Category Archives: Whisky General

Blind tasting The Famous Grouse 40%

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Nothing like tasting blind to set aside preconceived notions… particularly when it comes to well-known blends…

A version of this blend has been around since 1896 with the “Famous Grouse” name remaining consistent since 1905. Considered a top-selling whisky brand in the UK, I have to confess that I don’t recall ever having tried The Famous Grouse before.

What did we think?

Famous Grouse 40% 

  • Colour – Bright gold
  • Nose – Raisins, sherry influence, oily and heavy, overripe fruits, wet mop and phenol, island influence, bit of brine, fermented bread, light iodine, wet leaves,
  • Palate – Smooth on the palate, gentle, watery softness, honey-sweet, nice mouthfeel, reminded a bit of mead
  • Finish – Soft white pepper, long, sherry element with juicy whisky soaked raisins

Nothing hugely distinctive or complex, but there were still some nice elements. However they were a bit curious – on the one hand, there was a briney Island style and on the other hand, a more traditional sherry dram.

We speculated this may be Scottish but beyond that? We had no clue!

Turns out this was the real “googly” in the mix for the evening. The other three were deliberately Scottish ‘adjacent’ whereas just for kicks, our whisky host decided to bring into our evening something we would not have expected!

With the reveal?

It all made sense – why there was a duality of character, why it came across as Scottish but not distinctively this or that. The Famous Grouse is known to use both Highland Park and Macallan – which certainly helped explain what we found!

As for the official notes?

  • Appearance: Full golden, clear and bright
  • Aromas: Candied fruits, buttery shortbread, citrus peel
  • Taste: Dried fruit, soft spices (cinnamon/ginger), hint of oak
  • Finish: Smooth, well balanced

Interesting to try and why I enjoy blind tastings! Here is what else we tried that evening:

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Scottish Single Malt “Adjacent” – The English, Famous Grouse, Cotswold, Penderyn Madeira

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Once upon a time in Mumbai, a lass with four merry gents used to regularly gather together to explore whiskies, relax puffing cigars, exchanging witty remarks, tending to close the evening with most enjoyable repasts….

We are now scattered across four countries and in COVID conditions, the chances of meeting in person are slim. So we’ve made do with the rare combination of partly in-person and partly virtual…

Somehow at the start of 2022, we managed to kick off with nearly all of us together! Beginning with a set that our whisky host had saved and ready since 2019!

The theme was simple – explore English / Welsh whiskies – adjacent to Scotland…. but then he threw in a ‘googly’ with a well-known Scottish blend just to challenge us. All four whiskies were tasted blind before the reveal.

So…. what did we try?

This Scottish Single Malt ‘adjacent’ theme featured:

It was a good mix of introduction and re-introduction, wrapped up in a  blind package one fine January evening in Mumbai.

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Whisky Lady – Farewell 2021, Welcome 2022!

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As flights around the world get cancelled, we are clearly not out of the woods yet with COVID. And yet 2021 brought a few glimmers of optomism and windows of freedom before further caution prevailed.

Whisky-wise that meant a couple grand adventures. No surprise, now being based in Europe there was a decidedly continental bent to whisky explorations…

France – starting with my Parisian whisky companions, we explored both in person and virtually an array of French whiskies:

Sweden – What better excuse to go to Sweden than an opportunity to catch up with a friend and explore a couple of distilleries!

Germany – Naturally there must be more than one “nod” to my new Work home…

In some cases, it was exploring virtually like St Kilian Signature Edition ‘One’, ‘Four’ , ‘Six’ and ‘Seven’. Or recalling a rare in-person distillery tour of Ziegler Distillery with their range of Aureum whiskies that have – alas – since been discontinued!!! In others, it was a highly memorable weekend in Berlin with a triple pairing and “showstopper” at Union Jack! Yet not all explorations are brilliant – some were a surprising ‘hit’ (J. B.G. Münsterländer Grain whereas others a decided ‘miss’ (Black Forest Wild Whisky Peated ) and some like the St Kilian samples went from promising to perplexing.

Belgium – While I haven’t yet managed to make it to Belgium since moving to Europe, thanks to the kind folks at The Belgian Owl, we had the remarkable opportunity to try all five of their expressions: Origine, Identité, Passion, Evolution, Intense.

Were there other experiences? Certainly! And one hallmark of these continued strange COVID times is the creative ways we connect, exchange and explore… whether in person or virtually.

So I remain cautiously optimistic that 2022 will bring more momentum to movement, perhaps even a trip to visit family and friends in Canada and ideally more frequent trips home to India – not just twice a year!

Curious to know more? Check out one of the monthly summaries:

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

Whisky Lady – December 2021

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Ohh… December… another year in COVID times with complicated inconvenient travel arrangements. However there is still much to be thankful for as I finally landed home in India after another four months away.

Highlight was a virtual Whisky Tasting put together by the folks at GlenAllachie and Whic.de where we wandered through a quintet of minis… which led to my picking up four!

And just before taking off for India, we raised the French flag with a Bellevoye Trio ?

Before that we cracked open another Maison Benjamin Kuentz creation – Le Guip. Think of Brittany – a cold salty sea spray! It is yet another example this “editeur” of whisky is worth paying attention to…

So there is a new kid on the block in India! I was fortunate during my last trip to Mumbai to check out Kamet – a new Indian single malt. Not bad, not bad at all!

Finally, I also had an opportunity to share my coveted Perry Road Peru Cocktail – Strangers & Sons gin with spiced guava – yum! And crack open the comforting indulgence Arran Gold cream liqueur. Whilst not my usual tipple, it was perfect for the season.

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

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Whisky Lady – November 2021

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I had high hopes that November would finally after two years bring a visit from my better half to Germany! We’ve always tried to celebrate our “birthday week” together… alas… this year wasn’t possible.

So I planned a few whisky distractions… which started at the end of October with an online multi-country tasting of Germany whiskies… continued with even more German whisky explorations… and some unfortunate news about Ziegler distillery!

So what did we try? I picked a set from St Kilian distillery:

I’ll admit I snuck in an additional one for just me and my Parisian companion:

  • Signature Edition ‘Seven’ (2017/2021) 51.75%

A weekend get away led to an experimental bent trying two German whiskies and an old familiar:

This was followed by the unfortunate news that Ziegler distillery has decided to radically change course and effectively abandon their Aureum whisky line. I managed to get my hands on their Classic 8 year, Chestnut Cask 5 year, Cask Strength 8 year, joining my earlier purchase of their 10 year Cask Strength whisky.  I won’t be opening these bottles anytime soon and still hope the decision to change direction will be changed again!

I also did a bit of “blog” housekeeping, ditching a dozen half written posts from years ago – all the way back to 2015! Only a few were ‘brushed off’ and posted as musings of tastings gone by…

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

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

Aureum is no more??

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“Nooooo….. say it isn’t so?”

That was my reaction when I learned that Ziegler distillery’s new owners have cut both their very promising whisky line AND brilliant gins. Whhhhhaaat??

In a flash, over ten years of whisky craft, creativity and curiosity disappeared. In its place is a lone new Ziegler whisky “Freud“…. How can this be??

So I quickly scrounged the internet and managed to get my hands on:

  • Aureum Chestnut Cask 5 year 43% (EUR 46 + 19% tax for 700 ml)
  • Aureum Classic 8 year 43 %  (EUR 50 + 19% tax for 700 ml)
  • Aureum 8 year Cask Strength 53,2 % (EUR 48 + 19% tax for 700 ml)

These new arrivals joined my choice from my weekend at Ziegler a year ago:

  • Aureum The First 2010 Cask Strength 10 year 55.5%

I likely won’t open these anytime soon… however at least I know I have them when the time is right!

In the meantime, here are a few impressions from that remarkable weekend in November 2020:

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Whisky Lady – October 2021

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Here in Germany October is famous for Oktoberfest however its been 2 years with this massive festival officially cancelled.

However that doesn’t stop us from exploring and entertaining ourselves in COVID modified ways! And what better than a weekend jaunt to Berlin to meet a fellow whisky explorer and go back to the fabulous Union Jack whisky bar which is now only open Thursdays and Saturdays.

That evening we explored three sets of “pairings” followed by a complete indulgence!

I also caught up with notes from my last Mumbai trip which included An unexpected trio:

There was also a wee further wander into the past, recalling visits to a whisky shop in Munich… back in the day one could freely travel and browse shelves of carefully selected whiskies and spirits.

Followed by another memory of a remarkable tasting at Lochranza distillery late 2020 with a version of their 25 year old – remarkable!

We closed the month with an online session with a trio of German single malts that were purchased as a “double” set – one that made its way from Nurnberg to Berlin to London to Mumbai and another that only went from Nurnberg to Paris.

So what did we try? I picked a set from St Kilian distillery:

I’ll admit I snuck in an additional one for just me and my Parisian companion:

  • Signature Edition ‘Seven’ (2017/2021) 51.75%

It really felt like a “well-rounded” month of musings and more as we continue to explore the wonderful world of whiskies.

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

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

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

An evening of indulgence at Union Jack

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Once upon a time I lived in Mumbai and had monthly merry malt gatherings with friends. I would also from time to time join a fellow explorer for an evening of minis. Fast forward and we are all found scattered in different parts of the globe with rare opportunities to reconnect.

Last weekend in Berlin was one such chance. My friend came from London and I joined from Nurnberg for the express purpose of catching up and exploring a few drams together. And I knew just the place – the fabulous Union Jack whisky bar – which is now only open Thursdays and Saturdays. Thankfully for us, it was a Saturday!

We put ourselves in the very capable hands of our whisky guide, who ably helped us and all the other tables go on a journey.

We explored three sets of “pairings” followed by a complete indulgence!

What did we think? Just check out the above links!

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Der Weinladen im Schwarzwaelder Store, Munich

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Once upon a time I had planned a series of places to find interesting whiskies on your travels. From 2008 to 2019 I was criss crossing around the globe – from Canada to Europe to many parts in Asia. With my travels, I enjoyed exploring curious and quaint places to purchase an interesting dram or two. So it seemed logical to share such discoveries with friends and family in case their path crossed such locations.

Here is one from Munich – Der Weinladen im Schwarzwälder (Black forest wine shop) conveniently located on Hartmannstrasse 8, not far from Marienplatz. Truth be told I was looking for Tara Whisky, but then stumbled across this place and found it utterly charming with very helpful staff. It was during one of my first (of many!) trips to Munich back in November 2017.

Seeing these images today with all the restrictions that life with COVID has brought, I look back on my adventures with a twinge of envy. And at the same time, am quietly amused that was once “novel” is now “normal” as I find myself (mostly) calling Bavaria / Franconia home – with its remarkable forests and easy access to long enjoyable hikes. Even the offerings that seemed at the time “exotic” are now familiar so it was fun to come across the photos I took with great enthusiasm (and little focus) some four years ago.

What whiskies have I picked up there?

  • DeCavo NAS Batch 10, Cask 92 46% – Such an interesting whisky… yet every effort to track down another has been impossible!
  • Forty Three Swiss Highland Single Malt Whisky 43% – An easy going enjoyable dram
  • From Ziegler distillery, I picked the “basic” Aureum Single Malt 43% rather than their experiments maturing with guitar wood in barrels, ex plum brandy or cognac barrels…
  • I also picked up a Finch whisky that I never did get a chance to try… instead it made its way into another Mumbai home to be consumed during the most extreme lockdown when all booze shops were also closed

And beyond whiskies? A few gins and more!

I noted the beautiful bottles of Schnapps – a proud floor to ceiling display of Ziegler specialities. Who could imagine just a few years later I would have the pleasure of going to the distillery and be blown away by their remarkable attention to their craft – be it their schnapps or whisky!

Just in case you happen to be in the area, do check it out:

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Whisky Lady – September 2021

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What a month! September started in India and ended back in Germany. As for whisky writing, it brought a nice mix of recalling past whisky experiences, notes from very small in-person gatherings from August and a virtual session in September.

Keeping two aside for the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai, the Glentauchers and Balblair were joined by the Macallan Estate Reserve 45.7%…. a quality dram? To be sure… however it is remarkable as much for its marketing and price tag as liquid!

I then held a couple very small “malty memory mini-lane” wanderings… revisiting favourites like Lochside, Linkwood, Mosstowie, Laphroaig, Pine Barrens and more…

My India trip closed with a wee mini reunion led to being introduced to this unexpected trio:

I also caught up with tasting notes from Bavaria’s Ziegler Distillery… with their Aureum range of single malts covered over two postings:

What was most impressive was the clear commitment to ‘craft’ – and was the first of what I hope will be more German distillery visits.

It really felt like a “well-rounded” month of musings and more as we continue to explore the wonderful world of whiskies – from new to old, rare to revisits, from India to Germany, blends to single casks, affordable to crazy expensive!

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

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

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