What Does John Know?

Wasn’t it just two days ago when I announced Bruichladdich’s new Resurrection 2001 Dram? Here are two more new ones: Golder Still, and Sherry 21.

The Golder Still (51% ABV) follows after the previously released “Blacker” and “Redder” Still offerings and will sell for $290. The Sherry 21 (46% ABV) replaces the previous 20 year old releases and will sell for $175.  I posted the press release below.

So, is everyone keeping track of all the Laddie changes? There’ll be a quiz and the end of the week. (Just kidding.)

Bruichladdich Distillery have released two ‘end-of-era’ single malts. The new bottlings, “Golder Still” and “Sherry 21”,  are the last in a run of particularly special casks the style of which are unlikely to be seen again.
 
“Golder Still”  was aged in rare “squat-hogsheads”, novel casks tested in the late 70s by US coopers seeking the optimum cask shape for modern storage. Fortuitously, the extra whisky-to-wood contact  in these stumpy, Disney-like, experimental bourbon casks, imparted greater colour and flavour to the spirit.

Mark Reynier: “There’s not much and  it’s unrepeatable -  but it’s a glorious, old-style whisky; a classic Laddie, all barley-sugar flavours with a golder hue.”

The “Sherry 21”  also comes from the last of a line.  Since 1981 sherry is only Spanish bottled, so UK bulk shipments ceased and cask availability dried up. A larger scale bottling, it replaces the successful Twenty series of bourbon matured Bruichladdichs, and stocks are scheduled to last until 2010.

“Decent condition,  authentic Oloroso butts are now almost as rare as hens’ teeth.  Sadly, you can see why E150 has become so standard in the industry. This is the natural, real deal -  rich, mellow, and warming whisky; an ideal  winter night-cap with it’s hints of orange, apricot, plum, fig, and dates. For connoisseurs, these are two delicious extremes of Bruichladdich.  For us, they are  the end of a run. For both, they represent the end of an era.”

Earlier this week, Diageo announced their line-up of limited-edition single malt Scotch whiskies for 2008. There are a lot of interesting whiskies in this release, so I thought I would post the press release below. It’s a UK press release. Prices are in Pounds Sterling. Double that to get an approximate dollar amount.

RARE LIMITED-EDITION SINGLE MALT WHISKIES JUST RELEASED BY DIAGEO

Each year the maturation experts who watch over Diageo’s precious ageing stocks of single malt Scotch whiskies carefully choose a small number of very special single malts to be released in limited quantities, for the delight of sophisticated whisky drinkers in Europe and North America.

The results were launched today. Many will sell out within weeks of being released.

As super-premium whiskies, all are destined to delight whisky connoisseurs, enthusiasts and collectors. Each one will be unusual – perhaps because it is an older ( or in some cases a younger) bottling of a familiar single malt, or because it has been drawn from the declining stocks of a distillery no longer in existence.

In the new 2008 collection of ten Special Releases, the rarest and most unexpected bottlings will be three contrasting finishes of a 26 year old Linkwood™. These are sourced from an active distillery on Speyside but one whose product is relatively rarely sold as a single malt. All three were identically aged for 12 years, then each of the three was matured in a different cask-wood for 14 more years – one in port, one in rum and one in a sweet red wine cask-wood. Even more unusually, they are bottled in small 50cl bottles created specially for this release by leading designer Glenn Tutssel. Each expression will be released in the very limited volume of 1,260 individually numbered bottles. Like all other Special Releases, they are bottled at natural cask strength.

Nick Morgan, marketing director for the Classic Malts Selection™, said:

“Every year we review our inventory of single malt Scotch whiskies with a view to releasing limited quantities of the most special ones for connoisseurs. I suspect that some will be bought by collectors, as always, but I can certainly confirm that every whisky we issue in this series is not only individual and interesting but supremely drinkable. Demand for rare and special malt whiskies continues to grow, and of course some of these now released are drawn from a finite and dwindling stock, as their distilleries were closed over 20 years ago. In these circumstances we believe that even the most expensive offer terrific value compared with some of the more hyped wine vintages.”

Other malt whiskies from closed distilleries now released are a rare 25 year old Coastal Highland single malt Brora™ in an edition of 3,000 individually numbered bottles worldwide, and a powerful 29 year old Port Ellen™ from the cult Islay distillery that closed for ever in 1983.

Diageo’s famous working distilleries provide the rest of the special collection — but in unusual expressions. Talisker™, the Isle of Skye single malt, is generally seen in its award-winning 10 and 18 year old expressions, but as in recent years, the 2008 limited releases offer both a 25 year old bottling, and an even more limited 30 year old bottling selling at £205. It is described by tasters as “gentle and finely constructed”.

One of the two Classic Malts Selection distilleries on Islay offers the youngest bottling in this year’s release. This Caol Ila™ is a mere eight years old and was selected as an interesting limited-edition contrast to its more familiar older siblings from the same distillery: like the 2006 and 2007 limited edition releases, it is distilled in the so-called Highland style in a batch made only once a year from unpeated malt. It is accompanied by a 12 year old Lagavulin™ vatted from refill American Oak casks.

Finally, Glen Elgin, a fine Speyside distillery, has supplied a 16 year old bottling from ex-bodega European Oak casks filled in 1991, in an edition of just under 10,000 individually numbered bottles. This is a malt rarely seen bottled at this age.

In the UK these limited-edition single malts are available from on-line and High Street specialist whisky merchants and many fine wine merchants.

For further details contact Pat Roberts: pat@cognispr.net or 07774 424 410

Some (not all) of Scotland’s specialty whisky bars have joined forces to create a website that showcases the bars. It includes their location and has links to the individual bar’s website. The website also promises to post news items about the bars and list any upcoming events.

The website (www.whiskytrailbars.com) has the potential of being a good resource during your next visit to Scotland. You might want to bookmark it. 

This is the fourth of the 100% pot still whiskeys from Woodford Reserve in their Master’s Collection series (the previous being two different Four Grain releases and a Sonoma-Cutrer wine finish expression). All four have a common pot still character to them and their flavors really expand most bourbon drinkers’ concept of bourbon. The second batch of Four Grain is still my clear favorite of the releases so far. It’s balanced and complex. On the other end of the scale, the Sonoma-Cutrer wine finish release was just too sweet.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection 1838 Sweet Mash, 43.2%, $90
Burnt orange/amber color. Sweet, fruity and spicy on the nose and palate. Notes of ripe orchard fruit (peach, apple), golden raisin, bramble, spice (cinnamon, mint, nutmeg and clove) on a bed of sweetness (maple syrup and honey). It’s thick and viscous in texture and quite sweet on the front end of the palate, but dried spices and oak emerges mid-palate and rescue it. Long, spicy, resinous finish. I would rather the whisky didn’t go from predominantly sweet to mostly dry and gritty. I wish these two components were better integrated. If they were, I would have given this whiskey a higher rating.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 81

The new owners started up Bruichladdich in 2001. This whisky comes from that inaugural year and celebrates this achievement. Interestingly, the barley used has a lightly peated level of 10 ppm phenol, which is more than the standard “Laddie”  but less than Port Charlotte or Octomore.

The whisky is aged in bourbon casks, with no mention of any “additional cask enhancements” and bottled at 46%. I’m told the price will be about $80 and 24,000 bottles will be available.

The full press release is below. I’ll let you know my thoughts on the whisky when I get a review sample.

The first bottling of the new era for Bruichladdich is being launched. The Islay distillery saved from extinction is now ready to show off  it’s inaugural dram.

The distillery had been closed down In 1994, the staff sacked, machinery left to the vagaries of Hebridean weather, there was scant hope of resurrecting it. Yet, in 2001 under new, private ownership and six months of stripping down every nut and bolt of the old Victorian machinery, the ‘old lady danced again’.

Bruichladdich was built in 1881 by the Harveys, the dynastic distilling family. The three brothers, in their twenties, used their late father’s bequest. Using over a century of distilling know-how, they designed a state-of-the-art-distillery to make the purest spirit possible. Nothing since has changed.

Company founder and MD Mark Reynier: “This is a celebration bottling - our first Bruichladdich, the resurrection of a legend, the realisation of a dream. Our Resurrection Dram is a testament to the inspired  – the Harvey brothers, their avant-guard distillery design and today’s vibrant team of distillers. It is the embodiment of a new era, returning to a  more artisanal, old-fashioned, quality way of doing things - like Jim McEwan’s ‘trickle-distillation’.”

In contrast to heavily-peated Port Charlotte and the mighty peat of Octomore, Bruichladdich itself retains the traditional, minimal peat level of 3-5 ppm.

However,  casks for this first bottling alone  were surprisingly selected from a small, one-off distillation of lightly-peated barley, at an experimental 10 ppm.

The whisky, a pale gold colour after maturing in premium quality American oak, was naturally bottled, with out chill-filtration and colouring-free, on Islay.

“Our progressive outlook is inextricably linked to our Hebridean heritage -which means Bruichladdich will always stand out from the crowd.

“2001 is a  Spirit Odyssey, an exciting journey into the new millennium.”

George T. Stagg, 70.9%, $65
Stagg is so smooth, it’s quite drinkable at higher proofs. On the other hand, when you bring it down to the strength that you would normally drink your whiskey, it’s almost too easygoing. (I made the same comment about last year’s William Larue Weller bottling.) The main theme to this whiskey is lush toffee sweetness and, like last year’s expression, some vanilla fudge, nougat and molasses. Underlying notes of dates, tobacco, dark berried fruit, spearmint and a hit of coffee round out the palate. Given the higher strength, it’s true value bourbon—almost like getting two bottles in one. A very nice whiskey but, when brought down to comparable strength, the Eagle Rare 17 has more complexity.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 90

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac, 63.75%, $65
Powerful, lush, and boldly spicy. A mouth-coating, invigorating rye whiskey with chewy toffee, fig cake, and candied fruit penetrated by thumping mint, warming cinnamon, and clove ultimately revealing more subtle notes of allspice, coconut and nutmeg. Long, delicious finish. An amazingly vibrant whiskey that lets you know you’re alive. The American whiskey equivalent of a young, cask-strength Islay single malt scotch or an Imperial IPA (India Pale Ale) beer.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 91

So, I had all these review samples of whiskies accumulating on the hutch in my house. I put them in a box and carried them down to my basement where I keep them stored on shelves, organized by size, category, etc.

Some of the samples were full 750 ml bottles; others were 100 ml or 200 ml samples bottles. I keep the smaller sample bottles on shelves in a closet on the far end of the basement. On my way to that closet, I sat the box down on a dehumidifier to drop off a couple 750 ml bottles on a shelf. (The box was heavy and I didn’t want to bend over and sit it on the floor.)

Yes, you guessed it. As soon as I took one bottle out of the box, it upset the weight distribution and the box fell off the dehumidifier and went crashing to the floor. Of the 20 or so review bottles, one broke. Of course, it wasn’t my sample of 6 year old old bourbon or 10 year old scotch.

It was my review sample of White Bowmore. It was in a 200 ml bottle and was at least1/3 full. (It was a very generous sample.) Given that the whisky costs $6,000 a bottle, that was a good $600 worth of whisky. I forgot that my White Bowmore sample was even in with the rest of the whiskies. If I did, I would have taken it out and treated it a little more carefully.

I already reviewed the whisky, but I was planning on sharing what I had left with some of the restaurant and bar owners where I host whiskey tastings. So much for that.

How about you? Did you ever lose a special whisky due to an accident or blunder like this? Please do tell. Misery loves company.

Eagle Rare, 17 year old, 45%, $65
The other whiskeys in the Antique Collection get all the attention but, for the past few years, Eagle Rare 17 yr. bourbon has been very impressive. Vanilla taffy, caramel almonds, maple syrup and candy corn, with balancing notes of polished leather, summer fruit, a dusting of cinnamon, mocha and soft mint. The flavors are nicely integrated with good depth. A rock solid effort that will not disappoint.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 94

William Larue Weller, 62.65%, $65
A significant improvement over the previous release in 2007, which I felt was the weakest of Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection last year. Wheated bourbons, like William Larue Weller, lack the bold zing of rye, and therefore are vulnerable to being too tame, too easygoing, like the 2007 WLW release. What wheated whiskeys gain in drinkability, they can lose in vibrancy and zest. The distiller might need to augment this with something. A good way to do this is by increasing the oak impact (spice, resin, balancing dryness), as was done here (quite masterfully, by the way) with this new expression. Sweet notes of vanilla custard, maple syrup, Demerara rum, shortbread cookie and marzipan are balanced by raspberry jam, cinnamon, nutmeg, teaberry and gentle oak resin that lingers on the finish. Great balance too!

Advanced Malt Advocate Magazine rating: 93