Monthly Archives: December 2020

Vita Dulcis 6 – Swiss Säntis Malt Himmelberg Edition 43%

Posted on by
Reply

From Beer to Whisky, Säntis Distillery started experimenting in 2002. Säntis Himmelberg is the distillery’s fourth standard bottling. After beer barrel maturation, the malt was matured in a wide variety of wine barrels such as port, sherry and merlot.

So what did I find with the Vita Dulcis 2020 Advent Calendar mini?

Switzerland – Säntis Malt Himmelberg Edition 43%

  • Nose – Its starts off like wine, then pears yet a bit on the sour not sweet side, and something roasted, a bit sharp and smells a bit like you’ve wandered into a brewery
  • Palate – Even on the palate it has a distinctly beer and lemon element, throw into the mix some ginger, spice
  • Finish – Short, dry and lightly spiced with more ginger

Don’t laugh, but I couldn’t get a Radler out of my mind – a refreshing combination of lemonade and beer found in Bavaria. Except this wasn’t really a Radler… and there was something just… well… different. It is hardly like a whisky at all… more and more it reminded me of sipping on a wine shandy or… yup… back to that Radler!

Distillery official tasting notes?

As with all of our whiskeys, the spring water for our Säntis malt “Edition Himmelberg” comes from the Alpstein. Julia Nourney characterizes it as follows: “Light and fruity, which shows its true face on the palate with spicy and woody aromas.” The secret lies in the transfer of the beer barrel into different wine barrels.

Other encounters with Swiss whiskies:

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Vita Dulcis 5 – Israel’s Mik + Honey Classic 46%

Posted on by
Reply

I first encountered Milk and Honey (M&H) with an early pre-launch sample shared with an industry insider friend. To be honest, I don’t recall years later what we thought, however I was interested to try it properly.

Started in 2013, M&H calls their whisky “ultra kosher” and take advantage of the warmer climate of Israel to accelerate the maturation.

In short, I was quite curious to see what I would find in the Vita Dulcis Whiskey International 2020 Advent Calendar sample…

israel – Milk & Honey Classic Single Malt 46%

  • Colour – Light gold
  • Nose – Hit of spice, then honey, there is something almost earthy about the aroma, some oats, a bit yeasty, hint of raisins
  • Palate – Again – back to being a real zinger with another hit of spice that blazes all the way to the back of the throat, a bit bitter and woody
  • Finish – Cloves, nutmeg, maybe a bit of apple cider?

Overall I found this quite direct, uncomplicated, young and a bit brash. While it may not be the most remarkable whisky, I couldn’t help but remember a trip to Israel in 1988 that truly was remarkable. For that alone, it was worth the experience.

What more do we know? It is matured in a combination of bourbon, virgin oak and shaved, toasted and re-charred casks. Beyond that, I wasn’t able to find out much more…

I also didn’t find the distillery official tasting notes, however Billy Abbott from The Whisky Exchange had this to share:

  • NOSE – A big hit of honey and lemon leads to brown-sugar topped porridge. The oaty notes get biscuity, with vanilla and more zesty lemon. Flapjacks develop, with hints of sultana and raisin.
  • PALATE – Layers of honey kick things off: sweet runny honey with a hint of manuka. Dark chocolate sits behind, studded with candied lemon peel. Grainy notes develop: the flapjacks from the nose are joined by oatcakes and vanilla shortbread, all drizzled with honey.
  • FINISH – A burst of barrel char is overtaken by toasted granola, even more honey and bittersweet dark chocolate.
  • COMMENT – An excellent balance of distillery character and cask, with layers of citrus, grain, vanilla and darker notes all covered trademark honey notes.

Would I agree? Hmm… to be honest Billy clearly found more going on than I did in my wee sample. However it is certainly in a similar vein.

And with that, my wee trip around the world continued another day with another dram..

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Vita Dulcis 4 – Scotland’s The Dalmore 12 year 40%

Posted on by
Reply

The Dalmore was the ONLY Scottish whisky in the Vita Dulcis 2020 International Whisk(e)y Advent Calendar… really!

I didn’t mind revisiting one of their core expressions. In this case – the 12 year.

Scotland – The Dalmore 12 year 40%

  • Colour – Golden caramel
  • Nose – Slightly doughy, once the yeasty element settled down, the cherry sherry quality, rum raisins, figs, plum cake,  sweet spices
  • Palate – A spicy bite to warm things up, clear sherry stamp, and is that marmalade? Yup!
  • Finish – Light but lingers, slightly bitter
  • Water? Honestly, didn’t even try

Overall, not a bad dram with a sherry flourish!

What do we know? It spent most of its 12 years maturing in ex-bourbon casks then finished in Oloroso sherry.

Distillery official tasting notes?

  • Nose : Citrus fruits, chocolate and aromatic spices
  • Taste : Seville oranges, dried fruits and hints of vanilla pod
  • Finish : Roasted coffee and dark chocolate

Would I agree? Overall, yes.

Obviously this wasn’t my 1st Dalmore! Here are a few other expressions that made it into tasting notes…

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Vita Dulcis 3 – Hellyer’s Road Original Roaring Forty

Posted on by
2

Next up from my Vita Dulcis 2020 International Whisk(e)y Advent Calendar was Hellyers Road from Tasmania.

I remember being blown away by the intensity of flavours and character of the Hellyers Road 12 year when first tried it – some five years ago.

This is the Original “Roaring Forty” expression, named after the 40km/h winds which blow in the rain-clouds. It’s aged in American white oak barrels and was the 1st Hellyers Road sampled at 40%.

What did I think?

Australia – Hellyer’s Road Original Roaring Forty 40%

  • Colour – Bright straw
  • Nose – Distinctly different. Almost rancio, not paint varnish but something a bit paint-like and funky.  Nuts… Some over ripe bananas, almost banana cream pie, tartar
  • Palate – That nuttiness continued on the palate, some dark fruits
  • Finish – A bit of spice

Frankly, it was a bit peculiar… There was none of the intensity or bursting with flavours of the 12 year.

Not sure this one is for me, to be honest…

I came back to revisit just to see if it changed character… Nope!

I couldn’t find any official tasting notes on Hellyers Road website, however the chaps at Master of Malt have this to say?

  • Nose: Creamy lemon and vanilla – a bit like Lemon Meringue Pie. Hints of banana and toffee.
  • Palate: Grassy at first, before juicy notes of pear and plum appear.
  • Finish: Peanut brittle, cedar.

I’ve found it online in Germany for EUR 45.

Over the years, we’ve enjoyed our Ozy whisky explorations which has covered quite a range! Specifically with Hellyer’s Road, we’ve tried

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Vita Dulcis 2 – Teerenpeli Kaski Sherry Cask 43%

Posted on by
Reply

So what next in the  Vita Dulcis 2020 Advent Calendar?

This wasn’t my first time sampling a Teerenpeli Kaski. I remember quite enjoying it however much has changed since I first tried it – namely a new Teerenpeli distillery opened in 2015 next to the Teerenpeli brewery rather than the original distillery in the city centre. They still use pot stills, just now with enhanced capacity to 100,000 litres / year. Not bad!

What matters most… did memory serve me well?

Finland – Teerenpelli Kaski Sherry Cask 43%

  • Colour – Dark gold
  • Nose – Apricot, cinnamon spice, honey sweet, light curl of peat topped with brown sugar
  • Palate – Sherry with peat, has a nice chewy quality, prunes, lots of character and frankly just delicious
  • Finish – Yum!

There is something a bit zesty and cheeky about this whisky. I wouldn’t call it ‘brash’ but it definitely has a perky character. Each sip is more and more enjoyable.

I set it aside to see how it was after some time…. it didn’t disappoint! Except for 2 cl being insufficient!

What have I tried from Teerenpeli?

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Vita Dulcis 1 – India’s Amrut Fusion 50%

Posted on by
Reply

What a way to kick things off! With a dram from my much missed home – India!!

Over the years, I’ve sampled many an Amrut Fusion… however it has been some time since I ‘properly’ sat down with one – particularly the international version that helped catapult Amrut to global attention.

My first taste was in 2010? (I think!) at a spirits exhibition in Mumbai with father and son Neelakanta Rao Jagdale and Rakshit Jagdale. I was impressed by their passion and commitment to bring Indian whisky to the world – by establishing their credibility outside India. At the time, I found the concept of “Fusion” interesting but was personally more drawn to their “Two Continents” – yep that was the 1st edition.

After that, I had a mixed experience with the Fusion version which became available in India – with a very clear caveat that the conditions under which these bottles are stored likely varied considerably.

The most memorable was an evening in 2015 with N R Jagdale and Jim Murray.

I next properly sampled Fusion 50% at Singapore airport and went – huh?! This was NOT the same Fusion available in India. True – the alcohol percentage is different as Amrut must abide by the state regulations on strength for domestically produced alcohol. But it was more than that…

So what did I find with the Vita Dulcis 2020 Advent Calendar mini?

India – Amrut Fusion 50%

  • Nose – Hmm… is that a hint of bacon? Shifts into toffee apples, oatmeal, cream and honey with a light peat chaser
  • Palate – Full warming spice, some oak, tannins, definitely more spice, chocolate
  • Finish – A nice cinnamon spice, slightly bitter
  • Water? Nope! Not a drop…

Well? Thumbs up or down?

This version, this day… its a yes. Particularly the way the cinnamon spice interplayed with the sweet subtle peat.

And Amrut’s official tasting notes?

  • Nose : Heavy, thickly oaked and complex: some curious barley-sugar notes here shrouded in soft smoke. Big, but seductively gentle, too
  • Taste : The delivery, though controlled at first, is massive! Then more like con-fusion as that smoke on the nose turns into warming, full blown peat, but it far from gets its own way as a vague sherry trifle note (curious, seeing how there are no sherry butts involved) – the custard presumably is oaky vanilla – hammers home that barley – fruitiness to make for a bit of a free-for-all; but for extra food measure the flavours develop into a really intense chocolate fudge middle which absolute resonates through the palate
  • Finish : A slight struggle here as the mouthfeel gets a bit puffy here with the dry peat and oak; enough molassed sweetness to see the malt through to a satisfying end, though. Above all the spices, rather than lying down and accepting their fate, rise up and usher this extraordinary whisky to its exit

What about some of my other encounters with Amrut?

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Vita Dulcis Whisk(e)y International Adventskalendar 2020

Posted on by
Reply

Let me admit upfront that I really enjoy whisky “Advent” calendars with their range of minis.      However I tend to purchase them ‘off-season’ – preferably on sale – as my purpose is to taste throughout the year rather than a specific time.

However this year, I purchased the Vita Dulcis Whisk(e)y International 4th Edition in time to taste from 1st December. When I set out tasting, I had a goal to complete before year end, but was also fine if unsuccessful. The plan was to try in ‘groupings’… primarily on the weekend.

I also was expecting to be in Dubai for Christmas so intended to bring along any I hadn’t yet tried to open and sample there. Then plans were derailed by COVID – as they have derailed so many plans for so many people around the world.

So I found myself remaining, alone, in Nurnberg, Germany… thankfully with the distraction of a worthy ‘target’ to complete not only tasting but also tasting notes of 24 whiskies from around the world! For after all… if I couldn’t travel to see the world… why not let my palate be a tourist. Did I succeed? You bet!

So what is part of this wee whisk(e)y world tour?

Australia – Hellyer’s Road Original Roaring Forty 40%

Asia

Canada – JP Wiser’s 18 year Blended Whisky 40%

India – Amrut Fusion 50%

Israel – Milk & Honey Classic 46% – Single Malt

Europe 

Scotland – The Dalmore 12 year 40%

Ireland 

Wales – Penderyn Madeira Finish 46%

USA

Interested in receiving more Whisky Lady posts? Why not follow on:

Chorlton – Mannochmore 12 years 58.7%

Posted on by
Reply

All the Chorlton‘s I’ve tried so far are from the L’Ancien Régime series – with a gorgeous consistency to the labels.

However this Mannochmore comes from a different series – La Nouvelle Vague – with delightful period stylized labels. I couldn’t resist throwing a bouquet of flowers into the mix with my photo!

As for the whisky…. read on…

Mannochmore 12 years 58.7% 108 bottles

  • Nose – Yummy, a fruit basket in a glass! Generous cherries, vanilla sponge cake, amaretto, flowery, fresh, beeswax candle, herbal
  • Palate – Toffee, sweet spices, fruity… after some time – yup there is the pineapple and mango… the fruity fabulous quality fully comes through…
  • Finish – Stays… long, lingering, more of that toffee, sweet spices… mmmmm…..

There was a delightful summery quality to this whisky. I found a citrus twist whereas another lady did not. Which is completely normal – different conditions, different glasses, different palates and persuasions.

So whether we found spring, summer or fall in the character of this whisky, did we like it? Absolutely without a doubt!  We really appreciated the subtle contrast between aromas and palate – similar vein but sufficiently different to keep us fully engaged.

A beautifully well rounded whisky – the kind you are quite happy to curl up, sip, enjoy.

What did David have to say? As it isn’t on his website, I’ve copied from his email which prompted this purchase!

And next is a 12yo Mannochmore. This continues the summery theme with a very clean, citrussy and herbal nose. I get melon, bergamot, lemon posset, posh olive oil, vanilla cream and a bit of lavender.

The neat palate is quite intensely tart at first, then sweet – like lemon sherbet, or biting into a kumquat. Wakes up the ol’ taste buds! The development then is on mango jam, roasted pineapple and a touch of peanut brittle in the aftertaste. With water everything is much softer, adding some Bakewell tart, orange, and cream soda.

A good example of the distillery character, this, and great fun to play with adding water. We got just 108 bottles from this bourbon barrel at 58.7%, and they’re available for £57.50 each.

I am so glad I managed to grab this while it was still available!

Here is the full set of Chorlton‘s sampled:

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

The Warehouse Collection Glencadam 8 year 61%

Posted on by
Reply

The Whisky Warehouse No. 8 was the only German independent bottler to make it into my Whisky Ladies in Europe collection… And I have to confess I’ve been rather impatient to open this after picking it up at Nurnberg’s “The Village” Whisky Festival early March 2020.

For our 2nd virtual tasting, we continued with sampling blind… not knowing what they were trying til the reveal.

Glencadam 8 year (23 Feb 2011/6 June 2019) Bourbon Barrel Cask W8 800125 61% (The Warehouse Collection) 1 of 240 bottles

  • Nose – First waft of sweet bubblegum and pears! Then shifted into red current, sweetened cranberry, apples, fresh and leafy, marshmallow, vanilla… then back to orchard fruits
  • Palate – Mmm…. nice, smooth, some of the wood also came through with a slightly bitter edge which brought out even more character, which started to mix with honey dew melon, silky smooth
  • Finish – Sweet spice with a nicely bitter edge, perhaps a hint of smoke?

In short – brilliant! We absolutely loved this one… It had a fresh springlike quality on the nose yet mellowed until late summer on the palate. Sweet orchard fruits combined with such substance when sipping… What a wonderful contrast!

And with water?

  • Nose – Unbelievable… but could this be even sweeter? Clear William Pear… chased by marzipan, then back to delicious pear… inviting one to keep coming back to sniff and enjoy
  • Palate – Initially it really kicked up the spice – peppery, then nutmeg… could that be betel leaf? Or tobacco leaf? Then it settled into a delightful mix of fruits, woods and gentle spice
  • Finish – Cinnamon bark

With the reveal there was complete surprise that this was 61%?! And only 8 years of age to have such nuanced character? It just goes to show that the right choice by an independent bottler can catch a gem!

Previous experiences with Glencadam official bottling were not so complementary, however this was clearly a winner!

Based on this experience combined with my quick zip through at The Warehouse stall at The Village whisky fest, I ordered a quartet sample set for some future tasting opportunity.

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Chorlton – Tomintoul 14 years 57.6%

Posted on by
Reply

Let’s just start by acknowledging that independent bottler Chorlton has the most gorgeous labels! There is no way these bottles are going into recycling… instead I’ve decided to start a ‘top shelf’ in my study with the empties.

But first, we need to finish them! Galloping to the rescue was our European Chapter of Whisky Ladies… nicely enabling me to package up generous tasting sets for our mutual malty pleasure.

Our second evening started off with this Speyside Tomintoul… Naturally at cask strength and sampled without initially revealing the distillery.

Tomintoul 14 years 57.6% 455 bottles

  • Nose – Mmmm cherry, jammy with lots of red fruits and berries, started to shift into melon, then marzipan, nuts, honey, cured prunes
  • Palate – A lovely nice sweet spice, more depth than expected from the aromas, honey, almost a ‘port’ style with a heavy sweetness, wood, full bodied yet gentle and nuanced… with a kind of almost buttery or creamy fullness
  • Finish – Long, strong, comforting finish

While there was absolutely nothing wrong with this one ‘as is’, we thought to also try with water and see if it added, detracted or made minimal difference.

  • Nose – Even fruitier – if that is possible! With more of the marzipan nutty element too, chased by creme brûlée
  • Palate – Also juicier, simply lip smacking!
  • Finish – Retained the sweetly spiced finish

In short, water works if you want to amp up the fruits even more, but also fine without.

Overall we found this to be a well-rounded, happily familiar feeling dram. The kind of cold weather whisky you want to come home to as the perfect anecdote to the bracing outdoors. Fabulous.

What does David have to say?

A fully sherry-matured single cask Speysider at an everyday price? Why ever not! This one has dark berry fruits, honey and toasted teacake on the nose. The palate is creamy, with lemon drops, caramelised pears and an earthy and toasty cardamom spiciness, leading into a hazelnut and dried fruit finish. An affable and quaffable dram, but by no means dull.

I purchased this whisky directly from the Chorlton website for £60 plus shipping.

Here is the full set of Chorlton‘s sampled:

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on: