earthy honeycomb notes, and a touch of orange peel, too. And there’s just a touch of gingerbread on the finish. Lots going on.
The spirit is matured in both sherry casks and heavily peated casks, an homage to Loki’s chameleon-like nature and a nod to Highland malts, too. Unfortunately, all of the craziness going on here doesn’t entirely lend itself to a balanced spirit. Smoke and sweet can sometimes come together nicely, but here the burly forest fire character muscles out just about everything else, which is unfortunate. Ultimately, Loki has its moments, but as Scotch goes it’s got a few too many hands in a few too many fires.
B / $249 / highlandpark.co.uk
I am Don Quixote, a booze of La Mancha!
Chip Tate at Texas’s Balcones Distilling isn’t the only guy on the cob that’s using exotic blue corn to make Bourbon. Said to be especially difficult to work with due to its high oil content, blue corn makes for unique and memorable whiskey.
Made in New Mexico, Don Quixote is made from 75% local organic blue corn, 23% wheat, and 2% barley. The grains are naturally malted and uncooked before mashing. Made in a unique, moonshine-era “thumper” still, Don Quixote goes into new American oak barrels for four years before bottling.
Continue reading “Review: Don Quixote Blue Corn Bourbon Whiskey” »
To obtain this unique Macallan expression you’ll have to buy the flask that it comes with. Designed by Oakley, it is made from food-grade steel, then wrapped in a carbon fiber composite “treated to an intensive passivation and electro-polishing procedure to ensure perfection.” At last it is clad in “black anodized 5-axis machined aerospace grade aluminum” before, finally, a $1,500 price tag is put on it.
I can’t tell you much more about the flask, but I can tell you about the companion whisky that comes with it. Aged entirely for 22 years in ex-sherry casks, this single malt is a departure from Macallan as you likely know it. The nose offers a heavily smoky (but not peaty) character, with deep wood and nutty notes behind it. The body tends more toward dried fruit and raisins, developing quite slowly in the glass. The orange/sherry components you’d expect are there but, miraculously, kept at bay by some honey sweetness and a surprisingly lasting but dry finish. This is a really interesting expression but steps away from what you might expect from Macallan. Hope you need a fancy flask in which to enjoy it.
400 flask/bottle combos available in the U.S. (150 flasks — no booze — available in the UK.)
86 proof.
A- / $1,500 / themacallan.com
This is one review we’ve been itching to get up for you for a long time, and finally we’ve got our mitts on this latest from Wild Turkey master distiller (and all around good guy) Jimmy Russell: Russell’s Reserve Small Batch Single Barrel Bourbon.
The name has had many in this biz scratching their heads: Wouldn’t a single barrel release, by definition, also be a small batch? More intriguingly, this release is the first in the Russell’s Reserve series bottled without an age statement. The original Russell’s Reserve carries a 10 Year Old age statement and a $34 price tag. At $50 a bottle, is the Single Barrel older, or is it just a selection of the best barrels of the 10 Year? Who knows? Next time I see Jimmy, though, I’m going to pry it out of him. (Also of note: Bottles are not individually numbered, so there’s no way of tracking what barrel you’re getting… if that’s important to you.)
Another major difference we should get out of the way up front is the alcohol content: 110 proof vs. 90 proof for Russell’s 10 Year. It’s also incredibly dark in the glass, one of the darker Bourbons on the market today. Pouring a glass releases tons of wood character into the room. I thought I was in store for a barrel bomb when I tucked into it, but that’s not the case. The nose straight from the glass once things settle down offers some wood but also coal, cinnamon/baking spice, and just a hint of vanilla.
On the body, it’s a bit hot but easily manageable without water, then sweet. There’s more of a burnt sugar/dark caramel than the typical vanilla profile of younger Bourbons, with a distinct charcoal note (courtesy of the dense alligator char on Russell’s barrels) that leads to an unusual touch of licorice on the finish. Somewhat minty, but more of a dried mint than fresh. Inviting and restrained, this is sipping Bourbon that welcomes conversation, a dense and chewy whiskey with a clearly impressive pedigree. Way to go, Jimmy!
A / $50 / wildturkeybourbon.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]
This past February a cadre of young, good-looking spirit scribes were assembled at Beam’s brand new Global Innovation Center, a $30 million compound with an aesthetic somewhere between a high-tech office and the Hall of Justice. Many new products were premiered for our consideration and tasting. However, the diamond in the rough which caught our eye was the new Jim Beam Signature Craft 12 Years Old. I was extremely fortunate enough to receive a preliminary sample; bottles will be shipped to market this coming August.
Continue reading “Preview: Jim Beam Signature Craft 12 Years Old” »
A funny thing happens when I try to type “Canadian.” I always mistype “Candian” instead. Never has that been a more apropos typo than with Black Velvet’s Toasted Caramel Whisky.
Flavored with a hefty dose of “natural toasted caramel flavor,” this sugar bomb is so dense with sugar it’s actually difficult to swallow it. The nose cues you in for what you’re about to get hit with, but the mouthfeel is something else. It’s so sugary I swear you can feel the grains of sugar grinding around in your mouth. The “toasted caramel” (which means what, exactly?) is something akin to burned Bananas Foster, and there’s a touch of a woody finish on the end that reminds you that this is indeed whisky and not caramel-flavored vodka.
Sweet tooths only need apply.
70 proof.
D+ / $11 / blackvelvetwhisky.com
Posted in Canadian Whisky, Flavored Whiskey, Rated D/F, Reviews, Whiskey
Take Deerhammer’s pot-distilled, 100% malted barley Whitewater whiskey and throw it in a new oak barrel (with heavy toast/light-medium char), and see what happens. This Colorado-based “hybrid” whiskey reportedly spends less than a year in half-size barrels, which creates a light-brown yet pleasant looking whiskey.
The nose is intensely woody, hinting at sweetness but dominated by tannic notes. There are enticing hints of dark cherry in the nosing, too.
Continue reading “Review: Deerhammer Down Time Single Malt Whiskey” »
Michter’s is the It Company of the American whiskey world right now, its from-the-ashes story bringing many fans forward to hear about its charms. Michter’s is a brand that dates waaaay back to 1753 but which went bankrupt in 1989. In 1990 the company was rescued and relaunched, and only in the last five years or so has it really become a hit once again.
Back in the 1970s and ’80s, Michter’s Original Sour Mash was the top-selling product of this Bardstown, Kentucky-based distillery. But this whiskey inexplicably wasn’t revived after the ’90 reboot. Now it’s back after a 23 year hiatus off the market.
Continue reading “Review: Michter’s Original Sour Mash Whiskey” »
This brand new whiskey hails from Eastside Distilling in Portland, Oregon, and the two barrels in question are a traditional new oak barrel, followed by a second turn for 60 days in a new heavy-char barrel made from Oregon oak. Essentially, its Eastside’s 4 year old Burnside Bourbon (mashbill: 75% corn, 10% rye, 15% malted barley) with a burlier finish applied.
Delightful nose. There’s cherry and gingerbread here, a perfect amount of fruity sweetness to lead you in for a sip. And my, what fun is in store once you tuck in. Again you get cherry and gingerbread spices, with a kind of toffee spin to it. It’s high-proof and heady, and a cinnamon kick develops the more you sip and savor it. The body is spot on and the finish is long, clean, and satisfying.
Continue reading “Review: Burnside Double Barrel Bourbon” »
Peach Street Distillers, in Palisade, Colorado, is one our rising microdistillery stars, named Distiller of the Year in 2012 by the American Distilling Institute.
This Bourbon — you’ll have to look at the fine print to see the distillery’s name at all — is one of Peach Street’s flagships, a very small batch whiskey — and Colorado’s first “legal” Bourbon — made from Colorado corn and aged “over 2 years.”
Continue reading “Review: Peach Street Distillers Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey” »
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all!
If you’re drinking Irish today (and you probably are), consider upgrading your dram with something a little more sophisticated.
Bushmills 16 Year Old is a single malt (rare enough for Irish) that is matured in ex-Bourbon barrels or Oloroso sherry barrels — a portion of the production in each. The two barrel types are then married and finished in Port barrels for a triple-wooded attack.
Continue reading “Review: Bushmills Single Malt 16 Years Old Irish Whiskey” »
Posted in Irish Whiskey, Rated A-, Reviews, Whiskey
We reviewed Craft Distillers’ Low Gap White Wheat Whiskey two years ago. Who knew that the company would radically broaden its horizons to launch plans for four different Low Gap whiskeys, a Wheat (previously reviewed), a Rye (reviewed below), a Bourbon (coming soon), and a mystery blend (coming after that)? Will a mere four white whiskeys cut it?
On top of that, all of these whiskeys are going to be aged, as God intended, of course. Two years after the introduction of Low Gap White Wheat, the aged, two year old version is now available. We sampled both the new white rye and the aged wheat. Thoughts follow.
Low Gap White Rye Whiskey is made from malted rye, double distilled in Craft Distillers’ antique copper pot still. There is lots of malty grain on the nose, but it’s quite mild, not the hoary, fuel-infused character you get from most white whiskeys. On the tongue, it’s surprisingly mild. Yes, the expected notes from the granary come through, but the rounded body also offers light orange and mandarin notes, banana, and a touch of coconut. The finish is grassy, and slightly smoky. A quite credible white whiskey. 85.4 proof. B+ / $45
Low Gap California Wheat Whiskey 2 Years Old takes Low Gap White Wheat, made from double-distilled, 100% malted Bavarian Hard Wheat, and drops it into three kinds of barrels: new American oak, used Bourbon barrels (from Van Winkle), and used 350-liter Limousin oak barrels (formerly used for Germain-Robin brandy). It’s young stuff, and the barrels are still doing their magic here. On the nose, it’s enigmatic… lightly woody, the grain character still dominating. The body’s a different animal. A rush of vanilla sweetness hits you first, quickly followed by huge Cognac notes. That Germain-Robin has done a real number here. The finish is all raisins, Sugar Babies, plums, and a chocolate finish. It’s got very little resemblance to any conventional whiskey on the market, which is a good and a bad thing. Anyone walking into Low Gap expecting a light version of Maker’s Mark is going to be in for a real shock. But who doesn’t like trying something new? 84 proof. B+ / $65
Posted in Rated B+, Reviews, Rye, Whiskey, White Whiskey
Known overseas as “Tempest,” this limited edition of Bowmore has an unfortunate trademark issue in the U.S. so, for its arrival on our shores it’s been rechristened as “Dorus Mor,” a tidal gate near the Isle of Mull.
Classic, if slightly young, Bowmore, this Islay whisky is an iconic expression of what Bowmore does best. Eye-searingly hot at first, the whisky calms down enough to reveal an almost sherried character on the nose to balance out the smoky, peaty overtones. On the palate it’s got way more going on. There’s seaside character a-plenty — seaweed and salt — but also a surprising milk chocolate character, almond butter, and dried mango on the finish. It goes on and on, with a surprisingly creamy quality to it that really rounds things out. Plenty of peat on the back end too, to remind you that you’re in Islay after all.
110.2 proof. 2400 bottles for U.S.
A- / $120 / bowmore.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]
I’m an unofficial member of the Big Bottom fan club, having gushed about the company’s 2 year old and 3 year old Port-finished Bourbons in the past. The 4 year olds sold out pretty much immediately, but Oregon-based proprietor Ted Pappas just can’t quit.
His latest series includes a collection of three 5 year old whiskeys (though none offers a formal age statement), including both the classic Port finished whiskey and a new Zinfandel finished one. Thoughts follow on the line (which have all been formally branded as Bourbon now), each of which remains pegged at 91 proof.
Continue reading “Review: Big Bottom Whiskey, 2012 Releases” »
Knappogue Castle is one of the blue chips of the Irish whiskey world, producing well-aged spirits and a variety of rarities, including the ongoing “Twin Wood” series of limited edition whiskeys.
Twin Wood is Knappogue’s terminology for Irish that’s been matured in Bourbon casks and finished in Oloroso sherry barrels. The 14 years are spent in the Bourbon casks before the whiskey moves on to the sherry finishing.
14 years is a long time for Irish to spend in any kind of wood, but Knappogue Castle has a surprisingly light gold color. It’s got an ample nose, however. A big malty character dominates, mingled with exotic raisins, coconut, and orange character driven by the sherry.
The body is complex and unique. Again, lots and lots of malty grain here, plus plenty of oddities: banana, smokestacks, caramel candies, orange peel, coconut husks, and licorice, all in a bit of a jumble. I like a lot of the flavors in the whisky, but ultimately I’m still not sure about the way they all come together. It’s fun to tipple on but tough to get a handle on where it’s going.
92 proof.
B+ / $60 / knappoguewhiskey.com
Posted in Irish Whiskey, Rated B+, Reviews, Whiskey
