Category Archives: Whisky General

An unexpected tasting – Drinks by the Drams 2022 Whisky Advent Calendar

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I absolutely LOVE sharing the joy of whisky exploration with others. A dram shared is a dram enjoyed. I also delight in helping folks discover something new. If I know what you have tried and liked, then chances are I can recommend something along those lines that takes one deeper into the world of whiskies.

Which is why an unexpected tasting last year was such a pleasure. It was a special treat – a complete surprise! An advent calendar with 24 minis was brought to a work offsite, where I found myself given an opportunity to introduce whiskies never before tried. It was an Advent Calendar from Drinks by the Drams – tracked down by some clever sleuthing by a colleague.

So what did we do? As only a couple colleagues that evening were whisky drinkers, I asked about preferred spirits. Using that as a bridge, I attempted to match inclinations and personalities with whisky profiles. Our evening covered drams from France, Ireland, Sweden, and Scotland… from standards to single cask to a blend of 14 countries!

What follows are simply light impressions of the different drams we sampled. What lasts are the memories of a moment well spent in fellowship over a dram or two.

Brenne Cuvée Spéciale French Single Malt Whisky

For our Italian colleague with a French heart, the obvious choice was the French whisky matured in Cognac casks. On the nose she found it light and fruity with honey, I described it as ‘bubblegum’, with more honey on the palate. There was a perfume – like a field of lavender. A lovely stylish dram for a singular woman.

Grace O’Malley Blended Irish Whiskey

Like many Irish whiskies, this was an amiable dram. On the nose, fresh citrus, and caramel with a nice honey sweetness, on the palate it was just as friendly with a spring-like quality and almonds on the finish. You may ask – who was Grace O’Malley? She was an Irish pirate queen – a charismatic leader from the nobility of County Mayo – whose story was the inspiration for a trio of gents (One Irish, two German) to create this brand. It will be interesting to see what these folks put out with their own liquid.

The Glenrothes 12 Year Old – Soleo Collection

For one, I thought perhaps a sherry dram might suit? I feared this may be a bit powerful – it was either going to be a hit or miss! She found it quite Christmasy, with some chocolate, and quite “warming”… and whilst not a whisky “convert”, found the experience interesting.

Aerolite Lyndsay 10 Year Old – The Character of Islay Whisky Company

For the one colleague who has a fancy for Islay whiskies, I suggested this Islay. He described it as a “summer breeze” yet also peaty. And on the palate? Sweet caramel, smooth with smoke. I wasn’t familiar specifically with this whisky – however, I later learned later it is an anagram – Aerolite Lyndsay is literally just ‘Ten Year Islay”! So the mystery continues…

Mackmyra Björksav

Distinctly different from the clean Scandi style I’ve come to expect from Mackmyra. This one stood out as a clear favorite. On the nose, it was nutty, with fresh pine, forest, earthy, and sweet. Whereas on the palate it was warming, with a nice substance, more interesting the more time it spent in a glass. The name comes from “birch sap”, heralding the return to spring – quite apt. Pity there was only the wee dram!

World Whisky Blend from That Boutique-y Whisky Co

We also opened the World Whisky Blend from That Boutique-y Whisky Co – a delightful dram with a nice spice, herbal, a bit of eucalyptus and so much more! I was happy to have an opportunity to revisit this a few months later in Mumbai along with other TBWC expressions.

What else did the advent calendar have? Lots of other interesting drams which we divided up amongst all of us. Over the years, I’ve had a chance to try either the expressions or related ones of many in the Advent Calendar…

What about other Advent Calendar experiences? There have been a few…

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Whisky Lady – April to June 2023

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From April showers to June sunshine and flowers! On the personal side, it has been a busy period… with a trip to Mumbai to shift homes (bonus 2 whisky sessions!)… followed by a much overdue trip back to Canada to catch up with family and friends (another bonus sharing a few drams!)… to a whirlwind work trip to Sweden for an inspiring conference (alas no whisky!)… finally back to Deutschland.

On the whisky front, things actually got started in March with Nuremberg’s The Village whisky festival – thanks to dental surgery, I simply couldn’t taste anything til a few weeks later in April! However each mini gathered on-site was a treat to explore later….

  • Lindores Abbey MCDXCIV (1494) 46%, The Casks of Lindores Bourbon 49.4%, The Casks of Lindores Wine Barrique 49.4%, Single Cask (2018/2022) 
  • Birkenhof’s Fading Hill Rye 45% and Fading Hill Peat 46%
  • Elch Torfduett 50.6%

Back in India, The Bombay Malt & Cigar lads had a sociable evening with a Jameson’s Quartet – Distillery Edition 40%, Crested 40%, Black Barrel 40%, Caskmate Stout Edition 40%. 

Then I inaugurated our new Bombay flat with the Whisky Ladies by sharing a quartet from That Boutique-y Whisky Co. What did we try?

This was followed back in Germany with a lovely long weekend with friends where we dove into a special Whic.de set of European “Roggen (Rye) Revolution“:

Then another St Kilian tasting set (Dec 2022 release) – which featured:

  1. St Kilian Buche Meets Zeder (2017 – 2022) 57.7%, 680 bottles – A curious combination of beech and cedar, we didn’t even take much in the way of tasting notes… sorry!
  2. St Kilian Classic – Mild & Fruity 3 year 46% – Utterly delightful! I’d love to see St Kilian do more along these lines! Fruity, fun & fabulous!
  3. St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Twelve‘ (2017/18 – 2022) 50.8% – Another unpeated expression, worth trying!
  4. St Kilian Hand filled – Paelzer Eich ex Moscatel (2017) 60.2% – An experiment
  5. St Kilian Grave Digger – Fields of Blood 47% – It almost felt like we were waiting for the ‘best for (nearly) last!’ When St Kilian does smoke this way, it’s my kind of peat!
  6. St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Thirteen‘ (2016/18/19 – 2022) 53.9% – Not tried so that it could be experienced together with its deconstructed set!
  7. St Kilian Peated – Rich & Smoky 46% – Held off trying to sample together with the ‘Thirteen’
  8. St Kilian Grave Digger – Berry Metal 40% (Liqueur) – Saved to bring to Canada… described as an incredibly potent berry wow! (with a “kick”) 

As for Canada? I also brought along to Winnipeg a super extra special tasting set courtesy of St Kilian’s distillery with their Signature 13 deconstructed: into its 5 component parts.

I also planned to crack open another tasting set – a carefully selected quartet bottled by Whisky Warehouse No 8. However, instead of opening, we decided to wait for another trip. 

So whilst some whiskies came to Canada, what about Canadian whiskies coming to Germany? Look no further! Carefully acquired over a couple of years, I focused on bringing a few Shelter Point expressions back to Germany. Don’t know when or where they will be opened, however, I expect a treat!

Finally, I also kept amused with a couple ad hoc extras such as:

Curious to know more? Check out a few more summaries:

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The Whisky Warehouse No. 8 – Mixed Malts

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As we were exploring the last Whisky Warehouse No 8 regions quartet, we were already thinking ahead to what next? Well here it is! Three sets were ordered to make their way to London, Paris and Nuremberg…. So what did we chose?

New Whisky Warehouse No 8 set:

  • Ireland – Dundalk Dew 9 year (2009) Single Grain  58,7 %
  • Speyside – Allt á Bhainne 11 year (2008) 61,5%
  • Speyside –  Craigellachie 12 year (2006) 50,5 %
  • Speyside – Benrinnes 23 year (1997) 1st Fill Barrique Chateau Lafite 55.9%

Then the next challenge came – when to schedule a virtual tasting? A year passed and another.. so this lovely little set instead made its way from Europe to Canada for a quiet evening of exploration.

What about prior explorations from Whisky Warehouse No. 8? Over the last couple of years, we have been on a roll!

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Germany’s Elch Torfduett 50.6%

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One of the highlights at the 2022 Schwetzinger Whisky Festival was spending time with the folks from Elch Distillery. The setting was inviting, at the Schloss just outside of Heidelberg. I was captivated by Elch’s cheeky Moose mascot, its use of local elements, and its commitment to the spirit’s craft.

Along the way, sampling various whisky wares, I also developed a weakness for their absolutely fabulous range of liqueurs. Can I just say “Eier Elli” – BEST egg liqueur! They also make a mighty fine Gin – yum!

However, the focus is their whisky and experimentations with German peat. That summer, their peaty Torf vom Dorf was my “pick” of the festival!

As a proud Franconian distillery, not so far from Nuremberg, my friends and I had plans to make a weekend trip – check out the distillery, their gasthof, maybe even their nearby “glamping” set-up. We thought perhaps sometime in the summer 2023.

And then we heard the terrible news of their tragic fire in February – destroying the roof. A terrible setback and much effort lies ahead to rebuild. Naturally, our plans to make a summer jaunt were postponed.

Which was why it was so good to have a chance to check in with the fine folks at Elch at The Village 2023 whisky festival in Nurnberg. They shared their hopes to overcome the challenges and launched two new whiskies were featured:

  • Torfduett – a new entrant to their core range, matured in 90% ex-bourbon barrels and 10% acacia
  • “Neustart“ – a special “reboot” edition at a deliberately higher price to help raise funds to support the rebuild of their brewery and distillery.

My friends sampled several and I just had sniffs of their glasses as it was (alas!) a non-tasting day for me due to dental issues! However, the good folks at Elch took pity, and sent me away from their booth with a wee sample of Torfduett that I decided this fine summery day to crack open!

Elch Torfduett 50.6%

  • Nose – Fresh timber and tires, bay leaf, orchard fruits, sweet spices of clove and cinnamon bark, a hint of toffee, and a whiff of vanilla pod
  • Palate – The peat is more subtle than anticipated, like warm embers rather than a raging forest fire, yet still firmly there, chased by light-baked fruits – mostly pear with green apples too.
  • Finish – Lovely and lingering with a hint of chilies
  • Water – Yes, please! Brings out a delightful cinnamon spice and everything nice

There is something quite “fresh” and green about this one. And a nice new addition to their range – well done!

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That Boutique-y Whisky Company – World Blend, Cotswolds, Macduff, English

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After such fabulous fun in Paris and London celebrating That Boutique-y Whisky Co‘s 10th anniversary, I simply had to bring back some for the lasses in Mumbai.

It turned out to be a bit of a slightly random assortment… My initial plan was to do an English whisky theme however could only find two TBWC bottles from merry old England. Then I spotted the World Whisky Blend and couldn’t resist, followed by another TBWC on sale, so thought, what the heck!

So, here is what we tried from That Boutique-y Whisky Co:

We opened them in April 2023, as part of inaugurating our new Mumbai flat. It was a typical sweltering April evening, which is exactly why I wanted to start with a “welcome cocktail” using the World Whisky Blend! A couple of friends came early and we played around with variations on an Old Fashioned with different elements and proportions until we got it “just right”!

So what was our recipe?

And the steps?

  1. Bring together the maple syrup, bitters, orange juice, and whisky in a mixing glass – stir til well mixed
  2. Add the ice, and then stir until well-chilled
  3. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube (or several small ice cubes if you don’t have a mega cube – which was the case for us that evening!)
  4. Express the oil of an orange twist over the glass, then drop into the glass to garnish

And if you want a wee bit of fizz, throw in a splash of soda. And voila! Refreshing and fun!

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Germany’s Fading Hill Rye and Peat

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At The Village whisky festival in Nurnberg, there was a dizzying array of interesting offerings – with particular attention paid to Germany-based distilleries. For those not familiar, there is an incredibly robust range of whisky-producing distilleries now in Deutschland – many having shifted into Whisky only recently.

In the case of Birkenhof Brennerie, they just celebrated 175 years of making spirits with eight generations of a family-run business!  Based in the northern Rhineland-Palatinate, they’ve also reached a milestone of 20 years of making whisky under the brand “Fading Hill‘.

Whilst they had their own booth at the festival, these particular expressions – two of their core three – came from a special German Whisky club at a booth devoted to a range of member German distillers. As I couldn’t sample that day, I packed the duo up to journey with me to India to check out one fine sweltering evening in April!

Fading Hill Rye 6 Year (2015/ Feb 2022) Cask No 23 and 128, 45%

  • Nose – Yes, this is indeed rye, with generous chocolate
  • Palate – Spicy, some mixed tropical fruit, cream
  • Finish – More of that pepper chased by some fruits

There is nothing shy about this rye! It was like biting into a spicy raisin and dried fruit chocolate bar. Powerful full flavours, it was akin to a rye on sherry steroids. The more I sipped it, the more it grew on me. What fun to have a chance to explore this expression!

I set it aside to try its Peat sibling… returning to find the chocolate raisins even more pronounced if that is even possible! Including on the palate… yup! It was totally like having a spicy Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar!

Here’s what the folks at Birkenhof Brennerei have to say about their Rye expression?

The Classic Rye: matured in a single sherry cask. Our classic – a tribute to the first Fading Hill distilled in 2002. An intense single rye whisky, composed of a double-distilled rye mash that is fermented in a way that preserves the aroma. Matured for years in exceptional sherry casks.

My sample came complimentary however this whisky retails for a quite reasonable Eur €56.50.

Fading Hill Peated 4 years (2018 / March 2022) 4th Edition, Cask No 751, 752, 753 (PX Sherry, Bourbon, Islay Quarter Cask Finish) 46%

  • Nose – Yheasty, a bit of faint seaweed, cinnamon bark – a lovely salty sweetness, as it opened up, smelt like malty biscuits
  • Palate – Silky smooth with sour cherries and a peaty chaser
  • Finish – Herbal, like the after-taste of an intense flavour-packed herbal liqueur

Well… when I started my journey in Nurnberg, I had quite a generous sample… however by the time I unpacked in Mumbai, there were just a few wee drops remaining. So if my notes are minimal, trust you will understand!

And what about their Peated expression?

Handcrafted and extraordinary: matured in exquisite ex-bourbon casks. Distilled from a wort explicitly peated according to our specifications, our Peated Edition Single Malts have a distinctive character. Baroque and concise, with an extraordinary play of aromas.

Like its Rye expression, this was complimentary… however if you are curious, check it out for Eur €59.50 in Deutschland.

Both whiskies are bold and unmistakable. I’d be curious to also try their classic single malt expression – maybe at the next whisky festival, I will be able to explore properly on-site!

PS – Many thanks again to the good folks with the Schottlandforum!

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Nurnberg “The Village” Whisky Festival 2023

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Imagine being a kid in a giant candy store, one of the biggest in the land, and then being told you can only look, not eat!

That was my experience at the remarkable “The Village” Whisky Festival. I had been looking forward to it for a long time, had my entry and Masterclass tickets purchased, and a whole fun weekend with friends planned… But then the universe had other ideas…

Ever had a  cracked tooth? Followed by 3-hour emergency dental surgery? Then a tooth extraction? Which got infected? To discover you have a bizarre never before experienced reaction to antibiotics – not just one but two? Oh, and did I mention unrelenting pain for weeks?!

So there I was with a “chipmunk cheek”, barely able to talk with the foul taste of antibiotics in my mouth, generally feeling miserable for myself… yet determined to not miss completely!

I missed the Sharing Angels reunion, barely made it through our Masterclass with Lindores Abbey (with whiskies sniffed and tucked away in sample bottles for a later date), a meeting by the German Distillers Association (Verband deutscher Whiskybrenner) stand with a duo from Fading Hill (their Rye and Peat expressions), a pitstop at the Elch booth, before heading home to crash! Not fun at all…

However, it reminded me how lucky we are in Europe to have such exhibitions. It was an impressive array of distilleries from around the world. And just like the France section at Paris Whisky Live, the German distiller’s section at The Village is impressive.

Even more so, had I been in any shape to make some purchases, there were certainly more than a few gems! For prices that would be the envy of anyone in Asia, given the friendly tax treatment of spirits in Deutschland.

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Whisky Lady – January to March 2023

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So what have I been up to the last few months? A mix of new tasting experiences and slowly making my way through notes from 2022 – which was particularly “busy” with two weekends of Whisky Festivals.

My first tasting session of 2023 was with the Bombay Malt & Cigar lads – what fun! It was my turn to “host” the whiskies so I carefully chose a theme – Swansong. Each whisky came from an independent bottler and each had a story, celebrating whiskies that once were and will not be (quite the same) ever again. 

It was quite the way to kick off a new year!

Paris Whisky Live tastings continued with:

As a pre-cursor to Sweden’s Agitator’s Whisky Ladies of Mumbai session, I shared notes from their early experiments with:

It was interesting to see how Agitator evolved into the rather interesting trio we tried late December with their two core expressions: Single Malt 43% and Rök 43% plus a limited edition small batch expression Argument: Småfat 46%.

Back in Nurnberg, I cracked open a Glenlivet travel retail trio of Reserve, Solera Vatted, and Small Batch. Because, why not?

Curious to know more? Check out a few more summaries:

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Additionally, there are the two ‘off-shoots’ with:

Whisky Lady – Oct to Dec 2022

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Happy New Year! It is so good to be home celebrating with family and friends. And reflecting on how busy the last few months have been!

Unexpected tastings, sharing special drams with fabulous folks, birthday celebrations, and to top it all off – two whisky festival weekends in a row!! Wow wow wow!!! Paris Whisky Live and London’s Whisky Show – let me repeat – WOW!!

Let’s start with birthday drams….

We also had the Chorlton birthday drams – with the gift that kept on giving! So far we have held 4 tastings just from this quartet… Two in London and two in Mumbai where one session brought together two birthday ladies! (including yours truly)

Paris Whisky Live was divided between Day 1, which was devoted to the VIP area:

Day 2 was meandering around the main section with a penchant for French whiskies, a smattering of Scottish, and one Indian thrown in for good measure!

Then the following weekend was London’s Whisky Show with:

Masterclass: The Unbelievable Truth About Whisky with Gregg Glass, James Saxon, Alex Bruce, Sam Simmonds, Phil & Simon Thompson… like stepping into a private gathering of old friends, catching up telling tall tales over a fine dram or two.

What a wonderful peak into some quite marvelous malts and more at two fabulous whisky fests!

And then back in India at the close of the year, our Swedish Whisky Lady treated us to a trio from a new distillery – Agitator – where we explored:

Obviously, the links above mean you can learn more by checking out a specific post…. whereas, for the balance, you will just have to be a wee bit patient as I slowly enjoy putting the virtual pen to virtual paper and then post!

Happy New Year!

Curious to know more? Check out a few more monthly summaries:

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London Whisky Show – Disappointing Diageo’s Den

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Once you have been to a whisky festival or two, you start to have a way of navigating their offerings…. making a good connection or two with the lads and lasses at the various booths, and then move on to give others a chance to experience, hopefully learning a thing or two along the way. At London’s The Whisky Show, we had a grand old time and thoroughly enjoyed our day! With one or two teeny tiny exceptions…

Along with our “dream dram” and meal tokens, we also had a Diageo chocolate and whisky pairing ticket too. The meal was really quite terrific for a mass event like The Whisky Show. However every time we would glance over at the Diageo area, it was so crazy crowded around the bar, that we would skip over and continue to other options.

As the afternoon waned, we decided better go before it was too late! At first, it was nearly impossible to get anyone’s attention and when we finally did, enquiring about the pairing, were informed they ran out. He clearly was overwhelmed and not interested in offering anything or having a chat…

However, we persisted and spotted the Clynelish Cask Strength 54.9% was handy. So insisted on a small pour. This wasn’t our 1st Clynelish and found it was fruity and floral as expected.

We thought to try something more but, frankly, gave up. We enjoy the conversations, learning something new, however, for us at least, this clearly wasn’t going to happen at the Diageo den.

So yes, they are the biggest boys in the industry and I’m quite sure they had an impressive array of whiskies available at The Whisky Show – estimated to be above 75 – however we clearly were not pushy enough or important enough to get much ‘love’ from their side. Oh well… you win some and you miss some!

Lucky for us, we had some absolutely STELLAR drams at Gordon & Macphail, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, the TWE festival area and so much more! That this wee uninspiring experience didn’t deter us from a marvelous mostly malty day!!

As for other Clynelish tasting experiences? Read on…

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