I've Got a Teeling (Woo Woo)

 You'll have noticed fewer posts on here recently and perhaps you're missing regular whiskey reviews? Fear not as (along with this post) another two whisky tastings are coming up before Christmas. Despite living in Ireland I've tried very few Irish Whiskeys (Bushmills, Jamesons and Connemara). This is something I shall need to rectify in the next few years as there's a new wave of distillers coming online, especially if they produce anything anywhere near the standard of last night's whiskey. 

The whiskey in question is the new single malt from Teeling, a new Dublin based distiller. This particular whiskey bears no age statement but its component parts are well travelled having spent time in five different casks: Sherry, Port, Madeira, Cabernet Sauvignon and White Burgundy* and are up to 23 years old.  These have come together to produce an excellent sipping whiskey (46%, non chill-filtered) at a very reasonable price (Just under £40/ €50).

It pours an attractive pale copper, with fairly viscous alcohol legs up the sides of the glass. On the nose at first fruity oaky some butterscotch up front with an underlying Turkish delight and peppery notes.

On warming it starts to gain some melon and banoffee pie hints, its a complex beast! The same is true in the mouth really full bodied, with sweet sultanas, meaty sherry like umami notes, sandalwood, caramel, butter, a growing saffron spiciness and of course vanilla notes from the wood. Its fairly fiery and warming, but as your palate acclimatises blueberry becomes the overwhelming note, with underlying mango. This multifaceted character helps to keep the whiskey interesting from first to last sip. Don't bother adding water to this one, it just dumbs it all down to blandness, its great as it is!

 

Thanks to Steve as always for organising and Stephen Teeling for the sample. If you're down in Dublin there's a Teeling Tasting in the Norseman on Friday. The distillery should be open to the public from Mid-April next year, I for one am looking forward to visiting to see those shiny new copper stills! Cheers All and Slainte!

Teeling Whiskey

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 *I'd love to try those constituent parts Stephen if you're reading!

Another blind gambit

In the first of three tastings this month, Steve has teamed up with the whisky lounge to provide us with four blind samples. Arriving in small condiment bottles with a rather sharp looking branded box I'm itching to get started with a whole 2 hours to wait between collection and tasting starting.

As soon as the chime sounds for seven of the evening clock, my first sample is poured and nosed -light floral orange blossom water on this one with spicey pink peppercorns. Its certainly boisterous and cask strength with the gentle character of  a Speyside but still plenty of warmth. Adding a splash of water mellows it and allows fruit and honey to emerge. The twitter consensus is that this is probably a grain whisky but turns out incorrect as its a 1992 Longman bottling from Berry Bros and Rudd at a hefty 50.9%.

In my haste to sample I forgot to take a pic!
here's one from the whisky exchange instead

The second dram has a very inviting deep amber hue and plenty of non-bourbon cask character*. I get butterscotch, caramac bars and banana skin on the nose but also an odd aroma redolent of partially melted acrylic plastic which transports me back to my school construction lab. Thankfully there's no plasticky notes in theflavour instead a spicey warming bananas mashed in honey withginger and cloves...tastes like a dessert. Vanilla comes through strongly in the finish, even more so with a drop of water but actually its so well balanced it doesn't need that. I could happily drink a lot of this but it turns out I can't afford to at £100 a bottle!

* Its certainly non bourbon-cask and not a whisky at all but a cognac. Wow who'd have thought I'd like something derived from the fruit of the vine!

Moving swiftly on we approach dram number three with caution after the previous sleight of hand. Its intriguing on the nose with fruity wood smoke, aged cheese rinds and a gentle peat caress in behind. Very gently caresses the palate at first then unleashes a bowl of fruity apple wood smoke and an after-taste of sea-salted caramel and perhaps an iodine note. The gentle nature of the peating suggests a northern Islay drop, but we're all wrong again as it turns out to be An Cnoc Rutter. This is part of a new range released to highlight the use of peat, with a more ind epth review on the Edinburgh Whisky Blog. I'd certainly consider purchasing a bottle of this one.

Our final drop of the evening appears an innocuous wan gold but with a nasal burning grainy raw spirit note. In behind that is soreen maltloaf, freshly cut and a savoury umami meaty note. Its not until adding water that I spot the huge great whack of peat smoke lurking around the corner to pound my unsuspecting tastebuds into submission. The same is true of the flavour, with just a subtle hint of ashes in behind pre-watering but a full haybarn on fire smoky-sweetness appearing afterwards. Or smoky high quality silage as one tweeter mentioned. Turns out that this one is the Islay though it could easily have been a smoky speysider. Tricky beasts these whiskys, obviously need to train the palate a bit more!

So thanks as always to Steve at the Whisky Wire and cheers to the Whisky Lounge crew for supplying the samples, and once again affirming that in order to appreciate whiskys you need to go beyond whiskys in your sampling repertoire to give you other reference points, that cognac was fantastic. I can certainly recommend the rutter though and will buy one myself when funds allow. This tweet tasting was a preview event of the Whisky Weekender happening next weekend in London, if that sounds up your street then check it out.

For more thoughts on the drams in question take a look at #WhiskyWeekender on Twitter or see Pete's blog.

Whisky in high places: Arran tweet tasting

Time for some island whisky's again brought to me (and therefore you in words and pics) courtesy of Steve Rush at the Whisky Wire in the form of a Tweet Tasting. This time we get to spend some time with relative newcomer Arran distillery.* Four whisky's of varying ages and strengths, the free keyring and "Enjoy!" label were a nice touch & great size samples...if I'd been more organised I could have invited others around to join the tasting, still plenty left too! So without further ado...the thoughts.

The regular 10 year Old was up first. To me this felt slightly young or perhaps the wood used had an effect but there's fairly fresh woody aftershave up f forest glades, cobwebbed sheds musty apple lofts on the nose Its fairly fiery, sweet, peppery perhaps. A touch of water brings out spicy sandalwood. Fairly dry with woody spice. Not one I'll drink again soon.

Much more complex on the nose the 14 y/o (also 46%) Pearskin, vanilla, cardamom, freshly made paper. Finishing in sherry and bourbon brought a good range of flavours to the table. Its quite subtle - handled well it'd make a nuanced cocktail. Much gentler to taste than the 10 y/o, more rounded rich grape flavours, vanilla but still plenty of fire & oaky swwetness followed by fruity pear. Adding water brings out honey drenched egg custard tart with a subtle orange blossom water finish, nice. Available for a not unreasonable £40 at MoM (with free glass!).

The 12 y/o cask strength (53.9%) is completely different, robust earthy spices,meaty umami notes - could be the 100% sherry hogshead aging. Juniper berries & sea salt encrusted old tarpaulin appear on airing. A rich velvet mouthfeel, plenty of heat, some lemon pith, more of that meaty note from the nose. Rich sweet deep woodiness,leather as it opens up that apple strudel others got on the nose comes through, especially sultanas. Its complex but ultimately rewarding.£50.55 @MoM

The new millennium cask release 53.5% is fairly subtle on the nose, sweet crème caramel and white pepper. Pretty fiery adding water really opens up the nose...Turkish delight, rosewater and oak smoke. Perhaps slightly pricey at £70

 
A really interesting range of similar but different whiskys, the14 y/o pips 12/yo cask strength to the post for me,with millennium cask worth a taste but I was't keen on the 10 year old. Thanks as always to Steve for organising and Arran for the freebies!

But that's not the end of the post. Whilst we're in an Arran frame of mind its time I opened my Brewdog Arran aged Paradox. Its a bruiser of a beer at 15%. Dark ebony brown with Orange tan head. Sweet caramel, vanilla and booze on the nose which I recognise from the whisky. Sweet vanilla, umami, full bodied, medium carbonation. Quite alcoholic but well done.A good digestif!

*Arran being thought to mean "high place"...hence the post title

Ecclesiastical Spirit

Another week, another Tweet Tasting and today we're treated to a selection of Abbey Whisky's wares. They arrived lovingly packaged in straw and wax dipped, certainly some of the most pampered samples I've received to date. We tasted these on 20th November. Review after the obligatory group shot...

Range of colours, producers and ages.

Up first is Caperdonich's 17 year old whisky. Caperdonich 17 Year Old Refill Bourbon – Vintage: 1995 – Bottled: 2012 57.8%

Pale blonde in the glass with spicey woody notes, caramel and some alcohol in behind. Fairly fiery, grainy, sweet. Oils shimmer across the surface on adding a drop or two of water. Still fairly hot with lip drying finish. Little change to aroma too. Its a bit one dimensional and wasn't really a fan tbh.

Bunnahabhain 23 year old up next and noticeably
less alcoholic on the nose. No peat smoke here so probably one of its unsmoked variants. Vanilla and butterscotch bourbon wood character. Slightly vegetal, chartreuse like with bonfire ashes and a meaty finish. water in this one really dulls the nose but really sweetens the palate. goats cheese too? This would work well as an accompaniment to hearty game dishes, with just enough complexity to cut through the rich meat flavours. Ginger comes through in the finish, certainly one that delights long after the glass is drained even if unassuming up front.

Ben Nevis 16 y/o is 55% and noticeably darker on the pour an attractive chestnut brown from its time spent in an Oloroso Sherry Hogshead. Vintage: 1997 – Bottled: 2013.  Pledge and an underlying musty cellar with perhaps a hint of cider vinegar. Fairly boisterous on the palate with copper sulphate and plenty of warmth. Dry coffee roast notes in the finish. water rounds out the nose allowing caramel and orange flower water to the party but the alcohol still singes the nostrils. it makes the body fuller but also highlights the eggy sulphur notes. After that dissipates there's some lemon peel and plasticky notes, the nose opens up on standing and palate calms a bit too but its still a bruiser of a whisky. Blackcurrant ribena notes appear right in the finish.

The final dram is a mystery, the darkest of the lot an enticing copper red. turkish delight, apple cinnamon doughnuts and madeira sweetness, certainly the most interesting nose thus far!warm and spicey, orange marmalade, full bodied, oily finish. really enjoayble even without water. definitely saved the best for last! Turns out it was a 1993 Glen Dronach  again aged in Oloroso Sherry Butt, 20 years old. At £89.95 worth the money if you can spare it!

For me the GlenDronach was the standout star, with the bunnahabhain also enjoyable. I could take or leave the Ben Nevis and wasn't a fan of Caperdonich at all...goes to show that all whiskys are different and reinforces the statement "if you don't like whisky you just haven't tried enough yet!"

Cheers to Steve as always for organising the tasting and Abbey Whisky for sending out such interesting samples. Call by again next week for my summary of Monday's Arran tweet tasting.

Tweeddale Tweet Tasting

The start of October saw another Whisky Wire tweet tasting, this time with 4 samples from Tweeddale, all at 46% ABV. The concept is interesting as the whisky was tasted in age order, with each subsequent whisky having undergone an additional year (or two years) ageing in a different finish cask with further tweaks batch to batch. Take a look at Tweeddale's tasting notes for more info.

"An indulgent small batch, limited edition blend drawn from nine single casks*; an aged single grain whisky and eight individually selected aged single malt whiskies, with a high malt content (50% grain, 50% malt). In keeping with the original blend it has not been chill filtered and has been bottled at 46% alcohol by volume. This ensures a balanced, full bodied and full flavoured whisky with pronounced sweet, sherry notes."

Sample #1 is the 10 years old release which pours "pale fields of gold" according to my description! Fairly gentle on the nose with a woody spiciness and fresh baked shortcake. Extremely smooth, quite sweet, a fiery punch but with a sultanas and redcurrants on the finish. After the initial heat subsides a touch of phenolics and honey, expertly balanced. adding a splash of water brings green apple to the nose and mellows the heat allowing the spiciness in the nose to show. Available for a very reasonable £26.99

Second for the evening was the 12 y/o papery, wood pepperiness, impressive legs again sweet rhubarb and custard sweets, dusty gooseberries. The nose really evolves on warming to a summery fruit compote of peaches, raspberries and pears, quite soft. Heat sneaks up & hits the back of your throat...eye wateringly so! After that subsides those fruit berry flavours come out adding water really emphasises that islay addition..iodine dryness and salty barnacle encrusted ropes dipped in vermouth. Really great blend this one.

Up next, the 13 year old. is such a pale blonde,as if someone dumped water but still has the legs to prove otherwise long nosing of this ,fairly subtle on the nose, a bit of pear drops and pure ethanol very fiery and peppery, peardrops on adding waterits really sweet on the palate, almost unfinished..unfermented out, sweet italian vermouth with added canderel.

Fourth and final whisky is 14 years old and had quite some kick on the nose! very peppery, lemon peel definite root ginger more of the spicy notes in the taste, alongside wine gums and some rounded sweetness. Well balanced but not quite my bag. Finishes wine gums dissolved in ginger ale... could make for a good cocktail spirit.

For me the 12 year old was the most accomplished with the 10 year old also enjoyable. I wasn't keen on the 14 year old and the 13 year old didn't sit right with me at all...guess 13 is unlucky for some after all! Thanks as always to Steve for organising the tasting and Alasdair from Tweeddale for providing the samples!

Liquid Americana Whisky tasting

My third whisky tweet tasting experience was something a little different from the previous two: not only were the 5 samples on offer American in origin, they were also unknowns. I don't know much about American whisky anyway; so the evening was a great learning experience. Whiskys were provided by Arkwrights and as ever compèred by taster supremo Steve,cheers guys! Review after the group shot.

First up was a weighty perfumey jasmine rice and coconut milk number that was quite boozy with an interesting Parma Violets finish. it tasted like a fiery sweet potato until doused with a splash of water, allowing spicy wood, mashing barley and vanilla to come to the fore. I wasn't all too impressed but suggested it as a cocktail base, which got some nods of approval. Turns out this one is a bourbon, Elijah Craig 12 y/o, available for a reasonable £31.50.

Moving on swiftly we reached an elevenses whisky, spicy Seville marmalade on wheaten bread. It tasted completely different - BBQ'd pineapple with black pepper, heavy on the char and an oily textured finish with oriental spiced nuts. This whisky is another bourbon and the priciest at £54 - Noah's Mill.

Third up was actually my favourite of the evening, much gentler on the nose with strawberries, turkish delight and candied angelica. Lighter in body and finishing sweet, this is the only one that didn't need the additional water. A novelty this one being a wheat whisky it turns out, Bernheim original £52.25 though I probably wouldn't splash out for the bottle when a Speyside would do it for cheaper.

A bargain at £23.50!

The penultimate whisky offered up a smorgasbord of healthy fruits including satsuma, peaches and blueberries, liberally drizzled with honey. Towards the back was a brooding slightly smoky meaty note. In the mouth was coriander seed, cardboard, oak smoked ham and a lot of cereal...so much so that I guessed this was a grain whisky...wrong again! Rye this time, Pikesville to be precise and at a bargainous £23.50 I'm considering picking up a bottle to work through the various rye cocktail recipes I'm dying to try.

We finished up with a whisky of intriguing nose, peppermint, turps and almonds finishing quite fiery with a whack of booze. After adding a touch of water geraniums and orange flower water became apparent on the nose, very full in body though perhaps lacking in subtlety of flavour. This was High West Double Rye, so called as it is a blend of two straight rye whiskys.

So an interesting experience, but helped to confirm my suspicions that I am a Scotch malt man rather than a whiskey man. Thanks to Arkwrights for providing the samples, if you fancy trying them at home they're available through Arkwrights for £16.75, that's less than £3.40 a double stats fans! Follow the nights' shenanigans on #LiquidAmericana.

Wemyss Dreams

Steve at The Whisky Wire has been busy recently organising tweet tastings and I've managed to get myself invited to another one, this time from independent blenders and bottlers Wemyss.

Wemyss are based across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh at the family seat (a castle) and have had connections to the whisky industry since the 1800s. They have a core range of blended malts plus single cask releases representing different regions of the country.

I can't claim to have tried any of their wares before;so I'm going into this evening blind apart from the names and age statements on some of the bottles. More details after the obligatory group shot...

We started the evening with spice king, which had sweet butterscotch and Murray mints on the nose, with green cardamom and pipe smoke in behind. Its very light in body with an (Ardmore?) smokiness up front followed by a great whack of sweetness and boozy waft and a peppery elderflower finish.

Adding a touch of water ruined it for me, with pear skins, bakewell tart and burnt paper taking over. Trust the experts on this one, they get it right before the bottle gets to you!

Next came ginger spice, a whisky distilled in 1988 in Glenrothes also at 46% ABV. Again buttery esters and alcohol up front in the nose but fruity green apple too. Its very hot (booze forward) with woody vanilla, apple skins whilst the booze numbs the tongue. A dash of water brings out some sandalwood, toffee covered peaches and white grape skins. Finishes fairly grainy.

Peat Chimney an Islay accentuated blend gives a vanilla punch at first, reminding me of Icelandic yoghurt skyr (a fairly obtuse reference i admit). Rich peaty smoke notes (but not overly medicinal) long heavier fractions legs and a little buttered toast. The smoke is up front in the mouth, a beach-side BBQ, chocolate, wood burning stoves and a grapefruit mojito. Sweet demarara sugar and caramelised meats in the finish.

Finally came Chocolate Honeycomb a 2001 distilled (12 y/o) whisky from Bunnahabin. Crème caramel with a side of Pledge furniture polish. Honey covered plasticine. Its sweet and fiery with a lengthy umami finish. Even with some water its very sweet, a whisky for the after dinner cheeseboard if ever there was one. Washed rind cheese would work well, warm orange peel and cinnamon notes - think orange cocktail bitters develops on the nose. Certainly one that benefits the dilution.

Peat Chimney was my favourite for the night, perfectly balanced peatiness vs drinkability and at a very reasonable price, I'd look to buy a bottle once my current stock has been worked down a bit.

You can follow the thoughts of everyone else on the night by reading through the #WemyssTT2 tag on twitter. Fellow bloggers were also present in force, here's a few of their reviews. Cheers again to Steve for organising the evening and Wemyss for the chance to try some fantastic whiskys for free. Follow Steve on Twitter for a chance to take part in future tastings.

Wemyss Malts

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@WemyssMalts

My third and final tweet tasting (for the time being!) is a blind selection of American whiskies this Wednesday courtesy of Arkwrights. So if you're interested in the delights of corn and/or rye, tune in from 7pm by following the hashtag #LiquidAmericana and Steve's @TweetTastings account on the night.

Jura turns 50

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Jura distillery,  this week being the Fèis Ile whisky celebrations. Today sees the distillery open day, with plenty of tutored tasting sessions, live music and other goodies. I managed to get in on the action from here in Northern Ireland by signing up to a tweet tasting with the Whisky Wire(thanks for the tip off Pete (drinks)!)

There have been distilleries on Jura for almost 200 years, but the current incarnation of Jura distillery dates back to 1963 when architect William Delme-Evans designed the "unusually large" stills that give the whisky its light character.

I'm fairly familiar with Jura, having visited them on my Islay tour last year. Five whiskys this time

 Turas Mara is a new addition to their core range but available only at certain travel retail outfits
. Fittingly the translation is "long journey" and it has been aged in bourbon casks from the USA alongside others from Spain, France and Portugal (I'd assume sherry, brandy and port, but could be wrong). As confirmed by Steve its Spanish sherry butts, French oak barriques & Portuguese port pipes. It's also named for a poem written by former Duirach* Jessie Scott, with her own departure point marked by a plaque on the beach.

At 42% its pretty close to the usual dilution mark of 40% and an attractive mid-golden-blonde colour. On the nose its spicy and boozy with caramel sweetness and some fruity port (?) notes. Its quite sweet with blackcurrant, toffee and a long rich finish.

Adding in some water brought out orange peel plus an earthy spicy quality, cardamom perhaps bringing to mind an imperial wit beer on the nose. The whisky warmth increases in taste and some woody, slightly oxidised cardboard notes appear, that I'm not all that keen on.

With the remainder of the sample I mixed a micro-rob roy, 10ml of vermouth rosso and a generous dash of angostura bitters, stirred over ice. That's a nice way to have it.

Well worth a look in but drink it undiluted!

From jurainfo.com

Another new addition to the range is the 30 year old, bottled at 44% ABV. This spent the latter three years of its ageing process in Gonzalez Byass Olorosso Butts. Named Camas an Staca for the largest of 8 standing stones on the island, this whisky is just a fraction of the age of the stones (estimated at 3000years).

An attractive burnished gold this fella. Nose redolent of a walk in a damp woodland, with some butterscotch notes, quite hot and boozy up front but a lovely woody spiciness and some vanillins and weirdly baked ham after that initial alcohol has subsided.

A splash of water really rounds out the mouthfeel and releases a cloud of peaches and cream to the flavour. The reminds on a sweet shop/ nail bar with sticky pear drops and a hint of nail varnish alongside vanilla and juicy stewed fruits. Its a fantastic drop of whisky, but one I'm unlikely to try again due to its £350 price tag!

From Edinburghwhiskyblog.com

The 1977 vintage is named Juar, Gaelic for Yew Tree symbolising immortality and rebirth. The whisky comes from three bourbon barrels finished for a year in a ruby port pipe. 498 bottles @ 46%ABV were released for this one. It pours fairly pale gold with black pepper and burnt paper on the nose on swirling there's some almond and floral notes. A really interesting burst of fruit in the mouth at first, sweet raspberries and peaches, followed by plenty of alcohol warmth, finishing with some golden syrup and meaty umami notes.
Adding water reduces the fruit and brings out the porridgey nose of a whisky mash accompanied by Christmas cake spices. To taste its a different beast, the fieriness has been tamed revealing a hidden sweet core, well rounded and enjoyable.

From abbeywhisky.com

Delme-Evans was the famed architect that resurrected the distillery in 1963, and a cask strength whisky was released in his honour. A 1988 distillation cask number 1796 was re-racked into olorosso sherry before being released as 586 bottles. It sold out quickly, but a few bottles were retained for tasting and that's what we're privileged to try here.

Another mid-gold pour here with a rich savoury umami nose balanced by undercurrents of geraniums. Its sweet and warming with washed rind cheese, sherry flavours, oak and furniture polish. Adding water to it brings cherry stones, lots of alcohol, spent grains, and sawdust to the nose. Rich parmesan, sea salt and iodine flavours. Still fairly strong to taste and the sherry is right up making itself known. Certainly a sipper but you're rewarded by a long sweet heather honey finish with some green apple notes.

Final whisky to write about is the oldest, soon to be the new 40 year old bottling but currently 39 3/4 years old. As its not being released until 2014, there are no bottle pictures yet! Its a hefty 51.4% matured in sherry and finished in amoroso sherry for a year.
This is a gorgeous dark ruby gold with rummy molasses, strong solvent, weet-a-bix and a big boozy punch here. Very high alcohol with long legs, evaporates off the tongue, strong alcohol, marmite umami, fairly mouth puckering astringency, tannins and plenty of sherry character, a bit of a challenge. No hiding that sherry influence at all here.
With water its still fairly alcoholic but theres smokey campfire, some peaty phenols and tangerine pith. The flavour is completely subdued, but allows it to evolve instead of being overwhelmed by alcohol. Its a seaside barbecue seaspray and smoke. Takes some getting used to but ultimately rewarding.

A completely varied bunch showing how age and different finishes can really change the character of  whisky. For me the Juar was the most enjoyable, though the Delme Evans certainly challenged my perceptions of whisky!
 

Thanks a lot to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire for organising this tasting, its been great fun and tasty too of course. Thanks to Jura @Jura_Whisky for the samples, I hope to visit you guys again soon as my Duirach's own is running low!

*Duirach: a resident of Jura. You can sign up to become an honourary Duirach on Jura distillery website, entitling you to a free dram and reduced ferry fare.