The Hanyu 23 Year Old was made with spirit that was distilled between 1985 and 1986, and then destined to spend an eternity in sherry wood before being bottled cask strength for Ichiro’s malt range – which is very popular in whisky circles. Ichiro is now known for his superb young Chichibu, but what about this older offering from his former distillery at Hanyu?

Colour: proper amber; the kind of pure amber in which you’d expect to find a fossil, if you’d watched too much Jurassic Park as a kid. Which I did. On the nose: It’s a bowl of molasses, this. Very sweet, very heady. Proper syrupy stuff. Helped along by the strength, it’s actually dominated by those notes, but brave it for long enough and there’s more wood spice and vanilla (though more the kind you get in candles trying to recreate vanilla). Weirdly some smouldering fires in the distance, but very faintly and nothing to really get excited about.

In the mouth: It’s actually more sophisticated right from the off, because you’re anticipating the sweetness to wash through first, but it’s all very statesmanlike. Of course, the sweetness is all there, and it’s very sherried. This is all balanced – though not as balanced as it could be – with some bitter wood notes, a hint of grapefruit on the back-end and that mystery muskiness you get with quite a few Japanese offerings (I think I’ve said before that I like this note). It’s got that lovely structure you get with older whiskies, a medium weight in the mouth but rolling gently round the mouth. Not zippy, but with presence. It’s extremely warming on the finish and overall is very pleasing indeed.

All in all, it’s great. It actually reminds me of a Glenfarclas on steroids.

I’m not going to lie: if you want a bottle of this, you might have to sell a kidney or a small child. It’s not extortionate, so don’t sell your favourite child, but bottles are starting to fetch around £400, depending on where you look. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but probably only worth that much if you’re a collector.

So, what to drink, what to drink…

Oh, I know – a bottle of Ryemageddon. The 92-proof experimental whiskey from Nashville’s Corsair Artisan Distilleries. While Youth thinks it will live forever, Age knows that all things go. Fitting, then, that this doomsday whiskey is the aged version of Wry Moon, Corsair’s rye white dog. I had the pleasure of sampling it yesterday at The Daily Pint but have been unable to find a source that sells it in the area or online.

When the time comes for the world to whimper its last goodbye, the only other item I want to have in my survival kit (aside from a fine whiskey and a hazmat suit) is chocolate. I believe that their master distiller, Darek Bell, who crafted this experimental whiskey with chocolate rye, has similar plans. As it’s my first foray into this realm of infused whiskeys, I’m interested in trying some of the other chocolate-infusions, like Pritchard’s Double Chocolate, for example, to experience the differences in flavor and intensity.

Ryemaggedon is a single-barrel whiskey distilled from 80% rye, leaving the other 20% for chocolate malt, malted rye and red wheat. While there’s no age on the label, I did find mention of it being aged for 4-6 months in 15-gallon barrels.

Color: tupelo honey

On the nose: vanilla up front, then dried fruit.

In the mouth: Take a dried apricot, dip its toes in chocolate. Shake some pepper on top and chew it down. Lovely, peppery rye for the usual back-of-the-tongue finish.
It’s bold and spicy like a zombie apocalypse.

Bell recently wrote a book titled “Alt Whiskeys” which he describes in an online Q&A forum as “a sort of whiskey cookbook. An idea book for making unique whiskeys that included things like the original and final gravity of the mash and recipes for different whiskey styles. We mainly focus on whiskeys that use alternative grains like quinoa or buckwheat, hopped whiskeys or whiskeys made from craft beers, and smoked whiskeys made from a smoke source besides peat.” Add some chocolate to the mix and you have some very exciting whiskey coming out from this distillery.

Corsair’s Ryemageddon took silver at the 2012 American Distillers Institute Awards. This is a very nice whiskey, a real pleasure to savor as the lights on the grid sputter out.

Chichibu The Peated is a heavily peated whisky originally distilled in 2009, and was bottled in 2012 at 50.5% ABV. I believe this has spent a little while in a bourbon cask, refill hogshead as well as oak hogshead.

Colour: honey. Surprisingly dark for something that’s only three years old. On the nose: beautiful sweet peat. This is genuinely a lovely smoky nose. For a Scottish equivalent, think Port Charlotte or even a hint of Laphroaig 10. There’s a definite wood influence there, some raw vanilla-flavours coming through as well, but it really makes for something utterly charming. Beguiling. Three years old!

In the mouth: A repeat of the nose – same sweetness, lashings of vanilla custard while sitting around a campfire. Now, it’s not overly complex – but the sheer boldness, the sheer ballsiness of the flavours here, hides all that. You don’t even care. There’s a lovely viscosity. It’s very close to Port Charlotte, in that there’s that thick elegance going on. Bit chewy smoked raisins. Finishes off with a little woodiness, and some zippy, citrusy maltiness that just about reminds you that it ain’t all that old. It’s precisely the kind of peated whisky I like to drink on a sunny evening, and crosses the seasons beautifully.

I’m staggered. This is three years old, and despite the fact that it’s bold and gutsy rather than overly complex, it’s better than whiskies thrice its age. It’s even better at being a peat beast than a lot of Islay peated offerings. It’s classy as hell. What on Earth is Chichibu going to be selling in a decade? The mind boggles. Chichibu The Peated is £90 – about the going rate for a solid Japanese offering.

You might think that’s a lot for a three year old whisky, but in this case you’d be wrong.

Onto whisky. Communist whisky, in fact, in which Salon takes a visit to the Pradlo Distillery. A very good piece, well worth absorbing:

“The Scottish peat was put on trucks and trains. The destination was Communist-era Czechoslovakia. The recipient: apparatchiks desperate for a decent whisky. The journey beyond the Iron Curtain during the Cold War turned out to be the easy part. When the batch arrived, the Czech distillers had only a faint idea how to make whisky — and it took years to get things right.“

The whisky bottles that inspired Whisky Galore, the famous Compton Mackenzie novel (and later a film), are being auctioned:

“The collectors’ items were part of the cargo on the 8,000-tonne SS Politician, which sank off the shores of Eriskay, in the outer Hebrides, in 1941… Glasgow auction website, Scotch Whisky Auctions, will take bids for the bottles until 5 May.“

The Wall Street Journal catches up with the rest of the world, and takes a look at the ascent of Japanese whisky:

‘Despite these delightful diversions, time and again I came back to the Hakushu I had first tried at Kanga-an. There is something indefinably Japanese about it—a meticulousness, a clarity of palate and a fanatical purity. “Why all this effort,” White says, “the extreme range in wood influences, the wide variety of spirit styles? Because this is whisky for the Japanese people; it must fit into the Japanese lifestyle and sensibility.”‘

Finally, heard of Annandale whisky distillery? Didn’t think so. But it’s about to reopen after 90 years:

“It was built in the early 1830s and was later run by Johnnie Walker, but closed down in 1919. Restoration work got under way two years ago and is due for completion this month, with an opening in early 2014 planned. In 2007, the site, which was on the buildings at risk register, was bought by Prof David Thomson and his wife Theresa.”

Always a good day when a distillery rises from the grave. Go zombie distilleries!

So, let’s dip in our pipette, so to speak (and to abuse a metaphor):

Colour: gold-straw, a very pale amber really. On the nose: Treacly and floral, but really very elegant on first impression. Very sweet though, the more you hang around, and fairly sharp given the strength.

In the mouth: Super texture. Whizzes around, but has that velvety feel – not especially viscous, but getting there. Brown sugar and honey leading into some sweet pastry, and with a dollop of custard on top. Underlying notes of barley, but wrapped in something altogether creamier. Zippy, citrusy – and young, I’m guessing. Quite raw spirited. Now all the flavours are here, but everything seems a fraction muted. Dulled. Not dull, since there’s some very interesting stuff going on. Just… gentle? But that’s strange, given the strength of it all.

A bit of a mystery, is that. But it’s certainly worth a shot given that it’s under £40. That’s pretty good value.

Anyway, enjoy. This video sums up why I love Bruichladdich so much. Sometimes, for me, it’s about more than just the whisky.

Bottled at 43%, the Aberlour 16 Year Old is bit of a classic, and no mistake. Double-matured in traditional oak and sherry casks, it’s become a favourite of many and has won a fair few awards. I’ve been going through a bit of a sherry bomb phase so last month I bought a bottle as a treat.

Colour: like a mahogany sideboard. On the nose: butterscotch, toffee, maple syrup, raisins. Very, very slight cheesy mustiness, which I happen to love.

In the mouth: one of those where the texture hits you first. Swing this around the mouth and you get amazing velvety goodness. Not as sweet as you first expect, mind you, but you’ll find it’s certainly syrupy. Actually more honey than syrup. Pretty mild on those flavours, though very complex at the same time if you see what I mean. It unfolds slowly. Hold it on your tongue and there we have it: barley notes, oak spices, the honey more obvious now, cloves, pepper – though not much. A wave of almost elderflower sweetness that drifts into something vegetative. Not as plummy as some at this end of the spectrum, nor as sweet, weirdly, but bloody good nonetheless.

A classic, certainly, but not quite the best in the world. However, this seriously is one of those benchmark drams – a staple you return to again and again. The Aberlour 16 Year Old is fantastic value at around £40 a bottle. Surely a staple for your cabinet.

Master distiller Harlen Wheatley discovered the surprisingly dramatic differences in taste brought about by something as simple as an extra heavy barrel char. He took the same mash bill used in their other brands, Elmer T. Lee and Blanton’s (Rye Bourbon Mash #2), and subjected it to two different heat experiments. Get your lab goggles on…

Hot Box Toasted Barrel:

For this experiment they placed the barrel staves into a “hot box” at 133 F, then steamed the staves before assembling the barrel. According to their site this is process meant to drive flavors deep into the wood. The rye mash was then left to age for 16 years and 8 months.

Color: Warm amber. Nose: Wedding cake. In the mouth: Wonderfully vanilla, followed by a touch of caramel and low fruit tones with a very easy finish. It sort of just disappears…

#7 Heavy Char:

Here the distillers used barrels charred for 3 1/2 minutes (their typical char is 55 seconds). Then the barrels were filled with the same mash and left to age for 15 years and 9 months.

Color: If I push myself, I can see a slightly darker hue than the Hot Box. Nose: Oak and caramel. “It’s alive!” In the mouth: The first sip unveils oak and tannins with a caramel finish.This is a dry one, very nice, and with a strong burn. I could taste the rye a bit more in this one.

My personal preference between the two is the heavy Char as I like a bolder, more complex flavor. But if you like a super-smooth finish you’d find a friend in the Hot Box.

If you pick up a bottle of either of these 90-proof experimentals (at $46 per 375ml at buffalotrace.com), you’ll appreciate that it comes in the long neck and stout body of an old-timey utility bottle. Very appealing. My samples, however, came in wonderful tiny clear bottles which lent a wonderful laboratory feel to the whole experience. Hooray for science!

As a rule, I avoid anything related to numbers, but this is math I can do. For their Triple Smoke, Corsair distillers split the malted barley into threes so they can smoke each fraction with a different wood (cherry, beech and peat). Distilled in a circa 1920 240-gallon still that survived Prohibition then barreled in new charred oak, the resulting whiskey offers the drinker the experience of wandering through the still smoldering remains of a burned-down house. The bottle itself is lovely, sporting more sharp edges than your average whiskey holder and a label image straight out of “Reservoir Dogs.”

Color: supermarket apple juice. Nose: nearly all smoke, the kind of smoke that clings to your clothes. A sniff of this whiskey envelops you like a backdraft. While I enjoy a good measure of smoke in the form of peat-heavy Scotch whiskies, I was a bit put off by this much in the glass. It’s nobody’s fault but my own, they warned me of the triple-whammy right there on the label. Considering that I went into The Daily Pint with a hanker for something boldly different, this 90-proof spirit delivered. Regardless of personal preference, I was delighted by the new experience.

In the mouth: A blast of smoke in the first sip, like standing by a fire when the wind suddenly shifts and points the billows of smoke right up your nose. It makes the eyes water, but it’s also sort of fun. Subsequent sips reveal two layers: behind the smoke lurks a cherry sweetness with other summer fruits humming low behind it. I would have preferred a sweetness to match the smoke because for me the punch is all up front, but I suppose a name like “Triple Smoke Triple Sweet” wouldn’t roll off the tongue as nicely. Still, I wanted something, if not sweet, then with enough complexity beyond the smoke to produce a far more lingering effect on the palate. It seems, however, that not everyone found it lacking. Corsair Triple Smoke won The Whiskey Advocate’s “Artisan Whiskey of the Year” for 2013.

If you’re game for an unusual drinking experience then pick up a bottle of this 80-proof little housefire-in-a-glass from The Whisky Exchange for £49.95 if you’re in the UK and, if you’re in the U.S., at proof66.com for $45.00.

“[Professor Charles Spence] has been carrying out a multi-sensory science experiment, exploring the senses and the taste of whisky in a bar known as The Singleton Sensorium.“

Next up, there’s investing in whisky, and there’s this:

“Former master distiller is encouraging investors to turn to drink. David Robertson, who now runs the world’s first whisky investment fund, is looking to raise £4 million by the end of next month. Robertson, co-founder of the Whisky Trading Company, is appealing to “sophisticated” private investors with a taste for Scotland’s national drink. The cash raised will be used to buy thousands of bottles of rare and collectable whisky to be sold in the future at a profit.”

Ain’t for the likes of you and me, that stuff. A good job there’s no general shortage of whisky. Speaking of unaffordable drams, the James Bond whisky – aka the Macallan 1962 that was featured in Skyfall, and which is signed by Sir Daniel Craig – is being auctioned for charity:

“The rare bottle of Scotch will be auctioned to raise money for the Government Communications Fund, which supports serving and former members of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).”

Money for old spies? A spot of sensible industry news now. Glenglassaugh whisky distillers has been bought by BenRiach for an undisclosed sum:

“The historic distillery, which dates back to 1875, re-opened in 2009 after being mothballed for 22 years and was owned by Amsterdam-based Lumiere Holdings. The distillery produces a range of single malt whiskies and currently has the capacity to produce 1.1 million litres of whisky a year. Edinburgh-headquartered BenRiach is led by master blender Billy Walker and his partners, South African whisky entrepreneurs Geoff Bell and Wayne Kieswetter.“

BenRiach are fantastic, and make superb whisky, so this can only be a good thing as far as I’m concerned. Finally, a whisky advertising campaign I don’t hate!

“Developed by Story, the ‘An ever changing sensory adventure….’ campaign will run from this month, initially across the UK before rolling out internationally with a focus on flavour, communicated through four illustrations inspired by tasting notes from the Society’s key flavours.“