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April 28, 2021

Opportunities Abound – a Glimpse into the Future

Some time ago I commented on the effects that a lack of international travellers would likely be having on the duty-free market.

There is recent estimation that airport passenger traffic dropped nearly 40% in 2020 during lockdowns world-wide. That is 3.6 billion passengers! And it is likely that the travel industry will one of the last to return to “normal” – if indeed it ever does.

With the opening of our travel bubble with Australia some of the duty-free markets in NZ will have resumed, albeit to a limited extent.

But I suspect the most limiting factor is now going to be the supply line, especially in the alcohol arena.

The imposed down-turn in duty-free shopping since March 2020 has created some interesting workarounds for the industry.

With the market now gasping for new breath, a goodly part of the stock-holding is no longer there, sold to retail and leaving big spaces in the shelves of duty-free.

The glorious DNS duty-free at Singapore’s Changi Airport has been opened to on-line shopping with free delivery (if you live in Singapore).

In Brisbane, the Brisbane Airport Corporation launched an on-line trading platform called BNE Marketplace. That allowed duty-free shops to continue trading, even though the airport was closed. It’s brilliant: the place is open 24/7 and seems to have the range of stocks that were in Brisbane Duty Free. Downside is that it only ships to what the Australians define as “Oceania” – just the states and territories of Australia.

And the same approach was in NZ too.

In the concourse of the Auckland Airport domestic terminal, in the little corner shop next to the bar, I spotted a pop-up shop that appeared to contain the contents of the Auckland duty free but with duty added.

These have been really good ideas, effective during assorted lockdowns.

But, with the market now gasping for new breath, a goodly part of the stock-holding is no longer there – it has been sold to retail and leaves big spaces in the shelves of duty-free.

The assumption has to be that distilleries are mashing, distilling, fermenting and bottling their hearts out trying to catch up

Stock availability

The latest reports from Scotland indicate that things are slowly returning to normal over April.

Businesses are back in business – the pubs and bars and restaurants are up & about and, although information is a bit hard to come by, the assumption has to be that distilleries are mashing, distilling, fermenting and (especially) bottling their hearts out trying to catch up.

A quick discourse on human behaviours. You’ve been in and out of lockdown (mostly in) since mid 2020, stuck indoors with not a whole lot to do, bored rigid, and trying to entertain screaming kids. Two things are likely to increase as a result: the birth rate and the consumption of mind-numbing liquids.

The getting of stock levels back to normal will be a long and slow process.

Stocks of whisky are dwindling on shelves around the world. A recent (and highly unscientific) survey of whisky stock in NZ indicates that your choice of dram here is at least 35-40% down on normal levels. Given that there has been a severe restriction in the production of whisky over the last 12 months and that there has been heightened consumption through lockdowns, it is my guess that the getting of stock levels back to normal in NZ will be a long and slow process.

Where will production go first?

In the UK super markets there are some very good whiskies available in Waitrose, Marks & Sparks, and Tescos, But their stocks have been under tremendous pressure in the last six months.

Let’s face it – if you’re producing whisky in Scotland and a UK chain of supermarkets is screaming for stock, are you going to put all your hard-gotten bottles in a container and send them halfway around the world? Or will you opt to fork-lift them on to a truck and driving them down the road to London? Economically, really a no-brainer!

And with the US now tariff-free, there’s another place to try to recoup the estimated £500m the Trump years cost the Scottish whisky industry.

So, where is NZ in all this? And what do we do now?

Local producers

There are suppliers closer to home and now is the time for New Zealand whisky distillers to take the initiative, get their product to market and build their brand awareness within NZ.

In no particular order, there is Cardrona in Central Otago, Thomson Whisky, Canterbury’s Divergence, Kiwi Spirit in Takaka and the Reefton Distilling Co currently claiming to produce whisky. And I don’t believe that is an exhaustive list!

Other recent local output has come from Stoke Distilling Co in Nelson.

There are some seriously nice drops of whisky emerging from NZ’s West Island

And there is opportunity, too, for some Australian distillers to help.

Aussies may have issues with rugby and cricket skills, but there are some seriously nice drops of whisky emerging from NZ’s West Island – Lark, Fannys Bay, Nant and any one of the other 30-odd Tasmanian operators just for starters.

How about Starward Australian whisky? They have just released some new expressions and are backed by Diageo as the distillery showed promise. Judging by what I have tried they aren’t wrong: a particularly interesting offer is their Two-Fold double grain bottling or a batch-numbered Single Malt called Fortis at 50%.

The next year or two might well be very exciting in the New Zealand whisky world!

March 15, 2021March 22, 2021

Kurt’s Dark Matter Tasting

This article is assembled from detail kindly provided from Daniel’s highly competent whiteboard notes, and with Ian & John D’s best recollections of proceedings. Scoring is from Ian and John, together with the overall group average scoring and the group’s final placing.

Many thanks to Richard Mayston for his photography.

The Book of Great Whisky Tastings

There is a book being written somewhere that will be entitled The Book of Great Whisky Tastings.

To be fair, in my experience there are not many bad whisky tastings.

However, every now and again one comes along that absolutely hits the headlines – the Springbank and associates tasting in Wellington after the 2018 Dramfest is a memorable example.

But now we have new heights! Kurt’s Dark Matter tasting – the seven Sherry Bombs Tasting to rule the world!

On our arrival, Kurt welcomed us and offered us an introductory dram. There were a dozen black Glencairn glasses on the kitchen top, so Kurt had been busy ensuring that we could not even guess the whisky from the colour. After a lot of educated – and a few less so – guesses were made, Ian shouted “Imperial” and got lucky. It was one of the G&M Imperials that was the most common way people got to try product from this demolished Speyside distillery.

The Seven Tastings Line-up.

All seven whiskies were tasted blind. What was in each glass was not revealed until the commentary, the scoring and the guesses were complete.

In glass order (the names have been added with the advantage of hindsight):

Adelphi Laudale Batch Release No 3, 12 yo, 46%

Nose: Rum & raisin, a cardboard box of stewed raisins, sage with peach and marker pen. It smells old, like a dirty barrel, a forest floor and fresh cut grass with pineapple lumps, liquorice and marshmallow.
Palette: Christmas cake with custard, thin, bitter, lemon, metallic.
Finish: Short, going tannic. Slightly bitter, tamarillo, waxy, chocolate orange and roasted coffee.
Score: John 7.4, Ian 8.5, The Group 8.92
Place: 6^th

There is a book being written somewhere that will be entitled The Book of Great Whisky Tastings.

Adelphi Hororata Linkwood 11yo, 55.4% ex-sherry

Nose: Dark chocolate, coffee caramel chews. Young and feisty, with vinegar, leather, sherbet and Turkish delight, lavender, and asparagus.
Palette: Oranges, boiled sweets, dry but balanced.
Finish: Lapsang tea leaves, not fully together, young, dusty and slightly ragged.
Score: John 8.3, Ian 8.3, The Group 8.7
Place: 7^th

The Whisky Barrel One Giant Leap – Deanston, 10yo 61.6%, first fill Pedro Ximenes

Nose: Stinky, marmite, dark chocolate, decomposing cabbage, potato chips, almonds, bonfire, buddha stick, earl grey tea, gun powder
Palette: Hot, better than the nose, chilli, chocolate cake, marmite, creamy
Finish: Spicy, stewed tea, sage bonbons, menthol, waxy & alcohol
Score: John 7.5, Ian 8.2, The Group 9.37
Place: 3^rd

G&M Balblair 1993, 49/6% first fill puncheon

Nose: Meadow grass, apple tarts, Turkish coffee, condensed milk, brown sugar, stale chocolate, nectarines, aged ham, modelling glue,
Palette: Raw runner beans, sherry casks, pleasant plums, soft.
Finish: Huge, sweet, dry, a drinker, sticky, chocolate, PX.
Score: John 7.8, Ian 8.4, The Group 9.03
Place: 5^th

Adelphi Glenrothes 8 yo 66.6% one of 315 bottles

Nose: Walnuts, plums, mahogany, bee pollen, oranges, simple and elegant.
Palette: Not very old, anaesthetic, grubby
Finish: Alcohol buzz, chocolate powder
Score: John 9.4, Ian 8.7, The Group 9.46
Place: 2^nd

Adelphi Blair Athol, 21yo, 57.2%, Sherry Hogshead (The Mystery)

Nose: Dark fudge chocolate, floral, raisins, camphor, copper, an unlit cigarette, blueberry tarts, toffee apples, plum pudding
Palette: Pureed fruit pudding, Turkish delight lollies, a menthol cigarette, chocolate-covered plums.
Finish: Chewy date pudding and hospitals. Fantastic!
Scores: John 9.5, Ian 8.8, The Group 9.1
Place: 1^st

Adelphi Teaninich 12yo 55.9% first fill Sherry Butt

Nose: Autumn leaves, caramel, a leather seat in a new car, cooking apples and figs, and a dirty bookcase.
Palette: Liquorice, spearmint and vine fruit.
Finish: Chewy and yummy
Scores: John 9.1, Ian 8.6, The Group 9.1
Place: 4^th

The “After-Match” Function

From Ian’s notes:

Once the main proceedings were finished. Kurt offered some yummy food to soak up the alcohol and attention turned to a range of novel drams that people had brought for others to try.

Meeting in a convivial atmosphere brings out the sharing nature: there is too much whisky in the world to buy a bottle of, and each of us has only a limited exposure. It is nice to try something someone picked up in some store or on their pre-Covid travels that they think is worth a wider audience.

Pat brought a bottle of peated French whisky. It was a little synthetic to start with and a bit raw, but I liked how the peat worked with the spirit – I scored it a 7.9 but I did not make any detailed notes. The French consume a lot of whisky so it makes sense that they also have a few distilleries of their own. This was a first for me and probably for many people present – a great choice by Pat.

From Mel, a dark Adelphi Benriach 8yo 59.1% #34 to fit into proceedings: dark chocolate, Phoenix cola – score 8.5. Matt’s comment: a face full of salty raisins

From Kurt, an Adelphi Inchgower 2007 12yo 55.8% Hororata bottling. I didn’t score it but it was in the 8-8.5 region.

I poured a mystery sherried whisky which no-one seriously objected to – a 12yo Jura, from Douglas Laing, finished in PX. I would say you would be hard pushed to recognise it as a Jura.

The Wrap-Up

For someone with mobility issues, it is quite a walk up paths and stairs to Kurt’s house. It’s a more perilous trek back down the paths and stairs four-and-a-half hours later.

But the time spent in between the climb and the trek back was sublime.

And mobility issues are taken for granted after drinking a wide range of good whiskies for that long. My personal thanks to Pat for moral and physical support on the return journey.

And an enormous vote of thanks to Kurt for the event, for his organisation and especially his hospitality.

Slainte mhath

February 21, 2021

Les’s Damson Plum Gin, Batch 2, the Lockdown Gin, guaranteed Covid-free.

In November 2019 we brought you the exclusive story of Les’s Damson Plum Gin, homemade from homegrown damson plums and a couple of bottles of London Dry.

The basic, very simple premise is that you put a whole lot of damson plums into a jar. Then you add the majority of the contents of a bottle of gin and a bit of sugar to taste, screw a lid on the jar and go away for a while.

When you come back, about nine months later, with luck you will have a jar of a ruby-red, plum flavoured gin.

And a whole lot of very gin-flavoured plums that look wrinkly like your skin does when you’ve spent too much time wallowing in a hot bath. The plums feel like prunes to eat, but they taste way better!

Not much more to it than that, really.

The first batch of Les’s Damson Plum Gin was most successful.

It had a fairly limited circulation. It was consumed mostly by the manufacturer, his immediate enclave and a few cognoscenti. To my knowledge most of the batch was used up by these worthies, and only a skerick of the Batch 1 Damson Plum gin remains. The by-produced gin-infused plums found another lease of life as a foundation for a boozy dessert at a local eating establishment.

The 2020 – LockDown Gin

Now we come to the second tranche. The 2020 expression.

This has been dubbed the Lockdown Gin. It was constructed in February 2020, just before the shutters came down on NZ. It was exposed to air again just after Auckland was released from its second lockdown in October last.

Hence Lockdown Gin.

In the Lockdown Gin, Les has increased the repertoire to three London Dry gins – a Tanqueray 40% abv, a traditional Gordon’s at 37.5% and a repeat of last year’s Greenall’s, also at 37.5%. To ensure that the relativities between components was maintained, the damson tree in the back yard was called upon for greater productivity. It obliged.

The decanting of the rubied gin has become quite a ritual, with photographs, note-takers and a range of admiring on -lookers.

The audience for the Official Opening of Batch 2 was also enlarged from those present at the first release. The guest list was increased to three couples who, I am sure. were chosen for their discernment in matters alcohol. Or possibly for their air of mild inebriation.

Or the lack of it. (the discernment, not the mild inebriation)

The jars of damson gin are carefully aligned with their donor bottle to ensure that there is no confusion as to sauce source – sorry, my American roots sometimes die hard!

Undoing the lid requires determination and strength!

Then begins the painstaking decanting of the liquid and plums into a bowl via a clean muslin filter cloth to keep the plums out of the new gin. This is, in turn, followed by tipping the bowl’s liquid contents into a sealable bottle – all, meanwhile, being kept with the parent gin to avoid confusion.

As with the first batch in 2019, all the new damson gins display a beautiful, stained-glass window ruby red and a flavour predominantly of almonds.

The output:

Tanqueray:

Nose: sweet, almonds and honey
Palette: almonds and stewed rhubarb, plums but no gin flavour.
Finish: tart. But not unpleasantly so.
Score: 8.5

Gordons:

Nose: lighter almond than the Tanqueray
Palette: tarter, but smoother and well balanced. The gin taste is apparent.
Finish: Plum in the flavour lingers
Score: 8.7

Greenalls:

Nose: the almond flavour is present, but greatly reduced.
Palette: slightly harsher than the other two. The plum crumble that your Gran used to make.
Finish: More acerbic and biting.
Score: 8.5

There is a school of thought that Les might consider broadening the gin base for batch 3.

Following the success of his first two batches, it would seem fitting to include a wider range of gins – The Botanist from Islay’s Bruichladdich distillery, or perhaps a good NZ gin such as Island from Great Barrier Island or a Reid & Reid.

Les took an unmarked bottle to the annual wine club barbeque on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It was very popular, especially amongst those who might have wondered where the CleanSkin Rosé came from.

January 23, 2021January 25, 2021

New Beginnings and Openings in 2021

A very Happy New Year, and a hearty welcome to 2021!

I have seen a few new years, but I never been so glad to see a year go as I am about the passing of 2020 – it has truly been horrendous.

However, it is now in the rear-view mirror and I’m looking forward to much better things ahead. Including some really good whiskies.

Over the break, I opened three new bottles. One from “stock”, the other two were greatly appreciated manna from the Whisky Gods.

And I have to say that all three are extremely interesting and lovely drops!

Here, then, are my tasting notes and comments for you.

Young Prince English Malt Whisky

Distillery: Ludlow Distillery, South Shropshire.

The Ludlow distillery is part of a vineyard, located south of Shrewsbury (of the biscuits fame), parallel with Birmingham and about two thirds of the way to the Welsh border.

Back Story: Cousins found this bottle and very thoughtfully brought it back to NZ for me as a gift. I am delighted they did, not only for the thought but also for the quality of the whisky!

I am generally not crass enough to ask the price of gifts but, as it was so unusual and they knew I would be writing it up on this website, my cousins were happy to say that the price was in the order of £38 (around NZ$80) for a 35cl bottle at 40% abv.

Made in a 200-litre pot still, the Young Prince was first released in November 2018. It has won a Gold Award at the Cotswalds’ Artisan Drinks Awards in February 2016 – in my opinion, most deservedly

Colour: Light amber.

Nose: Sweet stewed apricots in syrup, with dark wood and fruit jubes. There is a slight brine note, but the nose unfolds with exposure to become quite complex.

Palette: Again, sweet but with a slightly sour undertone. I found a light tongue heat, and cereal. Slightly floral, softly creamy & buttery.

Finish: Medium+, with a lingering wood taste.

Comment: How can I get some more??? This bottle is way too small! And I really want to try this at an abv somewhere around the late 50% range.

I went looking at their on-line shop over Christmas, but sadly it was shut.

Then, in early January, it came to life again! And they do have a 60% Cask Strength at £65 for a 70cl bottle – around NZ$165. Even if I add freight costs to NZ, that would still be a bargain!

It doesn’t appear that Ludlow send on-line purchases to NZ, but I am making enquiries with them to see if we can overcome that difficulty. It might require some heavy-duty disinfect if it arrives, but it’s got to be worth a shot!

The Flower of Youth – SMWS 72.75 (Miltonduff, Speyside)

ABV 61.3%, described as a “tiptoe through a summer forest with aromatic flowers, confection and savoury nourishment.”

Colour: Lighter amber

Nose: Sweetness, with fresh fruit and berries. There seems to be a sherry barrel influence, possible oloroso. The whole is rich & full.

Palette: Alcohol heat is my first impression. And fruit.

It is wide in the mouth then going a bit sour – if I am right about the oloroso barrel, this could be from there. Lollies and lingering sweetness follow.

It leaves an oily mouth film and lining on my tongue. There is Christmas pudding, and the alcohol level clears the nasal passages.

Finish: Long and going a bit tannic. Again the high abv left my lips slightly numb.

Comments: Yummy! To quote Oliver Twist, “please sir, can I have some more?”.

But I am starting to wonder if the SMWS is tending to bottle at too high an abv level. The up-front alcohol here initially overrides the real pleasantness in this dram. In my view, the abv could be dialled back a bit without adverse effect.

Sheep Dip

Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

ABV 40%

This bottle was given to me by very kind friends .

Colour: Amber yellow

Nose: Maritime, like a trip on the Interisland Ferry: ozone, salt air and sea spray. This is followed by a (thankfully) brief nose of sheep shed in mid-summer.

Palette: Sweet start. Tongue heat is followed by that taste of sheep shed, then sweetness and the salty air returns. A bit thin in the mouth at first, but then it builds.

Finish: Medium +. Slight sourness with a small amount of tannin and waxy

Comment: Somewhat against my expectations, I found this to be very interesting and a pleasant drop. It is not particularly peaty, but there is an obvious peat influence in the background.

It is hard to pick the contributing whiskies, but I suspect Ardbeg is involved.

About half an hour after finishing my dram I had a faint lingering taste of soil in the mouth, like you’re not washed your hands properly after gardening.

Sheep on Islay are a bit weird. They are black at the front and on the bottom of their legs, they graze on the beaches and they have total right-of-way on the roads.

And they get bathed in the best tasting Sheep Dip ever! Can’t be all bad.

An interesting by-story: The Sheep Dip title comes from days when people in the West Country used to make their own whisky and hide it in barrels marked “SD” to avoid paying taxes on it.

Good for them!

December 27, 2020December 27, 2020

Scotch22, Round 3 -The Final Gathering

The third Scotch22 club event was held in the Howff at Whisky Galore, in Christchurch.

As for the previous two gatherings, members Mel Bromley and Ian Stopher attended. They have generously provided us their thoughts and tasting notes on the event.

All photography is by Mel.

Ian’s introductory notes:

When I arrived at the venue I found some members already started on the kindly offered Glentauchers.

While I was talking, I was consuming the G&M distillery labels bottling Glentauchers. We had had one of the other Pernod Ricard distilleries – Miltonduff – at the Light Fantastic tasting, but this one was the lighter side of Glentauchers and a great conviviality initiator.

The Main Proceedings

The six bottles of the tasting had been voted for by the members earlier in the year. This was now the third attempt to host the evening, to find what had made the lineup and what had not.

I had voted for Lochside and voted for the Glendronach. The whiskies had been poured in a light-to-heavy sequence. There is nothing controversial about that, but what was surprising was how well it worked.

The established format for the gatherings is for Michael Fraser-Milne to say something about the distillery and/or the whisky, with his various related digressions and jokes. At some point he gets to the whisky at hand and then the ensuing conversation as we ruminate.

Personally, I like this format, although I have to say Mel’s notes next to mine were far more comprehensive as I got too easily distracted talking and didn’t always put enough into the note-taking. But the important thing is to enjoy the evening, and that was certainly the case for me.

Note about scoring: I scored them in my normal 10-point fashion. Michael also added another scoring, from 0 to 5, to be used so he could more easily calculate the room favourite. With really only a few values to reasonably use for such good whiskies (3, 4 or 5) it makes for some rather hard decision making. I include this second score in brackets.

Ian

I have only ever had the FF Rosebank bottle, many moons ago.

Rosebank might be considered a light floral style but this one, being from a Refill Sherry Hogshead, was quite a departure.

The nose had a creamy character along with dry fruity sherry.

The palate offered more of that dry fruity style but more tangy orange came through.

The finish was a bit more spirituous than I was expecting, and medium in length. Adding a bit of water softened it a bit but did not dramatically change its nature.

A very good start.

My score: 8.5 (4)

Ian

This was the one I was really here for!

I have only had three Lochside before, two of which were single grain. This, then is only my second Lochside single malt.

Mind you, I suspect many in the room had fewer data points to go on than I did. Michael has only had about seven before, so it was going to be novel. How was this diluted bottling going to compare to my second favourite whisky of the past 2 years, my own Cadenhead (1981-2000)?

The answer was very well indeed – this was a stunner!

The nose is very orange tangy for me – others thought it was somewhat sour-smelling and tasting but that was not my personal experience.

The palate offered lovely orange notes and some burnt character as well with just a hint of sourness.

My only criticism of the Cadenhead Lochside was the finish was not long enough and this was the case here as well. Perhaps I was just wanting the lovely liquid experience to go on longer than was realistic.

That is now two Lochsides from Refill Sherry and both excellent – if you can count two data points as enough this would be my new favourite distillery, albeit a rather expensive one. At least with Tobermory, I can afford to purchase more bottles.

My score: 8.8 (5)

Ian

This Speyside wasn’t the oldest distillation of the lineup but had the longest maturation.

I have had a mixed bag from Glen Elgin in the past. I had a bottle earmarked for a tasting last year but it was so ridiculously spicy and ginger hot that I removed it as being too disruptive.

Michael said that this ginger taste was more the distillery character than the wood itself, something that I didn’t know.

On the nose, it was quite malty but with a rich mature bourbon character that already reeked of age, but no fierce spiciness.

The palate aligned with the expectations of the nose, a bit musty but a character.

Probably the lengthiest finish of the night, with no woodiness or undue bitterness. There was a slight liquorice note that lingered – that might be how I interpret the remnant of a decent amount of peat at distillation. Others got ginger cookies, I only got a hint of ginger loaf and I was concerned that the talk of ginger had primed my expectations.

A solid old whisky that I feel we didn’t have the time to really get to grips with. In terms of scoring, that was a bit of an undoing (see Springbank below).

My score: 8.6 or 8.7 (4)

Ian

If we include the Rosebank, this is the third ghost distillery of the evening – clearly, people wanted to try whiskies from distilleries where the supplies are dwindling.

I have previously only had the FF bottle and a 12 year James Macarthur which I did not like very much. Would this official bottling improve matters?

Yes, it does, but not dramatically so. The nose was very sharp, seeming very alcoholic and spirity which didn’t make sense for 51.4% but makes more sense at 55.3%.

There was also quite a significant malt vinegar on the nose, which does not bode well.

In the mouth, it is a very mixed experience, some yeast, sourness, leather, dried fruits. I found myself rather all at sea with this one.

The finish was possibly the best aspect, with a good malty character.

This, as it turned out, was my least favourite of the night. Not dreadful, but not really my kind of style it seems. I am not sure whether it was a divisive whisky but it could be deemed so.

My score: 8.3 (3)

Ian

If you had shown me the list in advance I would probably have the least interest in including this one (even more so than the Glendronach).

But I was very wrong.

In its day this bottling won a lot of awards and I can see why. This is heavy Springbank!

The nose is very heavy sherry (Oloroso) and dark burnt orange. The palate is very chewy, quite tarry and oily and I did remark a lot of coca-cola.

This was a lot to digest and the finish was medium to long and almost as impressive as the Glen Elgin.

I don’t think anyone present voted this low. It became my second favourite, edging out the Glen Elgin because it is a lot more instant. You cannot exactly call an 18yo young but it has lots of instant appeal – hard to resist in a short-format like a tasting.

It could have been dirtier for me, but otherwise, this was really solid and something way too expensive to purchase these days.

My acore: 8.7 (5)

Ian

There was no doubting this was the darkest of the whiskies, and probably the most expensive.

All I could get from the nose to start was a heavy sherry, so I added some water to open it up a bit.

In the mouth it was very earthy and plenty of tannins, so I was not looking forward to the finish being that welcoming.

I was wrong there!

The finish was not too bitter but it was tarry and pretty long. I felt this was a bit too much – possibly too long in the cask and should have been bottled earlier.

Given it was Batch 1, was there an urge to get this whisky out to market before it got worse?

I am sure I was somewhat in the minority camp on this one, but it was still a very enjoyable whisky and I rated it sitting in the middle of the pack – above both the Rosebank and the Pittyvaich

My score: 8.6 (4)

Mel defines this as Sacrilege! Ian adding water to the Glendronach.

December 3, 2020

The Glenlivet – Reflections on a Tasting

from Pat Phipps

I recently had the great pleasure to go to a Glenlivet tasting at Thorndon Glengarry’s in Wellington.

The Glenlivet is currently one of my favourite distilleries. They seem to be doing great things, with products ranging from the outstanding but pricey black bottle series (Alpha, Cipher and Code) to the just-released and very affordable Illicit Stills 12yo.

Jack Potter, the NZ brand ambassador was the tasting host. Jack is an enthusiastic, bright, extremely knowledgeable ambassador and a delight to listen to. He invited any questions from those assembled and was able to answer most of them effortlessly.

Possibly more importantly, after the tasting he gave the opportunity to have another small dram of our favourite whisky – in my case the single cask 18-year-old.

For those of you who went to Dramfest this year, Jack was also responsible for selecting the two drams for The Glenlivet session with Alan Winchester at Dramfest 2020.

The tasting list

For a ticket price of $30, the line-up for the Glengarry tasting was quite outstanding. It included:

the 25-year-old at 43%,
the 18-year-old single cask NZ limited edition at 56.8%,
the Illicit Still 12-year-old at 48%,
the standard 12-year-old at 40%,
the Founders reserve at 40%, and
the Nadurra Peated at 61.6%.

Plus, of course, a cheese plate to go with them.

I want to talk first about the newly launched Illicit Stills 12yo.

This retails for around $70 at the moment, a good price for a non-chill filtered 48% abv. It has a higher sherry barrel finish content than is normal for a Glenlivet and a subsequent wonderful mouthfeel. On the nose there are green apples with a little cherry and leather polish. On the taste, cherry and a wonderful sherry influence with a long finish.

I noticed there were a few bottles of this expression sold on the night and I was one of the lucky people to purchase one, although the thought did go through my mind if I should buy two.

Glenlivet are releasing a limited-edition original series each year as a salute to their origins and if this is anything to go by then bring it on.

I have had the 25-year-old before at Dramfest when I attended a wee Dram session with Alan Winchester, the Head of distilling at The Glenlivet distillery. I knew to expect a wonderful smooth whisky matured for 23 years in ex bourbon barrels, then finished for two more years in sherry barrels. Again, there is great mouthfeel, flavour and a long finish.

What I did not expect was to taste an 18 year old single cask. Boy, what a whisky! From cask 21087, bottled Feb 2020 as a New Zealand Limited edition, it is 56.8% abv with great mouthfeel, rich taste and way too easy to drink. I remember thinking to myself that I could drink this all night then a friend next to me said “No you couldn’t”.

They used to give away miniatures to travellers in the Pullman luxury carriages on the trains.

As a comparison we also had the Founders Reserve. This is Glenlivet’s entry level single malt. It exhibits the classic distillery floral nose but reminds you that this is a young, quite frisky whisky but still easy drinking

The standard 12-year-old highlights just how much of a step up 12 years of maturing has on the Founders Reserve. The 12 is smooth but still floral and I personally use this as a benchmark for 12yo Speysides. One of the reasons I was so impressed by the Illicit Stills version is that Glenlivet managed to up the ante and still stick to the same price point.

The last dram was the Nadurra Peated a Non-Age Statement at cask strength. I have an open bottle of this at home and love both this edition and the Oloroso finish. Glenlivet again have priced this perfectly for a cask strength whisky.

I was fascinated to learn that the whisky was not peated during production. Rather, the required taste profile is achieved by putting the liquid is into ex-Islay whisky barrels during fermentation. As the Glenlivet is owned by Pernod Ricard, you may speculate as to the source of the barrels.

Another interesting titbit from history – when The Glenlivet was first launched into America it was labelled Unblended Whisky as the term single malt was not yet coined. They used to give away miniatures to travellers in the Pullman luxury carriages on the trains – the equivalent to business/first class air travel today.

How much would I give to get my hands on a few of those minis to add to my collection!

November 19, 2020November 19, 2020

Under the Influencers

Uisge Beath

Not the usual title destined to attract attention.

But Uisge (pronounced “oosh-gae”) Beath was the original Scottish name for whisky. It is the Scottish Gaelic translation of “acqua vitae” – the Latin phrase meaning Water of Life.

Looking back over influences and influencers, my interest in whisky seems almost to have had a pre-determination for interaction with the water of life.

I interest in whisky didn’t really start until my later life, but the influences go back a long way. So here’s some observations about the influencers.

Aunty

My maiden great-aunt was one of those people generally described as “larger than life”.

To my 10-year-old self she was a tall and imposing woman, of strong opinion and will. She was also equipped with a booming, authoritarian voice that shook the crockery and brooked no argument.

But she was always very welcoming, of a positive disposition and always happy to see you.

Aunty played golf quite well and drank whisky – also quite well.

Aunty was in the habit of ending a round of golf with rounds of whisky in the 19^th hole, then driving home some ten miles in her green Austin A40 Countryman with the wooden trim along the sides and around the rear doors.

This was the “olden” days, when driving under the influence was not as antisocial as it is today.

But Aunty’s whisky habit eventually was the demise of the Austin.

One wet & dark evening, after the golf and the whiskies, she and the car met a telephone pole that had interfered with her intended line of travel. The pole, having previously been the victim of other similar attacks, had been reinforced by strapping a spare length of railway track to it.

Aunty and the Austin hit the pole smack on the car’s hood ornament.

The pole snapped. Then lowered itself none too gently along the length of the Austin’s geometric centre, starting at the bonnet and ending at the back doors.

Neither the Austin nor Aunty were improved by the experience. The Austin sadly was terminal. Aunty was appreciably damaged but fortunately survived, possibly as a result of having been more relaxed.

shortly after she recovered, she had a house built on the eastern side of Waikanae, looking down over the Main Trunk railway line.

My father offered to help her with the interior painting of cupboards and the like, taking me along as “helper” for the lower bits. My enduring memory of Aunty was arriving, paint-brush in hand, at her house at about 9am on a Sunday morning to be greeted by the booming voice enquiring whether my father would care for a whisky and milk, as she had just finished her first one!

My father declined.

Those of you who know of the brand will know that it was not of a quality to be giving as a gift to anyone who knows anything about whisky.

Grandad

Not my granddad. Another grandad.

This gentleman was odd. I don’t remember ever meeting him, but I knew him from photos and the most interesting reputation- some parts of which have gone into family folklore and will likely remain there for years to come.

Grandad was born somewhere around the late 1800s, when things were slightly more rustic than they are now. His rural lifestyle required that he purchase diesel oil in 44-gallon drums and whisky in cases of two dozen bottles.

Disposing of the empty whisky bottles involved putting them into the empty 44-gallon drums and returning the drum to the supplier.

The Piper

James was a gentleman.

He was a lawyer by profession. He was exceptionally mild-mannered, and extremely proud of his Scottish and Roman Catholic background. Apart from the lawyering, he was also very knowledgeable in matters single malt.

Knowing of his interest in whisky, a grateful – if slightly mis-guided – client expressed gratitude by presenting James with a carton of a whisky that was produced in the South Island in the 1960s and 70s.

Those of you who know of the brand will know that it was not of a quality to be giving as a gift to anyone who knows anything about whisky. It was more of a quality that would encourage anyone interested in taking up whisky drinking to switch to gin.

James’ problem with this gift was several-fold.

He couldn’t return it, as that would be insulting to the donor.

He couldn’t offer it to guests: he knew that you could only offer your best whisky to guests, and this stuff certainly was not in that class!

He couldn’t give it away, as that would be insulting to the recipient.

His very elegant solution?

He drank it.

For Lent.

Footnote: Aunty’s house in Waikanae had an unrestricted view of a lengthy section of the Main Trunk Railway Line. From her concrete deck you could see the smoke from the steam trains from the Waikanae River to Peka Peka, and the whole train for the best part of a mile.

I could sit there for hours.

And possibly for days, if I’d been old enough to have whisky.

Slainte.

October 11, 2020November 1, 2020

Going Down The Rabbit Hole

I am a bit concerned.

I started this blog-site just over two years ago.

Now there are a lot of people who think my life revolves around things whisky. Which it does quite a bit, I suppose, but by no means to the exclusion of other things.

From non-whisky friends (yes, I do have them) I receive emails with links to whisky-related items and articles. The link is often accompanied by a comment along the lines of “as soon as I saw this, I thought of you.”

It is great to know that they think of me, and I would not want to discourage them sending me stuff! Some of the items I get links to are absolutely fascinating. They can send me down the biggest, deepest, most convoluted rabbit holes imaginable.

One such link came recently from Michael. Michael strikes me as a learned person. I suspect he reads a lot, and absorbs all he reads. He has an extremely fine, extremely broad, extremely dry and straight-faced sense of humour coupled with a well-developed sense of irony.

Detecting Fake Whiskies

But the article Michael referred me to is neither funny or ironic.

The implications it raises are most unfunny and could be potentially expensive for someone.

It is a fascinating look at scientific developments around an increasing ability (and, sadly, a need) to identify counterfeit whiskies.

Not so much a rabbit hole as an entire industrial-strength warren!

The article is extremely interesting, given the prices people can pay for “collectables”.

One really attention-grabbing line in the article notes “a 2018 study subjected 55 randomly selected bottles from auctions, private collectors, and retailers to radiocarbon dating and found that 21 of them were either outright fakes or not distilled in the year claimed on the label”.

That is one-third of the bottles tested!

… an increasing ability (and, sadly, a need) to identify counterfeit whiskies.

The article has been written by Jennifer Ouellette, a senior writer on the ARS Technica website, a website for technical news. Ms Ouellette has very kindly given me permission to link to it from rantandwhisky.com.

And her article is the start of the rabbit warren.

The Artificial Tongue

From Ms Ouellette’s article there is a plethora of hyperlinks to such interesting things as the development at the University of Glasgow of an artificial tongue. The tongue is reportedly capable of distinguishing between different brands of whisky.

I can do that, but I suspect that the artificial tongue may be a bit more reliable!

As this second article notes, apart from identifying whiskies, the uses of the artificial tongue are potentially immense. For example, overseeing the quality control of industrially produced food and beverages, or for monitoring water supplies.

On the subject of rabbit holes, it is interesting to recall that the Source Of Truth in my youth was a thumb-breaking set of encyclopaediae (yes, that is the plural of encyclopaedia – I looked it up!).

I was talking to Kevin this morning and he claimed to have had a 24-volume set. Boy, did he ever know stuff!

But the limit of knowledge was always the back cover of volume 24.

Today’s rabbit holes are way better!

With the benefit of the internet and the hyperlink, knowledge today goes on for ever to the seventh son of the seventh son.

Admittedly not all of it is necessarily strictly accurate or good for you, but a little discernment can sort wheat from chaff.

The Angel’s Share Returns

The Angel’s Share – that unfortunate percentage of whisky lost to evaporation while the dram is growing better in the barrel.

In Scotland, the angels are relatively frugal and only claim about 2%.

To be fair, though, that 2% is calculated to be in the order of 131.8 million litres each year – the equivalent of 44 Olympic swimming pools. In anyone’s language, that is a staggering amount of “lost” whisky (pun intended)!

But in other warmer climates the increased humidity means that, comparatively, the angels can be a lot fiercer – in India, for example, it is estimated that the angels reap about 12% of the whisky harvest.

Every now and again the angels take pity and give back some of their ill-gotten gains. There is no fanfare, brass band or big parade involved, no arrival of Air Force One. No flashing light. Not even a lighted match.

Something drops into your lap, in the most unlikely and unprepossessing place at the most serendipitous time.

And that Something is frequently unrecognisable as a windfall.

The Back Story

I was looking in a small, out-of-the-way liquor shop I infrequently visit. I have found a few unusual things there previously so, when I can, I go to look because you never know what might turn up.

There was the usual range of standard bottlings – a Bunnahabhain, a couple of Glenfiddichs, a selection of Johnnie Walkers. Nothing too spectacular. Nothing too wildly dramatic.

Then, from a dark and rather dusty corner at the back of the bourbons section my wife reached up for a bottle and said “What’s this?”.

“This” turned out to be one of those ecstatically happy drams that the angels give back – a bottle of Old Potrero 18^th-century-style 100% rye whiskey. The label advised that the contents were “aged in uncharred oak barrels”, which means it ain’t no bourbon!

There is no fanfare, brass band or big parade involved, no arrival of Air Force One. No flashing light. Not even a lighted match.

“That’s been there for a few years” was the shop owner’s comment when we took the bottle to the counter.

I would love to know how many years a few was – 10 or more, I suspect.

What is the provenance of Old Potrero?

Old Potrero is made by the Anchor Distilling Company of San Francisco. Although there is a heap about the company on the internet, researching just what happened to it over the years is like trying to un-make an omelette.

The company founder, Fritz Maytag, bottled his first Old Potrero rye whiskey at what became Anchor Distilling in 1996. The Anchor Distilling Company bit is now under Hotalings Ltd.

Old Potrero is 100% malted rye, made in a small copper pot still and matured in lightly toasted oak casks. In the 18^th century, barrels were made by heating the staves over a fire of oak chips, allowing them to be bent and formed into a barrel shape. During this process, the inside of the barrel would become toasted – but not charred.

The (sadly undated) bottle was labelled Old Potrero Barrel Strength, Pot Distilled. It contained 750ml, bottled over-proof at 61.6% alcohol by volume (abv), with No Age Statement. However, output from the current distillery owners seems to indicate maturation time at around 30 months – a bit shorter than Scotland.

The whiskey is a good colour for an arguably short maturity!

Notes – by committee

This bottle was such a find that it seemed reasonable to get some knowledgeable whisky-tasting friends to sample it and give me notes. To limit preconceptions the samples were provided “blind” – no indication on what they were tasting or its origins.

Notes I received were extremely fulsome. A very abbreviated summary:

Colour: Burnished, golden.
Nose: Sweet, grainy, floral almond croissants with coconut. “A newly refurbished cricket changing room”, with putty, heat and caramel.
Palette: Sweet (again), spicy cinnamon and vanilla ice-cream. Dark chocolate and more vanilla with a liquorice background.
Finish: Starts hot, then mellows to well-balanced. Beautiful, with a slight woody dryness. Long and consistent.

Comments:
“One of those almost indescribably fantastic drams that come around only too infrequently! “
“I settled on a score of 8.9 but then upped to 9.1 when I found myself still wanting more, long after I’d finished my sampling and note making!”
My overall comment: Beautiful. One of the top five whiskies I have tasted.

The final:

The Tasting-Notes-by-Panel plan brought me to the rather eccentric titles and tasting notes found on Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottlings. The Society bottles single cask whiskies from a wide range of distilleries., and each bottling has a very distinctive name that “tells a story”.

Two titles were suggested to me. I have to say that they were both so evocative of the Old Potrero that I could not pick between them – so both are presented here for you.

“An innings before teatime”

“Passionfruit topping on vanilla ice-cream”

My grateful to the Tasting Crew (in alphabetical order): Alec, Brian, Bruce, Evelyn, Graeme, Ian, John S, Karen, Matt, Mel, Pat, Peter, and Talia

Footnote

You can still buy Old Potrero. It is now made by Hotalings Limited and marketed under the Anchor Distilleries name. These days it seems to be bottled at 48.5% abv, although I have seen it available at 51%.

Get some!

September 9, 2020

Collecting Whisky Miniatures

By Pat Phipps

The original purpose of miniature bottles (“minis”) – be they a whisky, a rum, or even a liqueur – was to allow the customer the chance to try an inexpensive sample before buying the full-sized bottle.

Too often overlooked on the shelf in the bottle store, collecting whisky miniatures has been one of my passions for over 30 years.

During my big OE in 1989, among other countries my brother and I ventured to Scotland where we visited Glenturret, Scotland’s oldest working distillery.

A tour of the distillery and a tasting afterwards was the start of my love affair with whisky.

At the distillery shop I bought my first minis – the full range. I still have them, unopened.

At the time, I thought to myself that surely there can’t be many miniatures around.

How wrong can you be?

The great thing about collecting miniatures is that they don’t take up that much physical space. Unless of course, like me, you let them!

I recently found a Macallan 1824 series of four miniatures for a cool $2,000 – at $500 for a 50cl bottle, well past my tipping point!

Over time I have accumulated over 1,000 examples, laid out in display cases to show them off. Each case is complete with felt backing and a clear poly-carbonate front so that the contents won’t succumb to a passing earthquake.

Pricing

When I first started collecting minis the price was about $2 – 3 each. But, like just about everything, inflation has got to that and now a mini price is generally north of $10 a unit. The price of some gems that I’ve bought, I admit, have made me wince and I’ve had to remind myself of their rarity – such as a 40-year-old Glenfarclas at $150.

These days, miniatures are not really provided as samples. They are aimed squarely at marketing and at collectors.

Minis come in widely varied shapes. Wild Turkey produce 50cl ceramic turkeys in different poses filled with Bourbon. St Andrews did ceramic golf bags clad in different tartans; some with gold-plated golf balls to celebrate famous players.

I recently found a Macallan 1824 series of four miniatures for a cool $2,000 – at $500 for a 50cl bottle, well past my tipping point! Obviously, some distilleries put out these sets purely to go straight for the collectors’ jugular, which I don’t think really meets the original purpose of the miniature.

Collector “Specials”

In my collection I have golf balls, golf bags, barrels, stills and ceramic jugs. When times were not so Politically Correct, even cigarette companies had offerings made for them: I have a Dunhill Cigarette Company scotch whisky mini in a pot still-shaped bottle.

Another is a Balvenie whisky in a cognac bottle shape which I picked up on a Pacific Island trip. This bottling shape, sadly, is long gone.

I take great pleasure in finding a mini that comes with a tube or box. Putting the bottle next to the tube adds a delightful extra dimension to the display.

An entire distillery core bottling range of minis, displayed in line, really makes the labels stand out in a way that you might not notice if you only had one or two.

We know that distilleries change their core range labels from time to time. A selection of minis of the same bottlings, but with labels from different times, becomes an excellent reference library.

As time goes on and you add new bottlings to existing lines you get a history of how the marketers have tried to get their offerings to stand out. As miniatures usually don’t get opened and consumed, the result is acquiring historical significance as an archive

There is an amazing website for miniature collectors as well. The site has thousands of images from people who have sent in pictures of their unique collections and once you get past the wow factor – enjoy.

FAKES

Believe it or not, another collecting line are fakes minis. These come from all sources.

The first two I purchased from Vanuatu about 20 years ago. One was a rum, the other a whisky in the loosest of terms. It was more like neutral spirit with flavouring and imaginative labels such as Captain Cooks No. 1 rum and McBrewsters fine old whisky.

Another source of fakes is Egypt. Whisky Magazine did an article on fake miniatures a few years ago with mainly Johnnie Walker bottlings being produced. The writer, possibly wisely, was not anxious at all to taste the products, but was very interested in collecting them.

The labels were badly misspelt so it was easy to spot them as fakes. Labelling such as John Warder, John Whler and Chefas Rijal were a big clue, although the bottle shapes and label quality were good judging by the photos.

**A Minis Display in an Edinburgh Whisky Shop**

Next time you are in your favourite spirits shop take a moment to look at the miniatures they have. There might be something to try for a fraction of the price of a full size one!

Stock availability

Where will production go first?

Local producers

From Ian’s notes:

The 2020 – LockDown Gin

Tanqueray:

Young Prince English Malt Whisky

Distillery: Ludlow Distillery, South Shropshire.

from Pat Phipps

The tasting list

Aunty

Grandad

The Piper

Detecting Fake Whiskies

The Artificial Tongue

More Fun Links

The Back Story

What is the provenance of Old Potrero?

Notes – by committee

The final:

Footnote

Pricing

Collector “Specials”

FAKES