Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The old and wise?

Incredibly old whisky. Where to start? The price of whisky this age can often be the main focus making it an almost instant write-off for most whisky drinkers. Unless you’re a regular to our festivals or lucky enough to be on good terms with your local specialist, you’re unlikely to try whisky at this age unless your lottery numbers have come up or you just think what the hell, I’ve earned it.

Whisky at this age can be so far removed from the regular bottle it can almost be like a totally different drink. In my opinion some massively priced and big old well known distillery bottlings seem to be more about the age statement and the status symbol that goes with that, rather than the liquid itself. Something I like to point out when I do a tasting is how whisky in its essence is (or at least was) a poor mans drink – barley, yeast and water that’s your only ingredients. 40, 50, 60yo whisky and its prices show just how far this spirit has come from its humble beginnings as the working man’s drink.

Paying £300, £400, even £1200 for big distillery bottlings of this age  doesn’t necessarily guarantee you’ll enjoy it any more than your regular tipple, whatever it might be. In my opinion if you’re in a good mood, the whisky in your glass is an extension of that. However if the opportunity arises to try any incredibly old whisky, whether it be official or independent, well quite frankly you’d be mental to turn it down. It’s an experience and, whether you think they’re worth the price or not, they can deliver a totally unique experience and something unlike anything you’ve ever tried before.

Now Glenfarclas broke the mould with this release in 2010 – an official distillery 40yr bottling – that next to its competitors is a fraction of the price. No elaborate hand-made oak box, just the regular tube and bottle, putting this kind of whisky within reach for more people than just the incredibly fortunate. In fact you see this attitude reflected through the whole range.

The ‘big fat’ 40yo, 46%, Around £300.

Nose

This is like opening a big tin of roses in a museum musty, leather and oak with chocolate orange and of course as expected plenty of big fruit and spice from the 40+ years in sherry casks.

Palate

You can feel the tannins from the oak on your lips straight away, it’s bizarre just not something you normally find with any whisky. Golden syrup cake, ripe orange, red fruit and plain chocolate all wrapped up in possibly the chewiest softest spirit you can imagine. Holding it on the palate allows the intensity to grow it’s concentration of flavour is incredible. Juicy and chewy

Finish

Oak, massive sherry and really drying, the tannins cling to your palate you can pretty much taste the cask, plenty of chocolate, sweet spice and marmalade,

Overall

This whisky is so big and intense it can knock you back. As it’s sitting, breathing in the glass it’s changing revealing more and more flavour. Not one to be rushed. If you have an experience of something big on the sherry, like the ‘Farclas 15yo or Dalmore 15 – times it by ten and you’ll be getting somewhere close. I don’t honestly think there is anything richer than this out there. Maybe some old Glendronach from a PX cask, but nothing springs to mind that would knock this big fat 40yo out of the ring.

The 43yo Cognac Cask, 40.3%, Around £450-£500

Nose

Initially green sweets like apple boiled sweets, toffee and apricot. Sweet and spicy like mixed stewed fruit. Really deep and complex the slightest trace of rosemary and chutney like density hiding in amongst all the enticing sweet tones

Palate

Incredibly soft and silky, surprisingly light in feel for whisky of this age. Plenty of spice, baked apple covered in caramelised demerara sugar some stoned fruit, traces of bitter chocolate, toffee and a subtle peppery thing going on that seems to prickle on your tongue.

Finish

Clean and long, traces of grapes, mixed nuts green apple and caramel

Overall,

A bizarre whisky unlike any Glenfarclas I’ve ever tried. Completely different to the big sherry cask style that ‘Farclas do so well. The nose is incredible – the kind you can just sit sniffing almost for ever, providing you can keep yourself from drinking it that is and you’d need to have a stronger will than I’ll ever hope to have to do that!

Conclusion on the above…..

Wow, now that’s a long review, 2076 words on Glenfarclas. A marathon of a review I’m sure you’ll agree. This distillery will always be the bench mark for a sherry cask Speyside whisky for me. Never a let down and always outstanding value right through the range. Each expression has its own character and will always deliver satisfaction no matter which you choose.

See you next time!

Cheers,

Joe.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Very few distilleries have a core-range that can show off their spirit right through from 10yo to 40yo, with almost everything in between – and if you count the family cask series, you’ve got every year going right back from 1996 to 1952, all single cask and bottled at cask strength. They were also the first distillery to commercially release a whisky at cask strength – way back in 1968 – now that’s worthy of a championship whisky belt if you ask me! One of the best bits of whisky innovation since, well, the discovery of malting barley to make better whisky out of!

This wealth of maturing stock is unique and you won’t find this library of bottlings from any other distillery. Not only do they offer an almost unrivalled range but you will be hard pushed to see this level of commitment to the sherry cask. Only a small handful of distilleries are as ‘loyal’ to this style and even fewer deliver it as flawlessly as these guys.

So add all this together and you’ve got a unique distillery that doesn’t feel the need to veer from their well-troden and award-winning path. They have a winning formula that’s been tried and tested over the decades, “if it aint broke don’t fix it” springs to mind.

‘Farclas fill two types of cask. Mainly sherry casks, ex–Oloroso and Fino from Seville in Spain, in both the traditional 500ltr butt as well as 250ltr sherry hogsheads. The second type of cask filled is the industry favourite – the re-fill Hogshead made of American oak.

Each bottling in this review is undoubtedly what we would refer to as a sherry-cask style, except for one, the 43yo from a cognac cask (in part 2).

Let’s go!

The Trusty 10yo, 40%. Around £30.

Nose,

Fruity and malty with a slight trail of smoke.

Palate,

Mouth-coating but delicate, honey and sweetness straight up – the fruit emerging as you hold it on your palate, hints of cinnamon and spice.

Finish,

Darker flavours emerge here. A hint of earthiness and trace of peat bringing balance to the sweetness.

Overall,

If only all entry level single malts were this good. Around £30 across the board bargain!

The Massive 105 10yo, 60%. Around £45.

Fond memories of this whisky, working through a half bottle on the train home to York back from Edinburgh after a trip to Islay. ’105′ with a group of friends and a deck of cards seems to create some kind of time vortex. One of the finest and fastest train journeys of my life.

Nose,

Massively rich intense fruit assaults on every sensory receptor in your nose – far deeper and darker than the regular 10yo expression. Held back behind all that strength is a multitude of flavours. All kinds of fruit, honey, malt, spice, slight hints of treacle and liquorice lie deep in the distance, all together with marmalade and spread over a big wedge of slightly overdone granary toast.

Palate,

Really big, this whisky bursts with a fruity intensity that almost knocks you back, as it holds onto your palate it grows with sweetness and delivers an explosion of grapey fruit and spice along with some golden syrup.

Finish,

Grips onto your tongue like you’d grip on to a cliff edge. This whisky just will not let go. Starting off with an intense golden syrup flapjack that’s over cooked and almost overwhelming then mellows into soft waves of honey and fruit.

Overall, The gloves are well and truly off. ’105′ takes no prisoners and will give you a big fruity slap round the jowls. A big whisky that you know you’re drinking. Superb!

The Elusive 12yo, 43%. Around £40.

Nose,

Subtle, light and creamy like fruit salad with some double cream in the mix, mandarin cheesecake served with vanilla custard.

Palate,

Soft and delicate with plenty of fruit and rhubarb and custard boiled sweets. Not a complete dessert free for all. Dark chocolate and biscuit flavours and a touch of peat begins to emerge rounding it off and imbuing the whisky with complexity and depth.

Finish,

Demerara brown sugar, macerated dark fruit and spice.

Overall a whisky which transforms on the palate from cheesecake in a summer garden to deep rich fruit pudding in a dark, dirty, candle lit Victorian kitchen. Made for travel retail and export you’re unlikely to come across the 12yo in the average specialist in the UK. My view is we’re missing out.

The Festive 15yo, 46%. Around £45

Nose,

Pure Christmas cake I know this is used to describe a multitude of sherry-casked whiskies but this really is it. Tons of fruit and with a big sherry character and marzipan.

Palate,

Soft and silky but not without a little bite which keeps it alive on your palate. Slight traces of peat amongst the weighty sweet spice and sherry influence.

Finish,

Well rounded and delivers all that dried fruit from the nose along with butterscotch and red grapes. Something reminiscent of breakfast cereal bars with dried fruits and covered in that yoghurt stuff that’s not yoghurt.

Overall. The extra ageing has added real depth and complexity in all aspects from start to finish. Regarded by many whisky drinkers I know to be one of the best value whiskies available in relation to its age, price, style and undeniable quality. Awesome stuff.

The Sophisticated 21yo, 43%. Around £65

Nose,

Lighter than the 15yo, baked apples scattered with chocolate covered raisan and vanilla

Palate,

Lighter on the palate than the 15yo, mellow and refined – the sherry and the spirit character are intertwined. As it sits on your tongue a grapey presence and some ginger bread, vanilla, little flutters of coco and a trace of smoke and a slight mustiness.

Finish,

Mellow, spicy, chocolatey, slightly smoky and complex.

Overall. Soft and sophisticated dramming. Incredibly easy going and easy drinking, but with depth of flavour and complexity which keep it interesting in the glass.

The Gutsy 25yo 43%, Around £95-£100

Nose,

Dark chocolate covered Belgium biscuits, big rich sherry tones – even more so than any of the younger expressions. Fig rolls and fruits of the forest gateaux, blackcurrants and something meaty like some kind of fruit-laden game casserole.

Palate,

Awesome mouthfeel, the age is shining through and so are the tannins. The complexity is clear in the way the flavours evolve on your palate. Starting with dark fruit gateaux, along with big, juicy red grapes, the sherry ain’t shy here either – you’ve got Oloroso in spades and Liquorice-Allsorts shaken up in a bag of mixed nuts.

Finish,

Dark slightly bitter chocolate, cola cubes, pistachio nuts and some trails of smoke. Slightly drying and really long.

Overall,

If you like them well-aged, big and rich then this is one for you. A luxurious and decadent dram with a big bolshie character and little in the way of subtlety.

That’s it for part 1. Some fantastic examples here for you to go at, particularly if you’re a fan of the sherry-casked, big, meaty speysider.

See you back here for Part 2 very soon!

Slainte!

Joe

Okay so this review is a little late, but this is only because we’re so busy bringing whisky festivals to all of you, and be honest would you rather a whisky review or a whisky festival? Yeah, thought so.

If you think of all the whisky drinkers you know or have ever known, one thing they will all have in common (besides being enlightened by whisky) is that at some point they’ve all had a dram of Glenmorangie. Now whether it is the Original Ten year old, or one of the older and more unusual releases, I’ve no doubt that they enjoyed it just as I always have. Yep, from Signet to the well-known 10yo there’s no denying that this distillery is capable of true whisky greatness.

This review is looking at the 3^rd release of their ‘Private Edition’ seris, named Artein. A combination of 2 parts 15yo and 1 part 21yo ‘Morangie, primarily aged as you would expect in their much-loved American Oak, it’s then moved for an extra period of maturation into ‘Super-Tuscan’ wine casks from Italy.

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of finishing or extra maturation – a swift explanation. Essentially it’s when matured stock (from ex-Bourbon barrels in this case) is moved into a new cask, port, wine, virgin American white oak etc. The whisky will then be left for anything from a few months to usually no more than a year to take on extra layer of flavour. The hard part is not leaving it to long, these new casks are powerful and could easily dominate and overwhelm the spirit if not watched carefully. Glenmorangie more or less spearheaded this movement back in the 90s with large volume releases of wood finished whiskies, which you might remember.

Now the focus on this particular release is stone. Inspired partly by the Cadboll stone originally carved way back around 300AD- 900AD!

If you look closely at the pattern you might recognise it? The pattern was adopted by Glenmorangie as their logo and can be found on all their releases but is most noticeable on Signet. This choice of ‘material’ also allows them to point to their mineral-rich limestone water source, the Tarlogie spring. The wine casks themselves are connected to stone in that the vines are growing on an inhospitable landscape in which the roots are working like mad to delve into what earth they can find through this stoney entrapment. The wine itself from these casks is called ‘Sassicaia’ (pronounced Sas-i-kai) derived from the word ‘sasso’, also meaning stone.

So it’s about as stoned as a whisky can get…

Now the man behind this is one Dr Bill Lumsden (Glenmorangie’s Whisky Creator) who as we all know is not shy of cask finishing and is almost single-handedly responsible for the whole galaxy of wood finishing we see today (no offence Dave Stewart of Balvenie). In fact I reckon if you’re standing near a wine cask too long while Bill’s around you’re likely to end up in it and being matured that little bit longer and finished yourself! Who knows you might come out with an extra dimension of character much like this whisky. He is also a massive fan of red wines from this region so it was only a matter of time…

The Tasting of Artein

Nose. Red fruit, blackcurrants, grapes and mixed berries tapered down with vanilla custard. Whispers of oak and age appear through the intense fruit.

Palate. Quite thick Certainly thicker than most other ‘Morangies), silky and soft. Big hit of sweetness and the fruit that’s so clear on the nose is almost dominating. As it holds onto your palate it intensifies initially but then begins to mellow revealing the American oak behind it all.

Finish. Not what I expected – almost slightly minty with little flutters of vanilla and some citrus and spice right in the distance.

Conclusion.

A weird whisky, I have to be honest, but very tasty stuff though. A good example of red wine cask maturation (if you’ve never tried a good one try this) and just how massive its impact can be on a subtle creature like Glenmorangie. Also a lesson in how to keep intense wine seasoned oak like this from overwhelming the spirit character – how to, harmonise flavour, oak and age into a tasty package. Wood finishing is always going to be a big platform for discussion in any whisky circle. If I’m playing with any wood finished drams at tastings this year I’d happily have Artein amongst them. Glenmorangie and other light styles can respond well to wood finishing certainly when the Bill Lumsdens and Jim McEwans of this world are at the helm, giving that extra layer of flavour and intrigue to old favourites.

Cheers,

Joe

Artein follows Finealta and Sonnalta PX in their private editions series. You can pick up Artein for around £70 from Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange and other good specialist retailers.

We treated the assembled guests to a whisky tasting with a difference, with myself, Amanda and Joe all choosing a whisky, a canapé, a piece of music, a set of images and a life experience – we call it a Whisky 3D Experience. Amanda chose a Jameson Select Reserve, a creme brûlée, Van Morrison, images of Downhill, Antrim and her childhood/our wedding. The idea was to focus on the emotional and evocative rather than the technical and ‘geeky’ and it seemed to go down rather well!

We also had the guys from ‘Dwink’ perform a shortened version of what they will be doing at the festival itself. If you’ve never seen them in action just follow this link.

The whole event was a great night and a great success and all of the hard work we all poured into it seemed to have paid off. Amanda particularly, and as always, did the lion’s share, creating all of the food on the night from scratch , including some of her famous truffles which she this time infused with our very own Bunnahabhain 1990.

However, the main event is to come, with the London Whisky Fest fast approaching in April. We have already sold out on the Saturday and are currently looking at doing the Sunday – watch this space. Hope to see you there!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Newcastle Fest 2012 – woohoo!!!!

No whisky festival is anything less than amazing in my opinion, but the people of Newcastle are a great crowd and certainly add an extra layer of excitement! A unique vibe if you like, and one thing’s for sure they certainly are an eager bunch – by 11:30 the queue already appeared to be a few hundred deep. The final head count for the day worked out at 555 which was a perfect result.

We actually limited numbers this year after comments that we perhaps had a few too many last year. See, we do listen!

This allowed for a balance between atmosphere and actually being able to get your glass filled, and not to mention still being able to hear all those whisky facts from the much-loved brand ambassadors and exhibitors.

A few facts about the day that you might find interesting:

Of the 206 of those that filled out the ‘Dram of the Day’ cards, 40% were women…

The much vaunted ‘Dram of the Day’ in question was Laphroaig Triple Wood, with joint 2^nd place going to Old Pulteney 21yo and Bladnoch 21yo. Rolling into joint 3^rd place were Balvenie 15 Single Barrel and Connemara Turf Mor. All very tasty drams I’m sure you’ll agree, and quite a diverse range of flavours. Great to see a peaty monster as your number 1 although not entirely surprising given the cold…

The Winner of ‘Stand of the Day’ (drum-roll):

Inverhouse – Congratulations! With 2^nd place going to Bladnoch , and Berry Brothers & Rudd in 3^rd.

As well as sold-out workshops by Colin Dunn of Diageo and Dr. Andrew Forrester of The Balvenie, the new ‘Speakeasy’ with a stunning array of premium drams, including the much talked about Highland Park ‘Thor’ proved extremely popular. Taking place in the mezzanine above the main hall, it offered a great view of the event and a chance to relax in a slightly more ‘chilled’ atmosphere.

The Hotel du Vin were on hand on the main stage to demonstrate some fantastic whisky cocktails and proved themselves extremely popular, particularly with the ladies…

For those of you reading this and who like whisky – if you haven’t been to one of our festivals, you are missing out in a major way. Put simply we will hands down beat any beer, wine or food festival you’ve ever been to, so don’t hang around. Get some tickets booked to a festival or tasting near you now!

Big thanks to all of you the people of Newcastle, the exhibitors and the Civic centre for making it a truly great start to The Whisky Lounge’s Festival year.

Cheers, Joe (and Eddie & Amanda)

Check out the video for results and some choice encounters! Do not ask what happened to Whisky Mission #1 by the way…

Click here to view the video on YouTube.