Category Archives: European

Risky whisky? Not with a delightful Brenne

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Our whisky ladies evening began with a decided romance spun atmosphere by candlelight… thanks to a rather more mundane reason – the road was being dug up in front our host’s home!

Yet starting the evening with a soft glow was rather apt for the 1st sample –  a French Single Malt Brenne Estate Cask.

Brenne is one of those whiskies I’ve been curious to try for some time. The brainchild of Allison Patel (The Whisky Woman) in partnership with a 3rd generation Cognac producer, she set about creating a ‘new’ whisky.

Brenne Estate Cask 40%

  • Nose – A burst of apple sauce, then bubble gum – as in bazooka or hubba bubba – quite candy sweet and as it opens up, sweet basil, honey and lavender join the choir, settling into a raspberry cherry cough syrup sweet
  • Palate – Lightly spiced sweet apple juice, light, soft, gentle cognac, cherry cola, more and more cherry
  • Finish – Red dark cherry

For some, this style of whisky may be too sweet yet it somehow manages to be a desert whisky without slipping into that sickly sweet territory. Think of it like ice cream after a meal!

In short it is a quite lovely whisky, pretty, delightful and something you could easily sip at the start or end of an evening. Rich and complex? Certainly not, but nonetheless quite enjoyable!

We wondered how the notes might change between our standard Glencairn glass and Norlan… with the Norlan, there was more flower than bubblegum and on the palate a very clear apple cognac with whisky cream. Little change in the finish.

We then wondered how it might be if chilled so put a glass of Brenne in the fridge.

The verdict? Don’t! Cold it simply became syrupy sweet stepping clearly onto the side of being TOOOOO sweet and loosing all its lovely nuance.

Brenne is produced in the Cognac region, initially aged in new Limousin oak barrels then finished in used Cognac casks – on average for approximately 7 years. The distilling technique follows the “Cognac” style, using colder fermentations and small batch production, then twice distilled in copper alembic still.

As we understand, each Brenne is from a single cask so one can anticipate some variation between what you sip today vs another bottle from a different cask tomorrow.

Here is what the Brenne folks have to say about their whisky:

SMOOTH, APPROACHABLE with lots of FRUIT A distinct experience of fruit-forward expressions followed by the spice notes from malted barley, all balanced with the sweetness from Cognac soaked oak

What else did we sample that “risky whisky” evening?

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Whisky Ladies Risky Whisky

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Our Whisky Ladies are generally an adventuresome set. Which is why our whisky explorations are not limited to your standard Scottish fare… not to say we don’t thoroughly enjoy a solid Scottish dram, just that our predilections lean to the off-beat rather than well trodden paths.

Which sometimes leads to some rather stellar flops! Most recently the AD Laws Triticum + Hordeum stand out as whiskies we would never ever chose to repeat. On the other end of the spectrum, that very night Canada‘s Shelter Point was an instant hit and another evening Finland‘s Teerenpeli 10 year was just yum!

We know when you take risks with your whisky choices there will be some delicious surprises mixed in with some unmitigated disasters!

When we began our evening, we had no idea how our selection would fare… just that we wanted to continue our whisky explorations to seek out new distilleries! Here is what we tried:

Then we added brilliant bonus drams… Our whisky lady host of the evening was celebrating her 40th birthday. What better way than with a 40 year old Auchentoshan!! And her whisky lady mother then decided we simply must have an extra desert treat of a rather bonus bourbon Willlett.

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Nordic Explorers – What a journey!

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Over the past few months, a fellow whisky lady and I have slowly been working our way through a delightful dozen 20 ml bottles representing five Nordic countries and seven distilleries.

There were some highlights and lowlights and it was a fascinating tasting travel. For those who missed the individual posts, I thought I would share a short synopsis of our Nordic journey…

Sweden - Smogen + Box

Denmark

Finland

Iceland

Norway

Sweden

Nordic Whisky Set

*** Thank you again  from Whisky Saga for this uniques samples ***

Now… to fill these bottles back up and return the favour. What shall we chose for Thomas to try??

PS These are not the only Nordic whiskies we’ve sampled… Check out the Europe page.

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Nordic Explorer #12 – Denmark’s Stauning Peated 2nd Edition

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Last in our Nordic Explorer‘s session was another whisky from Denmark’s Stauning Distillery.

Photo: Stauning Website - note for 1st not 2nd edition

Photo: Stauning Website – 1st not 2nd edition

Stauning Peated 4 year (2009/2013) 55% 2nd Edition

  • Nose – Peat yet with a minimalist quality, woody, muted
  • Palate – More like a touch or sensation of peat than forceful, smooth and doesn’t burn, slight hint of sweet
  • Finish – Nice pleasant finish

A definite step up from the rye, the Stauning Peated has an overall restrained quality.

Here is what the folks at Stauning have to say:

  • Colour – Light straw colored
  • Aroma – Delicate smoke, Grain, chocolate
  • Palate – Smoked chocolate bar, nougat, light molasses
  • Finish – Long, smoke, oak, vanilla, butterscotch

Stauning Peated is made of malted barley, gaining its smoky characteristics from drying the malted barley with peat smoke from peat excavated by Klosterlund Museum. It is then matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks from the bourbon distillery Makers Mark.

*** Whiskies courtesy of  from Whisky Saga ***

For more information, do read Thomas’ posts on Whisky Saga. Specifically:

A fascinating journey so far with our Nordic whisky experiences:

  1. Smögen Single Cask 7/2011 4 year old 57.3%
  2. Smögen Sherry Project 1:4 57.2%
  3. Box Whisky The Festival 2015 54.5%
  4. Shareholders 2016 52%
  5. Mackmyra Preludium:01 – De Första Dropparna, 3 year 55.6%
  6. Mackmyra 8 YO Dram Good Whisky 54.4%
  7. Mackmyra Bachair 3 YO Private Cask
  8. Audny Series 3 4 year 46%
  9. Flóki Young Malt 1st Edition 47%
  10. Teerenpeli Kaski Distiller’s Choice 43%
  11. Stauning Young Rye (2010/2011 – Oct 2012) 49.3% Batch 5
  12. Stauning Peated 4 year (2009/2013) 55% 2nd Edition (this post)

With this, our Nordic whisky adventures are now officially over… Thank you again Thomas for a wonderful trip! We never would have otherwise had an opportunity to try such a range of drams from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and even Iceland!

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Nordic Explorers #10 – Finland’s Teerenpeli Kaski 43%

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Next up in our Nordic Explorer‘s session was a whisky from Finland.

My first introduction to Teerenpeli was their 10 year – a most enjoyable dram. So memorable in fact it was part of our top pics for the Ladies Choice evening for the BMC gentlemen. Alas we could only acquire one small 500ml bottle – not nearly enough for our combined evening – so it was not re-sampled.

Kaski is Teerenpeli’s nod to sherry whiskies… The name comes from the tradition of first slash and burn the ground to produce KASKI (swidden) which then enables the first phase of cultivation – a new beginning.

Photo: Teerenpeli website

Photo: Teerenpeli website

Teerenpeli Kaski Distiller’s Choice 43%

  • Nose – Cinnamon spice, subtle, honey, nuts like pine nuts or blanched almonds, after an initial strength, there is a freshness that surfaces, then after some time a clear stamp of vanilla, apricot and beautifully rounded
  • Palate – Lovely! Soft, smooth, yet with enough character to make it interesting with a cinnamon chaser
  • Finish – A nice hint of smoke

My Nordic Whisky Lady sampling companion and I were both in our whisky ‘happy place’ – you know that comfy space where you simply want to sit back, relax and enjoy. Who cared about tasting notes and nuances – this was simply a fine dram. One of those whiskies you wish you had a bottle sitting around at home to sip companionably.

In short – two thumbs up!

The Kaski is approximately 6-7 years old, matured in sherry casks only.

Here is what the folks over at Teerenpeli have to say:

  • Colour – Roasted brown sugar
  • Nose – Notes of fruitiness and a light peat
  • Palate – Smooth, grain-like and rich
  • Spicy aftertaste combines raisin-like fruit cake

In our last whisky quartet from the Nordic drams, this was by far our favourite!

*** Whiskies courtesy of  from Whisky Saga ***

For more information, do read Thomas’ posts on Whisky Saga. Specifically:

A fascinating journey so far with our Nordic whisky experiences:

  1. Smögen Single Cask 7/2011 4 year old 57.3%
  2. Smögen Sherry Project 1:4 57.2%
  3. Box Whisky The Festival 2015 54.5%
  4. Shareholders 2016 52%
  5. Mackmyra Preludium:01 – De Första Dropparna, 3 year 55.6%
  6. Mackmyra 8 YO Dram Good Whisky 54.4%
  7. Mackmyra Bachair 3 YO Private Cask
  8. Audny Series 3 4 year 46%
  9. Flóki Young Malt 1st Edition 47%
  10. Teerenpeli Kaski Distiller’s Choice 43% (this post)

With only two to go, our Nordic whisky adventures are nearing  a close…

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Nordic Explorers #9 – Iceland’s Flóki Young Malt 47%

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My Swedish friend and I took a few months break from our Nordic Explorer‘s sessions however are now back to finish the last quartet!

Iceland has two new distilleries – Thoran and Eimverk – from which the later is now releasing limited early editions of their fledgling spirit Flóki. Let us be very clear – this isn’t yet whisky – more akin to new-make spirit that has touched a little wood.

Flóki produce their whisky using 100% organic Icelandic-grown barley, malted by hand and then pot still distilled. As Icelandic barley is slow growing and low in sugars, distillers have to use 50% more barley per bottle.

Photo: Whisky Saga

Photo: Whisky Saga

Flóki Young Malt 1st Edition, Barrel 3, 47%

  • Nose – Raw, sour, dry mash, unfinished
  • Palate – Exceedingly raw, tingles and prickles the lips, peculiar and a bit difficult
  • Finish – Remarkably, had a nice after taste

Overall impression my companion had was of cheap vodka or home brews of her Nordic youth… more like new make spirit or moonshine than whisky.

When we returned to the Floki after sampling the other three, the aroma was almost akin to sour garbage. Hmm… definitely not what I want in my “nearly” whisky.

This young malt was released late 2014/early 2015, aged from 1-2 years. I understand this particular edition was from barrel 3, aged 12 months in fresh 200 litre American Oak barrels, medium toast and char level.

Whisky Wafflers had this to say about Flóki:

Pretty good for such a young whisky it must be said. The nose is really curious; it’s really, really floral and fruity (pineapple, mandarin, pear) with a slightly salted caramel edge that keeps you sniffing. You know what, if you’ve ever had the chance to try some new-make spirit, then you’ll know what this smells like.

On the mouth the Flóki is sharp, slightly bitter and prickly. It pretty much jumps off its longship and starts jabbing away with its spear, although part of the reason for that is probably the 47% strength. The finish coats the tongue with that raw, grassy, hay-like quality that seems common amongst very young whiskies, followed by a lick of spicy fruitiness.

*** Whiskies courtesy of  from Whisky Saga ***

For more information, do read Thomas’ posts on Whisky Saga. Specifically:

A fascinating journey so far with our Nordic whisky experiences:

  1. Smögen Single Cask 7/2011 4 year old 57.3%
  2. Smögen Sherry Project 1:4 57.2%
  3. Box Whisky The Festival 2015 54.5%
  4. Shareholders 2016 52%
  5. Mackmyra Preludium:01 – De Första Dropparna, 3 year 55.6%
  6. Mackmyra 8 YO Dram Good Whisky 54.4%
  7. Mackmyra Bachair 3 YO Private Cask
  8. Audny Series 3 4 year 46%

With another three to go, our Nordic whisky adventures are nearing  a close…

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Ladies Choice – Kornog Taouarc’h Pempved 14 BC 46%

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Our Ladies Choice evening moved from Sweden to France, home of the Glann Ar Mor distillery with its peated single malt Kornog.

pooja-virPooja Vir joins as our next Whisky Ladies of Mumbai guest whisky reviewer…

Pooja has spent the last twenty years working in the  hospitality industry in Bombay and London in project management, operations and marketing communications. She always did love to eat on the job but recently swapped the 9 to 5 and terrific staff discounts for afternoon naps and private clients she loves.  

Here is what she has to say…

“The last time we drank a Kornog I wanted to take my bra off.”

And this, forever, will remain my first thought each time I drink the (very) peated malt from Breton.

When our favourite Whisky Lady invited me to write a guest post on a whisky I sourced for one of our club’s evenings I warned her it wasn’t going to be about the whisky. She didn’t seem to mind, and so here I am.

My love affair with whisky began when I was 6 months old. Several decades later, over my first ever whisky sour (which I sent back) in a trendy hotel in London’s Shoreditch I began to write a blog called Table for One. It’s a personal diary of sorts, and a record of what I felt when I was out eating and drinking on my own.

More decades later, after a fairly democratic voting process, the Whisky Ladies of Bombay chose 5 bottles for the evening we were hosting the Bombay Malt & Cigar evening. The Kornog Breton Single Malt became my responsibility. A quick call to my bootlegger in London and we were in business.

But I digress… you must want to get back to Breton, and bras.

The bra-extracting whisky that my fellow Whisky Ladies were referring to was the Kornog Taourac’h Trived 10 BC 46% they tasted a few months ago. However, the Kornog Taourac’h Pemved 14 BC 46% we drank tonight was less titillating.

kornog

Much to the disappointment of the “gentlemen” we were hosting, no bras came off. And much to the disappointment of the ladies who had experienced a Kornog before, this one was as mild as the gents we were hosting.

Fortunately for me though, I didn’t carry the burden of experience. I had started to fall for this Kornog soon after I saw it for the first time. I loved the font on its label. I loved that it came from France (but wasn’t an Armagnac or a calvados or a pastis). I loved that it was the whisky version of Italy’s slow cooking movement – made with wooden washbacks, slow distillation and maturation by the sea.

So I gave it the benefit of the doubt. I decided to like it and all it had to do in return was deliver a perfect first kiss.

The clever folk will tell you its nose is “smoky and fruity with citrusy peat and notes of marzipan.” That it tastes “medicinal with hints of seaweed, tar and pear.” That the “smoke goes awry and marzipan hits again.” Or as the Whisky Ladies put it: the bras stayed on.

It seemed harsh at first sniff, but so much gentler on the tongue. I flirted enough for the two of us, but it didn’t seem to notice. I put a lot of heart into every conversation, and even though all I got back was monosyllables, it didn’t seem to notice.

Ladies and gentlemen, it would seem that I have been afflicted by a one-sided romance. I say this isn’t about the whisky… but of course it is. For it is unlikely that any other whisky, on any other night, with another group of people would have inspired what it did. It is unlikely that anyone else I loved so much, would reject me as surely as this Kornog did.

The Kornog Taouarc’h Pempved 14 BC is a single-cask bottling, aged in a bourbon cask and bottled in 2014.

Table for One

Table for One

What else did we sample in our “Ladies Choice” evening for the BMC gentlemen?

For more related updates and activities, check out:

Ladies Choice – Mackmyra Vinterdröm 46.1%

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Our Ladies Choice evening moved on to the cooler climes of Sweden with Mackmyra’s limited edition Vinterdröm – an experiment partnering with Plantation Rum for a Caribbean rum cask finish.

Susan Dias returns as our next Whisky Ladies of Mumbai guest whisky reviewer…

(Susan's LInkedIn profile)
(Susan’s LinkedIn profile)

What does a Chartered Accountant with a fierce pride in Indian traditions and keen interest in local spirits do? Naturally start a venture, Native Brews, with a dream of celebrating traditional artisanal Indian spirits in a contemporary context.  

After completing extensive exploration and research into remote corners of India, Susan has been working hard experimenting with the distillation of Mahua, a flowering tree found in central India.

More recently, her distillation adventures have lead to the creation of a unique set of Indian gins that should be available soon…

Susan consistently displays a keen nose and wry wit in her whisky tasting approach! 

mackmyra-vinterdrom

Here is what Susan has to say about the Mackmyra Vinterdröm 46.1%…

Tasting Notes:

  • Colour: Pale gold
  • Nose: Clean, spices – cinnamon and cloves, caramelised fruit, demerara sugar
  • Palate: Sharp hit of spices, salty caramel, fresh clean wood, toast
  • Finish: Long, lingering spices, bitter dry
  • Water: Water opens the spices on the nose and palate

Vinterdrom is Mackmyra Distillery’s newest offering in its limited edition ‘Seasons’ range. Each whisky in this range has received a different finish and for Vinterdrom, Mackmyra used oak casks which previously held rum from Bardabos and Jamaica.

The Caribbean influence is amply evident. The whisky is sweet and spicy and has a warmth that would make it ideal for a winter evening. Whisky purists might find it hard to shake off the ‘rum’ness of the liquid but given what Mackmyra set out to do, Vinterdrom is an interesting experiment of a seasoned whisky with a Caribbean twist.

This whisky would make for great company on a chilly evening paired with some dense chocolate dessert.

Here is what the folks from Mackmyra have to say:

Mackmyra Vinterdröm is a fruity and slightly spicy Swedish single malt whisky, made in limited edition. The whisky is a collaboration with rum producer Plantation Rum and has a finish from casks that previously stored Barbados and Jamaican Rum. The result is a soft oaky whisky with notes of orange, vanilla and demerara sugar – a Carribbean love affair.

  • Nose – Spicy and fruity, slightly oily with notes of anises, dried fruits and molasses and a soft light oakiness. Some spiciness and notes of tobacco leaves.
  • Taste – Fruity, spicy and oily. Well balanced with anise, tobacco leave, a saltiness and some raisins and vanilla.

What else did we sample in our “Ladies Choice” evening for the BMC gentlemen?

For more related updates and activities, check out:

Whisky Ladies Choice – Treating the BMC Gentlemen…

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Last year, the gentlemen from the Bombay Malt & Cigar club took it upon themselves to treat the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai to an evening of Irish whiskies and cigars.

This year, it was our turn to return the favour.

We debated a range of different approaches and finally decided on a theme of “Ladies Choice.” And what pray tell did that mean to us?

We wanted to share with the gentlemen some of the most memorable whiskies we sampled together as a tasting group. They may not be the world’s best whiskies but they would be our “Choice” – ones that stood out in some kind of way.

We went about it in a democratic manner and voted, tallied up the responses to create a “short-list”, then began the efforts to source these whiskies.

Our approach was a bit flexible, in some cases we knew it would be impossible to source the EXACT same whisky. What worked was finding something from the same distillery or similar category.

The whiskies were literally sourced from around the world involving travel, friends of friends and even last minute acquisitions…

What made it into our final “Ladies Choice” list?

Japan – Akashi Red Blended Whisky 40%

  • In truth we had several Japanese whiskies in mind however the Akashi was accessible and a refreshing departure from the expensive exclusive impossible to find Japanese single malts, so figured why not!
  • It also made for a perfect ‘appetizer’ whisky to get the evening going…

Sweden – Mackmyra Vinterdröm 46.1%

  • The most enjoyable peaty Mackmyra Svensk Rok 46.1% captured our attention with its clean, minimalist yet smoky qualities.
  • So when our Swedish whisky lady went on the hunt over Christmas for something distinctly different from the distillery, this limited edition “Caribbean love affair” avatar was her pick!

India – Paul John Single Cask #1844 60.5%

  • The Paul John Select Cask Peated Batch 1 “OMG bacon!” made many Whisky Ladies swoon for more during our Paul John evening… we definitely wanted to include a Goan single malt, preferably a Select Cask or Single Cask…
  • Thankfully Michael from Paul John distilleries was able to oblige our interest – literally hand delivering this single cask a mere two days before our evening!

France – Kornog Taouarc’h Pempved 14 BC 46%

  • Kornog’s whisky from Bretagne will forever be known in our group for the comment “How did you go from being a perfect gentlemen to getting my bra off like that?” (WL on Kornog Taourac’h Trived 10 BC 46%)
  • Alas the Trived 10 BC was no longer available so we took a gamble on the newer Pempved 14 BC…

Taiwan – Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask S090102020 57.1%

  • There was no doubt a Kavalan was going to make the cut…
  • By a very wide margin, the Solist Sherry Cask topped the charts with the most votes from all our Whisky Ladies tasting experiences. So… it simply HAD to be our ‘showstopper’ of the evening!

Somehow not one Scottish whisky made it into the list. Not a single one. It wasn’t deliberate. It was simply how the votes panned out.

But that says something about how the whisky world is going…

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Italian whisky? Puni Alba Marsala + Islay 43% – Oh My!

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The Whisky Ladies of Mumbai are well on the path of exploring European whiskies… having tried drams from Finland (Teerenpeli), Denmark (Danica), France (Kornog), Germany (Slyrs), Sweden (Mackmyra & Spirit of Hven)… all unique and different from standard Scottish fare.

Whereas our original tasting group, with five years of monthly merry malt sampling complete, have only scratched the surface when it comes to whiskies from Europe. In 2013 The Belgian Owl and Dutch All Rye made less than stellar appearances and in 2014, the Czech Hammer Head received a rather firm ‘thumbs down’.

We were due a tryst with European whiskies. Yet after the disappointing drams, anything offered had to 1st pass the ‘taste test’.

When given an ‘assignment’ to find something ‘different’ by our host for his January 2017 session, my 1st thought was Europe and the 2nd thought was that it simply had to be tried before buying – no leaving the experiment to chance!

Which is where my August 2016 trip to Singapore came in handy with an opportunity to ‘speed date’ a trio of Puni whiskies at – where else – La Maison du Whisky.

Even I wasn’t sure before trying. Italian whisky? Really?! When there is such marvellous Italian wine, it begs the question… whisky?

Our original group sampled this completely blind – having no clue what they were trying…

Puni Alba 3 year Batch #2 (2015) 43%

puni-alba

  • Nose – How unique – we needed to ‘tease’ out the different elements. At once sweet and sour, mild antiseptic, hint of tropical fruits, some nutmeg, coconut? There was something truly completely different about this one… sweet, dry yet teasingly
  • Palate – Wow! Starts off so smooth then there is a remarkable dry chilly that sneaks up from behind and ‘whoosh!’ envelops completely. One found cooked drumsticks, another lots of tannins, yet another found chocolate
  • Finish – An, unbelievably long finish and so surprising, it extends from the dry chilly to a long drawn out light cigar like finish
  • Water – Needed? No. Nice? Yes and remarkably did not dent the fabulous finish, simply enabled the mild peat quality to surface more

What a different whisky with its ability to have a deceptively soft ‘front’ then delicious spice that sneaks up from ‘behind’. Without a doubt, it had the most remarkable long finish of all whiskies sampled that evening.

As we speculated, it was very clear this was not Scottish and quite untraditional in its approach. The dry sweetness, soft smooth front then spice from behind, the shy peat that slowly unfurled, the exceptionally long finish… This was a whisky that didn’t neatly fit into clear categories.

Our host pulled out the bottle. Italy?

Putting it mildly, we were collectively ‘maha’ (greatly) impressed. From the design of the bottle to the quality of its contents.

Let us be very clear, Puni is out to change any pre-conceived notions that Italians aren’t up to the challenge of producing whisky! The Puni distillery began operations in 2012 and is located in the Italian alps, taking its name from the nearby Puni river. They use locally grown rye, pot stills and began with three core expressions:

  • Nova – American & European white oak casks
  • Alba – Marsala wine and Islay casks
  • Nero – Pinot nero casks

Here is what they have to say about their Alba:

ALBA – the Italian word for dawn, as well as the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland – is matured for three years in the finest Marsala casks from Sicilly and finished in handselected casks from the Isle of Islay. ALBA is a harmonious combination of the rich & fruity flavours of Italy and the distinctive smoky character of the Scottish island.

Flavour : dark fruit | peat | cloves

The interplay between maturation in Marsala casks and ex-Islay peated whisky casks shows such experimentation can bring about quite wonderful results!

Puni Italian Trio

Other whiskies sampled our East to West evening included:

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