Scotch

Here are the winning tasting notes submitted as part of The Whisky Shop Dufftown’s Challenge for Independent Bottlers.  Congratulations to Graeme Anderson for these fabulous tasting notes.  His prize is a bottle of his favourite whisky from the challenge which was the Linkwood. The runner up was Adam Irvine so well done to him. Sample 1 – Carn Mor Aberlour 1994 13 Years Old (46%) Distilled 1994 bottled 2013 – ex-Bourbon Hogshead Nose: Pineapple and Cola Cubes fresh of the shelf or crushed under the rolling pin.  Bourbon Bomb! Taste: More tropical fruits dropped through a Barbados barbecue – smokie sweets, Finish: Fairly short and dry – burnt coconut husks. Sample 2 – Adelphi Longmorn 1985 27 Years Old (53.2%) Distilled 1985 bottled 2013 – ex-Bourbon Hogshead Nose: Classy smooth taffy.  Some vanilla latte smooths the big punch. Taste: Strong and bold like Old Spice.  Even water can’t keep this big dog down.  Like a Collie of its leash. Finish: No surprises here.  The Collie keeps racing and chasing sheep until out of view, over the hill. Sample 3 – G&M Cask Linkwood 1991 (53.4%) Distilled 1991 bottled 2007 – first fill ex-sherry butts Nose: Wax polished libraries & leather armchairs but in a lively tang vibrant sense -  through a child’s eyes. Taste: Crystallised oranges, tangy mango like attack in a light toffee shell. Finish: Zing, zang, zooosh – goes this firework humbug, Sample 4 – Director’s Cut Dufftown 1982 30 Years Old (51.7%) Distilled 1982 bottled 2012 – ex-Sherry butt Nose: Dutch caramel wafer biscuits with a touch of medicinal Jagermeister. Taste: A heavy hitter in a velvet glove.  The sherry is bold but well balanced.  Top class.  This is my nominated embalming fluid. Finish: Quite short and dry but again not aggressively so.  I fine epilogue to this Jackanory. Sample 5 – BBR Glen Grant 1974 37 Years Old (47.8%) Distilled 1991 bottled 2012 – ex-sherry butts Nose: Soft toffee cuddled by a giant caramel teddy. Taste: An Autumn whisky.  A well preserved classic sports car gently bimbles along a summer glen. Finish: Dry well-worn leather, need another sip to refresh my palate.

The Glenlivet has launched a "mystery malt" of their own. No age statement, no cask information, no tasting notes and a black bottle hiding the color of its contents. I wrote about the release here but I was also fortunate to participate in a Twitter Tasting of Alpha, this new mystery malt, with Ian Logan, International Brand Ambassador at Chivas Brothers and Guardian of Malt with The Glenlivet.Limited to 3350 bottles (50% Alc.) worldwide and retailing for £95 in the UK and $120 in the US the UK's 650 bottle allocation didn't hang around long. Given that The Glenlivet is the US's top selling whisky I don't expect the US allocation to be available for long, either.C: Light amberN: The fruit is to the front before leading into toasted marshmallows, lemon curd and vanilla custard with cotton candy (candy floss) and warm tropical fruits coming in behindP: Has the texture of maple syrup with notes of ripe pineapple, desiccated coconut, and lightly salted cashews - no hint of bitterness anywhereF: Finish is long and unctuous with lingering salt, barbecued pineapple, and melting toffee, some wood spice on the very tail end.In conclusion: This would be perfect over some vanilla ice-cream! I noticed that the longer I sat with the finish, the more wood spice I got. This little wrinkle does a nice job of complimenting this otherwise fruit bomb.Sincere thanks to AG and IL for the official sample.

Bowmore 11 yo 2001/2012 (53.6%, Maltbarn, sherry, 175 bottles) - Bowmore 12 yo 2001/2013 (52.9%, The Whisky Agency, Liquid Library, refill butt, 484 bottles) - Bowmore 14 yo 1998/2012 (50.9%, The Whisky Cask, bourbon barrel) - Bowmore 15 yo 1997/2013 (52.5%, The Whisky Agency, The Perfect Dram, barrel, 153 bottles) - Bowmore 17 yo 1996/2013 (52.7%, The Whisky Agency, hogshead, 307 bottles) - Bowmore 1995/2012 (58.9%, Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS 12057, 185 bottles) - Back Porch Blues

Guid Scotch Drink receives a number of press releases every day. Rather than condense them into a separate weekly post I've decided to post the most interesting in their entirety, without editorializing.Once-in-a-lifetime competition launched to celebrate latest releaseanCnoc Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky has unveiled its third Limited Edition Peter Arkle release.The striking and distinctive packaging from the New York-based Scottish artist takes its inspiration from the thick, brick walls of anCnoc’s Knockdhu Distillery’s dunnage warehouses.Internationally-acclaimed illustrator Peter Arkle said:“I have loved working with anCnoc and am very proud of our latest limited edition. The distillery at Knock is such a great place and I had a fantastic time visiting there. This particular illustration for me really shows a complex thought in a very simple way. On one hand it's just a drawing of the bricks that make up the walls of the distillery and the warehouses with a yellow sign stuck on. But, on the other hand, those bricks are so old and so soaked with the essences of anCnoc –absorbed over the years – that they are not just any old bricks. They are bricks with real character and history. And the sign is there to remind people that anCnoc is not something you can take for granted. One must handle something remarkable with care.”The liquid has anCnoc’s signature honey and lemon notes and has a spicy taste with notes of citrus, sherry and dark chocolate. Strictly limited to only 1000 cases, this Limited Edition will be available online and through specialist retailers in the UK as well as across the globe in the USA, Germany, Russia, Japan, Taiwan and Canada. To mark this unique collaboration, anCnoc is offering 10 fans the chance to win a personally illustrated bottle of anCnoc in a Twitter contest. By Tweeting in a picture of how they enjoy their whisky, 10 of the entries will be chosen by Peter and hand-drawn before being transposed onto a label and tube of anCnoc. Gillian Gibson, Brand Manager for anCnoc, said:“anCnoc has long had a close relationship with visual art and we are delighted to not only be continuing with this fantastic series with Peter which we are sure will become instant collectors’ items like its predecessors, but that we can also offer truly personalised art with a mighty fine dram with our #youranCnoc campaign.”The campaign, called #youranCnoc, will go live on June 17th when people all over the world will have a single day to Tweet in their perfect way to enjoy a dram of anCnoc – whether that be at the beach, by a roaring fire with a dog or looking at the countryside from their window. One of the 10 winners will be flown to New York to meet Peter and be presented with their personalised bottle.Peter added:“I have been so inspired designing for anCnoc and I’m really excited for people to get the chance to be inspired themselves and have their own personal anCnoc moment immortalised onto their very own bottle. It’s such a fun opportunity.”For more information on the anCnoc range or the #youranCnoc campaign please visit www.anCnoc.com

Conflicted. That’s how I feel after tasting the new Macallan 1824 range. Conflicted and intrigued. Let me explain: As someone who has immersed themselves in the whisky business for 5 years as a whisky retailer, barman, cocktail maker, trade salesman, part-time brand ambassador, tasting host and blogger. I have been to more tastings than I [...]

Balvenie 12 yo 'DoubleWood' (40%, OB, +/-2012) - Burnside 1994/2012 (56.7%, Scott's Selection) - Darren Kramer

At The Whisky Shop Dufftown we have continued our exploration of whisky and food pairings and our search for the best dram with a bacon roll and the best one with haggis. Intrepid guests at the festival sampled 4 drams with a bacon roll and where asked to vote for their favourite combination.  The current champion from the Autumn Festival, Old Pulteney 12, faced three new challangers: Glenfiddich 14 Rich Oak, Aberlour 12 and Macallan Gold.  The clear winner was Glenfiddich 14 Years Old Rich Oak.  So now you know that the next time you are having a bacon roll go for a Glenfiddich 14. In a series of more civilized tastings, at least by the time of day, the food pairing was Haggis and whisky.  The current champion from the Autumn Festival, Dalmore 12, was up against Balvenie 12 Double Wood, Glendronach 12 and Glenfarclas 15.  This was a much closer battle but by a good nose (and pallette) the best combination was Glendronach 12 Years Old and haggis. We were delighted that some people preferred each of the combinations and everyone could really appreciate the different flavours that each pairing brought changing the flavours in both the food and the whisky.  We will continue our scientific research in these two areas during future festivals. Best with Bacon Best with Haggis

Teaninich 39 yo 1973/2013 (40.1%, The Whisky Cask, bourbon, cask #6068) - Teaninich 40 yo 1973/2013 (40.4%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams) - Teaninich 40 yo 1973/2013 (42%, The Whisky Agency, refill sherry hogshead, 213 bottles) - Vassar Clements

Earlier this week, I had the distinct pleasure of attending a one-off tasting event at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, NY put on by The House of Suntory Whisky and chefs David Bouley and Isao Yamada of Bouley and Brushstroke restaurants, respectively. This collaboration between the House of Suntory and the two Michelin-starred restaurants was nothing short of extraordinary, especially given that the whole event occurred amongst Isamo Noguchi's sculptures in a clean, open museum interior and a gorgeous Japanese rock garden outside. Suntory's global brand ambassador, Mike Miyamoto and chef David Bouley introduced the whisky tasting and an "interpretive kaiseki-style food-pairing menu." Of course, at the time, I had no idea exactly what was meant by that last bit. Shortly thereafter, however, I came to understand that whatever else it entailed, it apparently also meant elegant and delicious. It was also the best pairing of food with whisky I've ever experienced. Easily. The event began with a tasting of three whiskies at standing tables in the sculpture garden: the Yamazaki 18, the Hibiki 21, and the Hakushu 25. The last of these I'd never had, and of course I found myself comparing it to the Hakushu 12 (which they had served us in a great highball as we walked in). To put it in very general terms, the Hakushu 25 is to the Hakushu 12 as the Laphroaig 18 is to the Laphroaig 10--only the level of subtlety is much higher in both of the Hakushu expressions. Oh, and I learned that it's pronounced more like HOCK-shoo (emphasis very much on the first syllable). Now, go back and re-read this paragraph and pronounce "Hakushu" correctly this time. Good. Well done. With that Hakushu 12 Highball, the chefs paired a canape of green apple meringue with smoked salmon roe, trout roe, and white truffle honey, and also a small plate of press sushi with Sansho pepper and bamboo shoot, served with kinome leaf. Inside, Suntory U.S. (East) Brand Ambassador Gardner Dunn hand carved huge ice balls for a drink termed--interestingly enough--the "Hibiki Ice Ball." Paired with that big bag ball o' ice drenched in Hibiki 12 were...well, I'll come back to that, because those two were my favorites of the night. Also inside was a station devoted to making a drink called the "Yamazaki Mizuwari," which blended Yamazaki 12 with a little water and (much smaller pieces of) ice. With that drink, the chefs paired a canape of wild mushrooms with toro and a foam of spring garlic and coconut as well as a small plate of organic wild duckling with Nevada dates and Canadian wild rice and topped with kumquat. I enjoyed the duckling plate quite a lot, but I think that in my case, the multinational character of the dish pleased me (would've been even better if they'd specified that the duckling was Chilean), as did the word, "kumquat." Really, how do you beat "kumquat"?!? I'll tell you how: you pair an oddly named drink with two of the better dishes of the night. Of course, I'm talking about the eponymous Hibiki Ice Ball and the canape of Wagyu beef jerky served with watercress and sesame. Let me just let that sink in for a second. Yep, that's right: jerky made from Wagyu beef. Unbelievable, both in concept and execution. I had at least three. And since at that point in the night, a waiter called Jean-Luc was serving them, I immediately deemed him the very best of the servers (and my favorite). More on him later. The small plate paired with the Hibiki Ice Ball was Chawan-Mushi, a Japanese egg custard served with a rich dashi broth. Now, let me be clear: I am not a fan of egg custard, egg curd, or really any other way of cooking eggs--other than scrambled (and even then, there's a lot of Tabasco involved). That said, not only was the Chawan-Mushi exquisitely presented (see the pic to the left), but it was fantastic: so silky and creamy and light, and beautifully contrasted with the strength of the broth flavor. And pai

This single cask from "Blairfindy," believed to reside in the valley of the green grass, was filled in 1997 and bottled in 2012. As with all the Raw Cask releases there's a bit of cask ash in the bottle (you can see it in the photo to the right). Bottled at a natural cask strength of 57% Alc., this can be found for $110. There were only 289 bottles filled so be quick if you're interested in a bottle.C: Weak green teaN: Toffee apples (especially the stick that is inside the apple), Pez candy, US Smarties, pear skin, green bananas and just a hint of sour cheese in the distant backgroundP: Creamy on entry, wood spice and freshly grated ginger come in quickly leaving behind vanilla toffee, raisins, and brazil nuts with, again, a hint of sour cheese in the distant background before transitioning into the finish with the slightest puff of wood smokeF: Moderate length with hints of wood smoke, wintergreen, and baking chocolateIn conclusion: I first tasted this last year at WhiskyLive Boston with Jewmalt. He went gaga for this release but I wasn't nearly as excited. It's a fine dram and all but it doesn't have any notes that really excite me.Sincere thanks to RS for the official sample.