I haven't written lately but have enjoyed more Scotch tastings in the last few months than in the last year or so, so I thought I'd mention some interesting Scotch (and Irish) whiskies that I've tasted.
First, David Robertson, the "Robbo" of "Jon, Mark, and Robbo's Easy Drinking Whisky Company" was in town exhibiting their three vatted malts: Sweet and Smooth, Rich and Spicy, and Smoky Peaty. Anyone who has been drinking single malts for a while will translate their names into Plain, Sherried, and Peaty. I had always thought their sherried whisky was the least of the three, but it tasted so good that night that I wondered if it was the same as the one I had tried before. I asked how many different vattings had been issued, and was told that their were about three different vattings of each of the three in their line. There is no indication on the bottle which is which - and each have been made according to the recipe given on the website because (so far!) they have been able to source the casks. There has been some discussion, apparently, of putting some indication of the vatting such as a number or a vatting date on their bottles, and though I'm in favor of it I doubt anything will come of it - it sort of goes against the philosophy of the company: to make good whisky for drinking, not collectibles for connoiseurs. Possible scoop: they have toyed with the idea of adding a forth vatting to their line-up. This would be a grain whisky; the name would include "Fruity" but I dont remember the other adjective. Might never happen but I hope it does. I was too slow in buying the Hedonism from Compass Box, and when I finally decided I wanted one I couldn't fine one on local shelves. If you haven't tried their products they're worth investigating. The Sweeter Smoother One is an unusual mix of Irish single malt from Cooley and Fino Sherry aged Bunnahabhain, and is very good as a mild plain whisk(e)y. The Peaty one will disappoint the Ardbeg crowd: it isn't deeply peaty but is instead a very complex deep whisky with a peaty edge. All three are fairly young and therefore a bit "hot" but easily drinkable.
Willie Tait, Master Distiller at Isle of Jura Distillery was in town as ambassador for the brand, and we tasted the
10yo, 16yo and Superstition. I have already written about my regard for the Superstition, but learned that the two components that make up the single malt, one a well peated malt of about 4 years and the other older lightly peated malt in the usual Jura style and aged an average of around 15 years, are married in Oloroso sherry. I hadn't really noticed the sherry before but it was obvious once he mentioned it. I asked if any blends featured Isle of Jura and was informed that it is a component of countless blends but the featured malt of no blend available in the U.S.A. I asked what the proprietors of Isle of Jura thought of the independent bottlers (because Jura has been bottled by several like Cadenheads) but I found I had rattled a hornet's nest. He questioned their morality, comparing the independent bottlers to those who profit from the misery and suffering of others... let's just say the proprietors take a dim veiw of the independent bottlers. The scoop here is that the U.S. may soon have another version of Jura - a 21 yo.Ed Kohl, U.S. Sales Manager of Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Company was here because the new Signatories have (finally) arrived. My favorite stockist has only put a few of the current offerings on the shelves, wisely so I imagine, because the independents sell less quickly than th OB's, and likewise the more expensive bottles move less quickly than the affordable ones. So some of the most desirable of the new signatories were not stocked, like the Cragganmore, and unfortunately the Caol Isla. Of those that were, the Strathmill Distilled 1992,
13yo was a stand out. It's from a refill sherry cask. which is ideal for single cask bottlings as first fill casks can overwhelm the whisky. The sherry is prominent but not overpowering, the underlying malt is a sweet and mild in the tradition of Highland and Speyside whiskies. It dances on the palate and does a little flip on the late palate - very enjoyable. It's priced right too at less than 45 USD. It's not flawless, but it's very good and it's a hard to find malt too; it's the first Strathmill I've tasted.The Distiller's Editions: The DE's for Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, and Cragganmore appeared about two months ago and have just been joined by the Talisker DE. I've tried the Glenkinchie and the Cragganmore so far. The Glenkinchie DE is a wonderful little whisky. Glenkinchie has always been my least favorite of the "Classic Six" and my least favorite of the Lowland and near lowland whiskies except for Auchentoshan (Auchentoshan at younger ages is harsh and unrewarding but if you get a chance taste the 21yo! The 21yo has been very nice, although still probably not worth the price.) The Glenkinchie DE has that lovely combination of dry sherry with sweet malt and also dances on the palate with all the desirable flips and shifts of flavor. For the first time a Glenkinchie that was worth tasting! The Cragganmore DE finished in ruby port was a disappointment though. Perhaps because I really like the standard Cragganmore, this experiment just seemed wrong. Or perhaps port flavors are harder to match to the flavors of whisky. The best portwood whiskies (Balvenie, Glenmorangie) are very light whiskies to begin with. Perhaps Cragganmore is too deep for this treatment? Haven't tried the Dalwhinnie or Talisker yet but look forward to them. Oloroso (Dalwhinnie) is the usual sherry for whisky aging and should be good; what is Amoroso sherry, used for the Talisker?
Five new Irish whiskies are on the local shelves. Michael Collins (A Blend) and Michael Collins (A Single Malt) are probably from Cooley, as are the other three, Clontarf Classic, Reserve, and Single Malt. These last three are filtered through charcoal (where have we heard this before?). The Clontarf Single Malt is very gentle and it reminded me a little of Tyrconnel. The Classic is actually more interesting although it's a blend; very nice flavors but heavy on the vanilla, especially in the nose. The Reserve is a whiskey of real interest: more complex than the classic with an interesting note that struck me as resinous and earthy. Another taster described it as "Rosemary", which I don't think is accurate but may give you some impression of the resinous earthy character I noticed. The Michael Collins blend is a nice Irish whiskey, close to what you'd expect, with vague traces of sweet spices like cinnamon, but showing no "pot still" character like the blends from Midleton. This is a malt blend, and very drinkable with a longer finish than the average bottle of Jamesons or Bushmills. The Michael Collins Single Malt (which I haven't tasted yet) is suppose to be lightly peated: another clue that this is a product of Cooley. the makers of Connemara.
And lastly (in both senses of the word) is the Ledaig NAS Sherry Finish. Burn Stewart is working very hard at improving their malts. I recently tasted the Tobermory again, and was surprised at how much it has improved over the years, and you would be too,if you had tasted it as a vatted malt, and as a NAS single, and as a 10yo when it was first introduced. It has certainly improved, but it still has a long way to go. Tobermory is nearly unpeated; peated whisky made at the Tobermory distillery is called Ledaig, and the standard local version for years has been a 15yo (which was better than the more expensive 20yo in my opinion). This new expression is young, but youth can be a plus for peaty whiskies. The sherry finish is very light and doesn't stand out. It's very well integrated with the Ledaig flavors. It's peaty, but not heavily peated. I'm a fan of those hard to find moderately peated whiskies, and I want to love this one, but can't. There is in the nose that slightly pungent, sort of acrid note Michael Jackson politely calls "flowering curant" because... well,.. other forthright descriptors are unappetizing. For those fond of Ledaig it's a "can't miss" at an especially attractive price. For those not already a fan of Ledaig it won't convert you. Try the 15yo, or if you pockets are deep look for a bottling of the 1972 vintage.
Bart