Category Archives: European

European Tour – Slyrs 51 NAS 51%

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Last in our Whisky Ladies European tour was a surprise bonus whisky from Germany!

The genesis of Slyrs distillery was apparently a bet for a crate of Bavarian wheat beer. After more than a few whiskies shared somewhere in the Speyside region of Scotland, Florian Stetter (former Master Distiller of Lantenhammer Distillery) bet that he would create a Bavarian whisky. Distilling since 1999, the 1st whisky was launched in 2002 and remains in full production in Neuhaus, now under the management of Florian’s brother Anton Stetter.

The name “Slyrs 51” literally refers to the alcohol strength of this expression – bottled at 51%. Launched in October 2015, Slyrs 51 is considered as the “big brother” of their single malts.

This bottle was sourced by a new Whisky Ladies of Mumbai member from her trip to Bavaria and may be difficult to obtain outside of Germany.

And what did we think? Read on…

2016-06-28 Slyrs 51

Slyrs 51 NAS (Lot 3453) 51%

  • Colour – Rich amber
  • Nose – Musty, quite bold yet oddly soft, sweet, sense of being quite syrupy, a bit of banana, hint of spicy chocolate
  • Palate – Much more powerful than nose indicated.. initially quite intense, sweet and bitter both with the bitterness taking on increasingly a nutty quality, some spices, then begins to settle in and becomes buttery
  • Finish – Banana walnut bitter
  • Water – Cries out for a generous dollop of water… No delicate drops will do here! And with water? Out came a yummy caramel aroma and once the spice settled, enveloped our Whisky Ladies with a warm sweetly bitter dram.

Of all the four European whiskies, this was the most direct and ‘in your face’. The very literal approach to the name was a fairly good indication that there would be few flourishes and flounces, just a solid linear whisky with strength.

Slyrs 51 is apparently made from malt from northern Bavaria, using a longer fermentation process, casking at a lower strength and matured in a mix of new American oak and ex sherry port and sauternes casks.

Here’s what the folks over at Slyrs have to say about their whisky (roughly translated).

  • Colour: Golden brown
  • Odour: Strong dark wood and malted barley
  • Taste: Full-bodied, malty-aromatic, complex aromas reminiscent of vanilla and hay
  • Finish: Long and intense, spicy notes

For more information, check out this article in WhiskyConnosr: Slyrs – Whisky’s best kept secret by Dominic Roskrow

There is also a interesting review by Benedikt Luening on Whisky.com: Slyrs 51.

Other whiskies sampled during our European tour included:

Overall we closed the evening feeling rather privileged to enjoy four such distinctive European whiskies during a Mumbai monsoon!

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European Tour – Kornog Taourac’h Trived 10 BC 46%

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A year ago during a remarkable tasting evening at The Auld Alliance in Singapore, I first encountered Glann ar Mor‘s peated Kornog from Bretagne, France.

Raving about the distinctive character of the special cask strength Kornog bottled exclusively for The Auld Alliance, I put the word out to our traveling Whisky Ladies to track down another Kornog.

Sure enough, one of our lovely lasses special ordered a Kornog Taouarc’h Trived 10 BC in the UK that wandered its way home to India.

It featured as the 3rd whisky in our June 2016 European Tour…

Teerenpeli, Kornog, Danica

Kornog Taourac’h Trived 10 BC 46%

  • Nose – Banana split! Fruity, caramel, vanilla, smoke, chocolate, nutmeg
  • Palate – Peat, bacon, buttery
  • Finish – Chocolate chaser, sweet syrupy with a bacon edge

Think banana split with bacon sprinkles! Sounds strange but is actually quite delicious. The overall impression was of smokey caramel in the most delectable way. With peat hardly discernible on the nose it grew more pronounced on the palate and blossomed in the finish.

It had the most remarkable way of going from a fabulous fruity nose to dancing briefly along the palate to flounce immediately into a wonderful finish.

This Kornog lived up to my hope of a completely distinctive character – in many ways it is rather roguishly reflective of what one thinks of about Brittany. One of our Whisky Ladies lived many years in France and without a doubt, this was her favourite whisky of our tour!

Best quote of the evening?

“How did you go from being a perfect gentlemen to getting my bra off like that?”

While there are few reviews of this Kornog and no official online tasting notes from the distillery, Jim Murray rated the Kornog Taouarc’h Trived 12 BC at a whopping 95. Even if you are not fan of Mr Murray, we would agree this particular Kornog is worth giving a go!

Other whiskies sampled during our European tour included:

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European Tour – Braunstein Danica 42%

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After the fabulous Finnish whisky, what next did we have in our Whisky Ladies European tour? Another Nordic whisky of course!!

And what does a passion for fly fishing and whisky have in common? Brothers Claus and Michael Braunstein from Denmark!

The Braunstein boys founded Braunstein distillery in 2002 to produce vodka, gin, snaps, liqueurs and bitters, rum and finally whisky. PS they also brew beer too!

They see themselves as ‘Danish whisky pioneers‘ and initially focused on launching a series of limited ‘editions’ (Library Collection) then cask strength playing with maturing in a range of casks from ex Calvados to Sauternes to Cognac to Rum and more! In 2014 they launched their ‘travel retail’ editions with an unpeated Danica (what we sampled) and Danica peated.

And how did we end up with this Danica? “It was the ONLY Danish whisky in Copenhagen international airport!”

Danica Whisky

Braunstein Danica NAS 42% (Unpeated)

  • Nose – Quite fresh, sweet, almost perfume, apricots, green apples, fruity nectar, sunshine in a bottle
  • Palate – More body than expected from the nose, lots of barley initially, fruity, pear, a bit chewy, yeasty, a little anise… as it continued to evolve more dates, raisins and dried fruit, some orange peel
  • Finish – Chocolatey goodness

Several ladies remarked how it tastes even better than it smelt. Others felt the opposite. Quite clear it had primarily bourbon influences then sherry peaked out more on the palate and finish.

However by the end of sipping, discussing and dissecting… for most it fell into the category of ‘nothing at all wrong but nothing fabulously right either’ whereas others found this Danish whisky simply delightful!

And that is the challenge… when your evening begins with something that really captured our collective Whisky Ladies attention (Teerenpeli 10 year), the Danica didn’t quite make a mark for all.

Perhaps the peated version would have had more oomph? Or perhaps one of their cask strength expressions would have tickled more ladies fancy? Or perhaps simply on its own, it would shine brighter…

None regretted the opportunity to sample however few returned to the Danica as their tipple of choice. In fairness, this is but the beginning of Danica’s journey and an early NAS travel retail offering… who knows what will be revealed in future with age statement expressions or further editions…

What do the folks at Braunstein have to say? Here’s what they shared on the bottle:

A great whisky for whisky lovers with a sweet tooth. The non-smoked whisky has matured in a selection of finest small and big casks. 

A smooth and complex whisky that caresses the palate with notes of chocolate and loads of dried fruits.

Well… small and big casks doesn’t tell us a whole heck of a lot! On the back of the bottle it then revealed “Sherry & Bourbon” casks with the batch number mysteriously empty.

2016-06-28 Danica

Here’s what others have to say about Braunstein’s Danica whisky:

Other whiskies sampled during our European tour included:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

European Tour – Teerenpeli 10 year 43%

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First up in our Whisky Ladies of Mumbai‘s ‘European Tour‘ was a Finnish whisky.

Introduced as coming from one of the smallest pot distilleries of the world, Teerenpeli Distillery is based in Lahti, Finland. The family owned distillery opened in 2002, uses Finnish barley, and have played around with maturing their whiskies in ex-sherry, bourbon, port wine and rum casks. For the Teerenpeli 10 year, they indicate it was matured in ex bourbon and sherry casks with an 80/20 ratio, first launched in October 2015.

None of the Whisky Ladies had ever sampled a whisky from Finland before and we were fortunate this was such a treat! Here is what we found…

Teerenpeli 10 year

Teerenpeli 10 year 43%

  • Nose – Sweet vanilla, flowery, barley, quite delightful and easy to put one into a ‘happy place’, honey, fresh apples
  • Palate – Smokey, peaty, brine, oily, yet soft, exceedingly tasty and delicious, then a little straw, toasted cereal
  • Finish – Pleasant, dry, warm and toffee sweet with a light cinnamon dusting, subtly lingers
  • Water – Absolutely no need!

It was a perfect whisky to kick off our European tour. Immediate exclamations of “Divine!” While only 43%, it delivered more than your typical 40 – 43% strength.

A few initially found the dichotomy between the nose which brought to mind scampering along a meadow with spring-like perfume vs the smokey, highly oily palate a bit disconcerting. For most this was the very element that brought such enjoyment as it it pulled off that amazing balance between being quite ladylike yet with substance.

I sampled it again a few days later with one of our whisky ladies who could not join our original session and found I enjoyed it even more. Simply one of those whiskies you greedily want to sip and savour all to yourself!

Here’s what the Teerenpeli folks have to say about their 10 year:

  • Colour – Golden yellow
  • Nose – Malty, see vanilla
  • Palate – Oily, pleasant vanilla with a bit of pepper
  • Finish – Warm, long with a bit of applecake with vanilla sauce

Alas, as it was a 50 cl bottle, a favourite of several whisky ladies and was brought out for a 2nd evening, the Teerenpeli is no more! Clearly a hit and I would both recommend others snag a bottle of this if you can and will myself keep an eye out for more offerings from Teerenpeli!

Warning – it may be a wee bit difficult to track down outside of Finland and Sweden, with the exception of the Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt.

Other whiskies sampled during our European tour included:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Whisky Ladies European Tour – Teerenpeli, Danica, Kornog + Slyrs

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In the wake of the Brexit vote, the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai decided to go on a European whisky tour featuring:

2016-06-28 European Tour

The Teerenpeli Finnish whisky was a recent acquisition from my trip to London – recommended by the folks over at the Whisky Exchange and a rather fine addition to our evening.

The Brauntstein Danica‘s was snagged as the only Danish whisky available at Copenhagen airport!

The Kornog from France has been eagerly awaited! Special request ordered by one of our whisky lady’s prompted by my curiosity after sampling a cask strength version.

A complete bonus on announcing June’s theme was the addition of a 4th European whisky from Bavaria, Germany. I mean, who else in Mumbai other than a “Whisky Lady” just so happens to have a bottle of Slyrs 51 sitting in their whisky cabinet??

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Hammer Head 23 year 40.7% (Czech Single Malt)

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What happens if someone had a good idea then somewhere along the way, it fell apart, the experiment neglected and nearly lost forever?

Read on…

Hammer Head (Photo: Carissa Hickling)

Hammer Head 23 years 40.7%, Czech, Pradlo distillery

  • Colour – Pale
  • Nose – Bright fresh citrus, dry fruits, hint of bourbon
  • Palate – Mild chewy yet dry oak, a tinge of sour, lack of depth… re-tasted after 20 mins and had a flash of masala paan
  • Finish – What finish?? Really nothing much at all…

Blind tasting reactions:

  • Guessed may be around 40% as had no ‘punch’ on the tongue, age of around 10-12 years, likely not a blend
  • Declared an evening no-nonsense malt, easy on the palette

You can be forgiven for not being instantly familiar with this single malt from the Czech republic. Back in 1989, Pradlo distillery decided it was high time to make a proud Czech single malt. With only Czech barley, water from the Bohemia region, aged in 100% Czech oak. The one concession made was to use a ‘hammer’ mill masher from Scotland, a thus a single batch was produced.

Then the Berlin wall fell and everything changed. Any further production stopped and the distillery was more or less forgotten. Til 23 years later it was ‘rediscovered’ and someone again got a bright idea and decided to make some money selling this mystery malt.

The result? A curiosity piece, a great story and a remarkable slice of history all neatly wrapped up in bottle more than a memorable malt. However, it did manage to pick up an award along the way…

Here’s what others have to say:

Glen Breton, Hammer Head, Nikka from the barrel, Mortlach

Glen Breton, Hammer Head, Nikka from the barrel, Mortlach (Whisky Lady)

Other samples in the ‘world whisky tour’ were:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

World Tour – Hammer Head, Glen Breton, Nikka from the barrel, Mortlach 15 year

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One consequence of gallivanting off to Amsterdam in November is I missed our monthly tasting session. However given it featured whiskies from four different countries, I convinced our host to do a special ‘make-up’ session.

What follows is a blend of the original sessions notes from another club member and mine from last night for your reading pleasure. 

Hammer Head (Photo: Carissa Hickling)

Hammer Head 23 year

Hammer Head 23 years 40.7%, Czech, Pradlo distillery

  • Colour – Pale
  • Nose – Bright fresh citrus, dry fruits, hint of bourbon
  • Palate – Mild chewy yet dry oak, a tinge of sour, lack of depth… re-tasted after 20 mins and had a flash of masala paan
  • Finish – What finish?? Really nothing much at all…

Blind tasting reactions:

  • Guessed may be around 40% as had no ‘punch’ on the tongue, age of around 10-12 years, likely not a blend
  • Declared an evening no-nonsense malt, easy on the palette

You can be forgiven for not being instantly familiar with this single malt from the Czech republic. Back in 1989, Pradlo distillery decided it was high time to make a proud Czech single malt. With only Czech barley, water from the Bohemia region, aged in 100% Czech oak, the one concession was using a hammer mill masher from Scotland, a single batch was produced. Then the Berlin wall fell and everything changed. Any further production stopped and the distillery was more or less forgotten. Til 23 years later it was ‘rediscovered’ and commerce took over with a decision to bottle the mystery malt.

The result? A curiosity piece, great story and slice of history more than a memorable malt.

Glen Breton

Glen Breton 10 year

Glen Breton 10 years 43%, Canada, Glenora distillery

  • Colour – Light pale yellow
  • Nose – Medicinal, lemon fusion
  • Palate – 1st impression is spice then a bitter turmeric – nothing else
  • Finish – Slightly bitter then vanishes

Coming from Canada, we’re known for Rye whiskey blends not sophisticated malts. Touted as one of only two single malt Scottish-style distilleries in Canada, it is ‘matured’ in American oak barrels. However seems much more akin to a not so great 3 year old, certainly not a 10 year! We previously sampled this disappointing offer and were reminded – do not repeat!

Nikki from the barrel

Nikki from the barrel

Nikka from the barrel, no age stated 51.4%, Japan, Nikka distillery

  • Colour – Warm wheat
  • Nose – Plum cake, fruit basket, mild citrus aroma, bold & woody yet unmistakably sweet
  • Palate – Sweet on the first sip, then slightly spicy finish, mild hint of leather and cinnamon. When returning after 20 mins – pure sweet smoothness
  • Finish – Comes out to say an exuberant ‘hello!’ with sassy spice
  • Water – Shot up the spice, but then settled

This blend reminds that sometimes it is worth playing around – in this case blended and then re-casked to further mature. Definitely worth trying but not a future purchasing priority.

 

Mortlach 15 year

Mortlach 15 year

Mortlach 15 years 43%, Scotland, Mortlach distillery, Gordon & Macphail

  • Colour – Burnished gold
  • Nose – Oily, christmas cake, overripe banana
  • Palate – Dances on the tongue, dry yet somehow also with a heavy oily undertone, hint of sweetness, smoooooth
  • Finish – Finally a ‘real’ finish like it never wants to let you go! Spicy

By far the most interesting of the evening and a reminder to keep grabbing the Gordon Macphail bottlings. A cross-sampling of the Mortlach and the Ledaig led to speculation that while each is distinct, there is a stamp of ‘character’ that distinguishes Gordon Macphail products.

Must say I’m glad I didn’t miss our little trip around the globe!

Glen Breton, Hammer Head, Nikka from the barrel, Mortlach

Glen Breton, Hammer Head, Nikka from the barrel, Mortlach

Other global tasting adventures include:

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