Jason's Scotch Whisky Reviews

Review: Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky

2012-05-24T19:22:00.000-03:00

Sigmund Freud's sofa

It's time for your weekly therapy session or should I say 'whisky' therapy session with your learned and spirited psychoanalyst: moi.

Let's do some free association.

"Whisky."

"Scotland."

Yes, the home of scotch.

What else?

"Bourbon from Kentucky."

Okay. Keep going . . . Yes, Canadian whisky from well, yeah Canada. Irish, uhuh. Good. What else?

"Japan?"

Yes! Absolutely! Japan makes great whisky and several are single malts. Please continue.

(Silence)

C'mon. There must be more?

. . .

But, sadly there isn't. Most scotch and whisky fans and even some pompous, self-professed, Harris Tweed capped aficionados seem to have nothing to add, as they pull on their greyish whiskers.

Whisky Without Borders

Whisky has gone global. Truly a global phenomenon. Viral! There are fans everywhere! Many other non-traditional countries are producing whisky to satisfy growing domestic consumption. One of the biggest consumers of whisky by volume in the world is India.

"Huh, did you say India."

Yup.

Indians love whisky. So much so that they have been making their own dating back to 19th Century British rule.

Indian whisky does not have the greatest reputation. But, so what? Neither did bourbon, Irish whisky, or this blog in the early days of development. Everyone has to start somewhere and that somewhere is usually near the bottom.

The poor regard for Indian whisky stems from the fact that much of it is distilled from fermented molasses, as opposed to malted barley. These whiskies are typically blends that may have a small amount of fermented mash that is barley in addition to the fermented molasses. So, it's basically rum and would be labelled so outside of India. Inside India, it's labelled "whisky."

Reading the labels can make for good entertainment too: Bagpiper, Royal Challenge, McDowell's No. 1, Black Dog.

In spite of the valiant wannabe Scottish names, many of these spirits are, as I said above, hardly whisky, but rather rums that taste somewhat like whisky due to blending of roughly 10% malt whiskies from India and maybe a little from Scotland. Anyhow, not great stuff. Hence, the reputation.

Against this background of rum (flavored by way of some malt whisky added to the blend) and reckless product labelling is: hope. 'Hope' in the form of a single malt made in India. Yes, single malt. Remember, the barley can come from anywhere, so long as it is distilled at one distillery, it is single malt.

Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky
This Indian single malt whisky is made in Bangalore. The distillery takes Punjabi and peated Scottish barley and makes an interesting single malt. Hence, the name: Fusion.

Nose (undiluted)
Concentrated floral notes of mint, lavender, jasmine and loam. Brine too. Intriguing.

Palate (undiluted)
Powerful horse kick of cedar, cloves, cardamon, spiced dark treacle, coriander. Dark chocolate that has a heavy weighting of cocoa.

Finish (undiluted)
Long lingering flavors of polished mahogany, leather, mouth watering body, red and black licorice, slight anise, pungent cocoa, raisin, Moroccan dates. Rich black coffee. During the finish, your palate will tingle and the flavors spiced quality continues. Repeated sips are less vibrant, no doubt because the palate is dulled by the 50% abv.

General Impressions
This is a big dog whisky! 50% abv! But, I am happy to report that at no point is it rough, raw or volatile. If you sip carefully, taking very little at a time, you will experience one helluva wallop of the aforementioned flavors. Gigantic, towering skyscraper flavors demand your attention! This is no shrinking violet or Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Amrut Fusion starts sweet for a nanosecond before going very, very dry! Kinda reminds me of Highland Park 25 in the sense that it is very concentrated, powerful, heavy with flavors of dark fruit and pomegranate. Unlike Highland Park 25 or many scotch whiskies, Amrut Fusion is not sherried. As for peat, technically peated barley imported from Scotland is used in this whisky, but the peat is mostly lost by the time it is bottled. It's there, but not in a significant amount. Not a flaw. Just an observation.

Add Water?
As I said before, this whisky is seriously huge in terms of flavor.

Think Don King's hair. Still not clear? Okay, think Donald Trump's ego. (The Freudian in me wonders if he is over compensating for some shortcoming in his life. Donald, size really doesn't matter. Melania still loves you for your money.)

So, in light of the huge flavors, water is understandably a must for some people. However, I find water must be used in small quantities with this gem of a whisky. For example, adding a teaspoon to a double pour is too much. Such a tactic tones down everything. It may make it more palatable for the novice, but the trade-off is a loss of complexity of all those competing flavors of chocolate, black coffee, and oak, to name but a few.

India - Be Proud!!!!!
Amrut Fusion is good whisky! A whisky India can be proud of and I am very happy to enjoy. It was not too long ago that many scoffed at the thought of Japan producing good whisky, but now the reputation of several Japanese distilleries is held in high regard. Brands like Suntory Yamazaki, Hibiki, Nikka and a host of others are excellent and can go head to head with some of the best scotch. India appears to be on the same path!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

P.S. I recently corresponded with a reader (who will remain anonymous) in Bangalore about the whisky habits of Indians and it was fascinating. Indians love whisky, but there is a tension with religious observance that frowns upon such consumption. But, his enthusiasm will probably prevail! Here's a quote from his email:

"drinking in India .. largely [ except metros] is looked down upon
because of our religious beliefs.. so you ll find friends only in the
larger cities.. one or 2 states even have prohibition like where i work
and alcohol sale is strictly a state monopoly.. very few
scotches are available..

about India or Bangalore.. the drinking scene is very crowded by
people who want to be/ are visible... those who wont be caught dead
with a teachers or any single malt below 15 years.. because its so
unbecoming of the 'high life' they so wish to portray.

and then there is the other group which includes people like me ...
who are closet aficionados... who will experiment, take notes [
mental or otherwise] grow specific likes and dislikes.. this group is
small right now but it is growing.. here you ll find the teachers ,
jim beam and the single malt men ... who ll argue till dawn and still
smile and call it a day over a large one with a splash of water..

[ there is a cocktail... jim beam black + teachers+ jw black label..
its called the three musketeers i think .. i got that made once at abar.. people thought i was mad or something.. but it was good ."

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission. Note: All images appearing in this article are for the purposes of nostalgia, education and entertainment. Moreover, all images used are considered by the author to be significant in illustrating the subject matter, facilitating artistic/critical commentary, as it provides an immediate relevance to the reader more capably than the textual description. Photograph of Sigmund Freud's sofa was taken by Konstantin Binder and is reproduced here pursuant to a GFDL license permitting reproduction in this post.

Review: Auchentoshan 12 years, Auchentoshan Three Wood, Auchentoshan 18 years

2012-05-16T13:58:00.001-03:00

Ever get really angry? Like really *^%&^T%HJIU!!!!!!!! angry? Me? It happens every once in a while, and unfortunately rather recently. I was so peeved I could have led an angry mob complete with pitchforks, sling shots, torches, carrot peelers, pointed sticks and other implements of destruction! Ah, but more about that later. Let's start at the beginning.

A couple of months ago, I organized a scotch club in my home town, and wrote about it a few posts ago. Anyhow, we met a few times. At one meeting, M (he wants to remain anonymous for some reason . . . he seems to think any public affiliation with this blog might harm his career) suggested we try the various releases of the Auchentoshan Distillery in an upcoming meeting.

Inwardly, I cringed while outwardly maintaining an unflappable Mitt Romneyesque smile and demeanour. I was familiar with the horrifically tedious, uninspiring, pine board flat, supremely insipid Auchentoshan 12. But, I appreciated that I am not the Sun King, and my opinion, well, is just that, one man's opinion in a room with several others in various states of inebriation whose punching reach was a lot greater than mine. The meeting ended and I was tasked with picking up at the local liquor store: Auchentoshan 12, Three Wood and the 18 year old.

Fast forward to the next meeting. "Mission accomplished!" I declared as I hoisted out of environmentally unfriendly green plastic shopping bags the aforementioned Auchentoshan progeny.

Auchentoshan 12 years
I stared at the bottle of Auchentoshan 12 knowing that it would disappoint, as it had in the past. But, I thought to myself, if I can just wrestle that gag reflex under control till the Three Wood is opened, maybe, just maybe, I would make a new, pleasant discovery. And the 18, yes, sweet 18, maybe this distillery could delight yours truly.

Color
I don't normally comment on the color of whisky, but I do this time because the Auchentoshan 12 looks unusually dark given it comes from the Lowland region. My suspicion is the presence of caramel E150a added by the distillery ostensibly to bring uniformity of color from batch to batch. The great problem with the addition of E150a is the hard to predict impact on the taste of the scotch. Too much E150a and you have bitterness coming through the caramel flavor notes. At other times, E150a may actually improve the taste. Video whisky reviewer Ralfy discusses this, in part, in his review here.

Nose (undiluted)
Very faint citrus, Pine-Sol or is that Mr. Clean? Maybe some peat in there somewhere, but again very, very weak. Weak like Reese Witherspoon's acting ability.

Some of the whisky club members were picking up little or nothing on the nose. M scrunched his nose up and quizzically looked at me. "Don't look at me Einstein. It was your idea to try this," I thought to myself, but neglected to utter out loud given his boxer's reach.

Palate (undiluted)
Smooth. I'm talkin' plate glass dude. Flat like the business side of an iron. Not a lot goin' on. So, I hold this on the palate. It commences with a sweetness that is slightly soapy before becoming malty. Caramel candies that have been in the vending machine way too long, in violation of all imaginable food safety laws governing confectionery. In a word: stale like forgotten Halloween candy discovered in July.

Finish (undiluted)
Ginger, green onion, cloves, some smoke, oh alright yeah, there it is: a scintilla of peat. There is something a little spoilt, bad, flawed on the finish. A peculiarly subtle bitterness.

General Impressions
Guess I'm still not a fan.

Drinking Auchentoshan 12 confirms my suspicion that triple distillation is best enjoyed in Irish whiskey. The Auchentoshan distillery trumpets on it's website (click here) that all its spirit undergoes this process:

"What does it mean to be the only Triple Distilled Single Malt in Scotland? Auchentoshan new spirit is the highest distillate of any single malt distillery in Scotland. When you taste our new spirit, strong notes of fruit and citrus are revealed because we have distilled away all the impurities in the liquid." (Emphasis added)

Actually, I think the triple distillation process also distilled away much of the flavor! That's the risk with that process. Yes, you make the whisky lighter, but do it too much and you lose the flavors too. With Auchentoshan 12, I am asking myself: "Where's the sherry, the peat, anything?" All I have is a mouthful of lemon/citrus notes mixed with a stale maltiness. Finished with some ginger/green onion and a grizzly taxi driver's exhale of a Matinee cigarette.

I like light whiskies, but they have to have some character, some flavor.

You may be thinking:

"Jason, you are being overly harsh. You're just a pompous snob with a severely receding hairline and unaware that a circa 1985 Corey Hart haircut is not attractive."

Ok, cruel world, don't listen to me. Let's see what Adam of the L.A. Whiskey Society has to say about Auchentoshan 12:

"I get strong barley soup in the nose. Also some rye. Interesting. But the palate . . . it's so plain and watery. There's a slightly fruity/winey character, and slight spice and hay/grass hints. More spice creeps into the slight but long finish. Though I've had some tasty treats from Auchentoshan (Lowlands tend to get some bashing), this is whisky with little to say."

L.A. Whiskey Society's Dave is not much kinder:

"Dark in color makes you think it will be rich and flavorfullll . . . . but not so much. Pretty weak and I see why they did the 'triple wood' thing to 'fix' what was broken . . . too bad the fix was just a bandaid that didn't actually cover the wound."

. . .
A Suggested Alternative

Whisky club member "M" is a fan of Glenkinchie 12 years and suggests it as a superior alternative to Auchentoshan 12. While I am not a huge fan of Glenkinchie 12, I would agree it is better than Auchentoshan 12. Glenkinchie, another Lowland malt, is distilled only twice. More flavorful for those who like the ginger/citrus scotch flavor profile without much peat or sherry. If for some strange reason you are already an Auchentoshan 12 fan, then you will probably like this suggestion.

My suggestion is ignore "M"s suggestion and go with mine: Glenfiddich 15. It's floral, complex, honeyed and delivers a nice light honey fest.

Auchentoshan Three Wood

Next up was Auchentoshan Three Wood. A no-age-statement bottling of the distillery that is priced higher than the 12 year old. My anticipation is that it's gotta be better, particularly in light of it's rasion d'etre embossed on the back of the container:

"Triple distilled and matured in American bourbon oak; the whisky is finished in Spanish Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks."

So, three different types of wood used, you know, plus the price greater than the 12 year old indicates this is gonna be better. I must say, all of us, were disappointed at the 12 and so had high hopes for the more expensive Three Wood.

Nose (undiluted)
An improvement over the 12.

Subtle, very subtle, hot chocolate, vanilla and sherry.

Palate (undiluted)
A rounded body delivering sherry, mushroom, brackish water, black coffee, raisins and preserved beets.

Finish (undiluted)
Carmelized onion, pepper, bitter fig, bay leaf, and some bad smoke that is damn close to vinegar.

General Impressions
I and the others dejectedly stared at our respective Glencairn glasses. You could cut the silence with a knife.

Damn! This stuff is bad.

The 12 year old was a disappointment, but we all had the hope that the Three Wood, being $13 more would improve our spirits! Not so! Like I was getting really ticked off at this point. I had dropped well over $200 for these three bottles and so far, the first two were huge disappointments. What ran through my mind was what I could have done with that money. There were so many good whiskies and we just threw it away on this crap.

What kills me is the finish of the Three Wood. It just heads right off a cliff. It's just a vegetal/caramel bitterness hugging a mustiness of some serial killer's basement that has no place being a component of a scotch flavor profile.

The Three Wood ranks as one of the worst single malts I have ever had the misfortune of tasting. I'd drink any blend over this junk scotch.

Again, don't take my word for it. Andy from the L.A. Whiskey Society summed up the Three Wood as follows:

Nose: Musty old kitchen drawers (perhaps with old glue inside it).
Palate: Mustiness with an old wood, feintly with molasses. Maybe a bit of cough syrup. The finish grabs the tongue but doesn't taste like much."
. . .

Auchentoshan 18 years

So, here we are. I pull the Auchentoshan 18 year old out of the carton and am confronted by a slanted, Johnnie Walkeresque label. It's crooked. We got a wonky labelled bottle. Is it gonna be worth something one day? We'll never know as I open it.

Nose (undiluted)
Not terribly pleasant sea air. Kinda alcoholic on some level. Gentle Vicks Vapor Rub.

Palate (undiluted)
Again smooth. Lemon grass, green tea, lentils and celery.

Finish (undiluted)
Woodsy, oak and ginger merge into a gustatory travesty of scotch mediocrity that no one should endure at this price point. There's more too: dry, balsa wood, pencil shavings and eraser. And the salt, that ain't Kosher. Boring. Snorefest.

The more I drink of this, the more the finish becomes maltier with an emphasis on those aforementioned pencil shavings.

General Impressions
OK, this takes the cake for the biggest snorefest of an 18 year old single malt I have ever tasted. Matter of fact, I cannot think of an 18 year old single malt that I dislike (other than this one). I always like the 18 year olds: Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Highland Park, Macallan, etc. But, now there is an exception: Auchentoshan 18. No complexity. Flat liner in terms of flavor profile. There are blends that offer way more!

Superior alternatives to Auchentoshan 18 that are floral, delicate, complex and honeyed are: Cragganmore 12 yrs; Glenfiddich 15; Glenfiddich 18; and Glenkinchie 18. All those suggestions are better and roughly 50% lower in price. Do the right thing and take a pass on Auchentoshan 18.

Outrageous Price!
What really gets me steamed is the price of this 18 year old single malt: $122.79

No value for money whatsoever. I could be a little more tolerant had this bottle been priced at half the sticker. Where I live, Glenlivet 18 goes for $71.00; Glenfiddich 18 is $72; Aberlour 18 is $115.00 and several others that I would always choose over this canine Auchentoshan bow-wow!

Now you know why I am. I could easily lead a mob through my town at night to ferret out all the vampire bottles of Auchentoshan and pile them in the town square and burn them up! I am thinking a bonfire with flames reaching 20 feet in the air, high enough to divert the attention of US spy satellite operators from the latest Megan Fox sighting to this very important crisis of whisky nuts everywhere!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission except for certain photographs. Some of the photographs appearing on this site are not by the author, but rather other photographers and/or copyright holders and so their permission is required to reproduce. Photo credits as follows: Image of Simpsons characters mob is the copyright of © The Simpsons TM and 2007 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Auchentoshan 12 bottle and back of same bottle by Paul Henman; the great photo of the Auchentoshan cork is by Steven Garvin; Back lit line up of various Auchentoshan bottles by Ian Murray; Mitt Romney photo by Reuters. Bonfire photographer is Paul Stevenson and reproduced here pursuant to the Creative Commons copyright. Note: All images appearing in this article are for the purposes of nostalgia, education and entertainment. Moreover, all images used are considered by the author to be significant in illustrating the subject matter, facilitating artistic/critical commentary, as it provides an immediate relevance to the reader more capably than the textual description.

Review: White Horse Blended Scotch Whisky

2012-05-10T23:16:00.004-03:00

I like blended scotch whisky.

I keep good company because most of you reading this post also share my affection. Blended scotch whisky makes up about 85-90% of single malt sales. Comparatively, the market for single malts is much smaller. You wouldn't know it if you surf the web and search "scotch reviews."

Anyhow, I like blends because they like are an old pair of shoes: comfortable and familiar. Yeah, yeah single malts are typically more complex and therefore more impressive, but there are times when I just want to chill. I am not looking for challenge. I spent all day slaying dragons (albeit mostly paper ones) and now it's night time. I am mentally spent and I just wanna listen to my eclectic line-up of music like Iggy Pop's Search and Destroy, Urge Overkill's most excellent rendition of that Neil Diamond classic Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon followed by maybe Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang and sip a familiar blend. Comfort scotch if you will.

Three Great Blended Scotch Whiskies
There are three truly great economy blends that you must become familiar with in this life of yours: (1) Teacher's Highland Cream; (2) Black Bottle; and (3) White Horse.

The first two, I have written about plenty, but the third, not so much. White Horse is a very old brand. Been around a real long time. Occupied space in many grandads, and dads liquor cabinets. And for good reason. It's cheap.

White Horse retails for $18 in North Carolina. Elsewhere in the US, it may be a couple of bucks more, but it is still very affordable. Amongst the cheapest blends on the market. The question that immediately comes to mind: "Is it any good?" The perpetual question eh? Okay, my budding Siddhartha, let's find out.

Nose (undiluted)
A touch of sherry, prunes and the citrus notes of over-ripe blood oranges. Maybe a hint of salt laden sea air too. Not the most impressive of aromas to ever float heavenward from a glass. Matter of fact, pretty bland. But, at this price point, the noteworthy attribute is that it is not offensive.

Palate (undiluted)
Smooth, viscous, mouth-coating, creamy body.

Blood oranges, buttery shortbread cookies, slight sherry, counter balanced by wild honey, lemon zest and very subtle peat and smoke. There is some see-saw action going on between the fruity orange/honey flavors of Speyside at the forefront and the very restrained Islay/Islands smoke/peat at mid-palate.

Finish (undiluted)
This is where Islay and the Islands (ie. Skye) come through. Lagavulin, Cao Ila, Talisker make an appearance. Nice smokey finish with great malt notes. Hmm! Ginger and salty pretzel too.

General Impressions
White Horse delivers sweet, buttery soft flavors of oranges, honey, some limes and finally a nice puff of smoke from a menthol cigarette and a little peat.

It is the "finish" that is impressive. Breathe through your mouth after sipping this blend and you can taste the smoke much more clearly. It becomes far more pronounced.

Smooth, totally inoffensive with nice briar patch fire smoke and salty tang on the finish.

Complex? Ahh no. But, remember, this scotch retails for $18! Enjoyable? Ahh yes!

Claim to Fame?
White Horse is famous for having Lagavulin as one of the principal single malts composing this blend. It seems that every review I read makes mention of this fact.

In all honesty, I can't say that I taste Lagavulin in this blend. It is stated so on the back label, but again, I am not tasting much of it.

I taste Talisker on the mid-palate to finish. Caol Ila is another malt in this blend. The smokey finish tastes of that fine malt.

There are 40 whiskies making up this blend. Some grain and some malt. The grain whiskies are well integrated and taste crisp. Malt whiskies make up 40% of the blend, which may explain the lack of a grainy character.

Criticisms?
At $18 a bottle, it is hard to criticize this blend. If I had to make one, I guess I do find it extremely smooth and consequently very drinkable. I mean $18! Dude, can you have breakfast for two less than that?

Anyway, it is very smooth. I would, in a perfect world like it to be a little more vibrant, but this is just an observation and not really valid at this price point.

Sweetness is another concern. This blend like the vast majority of bottom shelf scotch tend to be very sweet. White Horse succeeds where others (ie. J&B, Ballantine's, etc.) fail. While White Horse is sweet, it is not cloyingly so, and more importantly, by the time of the finish, it is no longer sweet but rather smokey with some peat giving a drying affect. So, while I had many reservations upon initially sipping it, my concerns washed away, literally, by the time of the finish.

Highly quaffable and highly recommended when one is on a budget or just wants a friendly blend to keep them company and not make any pesky demands.

Special Thanks
A reader went to great lengths to have this bottle delivered to me. Thanks a lot Will!

Now, I must get back to that rather eclectic music collection of mine . . . Hole performing "Doll Parts."

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission.

P.S. Will is not a brand ambassador for White Horse or Diageo. By the way, I reimbursed him for the cost of the bottle of White Horse. Money well spent!

Review: Johnnie Walker Double Black

2012-04-30T01:17:00.001-03:00

Purchasing an unfamiliar brand or a new release scotch whisky from even a familiar brand is much like gambling.

Think about it. You weigh your bet by reading the lyrical tasting notes on the whisky container or back of the bottle that are invariably attributed to the master blender. They read like the bad poetry of a lovesick high school nitwit. Such puffery is about as reliable as the declarations of luv of the aforementioned high school Shakespearean.

Like the scotch nut that you are, consulting other sources is a compulsion. A must. Hell! A categorical imperative! So, you scour the internet for 'tasting notes,' 'reviews' . . . oh hell anything that might give you an insight or reveal a 'tell' as to what the scotch really tastes like. You even check out a purported 'bible' of scotch reviews. The tome reads well and seems informative, until you decide to test its reliability by flipping to some bad whisky, only to behold yet another glowing review.

But . . . in the end, doesn't it sometimes just come down to the attractive shape, heft, appearance of the bottle, packaging, and maybe the reputation of the distillery or brand? So, you just push 'all-in' pre-flop by paying the price and going home, pouring a dram to see if you 'hit' on the flop.

At least that was how it was for me when I first learned that Diageo (the company which owns the iconic Johnnie Walker brand) announced the test launch of a new extension to the Johnnie Walker brand: Johnnie Walker Double Black. I read everything I could and most of it was the same press release from Diageo, but reworded by the spirits press and whisky websites.

Initially, the 2010 release of Double Black was limited to just six exotic duty free stores of certain international airports around the world: Dubai, Beirut, JFK, Bangkok, Singapore, and Sydney. Needless to say, I do not go in and out of those airports, so I knew I had to wait. If sales were good, Diageo would expand distribution to broader markets. So, two years later, I was able to procure a bottle once it became more widely available in North America.

So, what's it taste like. Did I go bust by buying this or double up? Let's see:

Nose (undiluted)
Sophisticated but subtle. Kinda like Miles Davis using the mute on his trumpet early in his recording career. Sweet. Seaweed, iodine and fishing nets drying in the afternoon sun. Pinewood fires.

Palate (undiluted)
Smooth Lapsang souchong tea, sweet Ceylon black teas, pine needles and a smoking camp-fire at dusk.

Finish (undiluted)
Unmistakable Islay finish of wood smoke, Atlantic ocean salt, gingery green seaweed, and a subtle sherry warmth spreading across the chest. A feeling of heat and safety envelopes you. Great length of flavors on the finish.

Is Double Black Similar to Black Label 12 yrs?
The packaging describes this spirit as "a blended whisky created in the style of Johnnie Walker Black Label but with a rich, more intense, smokier flavour." Reading that sentence, one would surmise that if they are a Black Label fan, then they will certainly enjoy Double Black.

I am not so sure.

I agree that Double Black is smokier than the standard Black Label. Moreover, there is a house style common to all Johnnie Walker products and Double Black is no exception. The similarity is in the languid, rich mouth feel. The grain whiskies behave well. Double Black is smooth, no burning or raw alcohol. But, that is about it for similarities with the standard Black Label.

The reason I am unconvinced that Black Label fans may be enamoured with Double Black stems from the fact that Double Black entirely lacks the spicy caramel, cinnamon, and malty brown sugar that is much of the backbone of this classic blend. The 12 year old Johnnie Walker Black Label at the mid-palate point, becomes smokier with Talisker. It wonderfully compliments the caramel, brown sugar and citrus/malt notes.

By contrast, Double Black is just peaty and smoky.

Yes, there is some black tea action going on, coupled with seaweed and maybe a bit pine needles. But, the smoke and peat dominates those flavors. As a result, Double Black's smoke and peat has no interplay or call and response with other flavor notes like you experience in the standard bottling where burnt cinnamon toast and caramel have a tug of war with the smoke and peat of Talisker and other Islays.

Accordingly, the standard Black Label is . . . dare I say . . . better? Yeah, I'll say it. I like the Black Label better than Double Black. This is not to say that the Double Black is a poor blended scotch. Quite the contrary. Double Black is a luxuriant, smooth blend, but with a heavy emphasis on the Islay region to the exclusion of all other flavors.

Where Black Label seemed to be firmly in Speyside with some smoke from Islay, Double Black packed up its bags and moved out of Speyside and set up a tent in Islay.

Remember the Pepsi Challenge?

Let me put it another way. Are you familiar with Highland Park 12. If so, compare it to Highland Park 18. In many ways, Highland Park 18 is the 12 on steroids. Everything in the little brother 12 is found in the 18, but punched up a couple of notches, mind you in the most elegant and brilliant of ways. The 18 stands on the shoulders of the 12. You can trace the genealogy of the 18 easily back to the 12 in the tasting.

The same sibling rivalry cannot be said of Johnnie Walker Black 12 yrs and Double Black when they go head to head in a Pepsi challenge or G-d forbid: a whisky death match. They are not brothers or even distant cousins.
Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky Global Brand Director, David Gates has been quoted as saying Diageo wants the consumer to perceive Black Label and Double Black as 'brothers.'

"We want consumers to recognize that they are brothers."

That may be the intent, but this is one rare instance where Diageo has failed in its execution. Black Label and Double Black have little in common other than being brands owned by the same company. The former is caramel, citrus, toffee and spices, with some smoke, while the latter has none of the aforementioned flavors (except for smoke), and instead is dominated by the tastes of peat, smoke, black teas and a wee sherry/malt on the finish. (Note: Apparently Double Black does not use any sherry casks in the blend, but I am tasting something akin to sherry on the finish anyway.)

I suspect that Diageo positioned Double Black as a 'brother' to Black Label in order to capitalize on the well deserved reputation of the latter. Do not be fooled by this marketing slight of hand. Double Black and Black Label are very different scotch whiskies. Both are good, but different!

Another reason Diageo may have tried to link these two expressions as brothers is due to the strong brand loyalty of blended scotch drinkers. Consumers who regularly consume blended scotch tend to be loyal to their 'brand' and are less likely to experiment with single malts and other brands. Such blended scotch drinkers very much identify with a particular brand all their life. If Diageo can convince some of their blended scotch customers to pay more without an age statement, it could be very lucrative, as has been the case with Blue Label.

Price Point Analysis
Johnnie Walker Double Black is substantially more expensive when compared to Johnnie Walker Black Label. In Canada, specifically Ontario, Double Black is $69. A price point that is inhabited by more than a few good Islay single malts. Bowmore 12 is $10 cheaper. Talisker 10 is about $6 more. Go to the United States and you can pick up Black Bottle for 1/3 of the price of Double Black. Bottom line: Double Black is very expensive. Not a value for money play by any means.

So, why the high price?
The high price functions to assure the consumer that he or she is drinking a whisky that takes no chances in offending you. No bite, raw alcohol or bitterness when you pay full retail on this whisky. This is exactly what the brand loyal blended scotch whisky consumer expects and is prepared to pay a premium for. Diageo know their market, and have targeted their blended scotch consumer very well. They are unconcerned with the opinions of scotch aficionados (like me) because they are not targeting that segment of the marketplace. One must remember that over 85% of all single malts produced are for blended scotch consumption. That's the largest segment of the market and where the money is.

A Gift?
If you are reading this post because you are considering purchasing this as a gift (and unconcerned with value for money matters), you will be on pretty safe ground. Double Black delivers smooth waves of peat and smoke over black tea flavors. Totally inoffensive and quite pleasant. No sharp or bitter flavors.

Complexity?
Here's the one significant weakness of this blended scotch. Given the expensive price, serious scotch whisky consumers will expect to be 'wowed' a little. Complex flavors that dance on the palate. Not here.

The first sip is probably the best. It exhibits some intricacy. A wee little spice and nuance. But, the whisky does not stand up to repeated sips. It becomes too rounded, sweet and gentle to make you sit up and admire any complexity. There should be more here for the price.

And the winner is . . .

Not me. (Not that Diageo care because I am not the loyal blended scotch drinker segment of the market they target with Double Black.)

I paid too much for what I got. I keep thinking that this tastes a lot like Black Bottle. While Double Black is somewhat better at about three times the price, it's not that much better.

I like it. I enjoy it, but just not at that price. I don't mind paying a lot for scotch whisky, but it better be good.

Double Black is the kind of scotch whisky that I will buy only on sale (at a steep discount) at Duty Free or on sale if I am in the greatest whisky land in the world: New Hampshire (due to their low taxes). So, I guess I hit the flop, but didn't make a hand!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Review: Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum 92 Proof

2012-04-22T23:25:00.003-03:00

"Number three gun crew an extra tot of rum!" roared Dirk Struan, Scottish merchant captain of his British Clipper, China Cloud, in the emerald green, wind-swept waters off Hong Kong, as the sailors and their captain prepared for battle with circling pirate ships. (An historically accurate bit of dialogue taken from the well-researched novel Tai-Pan by James Clavell. Captains of ships in the 18th and 19th centuries sometimes chose to give their men an extra 'tot' of rum just prior to battle).

When I first read the novel, Tai-Pan, many years ago, I couldn't imagine drinking rum straight and hardly thought of it as a reward for the gruelling work of sailors. But, evidently rum was very much a reward and actually a daily ration or 'tot' as it was called.

The British Navy, as far back as 1655 gave a daily ration of one pint of rum. Around 1740 it would be reduced to half a pint and sometimes mixed with boiling water and limes and called 'grog' in an effort to manage the drunkenness of sailors. And guess what? The British Navy did not stop the practice of the daily rum ration until 1970!

It should be noted that the rum drank in the 17th and 18th century by British Navy sailors was brutal stuff. Wikipedia cites a document dated 1651 from Barbados which describes rum of that time as "the chief fuddling they make in the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Divil, and this is made of sugar canes distilled, a hot, hellish, and terrible liquor." You know it's gonna be harsh when a spirit has a nickname that references the supernatural source of all evil like "Kill-Divil" or "Kill-Devil."

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, drinking rum straight was not something I imagined I would ever enjoy. But, last summer a neighbour of mine, back from Cuba, had a bottle of Havana Club 7 year old rum that he encouraged I and a few others to sip. I reluctantly did, and it was good!

About a year later, I found myself at a friend's place playing cards. Everyone had a drink in hand except for me, not that I was susceptible to peer pressure. In any event, Victor had beer, Jameson Irish Whiskey (no-age-statement) and Sailor Jerry. I was not in the mood for beer, certainly not Jameson, so that left the Sailor Jerry. What the hell I thought. Let's give it a go.

"You want coke or ginger ale with that?" Victor asked.

"I'm ok, I'll just sip it straight," hoping for the success of Havana Club.

And guess what? It's good too!

Nose (undiluted)
Huge vanilla notes, oak, molasses, leather scent of an old baseball mitt, and egg nog.

Palate (undiluted)
The big vanilla of the nose, comes through mightily on the palate, chased by oak, brown sugar, chewy cedar, and maple sugar.

Finish (undiluted)
Nice long lasting flavors of spiced caramel drying on the palate leaving balsa wood. The spiciness on the finish is reminiscent of a good measure of nutmeg you taste in egg nog. The finish is rewarding and amazingly not hot or biting in spite of this rum being 92 proof!

Affordable!
Great price point on this rum. It is not expensive. Maybe a couple more dollars than the usual Captain Morgan and the like, but unlike the latter, you will enjoy a smooth rum that is enjoyable neat. You cannot say that for a lot of rum. One of my favorites is Mount Gay Eclipse rum, but neat, is another story. It tastes far too sweet.

Complexity?
What makes scotch whisky special is its complexity of flavors. There is so much going on in the taste experience that I often liken it to a finely woven tapestry or Persian carpet.

Sailor Jerry is not that.

Sailor Jerry is a very pleasant, chill-out, hang with your friends or stare at the beach and the bikinis littered on it and think of nothing else kind of a beverage. Very hedonistic with little or no cerebral activity going on. Activity that I am uniquely qualified to windily pontificate about.

So, complex, it is not. Given the price point, you are presented with a nice, self-indulgent rum experience, that hints at the greatness awaiting for those daring among you, who will spend more to enjoy truly great rum which should never be mixed with anything, much like good scotch.

Rum and Coke Anyone?
Sailor Jerry, coke, ice and a slice of lime makes for a very nice mixed drink too. This rum is distinct from others because of the towering taste of spiced vanilla seasoning and the absence of any bite, in spite of the higher than normal ABV. If you like clipper ship size vanilla flavor in your rum, then you will truly enjoy Sailor Jerry. The lime is a must too!

Next time you buy rum, try this both as mix or neat/on the rocks as a pleasant diversion from scotch whisky.

And that's it for now. A whisky blog that sternly refuses to take a bow!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

P.S. Next week I will be back to more scotch whisky reviews.

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission. Note: Photograph of cards is by Flickr member: Robadob. His photograph is used here with his permission, but he still retains all copyright. Accordingly, you may not reproduce it without his permission.

Frozen Mojito Recipe!

2012-04-12T00:58:00.022-03:00

While on vacation last week, most days kinda went like this: (a) assume crash position on chaise-lounge; (b) appraise the natural beauty of the beach from behind super dark sunglasses; (c) work on tan; (d) read cheesy, 1970's, long forgotten, best selling novel; (e) sip excellent mixed drink: the frozen Mojito!

You see, in this pensive/soldier of the mind state, I had an insight that was not readily apparent back home in that hurried/harried urban lifestyle. I learned that scotch consumed neat in tropical climes is not very refreshing and is not optimal for enjoying the nuances of that fine spirit. Accordingly, when in Rome . . . well you know the saying, so when in the tropics, do what the people of the tropics do. Drink refreshing cocktails!

Now, I am a democratic guy. So, in keeping with the world's best political system, I applied that view to cocktails. I worked my way through Margaritas, Pina Coladas, Tom Collins and many other constituents of my vacation resort's bar. But, the one candidate that garnered the most votes was the Mojito, but no ordinary Mojito, I particularly enjoyed the frozen version. Naturally, upon making this discovery I thought of you and so arranged for a few photo ops and an intensive interview of my Mexican bartender to learn the recipe.

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz White rum;
10 leaves of fresh mint;
16 ice cubes or about one tray;
One can of frozen limeade from concentrate (you can substitute with one can of frozen lemonade);
Teaspoon of sugar (adjust to taste if you like it sweeter);

Directions
(1) Toss all ingredients in a blender;
(2) Blend on high until smooth;
(3) Pour into glass, garnish with lime (as illustrated above)

A thing of beauty!

The traditional mojito is not to my liking. But, make it frozen, blend those mint leaves to smithereens in a blender full of ice and frozen limeade/lemonade and you impart the delicate taste of mint through out the drink and yeah! The earth did move! Just for you! That's all you need for proof that there is a G-d!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

P.S.: WTF! I've got more chins than a Hong Kong telephone book! And those cheeks! I look like a character that belongs in an Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. I gotta drop some weight. Funny how in our mind's eye we are 22yrs old forever. I guess there is some truth in that old L.A. adage: You can never be too rich or too thin!

Headed to Mexico!

2012-03-30T16:17:00.003-03:00

My sister-in-law, a person my wife aptly describes as: "Mary Poppins on stilettos" (given her Prada-esque sense of fashion and excellent skills as a mother a la Betty Crocker) has generously offered to look after our brood for a week while we head south, way south to the Mayan Riviera for a vacation.

In Mexico, I will be studying the sand and waves from a white chaise lounge. Armed with a dog-eared, yellowed, 1976 copy of Tai-Pan by James Clavell, I will imbibe iced cocktails that will be created by a bartender who will be heavily tipped in order to ensure his artistry and attention address my need to mitigate the slightest possibility of emotional or physical dehydration.

So, this site will be silent for about two weeks, and then I will be back. Emails and responses to comments will be returned upon my return. Until then . . .

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Slow-Whisky Movement?

2012-03-28T01:44:00.020-03:00

Ever heard about the Slow-Food movement? Basically it's a rejection of fast-food (think McDonald's and other perpetrators of gastronomic urban blight) and the embrace of a lifestyle where people take time to prepare and enjoy natural, flavorful, non-genetically modified, locally grown food. Clearly, it is a reaction to the hurry-sickness of many people's lives that involves eating on-the-run, relying to heavily on the microwave, canned goods, bags of potato chips and generally the ridiculous fast pace of modern life.

According to Wikipedia, there are now lots of other slow-movements:

and even . . . Slow-Sex!

Anyhow, as I have read more about this cultural phenomena, I wondered how it might apply to the appreciation of whisky. What about a 'slow-whisky' movement?

Just as we can easily get caught up in our hectic lives and not really be in the present moment, always worrying about the future or dwelling too much on the past, so too can our enjoyment of whisky be hurried.

You may find yourself obsessively worrying that you should be buying a renowned single malt when you, deep down, just want a widely-available, blended scotch that is generally not receiving any accolades. A fact that bothers you greatly. You may rush your drinks, almost as a chore, because you want to finish that bottle while the flavors are supposedly 'optimal,' because if you wait too long, the oxygen exposure of the half-full bottle will cause those flavors to become irreparably diminished. At the same time you are scanning, at the speed of light, a tasting note of the whisky in question while thinking this is not what you are tasting and somehow feeling you "just don't get it." Who knows what else is going through your mind, but one thing is certain, your mind may be racing like a freight train with all manner of whisky related thoughts, when all you should be doing is relaxing and enjoying a dram in an unhurried, present moment. How we get there is the mission of what I call the Slow-Whisky Movement.

Tenets of the Slow-Whisky Movement

No. 1: A couple of hours after your last, non-spicy meal, seek out a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Preferably in the evening when your abode is quiet. No T.V. or radio. Blackberry, smartphones, turned off and preferably buried in the backyard. Get comfortably ensconced in your favorite chair. Next to you will be a glass with 1 1/2 oz of your favorite comfort scotch or whisky of the moment. Make sure it is what you want, not some recommendation of a fool whisky blogger or a critic's windy must-buy malt suggestion of the moment.

No. 2: Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Listen to it. When your mind wanders, come back to your breathing. Just be aware of it. If a thought comes into your head, that's ok, but again, be conscious of your breathing.

"Full Catastrophe Living" is a book written by Jon Kabat-Zinn that espouses the use of secular meditation (mindfulness) to deal with life's stressors and crises. A passage highlighted below from this book is instructive in our quest to belong to the slow-whisky movement:

Do this for three minutes. That's it. I just want three minutes of your time. After that, open those eyes. You feel relaxed. Calm. Peaceful. Good. You are now ready for the third tenet.

No. 3: Reach for your glass of whisky. Hold the glass and look at the color of the whisky. Is it dark? Light? Reddish? Really look at it. Don't worry about the 'proper vocabulary' because there isn't any. Just you and a glass of whisky.

Roll the glass around a little. Does the whisky have legs?

Bring the rim of the glass to your nose. Close your eyes and gently sniff twice and move the rim of the glass away. What do you think of? Old leather books? Grandpa's steaming tea in a Thermos? Cherry pipe tobacco? The sea? Eucalyptus oil? Hospital bandages and pungent ointment? Bring the glass back for one more sniff. Again, do some free association?

No. 4: Eyes closed, take the tiniest of sips. How does the spirit behave on the palate? Sweet? Sharp? Spicy? What else is there? Cherries? Oak? Honey and sea salt? Kosher pretzel. Let your mind wander into the past to good thoughts. Childhood food and baked goods. Note the range of flavors. Marvel at them.

No. 5: Swallow. What remains? Smoke? Iodine? Coarse salt? Malty notes? Spiced honey and oat cakes? Balsa wood?

No. 6: Slowly repeat steps 3 through 5 until your 1 1/2 oz dram serving is gone. Once it is gone there will be no refills. One key aspect of the 'slow-whisky' movement is the restriction of your enjoyment to one modest serving of whisky. In this way, you will relish and catalogue in your mind every nuance, fabric, weave of flavors of the spirit. Remember! No refills.

Follow these main tenets and drinking any whisky will be a much more immediate and special experience. You will experience a greater range of flavors, that would be lost with subsequent refills. It's kinda like listening to two versions of "What I Did for Love." One great with fantastic range of voice delivered by Shirley Bassey and the other, not as great by Jack Jones.

Take a listen! I am serious, just listen, expand your mind, open it, don't be judgmental, just listen to an incredible voice:

Now that is what the first and hopefully only 1 1/2 oz serving you enjoy at one sitting, as a participant of the 'slow-whisky' movement.

If you break the rules and pour yourself another dram, the palate loses it's ability to discern the great range of flavors. What's left is a flattened tasting, less exciting, kinda like Jack Jones' rendition of the same ballad:

Welcome to the burgeoning 'slow whisky' movement! Don't be a Jack Jones! Stop at one drink and enjoy a taste experience on par with listening to Shirley Bassey!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission, except for the book "Full Catastrophe Living" by John Kabat-Zinn who holds copyright it. The book is quoted only for the purposes of education, and as a means of illustrating the subject matter. Photograph of McDonald's burger and fries taken by anonymous Flickr member BigFreaky who is holder of all copyright to said photograph.

A Sad Day . . .

2012-03-21T01:01:00.011-03:00

There is great weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, and maybe even the wearing of black arm bands as a sign of mourning, in some parts of the whisky drinking public for there is very sad news to report:

Johnnie Walker Green Label has been discontinued (click here).

Photo credit: Lukadlo

How could the multinational alcohol beverage company Diageo (the owners of the Johnnie Walker brand) make this decision? Green Label is a great scotch whisky. A blend of single malts. No grain whisky.

Some of the landmark malts making up this scotch whisky include: Talisker, Cragganmore, Linkwood, Caol Ila and several other lesser known ones.

It's a stunner that I have written about a couple of times. In one post I declared it was a blended malt that beat many single malts. In another post, I describe it as one of the best whiskies of 2011. In other words, my excitement about this whisky has not faded since my original review.

Photo Credit: zombie slam

Here's my tasting note:

Nose
Distinctly floral, coupled with malt and cookie dough, faint wisps of anise, peat and pipe tobacco.

Palate
Initially a honeyed dram, surely due to the core malt of Cragganmore. Honey gently expands across the palate followed by vanilla, moving to a drying sea spray (I realize this is an oxymoron) and pepper corns across the palate. I recognize this taste to be unmistakably Talisker.

Finish
Dry cinammon, restrained fresh ground black pepper and sea salt linger. A very long peppery/honey finish. Great length.

. . .

What may not be obvious in the tasting note is the complexity of this whisky. Wow! You take a sip and you will be impressed. The interplay between Cragganmore and Talisker is great. The individual flavors dance on the palate.

I often recommend Green Label to people who want to cross that bridge between blended scotch and single malts. In the middle is Green Label.

. . .

So why did Diageo decide to discontinue this great scotch?

No one knows. No explanation has been given. But, in a way, we all know. It's about money. A for-profit enterprise has that intrinsic right to make decisions about what wares its sells, and I certainly do not think 'profit' is a dirty word. However, I have a theory as to why the economics worked against this gem.

Unfortunate Price Point
You see, Green Label was priced in the vicinity of many introductory single malts. The average consumer faced with the prospect of shelling out the same amount of money for a blended malt (Johnnie Walker Green) when they could buy a single malt for the same price, a little more or less, invariably opted for one of the introductory malts (Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12, etc.). So, this phenomenon may have weakened sales. Diageo cannot be blamed for market behaviour unless they could have reduced the price to eliminate this phenomenon.

Lack of Marketing $$$$!
I bet there are plenty of regular readers of this blog who were not even aware of Green Label. They may have assumed the Johnnie Walker product line was Red, Black, Gold and Blue. Actually many people are not even aware there is a Gold label.

My point is that everyone has heard of Red, Black and Blue labels. Especially Blue Label. Why? Advertising! I see Blue Label advertisements in magazines. Same with Black Label. Go overseas and the advertising for Johnnie Walker Red, Black and Gold goes into over drive. Ever been to the Middle East? I have. In Lebanon, the national drink should be Black Label. I mean, everyone drinks Black Label. Everyone. Have you been to Dubai? Blue Label rules. Israel probably has its share of scotch fans too, judging by all the visitors to this blog. And then there is the Pacific Rim. Ever heard of the Johnnie Walker Classic? A golf tournament played each year in the Asia Pacific region. In particular, the tournament was held several times in Thailand and Singapore, two juggernaut markets for Johnnie Walker. Everyone knows Red and Black Labels there.

Maybe if Diageo had spent a few more dollars promoting Green Label it would have had better sales.

In any case, let the hoarding begin! If you see it in your local store, pick up a bottle because it may be the last one you see!

Cheers!

Jason Debly
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved except for photos appearing in this post. Copyright is held by the photographers and appear here in this post with their permission, No reproduction is permitted without the permission of the relevant photographer. By the way, the last photo by Matthew Lowery is excellent in my opinion. Check out more of his great work at: http://www.matthewlowery.com and http://www.matthewlowery.com/blog

Whisky Death Match! Glenfarclas 12 versus The Macallan 12

2012-03-11T23:29:00.007-03:00

For your entertainment and gustatory pleasure, tonight's main event is a death match between two fierce sherried competitors: The Macallan 12 years Highland Single Malt Scotch and Glenfarclas 12 years Highland Single Malt Scotch

These adversaries inhabit the Speyside region of Scotland and are sworn enemies on liquor store shelves everywhere. They compete for territory in the 12 year old single malt sherried scotch marketplace jungle.

The Macallan 12 years Highland Single Malt
Introducing first: making his way from the north side of the river Spey in Speyside, weighing in at 40% abv, fighting out of the sherried oak casks of Jerez, Spain corner, a legend of sherried single malt, third best selling single malt after Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, the one and only: The Suave & Sophisticated! The Macallan 12 years!

Glenfarclas 12 years Highland Single Malt
Introducing the challenger to the sherried single malt 12 year old title belt: Hailing from just south of the river Spey, weighing in at a robust 43% abv, this is no herbivore of a dinosaur, but a carnivore, looking to draw first blood from his no-caramel-added opponent! The dangerous and unpredictable! The Barbarian! Glenfarclas 12 years!

Announcer: Ok boys! I wanna clean fight. No caramel added and see what you can do to avoid being chill-filtered.
. . .

Announcer (con't): The Macallan makes his move first stealthily with incredible finesse suggestive of the highest training in Aikido. Lift your Glencairn glass of Macallan 12 to your nose and enjoy: Cherry blossoms, crushed strawberries ready for making jam, vanilla and roses, which are caught up in a lungful of North Sea air. Languid, sublime nose, simply fantastic!

With this terrific effort of aromas, it comes as no surprise the Macallan 12 lands a perfectly executed roundhouse kick to the snout of the Glenfarclas.

The Barbarian Glenfarclas stumbles from this unexpected assault upon his olfactory abilities. He's bleeding heavily from the snout, as he attempts to retort: Lifting the Glencairn glass of Glenfarclas 12 you will sniff concentrated sherry, port (even though port plays no part in production), big Cabernet Sauvignon notes too! A little whiff of something untamed though, not raw alcohol, but something out of place, maybe like damp wood smoke, but eventually you get some hot cherry pie. Not the best nose of a 12 year old malt, not terrible, just ok. The Barbarian Glenfarclas' punch fails to land on the Suave and Sophisticated Macallan.

Palate (Macallan/undiluted)
The Macallan easily ducks his unrefined adversary's out-of-control lunge at his nose, and now aims for a deft combination punch to the jaw: a nanosecond of ripe watermelon and then quickly moving into black grapes, before the flavor profile goes deeper into blackberries and plum. French Pinot Noir notes, wine of the earth, red earth. Subtle sherried dram with the elegance of an Audi meandering along the coastal highway of west coast wine country. Should we stop in Carmel? I dunno Becky? Is it a little kinda been done to death?

Palate (Glenfarclas/undiluted)
The Barbarian laughs off this girlie man subtle attack upon his palate, and with his long reach slams the delicate jaw line of Macallan with a webbed and scaly fist of: far more concentrated and robust sherry flavors; and then follows that up with a lightning uppercut to the palate with semi-sweet chocolate with delightful bitter moments. The Macallan is stumbling . . . but the Barbarian is not done, as he unleashes a fury of combination punches delivering passion fruits, pomegranate, raspberries, dragonfruit, loganberry and then towering sherry in all its multifaceted ruby splendour. . . but the Barbarian goes too far. The bell has rung ending the round, but he continues to strike his opponent. He has gone too far leaving a slightly raw or bitter taste in the mouths of the judges.

Finish (Macallan/undiluted)
The Macallan 12 is wobbly as the end of the round nears. He's unsteady as he vainly tries to launch a final assault of: rich, luxuriant Merlot like wine finish, with very faint smoke accompanied by orange chocolate. Repeated sips delivers more smoke on the finish.

Finish (Glenfarclas/undiluted)
The Barbarian Glenfarclas attempts move in for the kill: "Macallan you fool!" (pronounced with Mr. T's voice) unleashing a finish of: dusted sherry, old port and the powder dry tannins of Pio Cesare Ornato Barolo, the red wine of kings and the king of wines, but what is happening now? Camphor and French Roast coffee bean? It's out of place, that last minute head fake was a mistake because the Macallan has landed one last blow! Glenfarclas' raw and unruly taste mid-palate is there a little in the finish causing a tactical error in this match to the death. The refinement of the Macallan in the palate and through to the finish results in an uppercut that takes the Barbarian to the mat and to his most certain death.

While the Suave and Sophisticated Macallan 12 would have preferred to settle the claims to his title with the upstart Glenfarclas by way of a more dignified duel, he nevertheless prevailed because he kept his balance and guard.

Announcer: Well there you have it! The raw and unruly midpalate attack of the Barbarian Glenfarclas was its downfall. Had he been more balanced and poised as The Macallan 12, he would have been victorious. Instead, he is under the heel of the Macallan.

Cheers!

Jason Debly

P.S.: These are excellent 12 year old single malts. Glenfarclas 12 is more robust and also more wild in its sherried flavor profile. There is ginger or something akin to near alcohol that makes it a little out of balance, and for that reason I prefer the Macallan 12. Macallan gets a lot of bad press for being too predictable, but I think such a view is a mistake. The Macallan 12 is a surprisingly subtle whisky. The sherry profile is complex, but subtle. Some critics I think have equated subtlety with being predictable or not interesting. That's the key to Macallan 12, the appreciation is in it's refinement and restraint. Similarly, the failure of the Glenfarclas is it's a little too robust.

Whisky Clubs, Admission Denied, and My Solution

2012-03-03T00:39:00.056-04:00

Thirty years ago, a few good men got together and formed a whisky club. They liked whisky and decided to pool their resources, buy some bottles, find some cosy lounge area of a private social club, meet regularly, discuss and enjoy all things whisky. Over time the club grew. With many members, all paying fees, the club could buy expensive bottles, organize tours to Scotland, even organize a whisky festival and get a cut of the festival proceeds to fund the club.

A friend of mine, who was a former member, told me about the club and suggested that I should join. I thought sure. Where do I sign up? But, the website offers no mailing address, no contact info (other than an email link), no explanation about how to join or anything else along those lines. It also appeared not to have been updated in about 7 years, many bad links, and a "members only" login area. My friend suggested I speak to the gentleman in charge of the club.

I approached the stout, greyish gentleman in charge of this whisky club, and inquired about joining. This affable serjeant-at-arms type of fellow replied that membership was full and until someone left, I couldn't get in. I was cool with that.

I understood that membership attrition at this whisky club was not at the same Wile E. Coyote plunging-off-a-cliff rate as say the latest multi-level marketing "No Money Down - Get Rich Quick in Real Estate" scam hatched by some slick Herb Tarlek wannabe that was infecting late night TV and hotel ballrooms everywhere.

Super Salesman Herb Tarlek of "WKRP in Cincinnati"

About six months later, casually, in an off-handed kinda way, over lunch I inquired once more. "Nope." I asked again after that and the answer was still 'no.' And maybe I queried one final time, trying not to grovel, and the response was a bemused glance to the ceiling and a shake of the head.

To make matters worse, this past November I found myself seated at a whisky dinner that was attended by a member of this seemingly secret society. At my table is a young lady around I would say 25 years. I was relieved to see that women could be members. I ask her what are her favorite malts? She sputters a little and replies unconvincingly that she likes them all. A couple more questions and I surmise she has some interest in whisky, kinda like I have some interest in watching reruns of that whiny harpie, Sarah Jessica Parker, on Sex and the City in my spare time (I don't think so). What gives?

A couple of months later, another ex-member tells me he got out because his work schedule was too demanding, but also the organization had become increasingly formal and populated by a growing number of members who were not necessarily passionate whisky fans. As an example, he told me about the stockbroker member who was working the room like Bill Clinton at a gala event for Miss America contestants. Networking! Bleh!

Problem: Weighing all these factors in mind, I quickly realized that my chances of gaining admission to this rarefied whisky club in my home town was about as likely as I getting through the front door of New York's elite private club: Century Association (pictured left) or the Union Club of New York (not pictured, but you can click on the link and imagine the scent of red leather wingback chairs in dark burnished wood panelled rooms).

Solution: I decided to start our my own whisky club!

Let's Keep it Casual
Of paramount importance for 'this thing of ours' (pronounce with Brooklyn accent), to borrow a phrase from another equally nefarious secret society, is to have a casual social function where whisky enthusiasts, whether they be novices or connoisseurs, can, in a relaxed, non-snobby environment, enjoy a dram and marvel at what a magical blessing it is. Have some nice conversation, and basically a good time. No need to burn a photograph of a Christian Saint in the palm of an initiate's hand while he or she recites Robbie Burns poetry or at the very least, reads aloud the distillery tasting note off the back label of a bottle of Glenfiddich 12.

I do not want this club, I am putting together, to look like this:

A black tie affair at "The Union Club of New York"

Nor do I want the club to look like this:

A black leather affair at the Sons of Anarchy club house

I need a happy medium. Not a psychic medium. Just a happy medium. Shirley Maclaine need not apply here.

Money
Money collected in support of a whisky club has the ability to take a laid-back meeting of some hapless whisky fans sitting on a couch, and turn it into a behemoth of corporate governance around a bloody boardroom table. Don't believe me? That's ok. That's why I like you. You're a skeptic. Here, let me bend your ear for a moment.

I have called together seven guys (no ladies because none I know want to be caught dead with us) that will meet at my house in two weeks or so with $100 each to hand over to use as start-up capital. That means we have $700 to go out and buy: some whisky; Glencairn glassware; and maybe a couple of books on bourbon and scotch for the club. At each subsequent meeting, attendees have to hand over $10-$20, in order to keep regular cash flow coming in to buy more whisky, books, glassware, snacks, etc.

If membership expands beyond the founding members, you got some serious cash coming in. Who is going to collect and account for the funds? Should that person be the same one that buys the scotch, books, etc? Should the two functions be separated? What about financial statements? Do we need to review those at each meeting? Maybe we need a treasurer? Should the treasurer collect directly from new members or should an "admissions officer" handle that task?

Ok, you're starting to get the picture. And as my mother always says, you get to see a person's true character by observing how they handle money in relation to others. Is everyone gonna be on my wavelength?

What am I to do? Let it evolve baby! When I was a freshly minted 22 year old college, know-it-all graduate, I would tell you in exhaustive detail, a very linear solution. We'd have a governance structure that would look like it came right out of the pages of some consulting accounting firm. Well, I am not 22 years old. I'm much, much older. And as I get older, I am less structured and more intuitive. In fact, I abhor structure. It's all about gut instinct! How this club evolves and how I endeavour to keep it from becoming as exclusive as Augusta National Golf Club cannot be explained, but it's gonna happen. Because if need be, I'll call in a couple of hoods, along the lines of TV's fictional Sons of Anarchy motorcyclist enthusiast club 'Samcro', in order to enhance my powers of persuasion, and if necessary: a little Stalinesque membership purge!

Hey, a thought just ocurred to me. Am I becoming exclusive like the other club that rejected me?

Cheers!

Jason Debly

P.S. Sons of Anarchy is one helluva an entertaining show! Watch it and you will be hooked by some great drama!

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission except for the following images: (1) The Century Association front entrance photograph - photographer is Ashley Mungo who holds all copyright; (2) Wile E. Coyote image - created by Chuck Jones for Warner Bros. "Looney Tunes" series; (3) WKRP in Cincinnati" screen shot taken from an optical disc - copyright holder is 20th Century Fox Television; (4) "The Dark Knight" full promotional image released by Warner Bros. Pictures who are copyright holders; (5) "Sons of Anarchy" promotional image made available by production company FX Productions via their website. (6) Photograph of black tie affair at The Union Club of New York - photographer unknown - source of photograph is website of world renowned Florentine portrait artist Maria Teresa Meloni. Note: All images appearing in this article are for the purposes of nostalgia, education and entertainment. Moreover, all images used are considered by the author to be significant in illustrating the subject matter, facilitating artistic/critical commentary, as it provides an immediate relevance to the reader more capably than the textual description alone.

Review: Glen Garioch 12 years old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

2012-02-23T00:07:00.006-04:00

A battle rages on the shelves of liquor stores in your community! You can almost smell the cordite as you gaze upon the shrapnel of gaudy advertising in the form of life-size, cardboard, bearded Scotsmen, clad traditionally in tartan patterns, which are only slightly less jarring than a TV test pattern. Of course, your Scotsman is wearing a kilt and has a big smile on his face as he plays the bagpipes, and at his feet lies a bottle of Glen Poison Malt on sale today for a very special price that is the same damn price everyday.

And what pray tell is this urban warfare for?

The contents of your whisky glass! War is never about justice or right or wrong. It's about money and competing economic interests. Similarly, the multinational spirits companies are at war with each other for your whisky buying dollars. Who is winning? Well, think about the most common single malts. C'mon! You know them. Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12 and Macallan 12. The fighting is particularly fierce for the entry level single malt segment of the market: the 12 year old single malts.

I, of course, as unpredictable as a soldier gone AWOL, bought a malt that doesn't have a big chunk of market share in the 12 year old segment: Glen Garioch 12 years.

Nose (undiluted)
Dandelion, hops, lager beer, a little spirited.

Palate (undiluted)
Sweet porridge with brown sugar on top. What starts out ordinary builds quickly on the palate to become quite a whopper of flavors. The little train that could if you will. What happens? A massive railway car of flavors of golden wheat, ears of corn that have been freshly shucked, boiled to perfection and then drizzled with butter and salt! Hmmm! Wait, there is more. Oak, barley sugar, hops and lager notes.

Finish (undiluted)
Big salt licks, stewed apples, dried apricots, burnt toast and a flourish of peat. The salty tang hangs nicely. The finish is quite grippy and mouth coating. You'll be salivating like Pavlov's dogs! This is due to the high ABV.

Recommendation - Add a little water!
In light of the ABV of 48%, it does taste a little hot on the finish. The high ABV contributes to the big mid-palate and mouth tingling finish. I prefer this malt with a little water. Don't get me wrong. It is very enjoyable neat, but the addition of water just takes it down ever so slightly such that it is more pleasurable, and maybe more complex.

At an ABV of 48%, it's a little overpowering for many. Makes one's mouth literally water. Pour a 1 1/2 oz (4.5cl) of this impressive malt and add 3/4 of a teaspoon of distilled, non-carbonated water. Do that and you are tasting a Persian carpet of spiced honey bread with toasted rosemary that delivers a velvety texture that will divinely unroll on your palate.

Be careful with the addition of water because it is very easy to over-dilute this single malt.

General Impressions
I was surprised by how good this single malt turned out to be. A few years ago, this brand was a symbol for a decent malt, with no surprises. It was cheap, but decent. Nevertheless, kinda in the doldrums. However, recently the owners, Morrison Bowmore Distilleries, made the decision to re-make/relaunch this whisky on the 12 year old battlefield. Specifically, they boosted the ABV from 43% to a whopping 48%, and it is non-chill filtered. Subjectively, I think the quality of wood management has improved enormously. I have no direct knowledge other than what I taste as I have no contact with the distillery. But, this is my suspicion. I think the spirit is aging in quality American bourbon casks followed by some time in Spanish sherry casks. The result is a vast improvement.

Price Point - Ouch!
A few years ago, Glen Garioch was bottled at 10 years and could be had for the tidy sum of $20! Not any more. Non-chill filtered, higher ABV plus good wood management cost money. Moreover, they have probably hired new staff too. Maybe a master blender with better ideas. S/he costs money too.

The price point is now in the vicinity of $60. But, you know what? I am happy to pay that price because this malt delivers! But, there are a lot of guys who were accustomed to paying $22 for the 8 or 10 year old and are grumbling.

I recently reviewed Royal Salute 21 years and you know what? Glen Garioch 12 reminds me a lot of what Royal Salute 21 years should taste like and what made it a great blend. Besides that high end blend, if you like Glenfiddich 15 years Solera or Dalwhinnie 15 years, I think you will be a fan of Glen Garioch 12 years.

Where's the Smoke?
Not a lot of smoke or peat flavors in this single malt. If you are a peat head, you may not want to invest in a bottle of Glen Garioch. I do not think the lack of smoke and peat is a defect or detracts in any way from this well balanced malt. Just giving you a heads-up in case that is an important flavor component to you.

Opposing Forces

The enemy or should I say the competition better watch out because Glen Garioch has big guns in the relaunched 12 year old that will fight hard to take space on liquor store shelves everywhere!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Review: Bowmore 15 year old "Darkest"

2012-02-14T00:31:00.011-04:00

Valentine's Day
What is love? It's about fate. You met. You saw her from afar and became mesmerized. You got closer without trying to look obvious. Your eyes meet. You quickly look away. You look back, and damn! She caught you! It's ok because she grants you the slightest, I mean the slightest, of smiles. That's how it started for me at a luncheon eight years ago in a restaurant. She's my partner in life today.

It started a few years before that with another passion of my life: whisky. Oh, she can be a most cruel mistress. I still see her regularly. She can be mesmerizing too. Sometimes she smiles and we have lots of fun, other times she is in a foul mood. Her kisses can turn bitter and grainy on a whim.

Bowmore 15 years old "Darkest"
This lady of a malt is very dark in color. Very dark for a 15 year old malt. Matter of fact, the darkest, think Claudia Cardinale smouldering in the 1966 spaghetti western The Professionals.

While Claudia is sexy, the Jim Morrison-esque gloom of this malt has me worried.

How did it get so dark for a malt that was 'finished' in Oloroso sherry casks? Many whiskies are finished in them but don't go that dark. After all the 'finishing' of whisky in such casks is typically one or two years. Bowmore 15 years spent three years in Oloroso sherry casks. The previous 12 years were in American bourbon casks. Any caramel added? I wonder.

Forget the subdued sultriness of Claudia Cardinale. I am now fearing the darkness and unpredictability of Courtney Love, Liz Taylor or Judy Garland. Tremendously beautiful and talented in their day, but lurking just below the surface of their smiles was something not quite right. You knew they were trouble, but couldn't stay away.

Nose (undiluted)
Coal, lit barbecue briquettes, smoking North Atlantic seaside bonfire.

Palate (undiluted)
Smooth to start. An odd combination of Islay peat that is mingling with sherry flavors. So, on the one hand, you taste the peat and iodine of Islay that meets the sherry flavors you normally identify with a Highland malt like Glenfarclas or Oban. Think a sea surge of peat/smoke meeting crates of chocolate and raisins from a lorry that rolled over into the bay. Sudden, accidental and unnatural. It just doesn't work well. Something seems a bit off. I taste something close to flower scented soap. Lilacs.

Finish (unfinished)
Lime slices in ice water with medicinal notes, sea salt and how can it be? Ginger.

General Impressions
I was expecting a lot more from this Islay single malt. I reviewed Bowmore 12 year old (click here) a while ago and was impressed. Me, not being much of a peat and smoke head, did enjoy the Bowmore 12. It was a gentle treatment of classic Islay flavors that was a great starter malt for those drinkers who want to put their pinkie toe in the Islay sea of malts in the marketplace. Accordingly, I figured three extra years plus the last two in Oloroso sherry casks should deliver complexity and additional refinement over the 12 year old. Not so! I prefer Bowmore 12 years to the 15 any day of the week.

Caramel Added?
As you have probably surmised from my comments above, this malt is seriously dark. I wonder if E150 caramel coloring has been added. I am trying to ascertain the answer to that through some contacts I have in the industry, but that will take time. When I know, you will know.

Now, you may be thinking, what's the big deal about caramel? Some argue that the addition of caramel in tiny quantities is of no consequence, and just creates uniformity of color that assures the consumer there is no variability of quality. The trick is not too add too much. Too much and you may be affecting the flavor profile. Possibly introducing bitterness. Mind you others will debate the bitterness in whisky can come from the European wood and youthful whiskies. Youth is not a factor here. So maybe the wood management was not the greatest. Who knows?

Update - - - - In Germany the words "mit farbstoff" appear on the labels of all Bowmores. The German words basically translate as: colourant added

Non-Chill Filtered?
If Bowmore 15 was non-chill filtered I suspect they would have trumpeted that fact on the packaging. Alas, no mention of non-chill filtered production. Again, when a whisky is chill filtered an argument can be raised that the flavor profile is less than what it could be.

Price Point
This single malt was not cheap. In general terms, it was priced reasonably for 15 year old single malts, but any reasonableness goes out the window when you taste it. It tastes more like a 12 year old entry level malt. Where is the complexity of flavors? Just not happening.

The bloom on this rose is like my first affection for Bowmore 15. Fading quickly. Love can be fleeting!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

P.S. Guys! Remember texting is not an acceptable manner of delivery of a Valentine! Nor is emailing an electronic card (an oxymoron if there ever was one!) Get a card, write a thoughtful note and pick up some flowers. Make it two dozen red roses!

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission. Please note the photograph of the rose at the top of this post was taken by Waseem-79. It appears on this blog with his permission. All rights to the photo belong to Waseem-79. The second photograph of the rose at the bottom of this post was taken by ..A.C.REB... His photograph appears here with his permission. All rights to the photo remain with the photographer.

Book Review: "The World's Best Whiskies" by Dominic Roskrow

2012-02-08T01:22:00.012-04:00

Lately, I am hearing the hushed tones of polished English accents quietly discussing romance, good table manners, and the scandal of poorly chosen cuff links against the background theme music of a very popular British TV series: Downton Abbey. In the United States, the program is featured on the PBS Masterpiece series. Need I say more . . .

The hired help at Downton Abbey

Every evening my wife watches this British period piece about how World War I forever changed the lives of servants and an aristocratic family. I have to restrain myself from making snide remarks that will attract a stare colder than a crisp December morning in Moscow, and endure a plot with liberal helpings of unfulfilled destinies, servants with a sense of duty, and scandalous behavior with a host of good and devilish characters.

The Downton Abbey aristocratic family.

If it was up to me, I and my significantly more cultured other, would be watching Boss, a fantastic new show starring Kelsey Grammer about a corrupt, psychopath mayor of Chicago. You wanna see serious political double-crossing, murderous larceny with some nice T&A, this, my friend, is the show for you! Kelsey Grammer is brilliant in his role as Tom Kaine. No wise-cracking jokes from the high brow duff-us Frasier character here. Mayor Tom Kaine is coldly calculating the political crises he faces on a daily basis and uses a ruthlessness that is reminiscent of Attila the Hun. Riveting, must watch! To borrow an adage from the board game Monopoly, Do not pass 'Go' Do not collect $200 either if you fail to watch Boss!

Kelsey Grammer in his role as 'Tom Kaine' on 'Boss.'

But, Downton Abbey is on the 'telly' as they say in the UK. So, I must amuse myself. And what precisely have I been doing? Reading books on whisky in an effort to block out that syrupy music at the top of this post and the whispered conversations of children out of wedlock, lost loves, and general bad manners at the dinner table.

Whisky Books
Books on whisky suffer from one great malaise: they can be extremely boring. I mean, do we really care how many millions of litres of spirit are produced by a given distillery? Doesn't change anything in my life? No, I think not. Nor do we care to know the precise year that there was a terrible fire or that it started next to the boiler room. What was the janitor keeping in his closet that was so flammable? We don't need to hear about the monumental reconstruction effort that even employed the tiny tots of the town. Out of the ashes rose a great distillery. . . . blah, blah, blah.

You and I really only care about what a given whisky tastes like and maybe some of the basics. Accordingly, a clear writing style is a definite must (would be helpful if I made efforts to utilize one too!). In any event, I find many books on whisky employ a sleepy literary style that is in the tradition of the latest scientific literature on physics or game theory.

The World's Best Whiskies by Dominic Roskrow

Whisky critic, Dominic Roskrow, doesn't make the mistake that so many authors contributing articles to scientific journals, that no one will ever read, do. His writing style is fairly engaging, succinct and he recognizes that other whisky books can devote far too much space to legends, stories and other sleep inducing anecdotes that put the reader in a catatonic state very quickly.

Roskrow is keenly aware of the habit of many whisky critics to spend inordinate pages devoted to the 'history' of whisky. He writes in the introduction:

". . . I have never been big on history, and right from a very young age I was up there painting the wagon with Lee Marvin looking forward to the next adventure."

Spare us the history lesson . . .
OK, I applaud this sentiment. But what does he do two pages later? He spends two full pages discussing the history of whisky. Fortunately, he limits it to two pages, but Dominic, buddy, if you really have no use for regurgitating the history of whisky, why do so? Skip it dude! To hell with the publishing house suits that say it must be in the book. Write a book with no damn history! Break the mold! Stick a finger in the eye of the whisky publishers! That's what Lee Marvin would do!

Dominic! Look into Lee's eyes! See that intensity? Does he look like a guy that's gonna say one thing and do another? Maybe re-watch Point Blank (1967).

Dominic redeemed by his crystal clear writing style
While Dominic dropped the ball for the reader by doing the obligatory 'history' lesson on whisky, he does redeem himself elsewhere, and again it comes back to his concise writing style. Consider his explanation of what "non chill-filtered" means that appears on page 25:

"Naturally produced whisky clouds when it is cold because the fats in the solution solidify at lower temperatures. To prevent this and ensure clear whisky, makers have tended to chill the whisky and filter out the solidified fats. But in recent years there has been a trend toward leaving these fats in because they also contain flavor. So, 'non chill-filtered' is regarded as a statement of quality and reflects the fact that drinkers are becoming increasingly demanding and knowledgeable about their drinks."

The above passage is the best damn explanation of the phrase "non chill-filtered" that appears on so many bottles of scotch these days. It's straight forward, accurate, to the point.

Don't know what "cask strength" means on the label of your most recent scotch whisky purchase? Have no fear. Dominic has a clear, understandable explanation:

"Simply that the whisky has been put into the bottle at the strength at which it came out of the cask."

Dominic is, of course, a renowned whisky critic. Accordingly, it comes as no great surprise that the balance of the book comprises a great number of whisky tasting notes. Approximately 700.

But, is he honest?
My measure of a whisky critic is honesty. Will he call a spade a spade when it comes to bad whisky? It is easy to praise the great examples of this type of spirit, but does the critic have the cojones to warn the reader of disappointing malts?

I am happy to report that Mr. Roskrow will advise the reader against certain malts. Mind you, he writes more subtly than say I. Where I would say a malt may induce projectile vomiting, he is more diplomatic. Consider his review of Glengoyne Burnfoot which appears on page 93:

"Something of a victory for style over substance, although full marks to the owners for trying to do something genuinely different with the packaging and presentation. Subtle, this isn't. There is no age statement, and it tastes young and two-dimensional. But in its favor, it is a clean and robust whisky, with some endearing sweet malt notes." (emphasis added)

Or how about his review of Isle of Jura 10-year old appearing on page 108:

"A soft and unassertive malt, with a sweet and fruity backbone. The abrasive tangy notes and 'baby sick' notes have gone, so if you were put off in the past, it might be time for a revisit. That said, it continues to be quite two-dimensional and unexceptional, apart from the well-designed packaging." (emphasis added)

He is not a Scotch dogmatist
Finally, Dominic devotes a section of his book to whiskies made outside of Scotland, America, Canada and Japan. He recognizes and praises the efforts of whisky distilling going on in Australia, Europe, India, New Zealand and South Africa.

Mr. Roskrow draws the reader's attention to up and coming distilleries in France, Belgium and even Germany. I particularly enjoyed his review of the Blaue Maus Distillery. Roskrow has a wonderfully open mind when he approaches whiskies produced outside of Scotland, US, Canada and Japan. He is willing to give them a chance. He does not suffer from the dogmatism that all great whisky must hail from Scotland.

On page 252, he writes about a friend, another renowned whisky critic, who vehemently argues that central Europe will never produce any good whisky. Dominic writes: "I like my friend, but he is wrong." Discussing the German whisky of the Blaue Maus distillery, he wrote:

"This is not Scottish single malt whisky and is not trying to be, nor is it bourbon or Irish whiskey - but that does not mean it cannot be great. And Blaue Maus does make great whisky. Adjust your taste buds, throw away your prejudices, and approach these whiskies as if they were a brand-new drinks category all of their own, and you may find yourself enjoying a roller-coaster ride."

Now that's the attitude to have when drinking any whisky!

Good job Dominic!

Cheers!

Jason Debly
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission except for images above taken from the film "Point Blank" as they belong to MGM. I do not own any rights to "Point Blank" which is posted for the purposes of nostalgia, education and entertainment.

Review: Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch "The Quinta Ruban" 12 years

2012-01-30T23:25:00.005-04:00

Nose (undiluted)
Orange peel, dark chocolate, faint hospital bandages with medicinal ointment, and freshly turned over, early morning, damp earth, as you hunt for worms for that fishing trip.

Palate (undiluted)
Rich, velvety, mouth filling body of loganberry, blackberries, raspberries. Think Christmas fruitcake with lots of dark, chunks of plum, raisins and dark cake bread.

Finish (undiluted)
Fantastic finish. What started initially as sweet quickly became mouth watering, and then dry and by the time you swallow, you are left with dusty apricot and port wine notes.

General Impressions
A few months ago, I wrote about my frustration with encountering mediocre after mediocre malt. Had a real slump in my reviews. I was in search of a new discovery. Well, I have made a new discovery in the Glenmorangie 12 year old Quinta Ruban.

This 12 year old malt tastes much older than it is. I feel like it is a 15 or 18 year old because of the vibrant flavors and sophistication of the overall integration of this malt. There is no young whisky here that is unruly. We are talking serious refinement.

The powerful flavors comes in part from the 46% ABV.

The velvety texture comes from being aged in the port pipes for 2 years.

The port is a nice change from the Oloroso sherry casks that are so frequently used in the single malt production carried out at so many distilleries.

This single malt reminds me of The Balvenie 21 year old Portwood finish. Another stunner! The Balvenie is superior to Glenmorangie, but one must remember that the former is one of the greatest single malts I have ever tasted. The Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban at a third of the price is still in the same neighbourhood!

This single malt is also non-chill filtered.

So, let's put it all together: higher than average ABV, port finish, non-chill filtered, plus obviously great wood (ex-bourbon casks) to start and you have a dream of a dram here. If you like sherried malts, you're gonna love this one. Fans of Oban 14, Clynelish 14, The Glenlivet 18, GlenDronach 15 and higher end Glenfarclas are going to really appreciate the Glenmorangie 12 year old Quinta Ruban matured in Port Casks. This malt puts to shame a lot of 12 year old competitors like The Macallan 12 years (a truly overrated dram if there ever was one!).

Highly recommended!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

2011 Canadian Whisky Awards

2012-01-23T14:58:00.004-04:00

In general, whisky awards can be a bit confusing and cause the onlooker to be overwhelmed with information because there are so many categories, classes, levels of medals, etc. In an effort made by the organizers to be comprehensive and fair, these events can contribute to information overload for the whisky enthusiast.

The 2011 Canadian Whisky Awards was celebrated on January 19th, 2012, in Vancouver, Canada. I was one of the judges (it's wholly independent, with no compensation flowing to the judges, by the way). The results are in, and guess what? There are several categories like:

Domestic Market Winners
Export Market Winners
Multiple Market Winners
Overall Winners and Awards of Excellence

The last category is further divided into various classes of medalists (gold, silver and bronze). Click here for all the results.

That's a lot of info eh? Don't worry if your head starts to spin. I am here to dumb it down, as I am so uniquely qualified to do.

There are two whiskies that emerged for me to be truly noteworthy that I would like you to consider at some point.

Forty Creek John's Private Cask No. 1 (suggested retail $69.95)
Forty Creek John's Private Cask No. 1 won in the category of Canadian Whisky of the Year. I agree.

This whisky is best enjoyed neat. It delivers a rich, full palate of toffee, caramel and spiced ginger, that textures but never offends the tasting experience. This spirit provides plenty of nip to the taste buds, as it is anything but smooth. Recommended for the serious whisky fan.

Canadian Mist Black Diamond (suggested retail $14.95)
This is a real gem.

There were five judges plus our chairperson, Davin de Kergommeaux, weighing a great many whiskies.

Canadian Mist Black Diamond was ranked as a silver medalist overall by the other judges, but not by me. If ever there was a gold medalist, I thought this was the one. Priced around $15, this is a steal! What's it taste like?

Big, towering tastes of caramel stung by cinnamon and citrus flavors. Lots of brown sugar and then followed by more citrus elements too. Not what I would call a gentle whisky. Lots, I mean lots of flavor. I enjoyed it neat, but could see it as a great mixer, especially at the modest price point. A detailed review can be found here. Canadian Mist Black Diamond represents great value at a price point of $20 or less.

. . .

So, if you have been wondering about Canadian whisky, the above are two splendid places to start. One at the high end, and the other at the entry level. For more information on these and other Canadian whiskies, please click here.

Cheers!

Jason Debly
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission except for photograph of gold medals. Photograph of medals belongs to Melissa Lao, who holds all copyright to it. It is used in this post with her permission.

Review: Speyburn 10 years Single Malt

2012-01-17T22:49:00.006-04:00

When a regular reader, Yochanan, offered to send me a review of one of his recent purchases, I knew, just knew, I would want to post it here.

Why? Two reasons: (1) it's a good, honest assessment; (2) it's a reflection of what college students, on a budget, are buying. Read on:

One Cheap Single Malt...in Price, That is.

I've heard, implied on more than one occasion, from those who swear by single malt scotch whisky that any remotely decent malt can't come cheap. These types are usually also the kind to proudly stick their noses up towards blends.

While I acknowledge that the best single malts will always out-do the best blends, I know some blends can also beat some single malts (for one example, I'd take a dram of Teacher's Highland Cream or Black Bottle over any Mclelland's offering any day of the week. Conversely, I'd bet Any single malt is superior to Clan Macgregor). That is perhaps an entry at a later time.

I'm a history major (alright, get the arbitrary "What are you gonna do with THAT!?" out of the way), and earlier this afternoon just completed my last final for the semester. Looking to unwind, I stopped by a local liquor store on my way home and picked up a bottle of this single malt which I hear much about, but have never tried myself. At $19.99 before tax, it was literally the cheapest malt in the store. While I had to take a big gulp and wipe some beads of sweat from my brow prior to making the final decision to purchase (trust me, I didn't walk in, grab the thing, and go to check-out...I was doing some serious deliberating in that store. Probably looked like a real shifty fella there), I couldn't help but revel in the simple fact I could purchase a single malt for such a price. Even by blend standards, the price is still in the entry-level range of the spectrum. I came home, ate my dinner of reheated fine deep-dish Chicago pizza, chilled for a few hours, and finally...came those fateful moments.

Nose (undiluted)

Yes, Some vague, soft red fruits and...prunes? Citrus waves at you after a few minutes of airing out. Quite a very restrained nose, but very pleasing to my senses, none the less. Hints of vanilla behind all of the fruity, honeyed goodness. Speyside to a "T".

Palate (undiluted)

The notes on the box are accurate for a change, this is fairly honeyed. A light bodied offering of vanilla, pretty sweet initially (don't worry, not like a cloying low-quality blend or anything like that), lots of caramel, does some decent drying with a bit of oak, a small puff of smoke, very shy peat, and maybe some white pepper, if that's not my imagination. This isn't the least subtle of malts.

Finish (undiluted)

A pretty small puff of smoke and faint, dank wood. It lingers long enough that I do not call it a low-quality affair that ends just about abruptly, but it is on the short side for a malt.

Palate (diluted/ as in- nothing more than a couple drops of water)

Slightly less sweet than neat, but loses a bit of complexity. Fruits are a bit drier. Hmm.

Finish (diluted)

A difference of a bit more smoke and the introduction of some mild spice. I'd say I prefer this with a bit of water, even if it does lose a little complexity. The reason for this is that the drying is more thorough with the addition of a bit of water. For a whisky to start fairly sweet at this does, the drying needs to be more than slight.

Impressions

A classic Speyside flavor profile that is not very complex, but has at least some complexity comparable to a solid blend. At about $20, I'd say this is on par with some pretty good blends out there. I'd say that this is on a borderline even keel to Teacher's Highland Cream, but alas, is a couple dollars more expensive by me and slightly less interesting than that blend. Thus, I'd pick Teacher's up more times than this, but would not mind having more of this malt by any stretch of the imagination.

. . .

Yochanan, thank you for the review!

Next week: A review of Glenmorangie "The Quinta Ruban" 12 year old Highland Single Malt, extra matured in Port Casks.

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Review: Royal Salute 21 years

2012-01-06T01:05:00.016-04:00

When I first started drinking scotch whisky, I was all about the blends. I loved blends. Why? As a newbie, I put a premium on smooth character. Single malts overwhelmed my palate. I'd try a single malt and couldn't figure out what the big deal was about them. They tasted, to my untrained palate, rough, strong, just too much. I used to wonder: "if single malt's are so great, how come they are not as smooth and sweet as blends?" And then, there was the peat in single malts. Again, too much I thought.

So, for a couple of years, I drank nothing, but blends. First there was Famous Grouse. I loved that sweet malt. It was sweet, a little nip on the tongue. I never liked Ballantine's Finest Finest or J & B Rare. It's one thing to be sweet, but not cloyingly so.

Eventually, after a couple of years, I wanted more out of my whisky. Being smooth and sweet was not enough. It got boring. I enjoyed smoke and sea salt and even a little peat! Hence, I progressed to Teacher's Highland Cream, Chivas Regal 12 years and Johnnie Walker Black Label. When I started to appreciate Black Label, I decided to try single malts again, and this time I started to slowly develop an appreciation for them. You see, Black Label really is the crossroads or intersection where blended scotch and single malt enthusiasts meet. It offers something to both camps that is very satisfying.

Judging from the above, you can see how I have a soft spot for blended scotch. It was the first love, where it all began. Once people start to appreciate single malts, their memory and fondness for blended scotch wanes. I try not to be like that. Besides being a sentimentalist, I still enjoy blends. I still regularly buy Teacher's, Black Bottle and Johnnie Black.

Today's post is about Royal Salute 21 years (bottled Oct. 28, 2010). It is Chivas Brothers ultra premium blended scotch with a 21 year age statement. I expect a lot for the high price, and the impressive age of grain and malt whiskies making up this blend being not less than 21 years.

Upon opening, it tasted like this:

Nose (undiluted)
Dandelion, honey, a wee peat and ocean air laden with salt. Not a show stopper. Pleasant but that's about it.

Palate (undiluted)
Dollops of wild honey on crunchy toast, zinging with tarragon, dill and other exotic spices. Snuff box from the Orient. Cardamom. Some complexity mid-palate.

Finish (undiluted)
Big malty notes, mint chocolate, heavy oak and sweet grains with good shakes of freshly ground black pepper. But, none of these flavors last very long. The finish to this whisky is not nearly long enough as it should be for the price.

Adding water did nothing to enhance this whisky. Not recommended.

In subsequent tastings, the whisky became much tamer. Oxygen is not a friend of this scotch. Some whiskies seem almost impervious to oxidation. The flavor remains the same after opening. Johnnie Walker Blue Label is such a whisky and in this sense is clearly superior to Royal Salute.

Other whiskies can actually improve following opening. Clynelish 14 years is one. Clynelish 14 can be a bit wild, untame, the sherry is too pronounced. Return to the bottle a week later, and the wildness that was a tad unpleasant has left, leaving in its wake a fantastic whisky. You knew it was good when you opened it, and now, a couple of days later, you are assured. Not so with Royal Salute.

A week later, Royal Salute becomes more oakey, sweet, smooth, while losing the spiciness and complexity that was initially impressive upon opening.

Value for Money?
Chivas' Royal Salute 21 year old blended scotch whisky is more expensive than many 18 year old single malts. Is it worth the money?

No.

I would not spend $125 or in that range for this whisky. It is simply not worth it. Why? This whisky, a week or so later, is simply sweet, smooth, oaked and not much else. It really tastes like your typical blended scotch. Middle of the road, Speyside honeyed dram. Not much going on, and for the price there should be tiny dancers doing The Nutcracker on my palate or at least the very least the three go-go dancers from Russ Meyer's 1968 classic sexploitation film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! do a little dance!

The Age Statement Illusion
Drinking Royal Salute brings to mind the age statement illusion. Whisky companies want you to think that older whisky is better whisky. Not necessarily so. Royal Salute is living proof of that.

You think that since you are paying more money for this older whisky it must be better, but guess what? It's not better. It's boring. It cloyingly sweet, yep, it is. There isn't much complexity, virtually no peat whatsoever and hardly any smoke. Was that smoke I tasted or red candle wax? I'm not sure.

Marketing
Take a look at some of the sporting events sponsored by Royal Salute:

- Sentebale Polo Cup 2011 (Ascot, England)

- Foundation Challenge Cup 2011 (California, USA)

- Royal Salute China Open Polo Tournament (Beijing, China)

- Royal Salute Tang Polo Cup (Beijing, China)

- The Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup (Jodhur, India)

- The Royal Salute Nations Cup (Dubai, UAE)

- Triplice Coroa Tournament (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

- Copa Ouro (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

- Sydney Gold Cup (Sydney, Australia)

Obviously, this whisky is pitched to the establishment rich and the nouveau-riche who like the idea of liking scotch whisky, but have no idea what good scotch is. There are plenty of knowledgeable scotch fans in India, China, Brazil, and other parts of the world. However, there are also plenty of people in those countries enjoying first-time, new found affluence, and so they are unsure as to what is a good whisky. These people are the target audience of Chivas Brothers. Whisky consumption in these countries is growing at a much greater rate than say more stagnant or mature markets like North America and the UK.

I receive email every once in a while from guys in Hong Kong and India looking for scotch recommendations for their bosses or on the occasion of closing a big deal. I usually suggest single malts and they invariably ask: "what about Johnnie Walker Blue and Royal Salute?" When I explain there is better, they agree personally, but say the gift is more about prestige and how expensive it is. Well, if that is the criteria of spirits selection, then I guess high end blends have the edge.

Peer Review
I mean, seriously, Glenfiddich 15 years Solera is a fraction of the cost and is far better, far more complex and interesting than Royal Salute will ever be. Royal Salute is clearly a whisky that is trying to achieve mass appeal (well for those masses called the rich who can afford this pancake syrup). Easy drinking, smooth, sweet and wonderfully packaged in a velvet bag.

If you want a gentle blended whisky that is not offensive, yet interesting, there are alternatives: Chivas Regal 12 (yeah, it's better), Hibiki 17 (a Japanese blended whisky) and Johnnie Walker Gold Label. If you want to compare this whisky to blended malts, there are many more better choices like: Famous Grouse 18, Famous Grouse 30 years (often overlooked, but truly incredible) and Johnnie Walker Green. Some people might think it is not a fair comparison to place a bottle in a head-up Pepsi challenge where one is blended scotch and the other is a blended malt. I say nonsense. If they both occupy the same price point, they get comparisons.

The Thrill is Gone!
In past years, I really enjoyed this luxury blend. What happened? I dunno. We always have to remember that scotch whisky is after all an organic substance that can vary from batch to batch. Five years ago, I enjoyed this blended scotch tremendously. It was very good. Complexity that remained after opening of the bottle with wonderful punch of flavors, crisp honey, peanut brittle and caramel. It's no longer great. Something happened. Maybe the master blender has tinkered with the ingredient whiskies, changing the proportion or maybe adding in a few different ones. Maybe there has been a change in wood management do to a problem sourcing a certain type of cask? Who knows? What I do know is that the current bottling (October 28, 2010) is a shadow of its former self. Maybe in a few years it will regain its former glory, but for this October 10th, 2010 release (2010 / 10 / 28 LKSC3675 006008) I would stay away.

Hip Hop Music and Great Blended Whisky
Chivas Brothers would do well to recognize that great blended whisky is a lot like great hip hop (rap) songs. A lot of excellent rap music involves digital sampling. Sampling is where a musician takes one sound or melody from another song and uses it in a new one.

Great blends work the same way. Take a little peat from Islay, some sweet fruit from Speyside, add in some smoke and toffee from the islands, mix it all together with other regions of Scotland to produce something great.

That's musically what 50 Cent and Jayceon Taylor (also known as 'The Game') did with an old 1970's song called Rubber Band by The Trammps. About two and half minutes into 'Rubber Band' there is an interesting musical melody that doesn't last long, but 50 Cent and Mr. Taylor picked up on it, and astutely sampled it below to produce an amazingly melancholic song, "Hate it or Love it" (which kinda sums up my thoughts on Royal Salute). Chivas Bros! Listen up and try to do for high end blended scotch what 50 Cent and Mr. Taylor did for hip-hop!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission, except for the song, Hate it or Love it, which is posted purely for educational purposes. All rights to that song vest with the composers.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T11:24:00.017-04:00

No scotch review today!

Just a wish.

"Have a Happy New Year!"

Unfortunately, saying so, is much easier than doing so.

You may be on top of the world, with the stars lining up and all your troubles behind you. A fat bank account, loving spouse, nice home and a satisfying career. You are truly fortunate, and I wish you every success in the New Year.

However, many people have burdens in life. Maybe the wife got up and left (that's supposed to be a bad thing guys!); or maybe you have been laid off, and now are doing the type of menial work that you last did when you were 16 while the mortgage slips into arrears; or maybe you have run out of money and have to leave college. The problems people have can at times seem insurmountable and vary widely. Some people though have it much worse.

Syrian women hold vigil for loved ones - December 2011

As New Year's Eve approaches, some people are under the heel of a regime that will not let go of power, and will not heed the demands of its citizens for change.

The United Nations reports more than 5,000 unarmed Syrians killed by their own government. In the city of Homs, government snipers, enforce a curfew to prevent protests, by sitting on rooftops and shooting anyone on the streets between 4pm through 9 am the following morning. That has meant a pregnant lady who ventured out one morning into the street during the 'curfew' to do some shopping was killed. Her brothers had to wait some agonizing time before they could retrieve her body from the street while risking being shot too. Don't believe me. Click here for the story on CNN or go to Twitter, type in 'Homs' (major Syrian city) and see the horrific video uploads and first hand accounts from ordinary citizen's cellphones.

Those, my friend, are problems.

I am not trying to trivialize the problems of people elsewhere in the world. Your problems that involve health, employment or loved ones are also very significant. And guess what? There is hope. Good triumphs evil. Eventually. A better job will come one day. Your health will improve or stabilize. The economy will bounce back. Bashar al-Assad's regime will fall.

At this time of year, you will hear on the radio Auld Lang Syne, in band halls and bars. Not my favorite New Year's song. Mine is different. Redemption Song

The opening lines of this plaintive ballad sums up the hope of all people and the conviction that good always triumphs evil.

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly

Bob Marley was singing about the misery and the hopelessness of blacks in the slave trade. He could have been writing about the Syrians protesting in the street in the face of troops firing at them. He could have been writing about you and a crippling disease that is taking, each day, a little more of your breath away. But, always remember:

But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty

I don't know your conception of God and I am not here to impose one. Maybe God is justice, doing right, the triumph of good over evil. For me, it is akin to Hindu version of karma. If one does good, one reaps good. If one does evil, one reaps evil.

Syrian protesters - December 2011

Just as one day, the hands of the slaves were made strong by the hand of the Almighty, the hands of the Syrian protesters, and yours, will be made strong, in whatever plight you and they face. That's my New Year's wish for you.

Jason Debly

Photographs: Reuters
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved except for lyrics and music of the song 'Redemption Song" by Bob Marley and released on Island Records. Copyright and all other rights belong to the estate of Bob Marley and/or his music publisher. The song is reproduced here for educational purposes only.

Best Scotch Whisky of 2011

2011-12-17T18:01:00.004-04:00

Santa is coming soon. What will he bring you? Santa, if you are reading this, please take note.

Over the past year, I reviewed a number of blends and single malts. Who were the stunners that would make excellent gifts to good boys and girls the world over?

GlenDronach 15 year old Revival ($75)
This is a sherried dram. Bursting forth with lots of frothy red fruit, blackberry, orient spices and tobacco. Powerful, leaving a long taste of smoke and plums. Highly recommended for the boys and girls who like sherried whisky.

Te Bheag Connoisseur's Blended Scotch ($35)
This is not a well known blended scotch. Very hard to find in the US, but available in Canada and the UK.

Probably the best blended scotch whisky discovery in my opinion of the past year was Te Bheag (pronounced che vek). It's reasonably priced and delivers great flavors of tobacco, peat and sherry, woven well, with no bitterness, bite or alcohol peeking through. I was amazed by this blend and frankly I think it disappeared off my shelf in about two weeks!

Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky ($20)
Another blend makes Santa's list this year: Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky. Incredibly affordable at around $20, but damn impressive if you like peat and smoke from Islay to tickle your taste buds. Sweet peat, gentle fire smoke of damp spruce tree branches by the beach on an overcast day. Wow!

Highland Park 15 years ($72)
Highland Park 15 years was a discovery of mine in 2010, but I revisited it (click here) again in 2011. Simply an expensive and brilliant shining diamond of a single malt. This malt brings together what is magical about whisky in one bottle. You have peat and heather, honey and toffee complimented by smoke.

Johnnie Walker Green Label ($50)
Sometimes Santa needs to give a gift that he is sure is a well recognized crowd pleaser that gives a taste of all the regions of Scotland. Johnnie Walker Green is soft honey, drizzled over toast with lemon zest, sea spray and a hint of peat that always makes those good girls and boys happy on Christmas day!

Hopefully, we have all been nice and not naughty, so that ol' St. Nick will bring us something we can enjoy over the holidays!

Jason Debly

Review: Canadian Club 20 years

2011-12-14T00:40:00.019-04:00

Andy Rooney (1919-2011) Photo credit: CBS Archives 1982

You probably know the name 'Andy Rooney.' He was the old crank (actually he was pretty nice in person) who appeared in the final five minute segment, each week, of the CBS television program 60 Minutes. He discussed his pet peeves and wry observations of life on the program and in a nationally syndicated column for 32 years.

In his final appearance on 60 Minutes, he reflected on his life and work as a writer and had this to say:

A writers' job is to tell the truth. I believe that if all the truth were known about everything in the world it would be a better place to live. I know I've been terribly wrong sometimes, but I think I've been right more than I've been wrong.

What resonated with me was . . . a writer's job is to tell the truth . . . a writer's job is to tell the truth . . . It's like a mantra turning over and over in my head.

Canadian Club 20 years - Canadian Whisky

I'm Canadian. You know the type, we're not the ones in the airport, going through customs and making a fuss about having to remove our shoes or object to opening our luggage. We're pretty easy-going, low key and not looking to make waves.

I fall into that category. I don't seek out conflict. But, in another sense, I am 'conflicted.' Most of my reviews are about scotch whisky. Many Canadians email me and say: Hey! what about Canadian whisky? Well, what about it? Just because I am Canadian doesn't mean I have to review all spirits Canadian, or so you would think. But, these emails bug me. Eat away at my psyche, cause me to feel guilty/unpatriotic. I feel often compelled to write glowing reviews of Canadian whisky, which would not be very honest. So, it was in these circumstances that I found myself at the local liquor store in search of a good Canadian whisky.

I found a bottle of Canadian Club aged 20 years, and as I sipped this whisky, I could hear Andy's voice.

Nose (undiluted)
Perfumed, minty, incense.

Palate (undiluted)
Sweet ginger, lime, black pepper dusted Camembert. There is an unmistakable grainy aspect to this whisky that is typical of Canadian spirits. It's not a cheap grainy taste, but grainy nevertheless, that is somewhat disappointing.

Finish (undiluted)
Oak, cinnamon and candy cane.

General Impressions
The corn delivers the initial sweetness followed by some rye that renders the spice. Canadian Club 20 years is a good representation of Canadian whisky. Initially, it is smooth and sweet due to the corn, before transitioning to spiced oak/limes and pepper as a result of rye. While it is good, it is not great, not tremendous. The flavour profile is pancake flat, other than a little spiced rye coming through mid-palate.

I was expecting a lot more from a 20 year old Canadian whisky. On ice, it becomes much smoother and the chill makes it go down easier than it already is, which is about as easy as Pamela Anderson (another Canadian) on prom night.

The Truth about Canadian Whisky
Truth be told, Canadian whisky often tastes best when mixed with ginger ale or another mixer. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. Canadian whisky seems almost designed to be enjoyed with mix. Please note that this is not a 'put-down' or proof that this spirit category is inferior to scotch. It is merely my observation. Ultimately, the reason you are reading this review is because you are seeking the optimal tasting experience, and so with respect to most Canadian whisky, please add some mix (ie. ginger ale, coke, etc.).

Rare is the Canadian whisky that can be enjoyed neat. Canadian Club 20 years is not an exception to that rule. I tried it with ginger ale and ice in a tumbler, and damn, it was good.

The rare few that are great neat are:

Gibson's Finest 18 years;
Forty Creek John's Private Cask No. 1;
Whistle Pig

Whistle Pig, by the way, is 100% rye whisky that is distilled and aged entirely in Canada, and thereafter exported to Vermont, where it is bottled. Many people assume that Whistle Pig is American whisky, and I can understand the confusion because the website implies that it is so, without stating so. Kinda deceptive if you ask me. Check the labels and you will see in little print that Whistle Pig is 100% Canadian whisky. They just 'hand bottle' it on a farm in Vermont.

Price Point Analysis
As mentioned above, consumed neat, this whisky is lacking a wow factor that I expect at the price point of $55 and given a 20 year old age statement. However, if you want to make a classic/fantastic Canadian whisky with ginger ale, then this spirit hits the nail on the head perfectly. If that is your aim, this is well worth the price point.

Great Gift Idea
If you know the recipient of your holiday largesse is a Canadian whisky fan, then Canadian Club 20 years is a good choice. It will not disappoint. Moreover, it meets all the essential benchmarks of Canadian whisky: smooth but some spiciness, light texture but concentrated, good integration of grains and cereal flavors, and well balanced. These elements marry well with ginger ale.

If you are buying this whisky for a scotch fan, I would be careful. Canadian whisky is very different from scotch whisky. The former is nearly always blended, light bodied, rarely tasting of sherry and certainly not peated. Scotch fans may not enjoy the grains in this whisky. Scotch nuts tend to enjoy their libation neat and so, this is not an ideal gift idea. Buy scotch for scotch fans and Canadian whisky for Canadian whisky fans.

Well Andy, did I do good?

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission. Copyright to photographs of Andy Rooney are the property of CBS and appear here solely for nostalgia and entertainment purposes.

Scotch Whisky Appreciation is Empiricism Tempered by Subjectivism

2011-12-01T11:39:00.022-04:00

Prague Castle and Straka Academy at night from Cech Bridge, Prague

I received a visitor from the Czech Republic. Well, he did not actually visit me, but rather this blog, which is kinda like an extension of my home. If you like whisky, I welcome you into my online abode. In any event, my Czech visitor wrote the following email:

Hi Jason,

I just want to give you my big thanks for how you unflaggingly keep your blog alive which is immensely inspiring for a whisky newbie like me. I tripped over your blog when searching for a good whisky I could present my friend with on the occasion of his 30`s birthdays few months ago and based on your reviews I chose Highland Park 15. Another friend of mine, also now in his 30`s, was gifted Macallan 12 cherry oak and, luckily, Hibiki 17 and so we decided to conduct our very first collective tasting. To make it even more interesting I had listened to you and contributed to this event by buying a bottle of Cragganmore 12 and, just for comparison, I also brought a recently opened bottle of Tullamore Dew 12. The order was following:

1. Tullamore
2. Cragganmore
3. Macallan 12
4. Highland Park 15
5. Hibiki 17

I have to say that until this tasting I was a 60% bourbon drinker and 40 % Irish whisky drinker, all I have tasted so far from scotch was Johnnie Walker Red and Black several years ago, so I was honestly a little afraid if I could appreciate this excellent, but to me quite unknown stuff. I felt kinda like cast pearls before swine, meant me :) To my relief I can say, that there wasnt any whisky I didnt like.

Started with Tullamore we agreed that it was a nice stuff, maybe still a little harsh but overall easy drinking. We were still musing about Tullamore while I was pouring us the Cragganmore and when we raised our glasses to our noses it caught us utterly unprepared to what arrived. The nose was, compared to Tullamore, so rich, complex and pleasantly overwhelming (it felt like smelling a jug of honey to me) that we just unbelievingly stared at each other and I was silently praising you for having reccomended this whisky as a good choice for newbies. Tullamore was immediately forgotten because we were kicked several stores above. And the finish was so long, the taste of oak went on and on and on, great! With anticipation we proceeded to Macallan. I was personally anticipated quite a lot from this whisky but honestly it didnt WOW me. Do not take me wrong, it was a good experience, the nose and the palate were in my humble opinion very nice, smooth and all the tastes well refined together, but then, right after swallowing it, it was gone. Nothing. Compared to Cragganmore, Macallan did quite poorly speaking about the finish. The another day, when we gave Macallan another chance, the finish improved a bit (maybe because the air inside the bottle did some work?), but still, quite short.

Anyway, the next one was the Highland Park and I remembered your post about being in the presence of greatness :) Well, I have to admit that I could detect the quality hidden inside the bottle, the nose, the palate and the finish didnt dissapointed me a bit, but I just wasnt able to recognize so much flavors and scents out of it like for example from the Cragganmore. Highland Park left me with a feeling that there are plenty of flavors, very well refined and mixed together, but due to my inexperience out of my reach its still a very long distance I have to make on my whisky-knowledge path before I will be able to detect them all. Anyway, an excellent whisky and I am looking forward to my next encounter with it! The last, but definitely not the least was Hibiki. The nose was absolutely fantastic! I couldnt help myself but I could mainly detect some punch-like cherry tones, strong yet smooth, something I definitely didnt expect to scent from any whisky. The taste was also very pleasing, no unpleasant notes there, blenders masterpiece I would say. The finish was very satisfying and we couldn agree if it was longer than in Cragganmore case or not. After various tastings here are the winners:

1. Hibiki
2. Highland Park
3. Cragganmore (I still wonder if I didnt like it even more than Highland
Park, but as I said, there is that definite quality hidden in HP I cannot deny
4. Macallan
5. Tullamore

To conclude, this was a wonderful experience for all of us, like when you open a hidden door and find another world behind that you never new about before - the world of single malts (forgive me Hibiki) and since then we are all on the quest of discovering and relishing all the good things which whisky producers have prepared for us :)

Jason, thank you very much again because as my favorite blogger you have contributed greatly to this new hobby of mine and I will definitely stay faithful to your blog and will be looking forward to the post that you place there in the future!

Keep writing!
It is worth reading ;)

Best regards,
David

. . .

I am very flattered to have received that email! Sure, it is always nice to hear someone likes what I am writing, but the real reason I post the email from David is to argue that whisky appreciation is not simply a matter of beauty in the eye of the beholder. Moreover, I wish to challenge the generally held belief of most people that one's likes or dislikes of a given whisky are purely subjective and have no empirical/objective basis.

Absolute Truths
I believe that there are some absolute truths in this world of ours:

(1) it is always wrong to torture children;

(2) never drink wine from a paper cup; and

(3) knowledge of good and inferior whiskies is obtained via sensory perception.

And guess what? David's email is support of that final immutable proposition.

If you gave me the very same line-up of whiskies that he and his friends tasted and evaluated, I too, would have ranked them in the very same order. So would most of my friends. That's not a coincidence. But, let's say someone would rank Hibiki second to say Highland Park 15, I could accept that and still believe my argument holds water that there are objective criteria distinguishing great from not-so-great whiskies.

The Myth of Subjectivism
If the beauty of whisky was truly in the eye of the beholder, then it would be true and self-evident to all that Ballantine's Finest or Bell's Blended Scotch is just as good a scotch whisky as say Royal Salute 21 years or Johnnie Walker Blue Label. No one seriously believes that, nor does the fundamental economics law of supply and demand support such a view.

Why? The two cheap blends are grainy while the latter two are not. The two bottom-shelf residents are terribly sweet with no relief or flavor development. The reasons are endless. In other words, the high-end whiskies provide a much more pleasant tasting experience. So, it is a myth to say that the merits of a whisky are solely in the eye of the beholder. With so many examples of great versus terrible whisky comparisons that we can all agree on, it can't be true that it's all just in the 'eye of the beholder.'

The Reality of Subjectivism
Having said the above, let's not dismiss entirely what we, ourselves, bring to the tasting experience. We bring our own opinions, some held critically, while others dogmatically (i.e. Islay peat bombs are simply superior to Speyside honeyed malts). A peat and smoke freak will invariably rank Laphroaig 18 higher than say Hibiki 17. They are two very different whiskies. So are Hibiki 17 and Highland Park 15 years. A person who derives more delight in robust toffee and heather flavors will rank the Highland Park higher than the Hibiki. Is this wrong? I would say 'no.' Am I contradicting myself? No.

You might be thinking:

"Jason, you can't have it both ways. Whisky appreciation cannot on one hand be based on objective criteria that we can all agree on, and on the other, be based in part on our subjective thoughts and feelings."

. . .

And, that my friend is exactly what I am saying. Appreciation of great whisky is a two-step approach. First, objective and then subjective.

Hibiki 17 versus Highland Park 15 yrs
These are both fantastic whiskies. Which is better? It's kinda like saying my Mercedes S-Classs sedan is better than your BMW 7 Series sedan (by the way, I own neither). One vehicle is not better than the other, just different. One vehicle might accelerate half a second quicker, but the slower luxury sedan has a quieter engine. They are both majestic automobiles.

At the same time, we can easily agree that the Mercedes S-Class is superior to the Hyundai Accent. We have objective, sensory based data that we can measure. The Mercedes drives quieter, has more horse power, all-wheel-drive versus front wheel drive, softer leather, greater aesthetics (ie. wood grain dash versus plastic). Like the Ballantine's Finest versus Royal Salute comparison, the list of reasons goes on endlessly too.

However, when we compare the Mercedes S-class to a BMW 7-series, it is no longer readily apparent that one vehicle is better than the other. Both have beautiful leather seating, quiet ride, immaculate handling, etc. The vehicle you rank higher will now depend on your second phase of analysis that involves your own personal preferences, like an affection for sports car performance (BMW) or placing a premium on a serene driving experience like floating on a cloud (Mercedes). Whichever one you end up ranking as the best is just as valid as my own opposing view.

The Hybrid Approach
Similarly, in the appreciation of whisky, there is an objective basis for declaring some whiskies are great (Royal Salute 21) and others not (Bell's). But, between two great whiskies, the competition becomes based upon the likes or dislikes of the individual. Between two great whiskies, the beauty in the eye of the beholder view has merit. Accordingly, we need to recognize that we practice a two-phase or hybrid approach to whisky appreciation. First, there is an initial objective review followed by a secondary subjective review.

Conclusion
What can we take away from this discussion?

I think it is fair to declare some whiskies are not as good as others. We can make that determination about other consumer goods, why not whisky? Of course, once a whisky meets a certain benchmark of excellence of craft, the decision of whether or not one is better than the other is not verifiable, except by reference to your own likes and dislikes. Hence, I can declare with authority that poor old Bell's or Ballantine's Finest cannot hold a candle to a great many other scotch whiskies, but not authoritatively state Royal Salute is better than Johnnie Walker Blue, without relying heavily on my individual likes and dislikes. Difficulties arise when we try to decide which whiskies among the great are better. This is because we have a differing sense of where the 'certain benchmark of excellence' a whisky must obtain is located.

For me, a whisky can be great where it exhibits the following:

smooth but interesting;
no raw alcohol taste;
no nasty bite or bitterness;
there has to be an evolution of the flavor profile; It has to go somewhere. It can't be just smooth and sweet. The whisky needs to transition from sweet to big sherry or big peat or slight sherry, slight lemon or whatever. It can start sweet but become drying by the time of the finish.
There needs to be some texture, tapestry of flavor woven in with that smooth overall character;
Finally, a great whisky needs to be 'complex'; The meaning of this term is most elusive, but I will try anyway: an intricacy of flavor that is original, attractive, and takes time to understand.

How's that for a stab?

And for the record, the Hibiki 17 years is superior to Highland Park 15, but only by the slimmest of margins!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission except for the photograph of Prague and various automobiles. The photograph is used with permission of the photographer, Vlastula. He retains all copyright and license to this photo. Please click on his name for a link to Flickr where you can enjoy more of his great photography. Photographs of Hyundai and Mercedes were taken by Wikipedia user IFCAR. All rights to these images have been released into the public domain. Photograph of BMW 7 Series was by Wikipedia user Mariordo who has granted a license for its image to be used here.

New Brunswick Spirits Festival 2011

2011-11-21T23:18:00.014-04:00

The appreciation of whisky does not have to be a solitary experience with a Glencairn glass or a tumbler at night in your book lined study. Whisky can be paired with food and enjoyed with a crowd, resulting in a most pleasing experience. The trick of course is to make the right food pairing.

The 2011 New Brunswick Spirits Festival started for me with a dinner on a Wednesday evening at the Fredericton Delta Hotel. The hotel chef worked with whisky critic, Martine Nouet, to bring to life the recipes she sent him from Islay (her current home). It was at times frustrating for the chef who strained to decipher the peculiar recipes supplied by Martine and revised via long distance phone calls in her heavily accented English. The chef's frustration though was well worth the price of admission. Read the menu pictured above by clicking on it. The food and the whisky was fantastic!

Initially, I was thinking to myself that this meal is very expensive and I cannot fully appreciate the whiskies because of the food. I was getting too caught up in the feeling that I was missing some profound nuance of the whiskies being featured. I was brought back to earth by an astute observation from a friend (pictured above on the right) who pointed out that a whisky dinner and the festival for that matter are more about mixing with people than the whisky itself. Of course the whisky is a focal point, but it's not the only one. Just as people make a workplace great or not, so do people at an event like the N.B. Spirits Festival. So, should one engage in the cold cost benefit analysis whereby one thinks "for that amount of money I could have had a couple of great bottles added to my collection?" No! Banish such thoughts from your malted mind. Whisky festivals are, first and foremost, about people.

Pictured above were some fellow scotch nuts that I hung out with at the event. We tried a number of scotch whiskies. Some great and some not so great.

Highland Park 21 years
A very good malt that was quite powerful. Wood spice, cardamon, leather and dark cherry. A little sip goes a very long way. A finish that went on for minutes. Wow! The only aspect of this single malt that none of us enjoyed was the price: $280 a bottle!

The Macallan 18 years Sherry Oak
Some whisky festival participants use the event as an opportunity to try new whiskies that they have never had before. Me? Not necessarily so. I always make an exception for the Macallan 18 years Sherry Oak. On this evening it was a little underwhelming. I found it too smooth, and not terribly complex, as it should be given the price point. Nevertheless, it disappeared from my glass mighty quick. The Macallan 18 years has lately been less complex than I recall in years passed. Accordingly, as much as this whisky has a special place in my heart, I am only buying it when on sale at a steep discount.

Ardmore Traditional Cask
Ardmore, as you probably know, is one of the core single malts composing the great economy blended scotch: Teacher's Highland Cream. I like Teacher's a lot. Unfortunately, the motley crew I was hanging with were less impressed. They're just wrong. In any case, I thought it would be fun to try the single malt, Ardmore, and it did not disappoint. A malty, chocolate-like whisky that did not let us down. Maybe a little smoother than expected and not overly complex, but at the price point of $41 I was not complaining. I would not hesitate to buy this one. If you like Teacher's, you will love Ardmore.

Oban Distiller's Edition
This malt was good, but the consensus amongst the posse I was riding with was that the standard bottling of Oban was better. The experience brings to mind the consistent opinion I hold on all 'distiller's edition" regardless of the distillery: Don't think for a second that a distiller's edition is necessarily better than a standard bottling. It is just different. Not better. Just different. Try to remember that when you have this or any DE in your hand and weighing the decision of whether or not to plunk down the extra money. Our observations of a Talisker Distiller's edition were the same too.

Glendronach 15 year old Revival
We tasted a few other whiskies that were not so good, but we were all very impressed and surprised by GlenDronach 15 years. A concentrated punch of juicy red fruits and berries, sherry, toffee and wood smoke. We all really liked this one, placing it second to Highland Park 21. Go buy the GlenDronach 15 if you like a sherried whisky. Tastes much older than 15 years. Probably the best whisky of its class and even the 18 year olds this year! Highly recommended!

Conclusion
What I took away from the evening is this: whiskies over 18 years are not necessarily better. Just different. Same goes for Distiller's Editions. Matter of fact, human nature being what it is, we generally prefer familiarity (ie. standard bottlings of say Talisker or Oban) as opposed to exotic distiller's editions. They tend to be a little out of balance (ie. over-oaked or too much of another taste depending on what the spirit was finished in). As the Master Blender attempts to make something great, he also runs the risk of over-doing it. And Finally: Good friends sharing a dram with you make any bad dram you encounter, not so bad after all!

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Review: Crown Royal Black Canadian Whisky

2011-11-10T01:28:00.015-04:00

Colonial Tavern, Toronto, Nov. 21, 1977 Photo by Jean-Luc Ourlin

Let's say I have the opportunity to jam with B.B. King on some blues classics. And let's go further and say Mr. King will graciously play rhythm guitar and while I lay down some lead with my trusty axe. The notes I hit have to be within the framework or the accepted scales (ie. 12-bar blues) or conventions of blues music. Otherwise, the jam session will not be a blues jam, just a cacophonous disaster similar to the sounds of flying metal of a Russian satellite hurtling towards earth or Judge Judy chewing out a poor, hapless litigant. Of course, I can take some chances and toss in some flamenco or maybe bluegrass, but I can't deviate too far.

For example, I cannot, midway through The Thrill Is Gone launch into chunks of a Randy Rhoad's guitar solo taken from his spellbinding performance of Suicide Solution with Ozzy Osbourne.

I just can't do that! I have too much respect for Mr. King (and the memory of the late Mr. Rhoads) and besides, the Blues jam would be ruined.

I'm all for innovation, but hey, ya gotta work within a certain framework or paradigm (I can't believe I just uttered that pretentious word). If you completely disregard your context, you may succeed (very remote chance) or fail miserably (sadly more than likely).

Crown Royal Black Canadian Whisky

Crown Royal (click here for my review) is a towering classic Canadian whisky. Enormously popular in Canada, the US and UK for its light, delicate fruit, vanilla, slight oak and a zing of rye that is smooth and satisfying to the casual drinker and the whisky nut. A classic right? So, why mess with a classic? Well, if you are multinational company like Diageo (owner of the brand), you are always looking for ways to make more money. Hence, product line extensions.

Currently, there are six brand variations available: Crown Royal Deluxe (standard bottling); Crown Royal Black; Crown Royal Limited Edition; Crown Royal Reserve; Cask 16; and Crown Royal XR. Obviously there is money in extending a brand line. Just ask the suits that own the Famous Grouse brand. Trouble is . . . you have to make every new edition a little different, innovative, but not to the point that you disconnect from the conventions of your beverage that put you on the map in the first place. Kinda like my imaginary jam session with B.B. King.

Crown Royal Black is the latest extension of the product line. Introduced in April 2010 in the United States.

The concept behind Crown Royal Black is to deliver a robust, full-bodied Canadian whisky with heavy helpings of oak, higher strength (90 proof) and bourbon notes. Bourbon notes? Yeah. But before we address that attempt at innovation in Canadian whisky, let's deal with the most alarming issue when you pour yourself a drink.

It's dark. I mean seriously dark, amber, and opaque, like divining your significant other's reason for the blackest of moods without the use of words.

Color
What's going on here? I think serious amounts of E150 (spirit caramel) were added to create the dark near coffee color. I am not aware of any Canadian whisky or scotch for that matter that is dark as this whisky. Even 25 year old single malts are not this dark. An additive was used to get it that dark. No doubt about it. That being said, my first reaction is "so what?" Adding caramel is usually in amounts that is not discernible to taste. It is done to make the spirit more appealing to the eye and imply considerable aging. In any case, I think they went over board on this one.

Nose (undiluted)
Cherries, vanilla, floral and perfumed. Pleasant, masculine, but not what I would call 'refined' or 'memorable.'

Palate (undiluted)
Molasses, dark Christmas fruit cake with lots of rum in the recipe, vanilla, oak and then . . . WTF!(#*@Y*$(: bourbon? Yeah, serious bourbon notes. That sure threw me for a curve. It is down right odd to taste this amount of bourbon in a Canadian whisky. If that is not weird enough, you get serious coca cola flavors and that unmistakable soda fizz too.

Finish (undiluted)
The finish is rum like. I am talking Havana Club 7 years with more of that coca-cola-esque fizz/nip.

General Impressions
If this was served to me in a blind tasting, I would guess it was either an aged, dark rum or a bourbon of some kind. I would never think of it as a Canadian whisky. Matter of fact, if they lifted the blindfold off me, I would be shocked to see that I was drinking from a bottle labelled "Crown Royal," as Crown Royal Black has no connection with the standard Crown Royal flavor profile. None, zero, nada. The only similarities between these two spirits is the sharing of the same brand name, bottle shape and multinational corporate parent (Diageo).

Crown Royal Black strikes me as a genuine attempt by the master blender to break new ground, by blending a more robust Canadian whisky. The trouble is that the bourbon notes are over the top, followed by dark rum tastes that goes too far from what makes a Canadian whisky great. It is not wise to tamper with the immutable conventions of Canadian whisky, but unfortunately they have to their detriment.

I drink this and I am truly baffled. Does this spirit want to be a rum or a bourbon? A real existential crisis of sorts is going on. An unpleasant exorcism is needed from my liquor cabinet.

In general, Canadian whisky is a medium bodied, smooth with a flourish of the spices of rye spirit. Sure there can be variations where some whiskies are heavier than others or more spiced, but the paradigm does not permit huge bourbon flavors or rum notes. If you want rum, buy rum. If you want bourbon, buy American bourbon. Drink Crown Royal Black and you will not know what to make of it.

On the positive side: (1) it is not biting, in spite of being 90 proof, (2) relatively smooth; (3) works as a party drink on the rocks or with mix. If you visit the Crown Royal website, they even recommend drinking this on the rocks. This is a party drink. It is not intended as a companion to profound fire side chats to be consumed neat as the flames lick the logs and cast off interesting shadows.

For me, Crown Royal Black is an experiment that has failed. It is baffling, like trying to figure out the meaning of REM lyrics. The master blender needs to take note of how Randy Rhodes took the conventions of heavy metal guitar to new bounds by gently stretching with a few classical guitar landmarks (scales, minor keys, etc.), but not to the point of confusing the listener. They still knew they were listening to a great heavy metal song. Me, I am confused. I am not sure I am drinking Canadian whisky, but rather some horrible bastardization that can't decide if it wants to be bourbon or dark rum.

There are fans of this whisky, but clearly I am not one of them. For an alternative opinion try the Canadian Whisky site (click here) for a review by it's critic, Davin de Kergommeaux.

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission. Of course, the song "Suicide Solution" belongs to Ozzy Osbourne and the Youtube link is posted merely for nostalgic and educational purposes. Moreover, all rights concerning the photo of B.B. King are held by the photographer, Jean-Luc Ourlin.

Review: Isle of Jura Superstition

2011-11-02T15:11:00.001-03:00

Isle of Jura - by Rob Woodall

Travel Writer
I bore easily. But, I don't think I would ever tire of being a travel writer. I am not a travel writer, but if I were, I am damn sure I would be a good one. Think of me as the Anthony Bourdain of scotch and world whiskies, instead of featuring excellent cuisine in far off and obscure locales, as seen on Bourdain's entertaining television program: No Reservations, I'd visit Japanese whisky bars, down-and-out Danish liquor stores, up-and-coming whisky distilleries in India, and that piece of rock jutting out into the inhospitable Scottish sea called: Isle of Jura.

Another view of Jura - by Rob Woodall

Isle of Jura
Barren, jagged, windswept, that's Jura. A 2001 census placed the island population at 188 and I don't hear that it has changed much. There is one church, store, and hotel, and a distillery. One little settlement: Craighouse. That's it. No traffic, subdivisions, light pollution, urban sprawl or other manifestations of modernity. Just you, the wind, sea, rock and deer. Ain't that great! I mean it. I'd hike all over it, find a spot that no one has visited, settle down, reach for a flask and take a sip as I gaze out to sea. And what I would sip would be some of the local spirit: Isle of Jura Superstition.

Isle of Jura Superstition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Nose (undiluted)
Slight peat, a wee smoke and grass clippings. Wet cedar bushes. Maritime. Do I see a clipper on the horizon?

Palate (undiluted)
A light bodied scotch serving up smooth tastes of angel hair weight peat, light malt and the gentlest of mint and phenolic compounds. Lightly smoked kippers. Do I detect sherry? Yes. Very restrained.

Finish (undiluted)
Ginger, camphor enveloped in mild corona cigar smoke. Becomes a tad medicinal upon repeated sips, but somehow does not prevent me from reaching for more.

General Impressions
This is a no-age-statement single malt and that's ok. I am not hung up on age statements. I just care about taste. The taste of Isle of Jura Superstition is surprisingly not young, cheap or bitter. No bite, just a caress that leaves you wanting another drink. Very drinkable.

Flaws? Complaints?
As I mentioned above, it's a tad medicinal on the finish. Repeat sips will reveal that hospital bandage with heavily scented ointment experience. It's a minor complaint, and somehow doesn't bother me. Strangely amuses me actually.

Overall, Isle of Jura Superstition is a very pleasant, no-age-statement, single malt that delivers a light scotch treatment of slight smoke, easy peat and some other maritime flavors. Just understand that this is not a show-stopper, one of the all-time great malts like Lagavulin and Talisker. You get what you pay for. Pay a reasonable price, you get a reasonable malt. I am not unhappy with my purchase and sure that I would truly enjoy it out in the wilderness, much to the chagrin of my imaginary film and sound crew.

Peer Review
While this single malt is not technically an Islay malt, it is located adjacent to Islay, and so it is no surprise that it enjoys a similar style. At the same time, Superstition has common flavor characteristics with Talisker, a malt from another island. Isle of Jura Superstition is much less peaty and smoky than say Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Laphroaig. It is more like a younger brother to Talisker, or a poor man's Talisker. A faint, wispy malt sprinkled with peat and smoke (instead of being heavily laden as the case with many Islays) that is very pleasing, not terribly complex, but no apparent flaws either. When you factor in the low price of Superstition, I have to say I am a fan. Good value for money here.

So, if you are a Food Network exec, contact me and let's shoot an episode on the Isle of Jura . . .

Cheers!

Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission. Note: Photos of the Isle of Jura are by Rob Woodall and he retains all copyright to said photos. They are used here with his permission. Other photos by this great photographer are available at Flickr.