Category Archives: Beyond Scotland

5 Best Japanese Whiskies…

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It is no secret I quite like Japanese whiskies. It equally is no secret I find the price-tags abhorrent and many are frustratingly difficult to find.

So when I was asked by the editor of Man’s World magazine to write about the ‘5 Best Japanese Whiskies’ for their 15th Anniversary edition, knew the biggest challenge for readers is that what is here today is gone tomorrow. He left it to me to choose and I opted to feature producers / distilleries with a mix of more readily available plus hidden gems. As we all need a gem or two!

Mans World, Oct 2015

Mans World, Oct 2015

So what whiskies were featured and why?

Naturally this article was prepared before I sampled the spectacular Karuizawa 39 year. And there is always more to discover!

Any favourite Japanese whiskies out there?

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Wasmund’s Single Malt 48%

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During our first encounter with Wasmund’s we decided it is “The bad boy you just wanna go a little wild with and can’t resist!”

Now that I have your attention, shall we delve further into what we found? We first sampled this whisky back in 2013 – completely blind so had no idea what we were in for! We then revisited it in January 2016.

Photo: Copper Fox

Photo: Copper Fox

Wasmund’s Single Malt 48%

  • Colour – A rich almost burgundy hue and we speculated sherry cask… but… ?
  • Nose – Paan! Burnt wood, tarka, bit of citrus, strong, bold with some peatiness, almost medicinal. Pine forest, burnt tires, sweet old wood, leather.
  • Palate – Has an ‘in your face’ strength, some resin, almost like over-cooked sweet n sour sauce – very full bodied. Spice, wood, smoke, chocolate and coffee.
  • Finish – Has some fire yet mellows into sweetness, like a melon, long tail, lasting smoke.
  • Water – Adding water opened it up, bringing out a fruity chewiness, some spice of chillies, cardamom and cloves. Yum!
  • Overall – We found it a complex whisky with attitude – perfect for winter nights in Delhi or on the ski slopes. Not one to be messed around with! In a verrrry good way.

All were surprised with the unveiling. What is most remarkable is that Wasmund’s is matured for only 12 months yet has such character – strong and interesting!

So… what’s this Wasmund’s all about?

Coming from Copper Fox distillers near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, this whisky is pot-stilled in small batches, one barrel at a time 100% using hand malted, Virginia barley. It is proud to be “the only distillery in the world to use apple and cherrywood smoke to flavor the malted barley.”

Clearly we were off with the sherry cask… instead it is aged in ex bourbon barrels with apple and oak chips. Quite a unique result.

Here’s what the folks over at Copper Fox have to say:

“Rich amber copper color, intriguing aromas and flavors of suede, olive tapenade, honey, dried fruit chutney and clay with a silky, dry-yet-fruity, medium-full body, and long, spicy, orange marmalade on rye toast and root beer float-like finish. Distinctively flavorful and a great choice for artisan cocktails or sipping.”

Bottom line… were we impressed? Yes we were.

Other whiskies sampled with Wasmund’s included:

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Three whiskies, three very different guys… Balvenie Triple Cask 12, Wasmund’s and The Speyside 12

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One of the all time most popular posts on my other blog, Everyday Asia, was a whisky tasting night from October 2013. I don’t quite know why it is the case but folks keep coming back to it over and over and over…

What did we sample?

We blind tasted three whiskies featuring Balvenie’s Triple Cask 12 year, Wasmund’s and The Speyside 12 year.

It may, in part, be due to how we described the whiskies at the end of the evening. With January providing an opportunity to revisit that ‘bad boy’ Wasmund’s, I revived our experience with a wee bit more about the whiskies we sampled:

  • Balvenie Triple Cask – The guy who tries to be 1st in class, lovely to meet, some possibilities but…
  • Wasmund’s – The bad boy you just wanna go a little wild with and can’t resist!
  • The Speyside – The guy you can count on, a companion. In short – the marrying type!

Curious what others have to say too!

2013-10-17-OakLeague

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Whisky Ladies – Anything better than whisky and chocolate?

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Our Whisky Ladies in Mumbai’s February session had a bonus – chocolates specifically designed to pair with whiskies. One set of pralines were meant to pair best with a mild and soft, delicate whisky. The other set were meant to pair with smokey or sherry cask matured whiskies. Each lady also shared a little insight into the bottle she brought….

“When Neuhaus meets Single Malt Whiskies“

Delicate – Hibiki Harmony NAS 43%

A few of us initially sampled this delightful whisky as a soothing balm after a romp through seven Paul John whiskies – yes in addition to the quintet reviewed, there were two bonus samples direct from the master distiller! Our contributing whisky lady shared how she loves the delicate nuanced balance Harmony achieves with its three component whiskies – Yamasaki, Hakushu and Chita.

What did we discover with Harmony?

  • Whisky – The nose was indeed delicate, nuanced, flowery, honey sweet. The palate was soft, very well constructed. In short, an exceedingly civilised dram to kick-off our evening!
  • Chocolate – Paired with pralines having caramel ganache, caramelised hazelnuts or toasted almonds or a smooth, rich creamy single origin Javanese cocao milk chocolate

Peaty – Lagavulin 16 year 43%

Our contributor confessed this was her ‘go to’ dram during her London student days. For many this was a familiar friend. The kind of peaty ‘curl up by the fireside’ quality you turn to for comfort. For a few, it was a first introduction to this classic Islay dram.

What did we find with the Lagavulin?

  • Nose – Peat, split pea with ham soup, forrest, moss, then sweet honey, vanilla, warm toasted sugared almonds, finally a curl of cinnamon spice
  • Palate – Spicy, smokey, ‘tarka’, a buttery quality, keeps getting sweeter, rich, powerful
  • Finish – Long and dry, moss, smoke, vanilla
  • Quote – “I feel like I just took a drag from a cigarette!”

For chocolate, we paired similar to the sherry bomb…

Sherry – Abelour A’bunadh batch 46 (2013) 60.4%

Our whisky lady picked up this particular gem in the US at a speciality whisky store. She shared she wanted something distinctive to bring back to India and was directed to this gorgeous cask strength sherry bomb. She opened it prior to our session, fell in love and with great difficulty was able to keep it reserved for our tasting pleasure.

So…. how was this A’bunadh with chocolate?

  • Whisky – Gorgeous sherry notes of plums, figs, raisins, burnt sugar. Cherry berry sherry bomb on the palate full of rich flavours, well rounded and robust. The finish closed with long drawn out rummy raisins.
  • Chocolate – Paired with pralines having more of a deeper, bitter or more intense single origin chocolate from Peru, or ones containing speculooos or puffed rice to add texture and balance the smokey peat or christmas sweet of sherry

Some may recall we sampled batch 35 at a Whisky Ladies ‘Cask Strength Diwali‘ and for comparison, it was pulled out revealing juicier fruits.

Without a doubt, pairing whiskies with chocolate was a smashing success!

2016-02-27 Whisky + Chocolate

Other Whisky Ladies of Mumbai evenings:

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Whisky Ladies go American! JD, Hudson, Jim Beam, Knobs Creek

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In January, the Whisky Ladies went full-on all-out American!

We were joined by a special guest – Shatbhi Basu – bartender, cocktail creator and Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) whiskey Ambassador to India. Guided by Shatbhi, our merry whisky ladies tried each sample ‘blind’ with the great reveal only after tasting all four whiskies.

Whiskies Ladies go American!!

Jack Daniels Old No 7 40%

  • Nose – Holy banana cream pie! Caramel, apple, cinnamon, toffee, Christmas, hint of licorious, as it airs souring a little
  • Taste – Flat, light, easy to drink, hint of vanilla, a little oily, benign
  • Finish – Slight char at the back
  • Overall – Pronounced rather ‘watery’, completely ‘entry level’

Best comment on the JD was “It is like the vodka of whiskies!” as it is the kind of whisky you would enjoy in a long cocktail.

Hudson Single Malt 46% 

  • Nose – Apple, like snapple ice tea, vanilla, paper and cardboard, grains, mud earth, hint of oranges?
  • Taste – Grain, yeast, varnish, pasty
  • Finish – Sweet spice and a bit bitter
  • Overall – Nose far nicer than palate

Um…. not quite sure what to make of this one! One comment “Well, at least it isn’t completely watery!”

Jim Beam 40%

  • Nose – Cotton candy, fruity, pineapple, toffee, butterscotch, dried fruit, creme caramel, vanilla
  • Taste – Bitter, banana pepper, goes down a little to easy, tiny hint of burnt caramel
  • Finish – Peppery
  • Overall – Easy drinking, nothing distinctive, for most ‘still too watery’

One comment that resonated with the group was that it is a “Happy feel good whiskey that is a little too easy to drink!”

Knob Creek 9 year 50%

  • Nose – Very sweet, perfumy, caramel, fresh, tropical fruits, crisp green apples, ripe bananas, citrus sweet lemon
  • Taste – Bitter, tart, orange peel, cheese, chocolate, toffee, honey on the tongue
  • Finish – Smooth, sweet with a hint of spice
  • Overall – Finally something that isn’t watery! Sense of being older, definitely the most enjoyable of the four sampled.

From the 1st whiff you could hear a collective “Finally!  Now we are talking whiskey!”

The most fun of the evening was making three fresh flavourful cocktails using the JD, Jim Beam and Knob Creek as whisky base. It was an enjoyable experience however it is interesting to see how many of our whisky ladies have clear palate preferences emerging and expectations of their whisky.

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Irish standard – Tyrconnell Single Malt 40%

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A few nights ago was up on the 42nd floor of one of Mumbai’s few truly ‘high rise’ residential buildings to sample… what else? Whiskies.

Our host admitted to enjoying an Irish whiskey or two, however the other gents dismissed drams from this land completely. There were decidedly STRONG views in favour or against whiskies from Ireland. Sure the country is known for pot still whiskies, for triple distilling (or 2 1/2 depending on who you ask!), and using less or no peat. Once upon a time, Irish whiskey was the most popular spirit in the world!

What I’ve found is it all depends on what you expect. If you are looking for a sociable dram, a whisky that may not be massively complex but eminently approachable and, let’s be honest here, also more in the affordable category, then some Irish offerings may be right up your alley!

The January host for our original tasting group’s spouse travels to Ireland quite often. So I’ll admit I was expecting a purely Irish night! As this group strictly samples blind, we had no idea what we were in for… and this Cooley distillery offering kicked off our tasting.

Tyrconnell 10 yrs

Tyrconnell Single Malt 40%
  • Nose – Very sweet, floral, some fruit, light clover honey – all a clear sign matured in ex bourbon cask. As it aired, light banana and coconut, vanilla and toffee emerged. Caught of a whiff something softly sour like hung yoghurt, then citrus spice – like sweet cinnamon. Has a beautiful nose that keeps opening and evolving.
  • Taste – Initially a bit of cardboard, slightly chewy, bitter, astringent… realised it actually is quite smooth and not in the least bit harsh
  • Finish – Has some capsicum, melons, a bit bitter then simply peters away
  • With water? A bit dry, doesn’t do much and wouldn’t recommend adding
  • Overall – Light, elegant whisky with a dry finish

However did it really DO it for us? To be honest the nose was far more promising than the palate. While pleasant, simple and straight forward, there wasn’t much substance and none of the complexity most of our merry malt group prefer.

What do the distillery folks have to say about their whisky?

  • Nose: Full and fruity aroma with a citrus – spiciness taste
  • Taste: Well structured with honey notes hanging from the nose. A tang of oranges and lemons, a strong malt presence that balances well with the oily sweetness
  • Finish: A long finish with the malt becoming more dominant to the end without the soft fruits and honey, which helped make up the middle.

It would be interesting to sample this flagship Tyrconnell NAS 40% with the 10 year Madiera Cask we tasted nearly a year ago. After properly recalibrating expectations for something simple, light and above all – affordable, wonder how the two would compare?

For me though, I must admit that of the Beam Suntory Irish stable under the overall Kilbeggan family, my preference leans more to the peated Connemara…

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On a lighter note… Tyrconnell, Clynelish, Speyburn

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Most whisky aficionados have a ‘preferred’ profile. It could be bold peaty or sweet sherry or a craving for complexity where nothing else will do!

One of our original malt group members is partial to lighter more delicate whiskies. He seeks a little nuance and elegance in his dram.

So when it came time to host our 1st tasting session for 2016, he selected whiskies that he hoped would achieve such an approach.

2016-01-27 Oak League

Our evening had a decidedly light sprightly feel with:

However don’t be fooled! Just when pegged into a particular ‘type’, purely for contrast, our host shared that when he’s had a hard day at work, only something a bit rougher, tougher and robust will do.

That’s when a Wasmund’s 12 month 48% was pulled out! Because we all need a little ‘bad boy’ to spice things up once and a awhile.

Me? I’m terribly mood dependant. Some could say I can’t make up my mind, but it is simply that I enjoy the range of profiles.

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Whisky archives – Penderyn, Glenfiddich, Yamazaki, Wemyss + Glenglassaug

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I was digging through some old emails and stumbled across notes from one of our early sessions from 2011!

Alas I missed the tasting however it was unique as it was joined by India‘s own Malt Maniac, Krishna Nakula, who travelled from Hyderabad for the evening to share his passion and stories.

For those, like myself, who missed another member shared a brief summary of what was sampled. The approach was Blind Tastings as usual, in no particular order. (NAS – No age statement. R – ratings out of 100 by Krishna).

Penderyn Peated. 46% NAS. R- 78

A little Welsh whisky

Penderyn Peated (http://www.welsh-whisky.co.uk/Our-Whiskies/Penderyn-Peated.aspx)

Penderyn Peated (www.welsh-whisky.co.uk)

Glenfiddich Rich Oak 14 year, 40%. R-80

First fill Bourbon and First Fill Sherry finish (understand these are actually filled only for 12 weeks in first fills)

Glenfiddich Rich Oak 14 year (GQ 15 Dec 2011)

Glenfiddich Rich Oak 14 year (GQ 15 Dec 2011)

Yamazaki 12 year, 43%. NAS. R-82

This was an early entry point into Japanese whisky years ago.

Yamazaki 12 year (Master of Malt)

Yamazaki 12 year (Master of Malt)

Wemyss ‘The Hive’ 12 year, 40% NAS R-81

A vatted malt… with the honeyed sweetness of a bee hive!

Wemyss 12 year (WhiskyExchange)

Wemyss 12 year (WhiskyExchange)

Glenglassaug New Make Spirit

The highlight of the evening was a ‘blind’ tasting with a twist. Everyone had to close their eyes and taste something that none of them (except Krishna) had tried before – A new Make Spirit!

Finished on the 23rd March 2009, this middle cut was bottled at 50% abv. by the Glenglassaug Distillery. Tasting this was a remarkable way to understand the contribution of the mash and fermentation to a whisky’s bouquet.

Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of more than one delightful evening with Krishna.

Whisky evenings with Krishna:

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Irish Eyes – Green Spot, Yellow Spot + Redbreast

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Tonight I was all set for our Mumbai Whisky Club’s monthly tasting … and as our host’s wife now regularly travels to Ireland, I had visions of sociable whiskies dancing in my head with a palate primed for pot still drams!

Alas our sampling was unavoidably postponed to next week… but I just couldn’t shake that Irish mood… So decided it was high time to revisit the joys of Irish pot stills!

A lot is said about the distinctive character of pot still whiskies – that they have a spicier character that comes from their way of blending malted and unmalted barley. Experts say it is this mash rather than the pot itself that qualifies a whisky as being a pot still whisk(e)y.

Here are a few Irish post still whiskeys we’ve sampled over the years…

Green Spot NAS 40%

  • Nose – Creamy caramel, tarka, fresh green apples – tart and sweet combine
  • Taste – Black peppercorn and rose sherbet, bringing together both sweet and spice
  • Finish – Chewy, warm with a little spice, yet not as complex as Yellow Spot
  • Add water? With water becomes lighter with a delightful toasted nut finish – delightful.
  • Our verdict? While Green Spot more than holds its own, it brought back memories of the superb Yellow Spot. Value for money and an excellent example of what a single pot still can produced.

First sampled November 2013…

Yellow Spot 12 year 46%

From Ireland, a single pot still Irish whisky produced for Mitchell & Son of Dublin, matured in bourbon, sherry and Malaga casks.

  • Nose – Fresh and sweet with hints of a complexity to come, sweet spices and fresh hay
  • Palate – Initially a blend of sea salt and honey, it rounded out with creamy chocolate to fruit, supported by a woody toasted robustness
  • Finish – Particularly superb!
  • Our verdict? – Complex, with a gorgeous flavour that lingered… It has garnered some very well deserved praise from Jim Murray (and us)! An exceptional whisky that hit all our favourite counts for a wonderful malt.

First sampled June 2013 and again Dec 2015…  Redbreast 12 year cask strength 57.7%

  • Nose – Burnt rubber, bold, fruit cake chock full of raisins, dates, nuts, apples
  • Taste – Follows through with its promise, adding cinnamon to the dried fruit and a roasted woodiness
  • Finish – Stays keeping you cosy warm, like Christmas time, curled up by the fireside sipping spiced mulled whiskey, creamy, fruity, toasty warm yumminess!
  • Add water? Even sweeter with spicy delight
  • Our verdict? Ooooohhhhh the Redbreast definitely caught our attention and appreciation! This is certainly one worth revisiting.

First sampled November 2013… I later tried the standard 40% and must say, this cask strength one is by far my preference!

Other Irish Isles Evenings:

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Whisky Ladies Go Goan! Paul John Quintet

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After our Whisky Ladies conquered a cask strength Diwali and then went on a mini ‘world tour’ in November, you might think we would go slow for December. After all – our collective livers need to survive the holiday season!!

What we decided instead is to go Goan.. in honour of a merry malt member abandoning Mumbai for SanFran. She, quite understandably, wanted to squeeze in every desi moment remaining. Naturally this was a perfect excuse to pull out the Paul John expressions, courtesy of master distiller Michael John.

Paul John is India’s “other” single malt whisky distillery found in South Goa. Since launching their first whisky to the world in 2013, they have been making their mark.

We were first introduced to Edited in a blind tasting early 2015. Then, Michael reached out with a generous offer to send our tasting group more expressions leading to a most enjoyable evening! After those bottles were gleefully polished off, came a new set with the brand new Bold expression added to tempt our Whisky Ladies…

Whisky Ladies Paul John Evening

Whisky Ladies Paul John Evening

Here is what the lasses thought!
  • Nose – Caramel, mango, papaya, jackfruit a whiff of ahem.. Formaldehyde, then a chocolatey flavour when ‘aggressively’ inhaled
  • Taste – Sweet with lots of caramel, buttery caramel popcorn, marzipan, a little malty too
  • Finish – Soft and easy… warming… a bit of black pepper, slightly bitter finish a la dark chocolate
  • Water – Better… much better
  • Comments – “A step up from Blue Ribbon and Old Monk! Multiple steps…. Possibly full flights” “A good ‘intro’ whisky for new whisky ladies”
  • Nose – Bursting with fruit especially pineapple, more citrusy than Brilliance. Soft butter, a curl of peaty smoke playing peek-a-boo… a little cocoa, most of all… it is “Like breathing in pina colada!”
  • Taste – Hugely sweet rush, smoked pineapple with a hint of banana, has a bit more of a ‘manly’ kick, meatier and richer, some woodsy spices
  • Finish – Some found it unremarkable, others found a sweetish note with a hint of bitter, perhaps a dash of oak. One remarked “Better than most recent dates!”
  • Water – Much preferred with a few drops of water
  • Observations – Pairs well with food – especially cheese!
  • Nose – Back to being almost overly fruity! This time with a hint of floral elements, some lemon citrus sweetness, a bit of caramel, white pepper, with a good inhale – heavy vanilla, lots of white pepper and some sage
  • Taste – Sweet and a bit spicy if you take a serious swig, hold and let it linger. Nice warm burn.
  • Finish – A bit of a bitter aftertaste, yet still sweet – almost like cough syrup
  • Comment – “It is making us nice and warm… but alas not hot.” 
  • Nose – Yum! Now we are talking! Delicious bacon jam, some pastrami, think procsutto and cantaloupe, with a caramel glaze
  • Taste – Hickory, smokey, warm and sweet, rich, a little rough with character – in a way that we like! Fabulous balance of peat and sweet, fruit and earthy elements. Again – yum!
  • Finish – Leaves its mark like a scratchy stubble burn…
  • Water – A little citrus orange high note peeps out then settles back into bacon goodness
  • Comment – “It is like a really GOOD Canadian man – Bacon, maple syrup, lumberjack fantasies and ice hockey!”
  • Nose – Bergamont, light, restrained, not quite sweet, a sense of being a bit more sophisticated, with a little vanilla
  • Taste – Dare we say… after a name like BOLD  we expected the whisky to jump out at us, swaggering into our senses… instead it was… um… almost tame? Light, honey sweet, some citrus, a puff of smoke, lovely but a step back from the luscious Peated
  • Finish – Here was where we found peat – a lightly peaty finish with walnut. Some found it slightly bitter, others found it wasn’t bitter at all – particularly when compared with the bitterness of  the Edited finish.
  • Overall – Character of the whisky contrasts with the name. We realised afterwards, we should have tried it together with Brilliance after Edited, as part of the ‘Trio’ of entry level Single Malts vs the ‘Pair’ of cask strength whiskies. Particularly after the fabulous Peated, the Bold was a bit overshadowed. Me thinks this one needs to be re-sampled just on its own…

As you can see… the Peated was ‘dipped’ into again after our initial tasting. I do believe that is a rather obvious sign that we liked it rather a lot!

20151224_Paul John Quintet

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