The WSJ has a fantastic article on Japanese Whisky that any whisky aficionado should read. It’s mostly on the state of Japanese whisky production, with looks at several several distilleries, three years after Nikka Whiskey Distilling Co’s 21-year old Takesuru Pure Malt secured the best blended malt awards at the Whisky magazine awards.
At almost every liquor store I’ve been to, there’s always been a bottle of Japanese whisky available and I’ve never had the opportunity to try it out. I think part of me is hesitant because it’s Japanese, whose whisky making tradition is but a toddler compared to the Scots. However, I think it’s fun to try something new so the next time I go to the store, I might take one home with me. One difference, which I’m eager to see how it affects the spirit, is that the distillation process is coal-fired, which is unique nowadays.
One thing that is the same… whisky in Japan is spelled without the E.
Balvenie emailed me a special sweepstakes they’re running for the holidays – you can win a scotch whisky aroma nosing kit.
Just in time for the holidays, The Balvenie is offering the chance to win a one-of-a-kind prize: An exclusive Scotch Whisky nosing and tasting kit. This unique kit contains 24 separate aromas and a dedicated nosing guide, as well as other essential whisky tasting tools. The lucky winner will also receive an exquisite Balvenie hipflask.
One of the coolest parts of the Macallan tour was their coopering and nosing areas where we could smell various aromas (it really highlighted the difference, at least for us, between dried and fresh fruits). This nosing kit is that fantastic experience in a kit and it’s appropriate that another premium scotch producer, Balvenie, is the one to come up with it. I’m a huge fan of their DoubleWood and at the moment I have a PortWood I bought in Heathrow duty-free just sitting in the case… waiting for the perfect occasion.
This would make a fantastic holiday gift, but I don’t believe they sell it.
The Glenlivet Gift Label Program is a cute little complimentary service The Glenlivet offers every holiday season. You have several options for the type of label they will send you.
For each of the three main expressions (12, 15 French Oak, and 18), you can opt for the standard label with up to six lines, 30 characters each, of text underneath the Glenlivet logo. Or, you can opt for one of several types of special labels featuring a deck of cards, a sailboat, a golfer, skating, toasting cups, or a cottage and then two lines of text. You can get two labels for free. The labels can be affixed to the bottle over the standard label.
For more information, visit Glenlivet. You may have to join the Glenlivet Society, which is free.
One of my more recent missions has been to find an affordable bottle of Scotch that I can enjoy on a daily basis without busting the bank. I’m generally a fan of the Speyside and Highland single malts and I’m always looking to find a good bottle in the $35-45 range for regular consumption. I’m by no means afraid of smoke and peat, but if I’m going to be enjoying just one dram, I tend to lean towards the sweeter and crisper flavors. The $35-45 price point is crucial because one can’t drink a Macallan 18 on a daily basis, unless you are aiming to get a bail out from the government.
For years, The Glenlivet 12 is my standard daily dram because at $37.99 retail, it’s both affordable and delicious. It’s the youngest of the Glenlivet expressions yet you can find this bottle at almost any bar in America and is the most best selling malt whisky in the United States! (according to Whisky.com) Matured in French oak casks that once held bourbon, I’m a particular fan of the sweetness to help me usher in the night.
Forbes has a very entertaining and educational article on the history of Scotch whiskies written by F. Paul Pacult, who writes the Spirit Journal. It discusses the origins of scotch whiskies, how whisky is produced today, and talks a lot about column still distillation, which was a more recent innovation. It then moves on to discuss blended scotches, with Pacult sharing his twelve recommendations (in alphabetical order):
Ambassador Royal Deluxe 12 Year Old, 43% AbV, $20. A lovely, finely balanced blended Scotch with nuanced flavors of nut butter and old oak.
Chivas Regal 12 Year Old, 40% AbV, $35. The classic luxury brand that put the “luxury” in blended Scotch when it was introduced in 1954. Strathisla is the core malt.
Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year Old, 40% AbV, $180. One of the greatest, most sublime whisky experiences of any variety that one could have. A legend.>/li>
Compass Box “Asyla”, 40% AbV, $40. Malt whiskies from stellar distilleries like Linkwood and Cragganmore form the soul of this lithe, feminine blended Scotch.
Dewar’s Special Reserve 12 Year Old, 43% AbV, $25. Core malt whisky is Aberfeldy. A delicious, mature whisky with seductive flavors of nougat and baked pears.
Duggan’s Dew, 43.3% AbV, $22. Another best-kept-secret blended Scotch that combines excellent value and outstanding flavor.
Johnnie Walker Gold 18 Year Old, 40% AbV, $65. The heart of this great Scotch hails from the Clynelish Distillery in the northern Highlands. Simply thrilling.
Old Smuggler, 40% AbV, $15. A big favorite during Prohibition, Old Smuggler is today an overlooked dram of character and style.
Pinch The Dimple 15 Year Old, 43% AbV, $33. One of the classiest blended Scotches, whose core malts include Dalwhinnie and Glenkinchie. Elegance in a glass.
Teacher’s Highland Cream, 43% AbV, $20. The foundational malts are Ardmore and Glendronach. The creamy/oily result is one of the best blended Scotches you can buy.
White Horse, 40% AbV, $16. The sensational smoky/iodine taste is brought to you courtesy of the Lagavulin Distillery on Islay among others. Unbelievable value.
William Grant’s Family Reserve, 43% AbV, $16. Both Glenfiddich and Balvenie malts contribute to the sophisticated character of this global favorite.
In early October, I, my wife, and a couple of my friends, went down to Washington D.C. to a Celebrate the Macallan scotch tasting event. Unfortunately for us, they overbooked the event and we didn’t get farther than the room of small eats and a sampling of the Macallan 10. They did make it up to us by pouring us generous helpings of the Macallan 18 so it wasn’t a terrible waste of a trip.
Through the power of the internets, I know now what actually happens inside the tasting room courtesy of David at Scotchblog.ca. From the photos, the event seemed to be much like the tasting room at the Macallan distillery tour. Tasters were treated to the 12, 15, 18, and 21 (plus the 10 in the beginning), making it a pretty good tasting considering the price (free).
As an added bonus, each taster was given a leather-bound, velvet lined shoe box with a Fine Oak 10, 12, tumbler, and pen. Not bad!
White Collar is a new crime drama on the USA Network and in the second episode, Glen Garioch makes an appearance as the team selects a 12-bottle case of Glen Garioch 1958 for a party they’re throwing to lure in a criminal known as “The Ghost.”
I always find it fun to identify scotches in television shows (a vintage Macallan recently made an appearance on Entourage!), it’s an opportunity to see my love on TV and learn how to pronounce the harder to say names (though Garoich and Macallan are hardly difficult to pronounce… probably why Bunnahabhain won’t be appearing anytime soon!).
Incidentally, the 1958 is the oldest Glen Gariouch. It’s a 46-year old Highland single malt and only 328 bottles were made available, 43 in the US. Retail price puts the 1958 at a few thousand dollars a bottle so there’s a bit of an inconsistency in the show (they have $5,000 for the party), plus that also means they almost half of the available US bottles!
When I visited Macallan in Craigellachie (we stayed at the Lynwood B&B, which is literally a minute away from Macallan and run by the most lovely and inviting of people), I really wanted to pick up a bottle of the sherry oak Macallan 18. I didn’t only because we figured we could buy it in the duty free shop at Heathrow and, since we still had a week left in our European Vacation, I didn’t want to carry around a bottle all the time (for weight and fearing that I’d break it!).
Unfortunately, the duty free shop at Heathrow doesn’t carry any of the standard bottles of The Macallan. Much like how The Macallan Elegancia was created for duty free and travel retail outlets, all of the Macallans at Heathrow (and I suspect elsewhere) had special names and lacked an age statement!
As it turns out, they announced on July 21st, 2009 (we started our trip before the announcement!) that they were launching The 1824 Collection specifically for the Global Travel Retail market! There are four expressions: The Macallan Select Oak, Whisky Maker’s Edition, the Estate Reserve, and the 1824 Limited Release.
While Macallan has spun this as a exclusive offer available only in duty free, maybe they did this so that you couldn’t just wait to buy the sherry oak or fine oak Macallans on the cheap in duty free.
Yesterday, The Dalmore introduced 12 decanters of “Sirius,” a limited edition rate vintage single malt that will retail for a mere £10,000 per bottle. If you want your own, you’ll have to visit one of the World Duty Free stores at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 or be a private buyer dealing directly with the distillery.
The Sirius vintage is drawn from a single cask dating from 1951, the oldest remaining in Dalmore’s distillery, which is set on the banks of the Cromarty Firth, north of Inverness.
It’s a beautiful but probably a little out of my price range.
When I visited Macallan in Craigellachie (we stayed at the 