Last week, I had the opportunity to join Whisky.com as their resident blogger and I took it. Whisky.com is one of the premier sources for information on whisky and I hope to bring my experience and love of Scotch to their new Whisky.com Scotch Addict blog. The blog won’t be entirely about Scotch whisky, we’ll probably experiment and discuss a variety of other spirits that tickle our fancy (including other varieties of whiskies), but we hope that you’ll join us there as well!
So come check us out at Whisky.com!
The Universal Whisky Experience is a two day premier luxury whisky show set in the lovely Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the brainchild of Mahesh Patel, a commercial real estate developer in Atlanta, Georgia; and this year the event takes place on March 18th and 19th. A ticket to the show is $525 a piece and gets you:
- Sampling Premium whiskies from all exhibitors.
- One Super pour sample from a range of rare and fine whiskies valued at $300 and above per pour retail.
- Free cigar samples.
- Entry to all special events during the Nth 2011 show.
- Butler passed pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres in show area.
- Gourmet dinner reception.
- Glencairn cut crystal Nth 2011 show tasting glass.
If you aren’t a huge fan of whisky, you can always go with the companion ticket for only $235.
We have secured a 15% coupon code that will take the $525 price and drop it down to just $446.25. The 15% coupon code is MIS267896. Enjoy!
It’s no secret that the Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year is one of my favorite scotch whiskys. At that price point, under $40 a bottle, it’s something I get to enjoy on a regular basis along with Glenlivet 12. The Balvenie 21 Year Port Wood is like the 12 year’s older, more refined, brother. Whereas the DoubleWood is priced at around $40USD, the Port Wood comes in at a more hefty $180USD. For each bottle of the Port Wood, you could get over four bottles of the DoubleWood; which explains why I don’t enjoy it as much as I possibly can!
When it comes to other finishes at other distilleries, I sometimes can’t tell that it’s been finished in a different cask. Oftentimes it can be a little subtle and unless you have had the non-specialty-finished whisky, you can’t pinpoint origin. Unless port is completely foreign to you, there’s no way you’ll miss the impact of finishing in port pipes. The specific sweetness imparted by finishing in port pipes is very evident on the palate.
The nose has the fruitiness I’ve come to expect from Balvenie, though I couldn’t pick out the raisins from their “official” notes. The palate is influenced by the portwine finish, supporting the fruit I picked up from the nose. The finish has a distinct nuttiness, like the aftertaste you have after chewing on walnuts. It’s also remarkably smooth, something you’d expect from a whisky old enough to be served at a bar.
At it’s price point, it’s an indulgence and not a regular staple, though you would be doing yourself a great service by picking up a bottle for your cabinet. Of the full “regular” range of Balvenie bottles, the only ones I haven’t enjoyed are the Thirty and Forty (aged 30 years and 40 years respectively). I imagine they would bring the same level of enjoyment I’ve come to expect from Balvenie.
Look at enough bottles of Scotch whisky and you’ll start seeing the same words over and over again. How many distilleries have “glen” in their name? Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glengoyne, Glenfarclas, Glen Grant… you get the idea. Many of the distillers have names that describe where they’re located, which is why glen (which means valley in Gaelic) is so prevalent in so many names.
I started looking for common syllables in distillery names and come up with this short list.
- Ben: It’s Scottish for mountain.
- Burn: It’s Gaelic for fresh water but it’s also the name for a watercourse, artificial or natural, from large streams to small rivers.
- Cairn: It’s a man-made pile of stones.
- Dhu: The sgian-dubh, or skean dhu, is a small single edged knife that’s part of traditional Scottish Highland dress.
- Duff: Duff is a surname
- Glen: Gleann, and thus Glen, is Scottish for Valley with a river and is typically narrower and deep.
- Knock: It’s another term for clock.
- Loch: Loch is the term used for a lake or an inlet (Loch Ness? Lake Ness).
- Strath: It’s a large valley that usually has a river and is wide and shallow.
I found it kind of fun to see what the origins of some of those syllables. For example, I thought it was interesting that there were different terms for a valley. You have strath for wide and shallow valleys and glen for narrow and deep valleys. Were there any that surprised you?
When it comes to scotch, I think it’s best served in a scotch tasting glass and with nothing else. Some prefer it on the rocks but I usually have it neat (without ice).
There are, however, plenty of scotch mixed drinks and it’s always fun to read about them to see what people have tried to elevate it. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the “Rob Roy,” which is considered the Scotch whisky version of the Manhattan. The Manhattan is pretty much the same recipe with rye whiskey replacing Scotch (you can use any type of whiskey or bourbon to make a Manhattan).
The Rob Roy is named after Robert Roy MacGregor, who was a Robin Hood-like figure from the 18th Century.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Scotch
- 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
- Angostura bitters to taste
- maraschino cherry for garnish
(Photo: stuartwebster)
I was surprised to learn that 90% of all whisky sales are towards blended Scotch whiskies and not single malt whiskies. While The Star doesn’t cite a reference, I’m inclined to believe them because many of the most famous brands in whisky belong to blended scotches.
Who in the United States doesn’t know the name Johnnie Walker or Chivas Regal?
In fact, for the longest time I thought that Johnny Walker Blue was the pinnacle of whisky (this was when I was younger and long before I discovered whisky). I’ve since learned that while Blue is delicious, it’s usually a mistake to equate pinnacle to price and there are certainly far more expensive Scothes out there!
90% of whisky sales are blends… pretty surprising!
One of my favorite Scotches is The Balvenie’s 12 year old DoubleWood. It spends most of its live in a traditional oak whisky cask and then spends a little vacation in a Spanish oak sherry cask. It spends a little time first with bourbon and then with some sherry. It seems that a lot of whisky producers are starting to offer wood finishes as a way to add a bit of variety and spice to their selection (according to Wikipedia, the late 1990s was when they started doing this… but I wasn’t old enough to appreciate it!). While I doubt the DoubleWood was the first, it’s certainly the one I appreciate most often (I also enjoy their PortWood, but as a 21 year old Scotch, it’s not something to enjoy every single day!).
Oak Cask
All scotches spend most of their life maturing in an oak cask that once held either bourbon or sherry. The Macallan, for example, relaxes in an American Oak cask that once matured Jim Beam bourbon. The oak itself can be of the American variety or the French variety, with each imparting different characteristics as a result of the tightness of the grain. By Scottish law, all Scotch must be matured for a minimum of three years and one day in order to be called Scotch whisky.
Here are the various wood finishes you might expect to see (notice how many of them finish in casks that once held sweet wines?):
- Sauternes: It is a dessert wine from the Sauternais region (which is in Bordeaux) of France. Glenmorangie Nectar D’or is finished in a Sauternais cask.
- Madeira: Madeira is a fortified Portuguese wine (port) made on the Madeira Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. The Balvenie as a 17 year that’s finished in a Madeira cask.
- Moscatel: Moscatel is a variety of grape and it’s used to make Muscat wine (port). The Arran Malt has a whisky that is finished in Moscatel de Setúbal wine cask (many distillers offer this, include Edradour, Benriach, and others.
- Tawny Port: Tawny Port is a type of port using the Solera process.
- Virgin Oak: Take a cask that was designed to hold bourbon or sherry and skip the bourbon or sherry. The Balvenie New Wood, 17 years, is an example of this.
- Oloroso: A type of sherry, Glenmorangie Lasanta is finished in Oloroso Sherry casks from Jerez, Spain.
The above list is by no means a comprehensive list of all the finishes out there but it’s probably a good start. Note the absence of any Islays… their smokier character probably doesn’t lend itself to finishing.
I discovered GlenDronach on Twitter, of all places, and learned that the distillery has been in business for almost 200 years. Founded in 1826, GlenDronach Distiller become the “largest duty paying distillery in the Scottish Highlands” in the 1860s. By 1920, the distillery was purchased by Captain Charles Grant, the son of the founder of Glenfiddich. After another change in ownership, GlenDronach was mothballed in 1996 until 2002. In 2005, the Chivas Brothers took ownership from Allied Distillers.
After all that, I was saddened to learn that no local liquor store carries them (at least the ones I visit regularly). They have several age expressions as well as special finishes (they may have been mothballed but the barrels were still waiting patiently it seems!):
- 12 Year: Described as Rich, creamy, silky-smooth. Warm, rich oak and sherry sweetness, full mouth feel, raisins, soft fruits.
- 15 Year: Described as Incredible concentration of aromas. Treacle toffee and chocolate orange.
- 17 Year: Described as Sweet aromatics of fudge and muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity.
- 33 Year: Described as An avalanche of chocolate and mocha coffee, laced with spices, pineapple and raisins.
- Sauternes Finish (14 yr): Described as Apple and rhubarb drenched in homemade custard, sweet deset wine with ripe sultanas and creamy heart.
- Virgin Oak Finish (14 yr): Described as Spiced ginger and cinnamon cake with a beautiful smoky twist.
- Moscatel Finish (15 yr): Described as Sweet summer fruits of melon and pineapple with sweet ripe raising and alcohol infused figs.
- Tawny Port Finish (20 yr): Described as Stewed fruits of prunes, pears and apples balanced with an injection of liquorice and aniseed.
If you’re a local Marylander (I live in Howard County) and know of a place that sells them (I can’t wait to find out they’re available in my neighborhood store and I just missed it), please let me know!
Chivas Regal is a blended Scotch whisky that calls the Strathisla Distillery, at Keith, Moray in Speyside, it’s home distillery. It is produced by the Chivas Brothers, which is now owned by Pernod Ricard, a spirits conglomerate that owns The Glenlivet (and Kahlua, Malibu, Beefeater, and many other famous brands); and was first established in 1801 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Chivas Regal has three major expressions – 12 Year, 18 Year, and 25 Year.
I’ve only ever tried Chivas Regal once, at a Scotch Night several years ago, and my memory of the 18 year was positive. It is described, by Chivas, with these tasting notes:
- Colour: Intense, dark amber.
- Nose: Rich, indulgent, multi-layered aromas with hints of dried fruits, buttery toffee and dark chocolate.
- Taste: A velvety, dark chocolate palate yields to elevant floral notes, and a wisp of sweet, mellow smokiness.
- Finish: Extremely warm long finish.
Chivas Regal Effect
One interesting note from popeconomics/marketing culture is the term “Chivas Regal effect,” which is when a product sells more because the price of it has been increased. Since people often equate price with quality, consumers, who otherwise wouldn’t have purchased a product, might choose it because it’s slightly more expensive (and thus “better” quality). It’s most often used in conjunction with higher education, a higher priced education is thought to be better.
It’s very difficult to mass categorize the wonderful spirits of Scotland’s myriad collection of distilleries but if one were forced two, the easiest buckets to put them in are based on smokiness. On one side, we have the heavily “peated,” smokey stylings of Scotch produced on the island of Islay. On the other, we have absolutely no smoke and no peat and the most popular area for that is a toss up between the Highland region and Speyside.
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