Linkwood 24 year (1991/2015) 53.8%

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Our quest for great cask strength whiskies around 100 pounds began with a Linkwood…

Interestingly, our last session also featured a Linkwood – a rather delightful 25 year old from Gordon & Macphail. So hopes were high!

linkwood-24

Linkwood 24 year (16.061991/04.08.2015) 53.8%

Cask No 586497, 268 Bottles, Hogshead  (TWE The Single Malts of Scotland)

Here is what we found:

  • Nose – Quite summery, grass, vanilla, flowers, sweet, light, hay, light toast. As it opened further a little spice, honey, sweet tree sap. Post our initial sips, took on more wormwood, resin and the sweetness subsided
  • Palate – Great kick, a blaze of unexpected spice, big mouthful
  • Finish – An elongated burn
  • Water – With a few drops, spice and more burn… added more and started to open up

In short, this one needed water. A very generous dollop not a mere drop or two… bringing closer to 46% seemed a more balanced level.

I couldn’t help but wish we had the the Gordon & Macphail 25 year bottling to compare. At 43%, that Linkwood was truly superb. Fabulous value for a quite lovely whisky.

Whereas this one, at cask strength, had terrific promise on the nose but no follow through on the palate. It wasn’t that the whisky was ‘wrong’ it simply wasn’t really ‘right’ either.

We gave it even more time and returned after sampling the other whiskies… once again a lovely aroma yet just didn’t deliver on the taste. One even remarked this was a ‘heartburn’ whisky?!

Our quest was clearly off to a shaky start…

What else did we sample in our trio?

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Cask strength quality? Linkwood 24, Longmorn 24 and Balmenach 26

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Thanks to mad travel schedules, the Bombay Malt & Cigar club held our session early November… this time on a quest for cask strength quality below 100 pounds. All were from the prodigious Speyside region yet none were distillery bottles – two were from The Whisky Exchange with their Single Malts of Scotland series and the last from Signatory.

linkwood-balmenach-longmorn

Here are the bottles sampled in our quest:

As for whether we were successful in our quest? Jut click the links above to read about our experience…

For more related updates and activities, check out:

American Adventures – Woodford Reserve 43.2%

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The Whisky Ladies American adventures last whisky of the night represents a proper Kentucky bourbon – Woodford Reserve.

It seemed a fitting close to our American whisky evening…

woodford-reserve

Woodford Reserve (2015) 43.2%

Batch 133, Bottle 1814, bottling date 05/2015, Lot Code 2020964

  • Nose – Honeycomb, cinnamon, toffee,
  • Palate – Bannana cream pie, sweet spices, mellow
  • Finish – A slight burn then mellows into sweetness

We found the nose far richer than the palate, with it being a bit average. A few comments included “Mild and cuddly” and “Very inoffensive” with a sigh of “No spark”  and gasp – “Watery.”

Clearly our ladies prefer their drams with a bit more oomph!

When sampled solo later, I realized this was in large part as it was overshadowed by all the whiskies that proceeded our tasting. On its own, it is a classic bourbon – which isn’t for everyone’s taste but is a good representation of what Kentucky has to offer without the harshness found in some.

Here is what the folks over at Woodford Reserve have to say:

  • Appearance: Clean, brilliant honey amber.
  • Nose: Heavy with rich dried fruit, hints of mint and oranges covered with a dusting of cocoa. Faint vanilla and tobacco spice.
  • Taste: Rich, chewy, rounded and smooth, with complex citrus, cinnamon and cocoa. Toffee, caramel, chocolate and spice notes abound.
  • Finish: Silky smooth, almost creamy at first with a long, warm satisfying tail.

There is also some debate out there to what extent there is batch variation. Some have found earlier  batches much more robust, well-rounded than current batches.

Having only tried Woodford once before… and that to long before recording any tasting notes… can only say this isn’t bad but isn’t something to make me run out and buy.

I do wonder if it would make a brilliant base for some experimental American style cocktails. Perhaps for another evening!

Other whiskies sampled in our American evening included:

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American Adventures – AD Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon 47.5%

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The Whisky Ladies American evening began its next set shifting from single malts, cut with a moonshine, to break to enter into bourbon territory.

ad-laws

AD Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon 47.5% (Batch No 8)

  • Nose – Honey! Butter, covered salty honey sweet nuts, a bit herbal, becoming almost floral, a little curd or even mild horseradish, then cinnamon sweet
  • Palate – Curiously floral, particularly lavender, so smooth with no rough edges yet was no mild creature either with toasted slightly bitter nuts and a dash of chilli, there is an earthy substance here too
  • Finish – Buttery yumminess

After the disappointing Colorado single malt (Stranahan’s Original) we had pretty low expectations… What a treat to be more than just pleasantly surprised.

We found the nose quite remarkable and unique. Which followed through on the palate and even finish. This is no shy retiring miss, nor is it a brash young swashbuckler. While young, it has character.

One comment that captured this sentiment perfectly was “A potpourri on the palate! Flowery without being too sweet!” 

It may not sound like it would work, but it does. It also falls into the category of being dangerously drinkable.

Must say, we also rather like the bold clean lines of the square bottle.

Here is what the folks over at AD Laws have to say:

Our flagship whiskey is crafted from all four of the “American mother grains”: corn, wheat, barley and rye. There aren’t many four grain bourbons on the market as they are very difficult to make.

We utilize a stepped cooking process — each grain variety requires a different cooking temperature to maximize its flavor and character. The grain requiring the most heat is milled in and cooked first; the temperature is then lowered gradually as we add the smaller flavor grains, and then complete the cooking process with the malts.

This painstaking, 6.5 hour, labor-intensive process is critical to capturing the character and quality of each grain.

During aging, we strive to create harmony between this complex whiskey and the vanilla and caramel notes from the newly charred, American white oak barrels to create a classic bourbon with Colorado character.

They further share that it is a blend of 60% corn, 20% wheat, 10% of barley and 10% rye, aged for at least three years in new American white oak barrels.

However we would not consider it a ‘classic bourbon’ in line with what we’ve come to expect. And in our books, that is actually a good thing!

Other whiskies sampled in our American evening included:

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Moonshine in Mumbai? Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine 50%

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According to our Swedish whisky lady, moonshine is all the rage back in Sweden. So naturally she decided a bit of moonshine needed to make its way to Mumbai for the Whisky Ladies to try!

It was our ‘palate cleanser’ between the trio of single malts sampled before we cracked open the bourbons.

ole-smoky-moonshine

Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Original 50% (circa 2016)

  • Nose – Big ass open bottle of pure alcohol, curds and whey, candy corn
  • Palate – Cucumber, coconut, butter, weirdly smooth for something so flatly in your face
  • Finish – Huh? Nah…

There was zero doubt we were drinking hooch! The odd thing is it didn’t seem to be 50% and the danger was that it became more sipable… however equally wasn’t to most Whisky Ladies palates.

For some, it reminded of teenage years and our Swedish lady shared how she thinks the reason it appeals so much to a Nordic palate is it harkens back to home-made spirits.

We couldn’t help but compare it with the remarkably tasty Sheringham William’s White Double Distilled Grain (2015) 45%… and admitted our preferences were clearly steered towards the Sheringham. This sparked a discussion about local spirits and plotting began for a country liquor evening as a possible future session.

And the food accompaniment of choice? S’mors around a campfire… that crumbly graham cracker, hot slightly crisped toasted marshmallow and melted chocolate chunk… a great big gooey sinful mess.

Here is what the folks over at Ol Smoky have to say:

Legal. Just barely. Harkening back to its homegrown roots, Ole Smoky® Original Moonshine is made with the same renegade attitude of its forefathers.

Our hundred-year-old recipe produces a white whisky as smooth and bright as the promise of a Saturday night when anything can happen and likely will.

Every shot, swig or slug of Ole Smoky Original Moonshine is highly drinkable and hardly pretentious. Don’t just start your night, fire it up.

Here’s what others have to say:

Other whiskies sampled in our American evening included:

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American Adventures – Stranahan’s Original 47%

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Sometimes an opportunity comes along to try something we would not ordinarily find in Asia courtesy of one of the Whisky Ladies many malt mules! This bottle came from Colorado, completely at the recommendation of our mule from Denver.

Stranahan’s make small batch American single malt. We sampled the ‘Original’ and had no idea what to expect though quite liked the long bottle with its own measure / shot glass. Made us suspect it may best go in cocktails and knocked back… game to try, we opened our bottle.

stranahans

Stranahan’s (circa 2016) Batch No 182, Bottle No 0796, 47%

  • Nose – Harsh, sharp, raw, a sickly sweet, cinnamon
  • Palate – Tastes better than it smelled, quite vegetal with a bit of compost, oddly flat
  • Finish – Bitter

A few comments included “Well that’s sinus clearing!” and so flat that one said “I’m gonna get my tires changed!”

Jokes aside, it wasn’t that bad but it definitely isn’t in our ‘single malt’ category. It either needed stupendously more time or a better barrel or… ah heck. It simply is what it is.

And that is half the fun of whisk(e)y explorations… you find some that may not quite make the mark on a personal palate level… and then you find a few you would never have expected that make you go wow! You simply do not know til you try…

And sometimes try again in a different setting – which is exactly what I did!

Except this time, a purely social setting, with a cube of ice and generous splash of water. Not my normal way to have a whisky but it is hot in Mumbai these days and seemed appropriate.

And guess what? I was a great choice for the evening! Not harsh, just enough ‘oomph’ and character to be interesting without being distracting. In short, quite enjoyable… go figure!

Here is what the folks over at Stranahan’s have to say:

Hints of caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate and fresh-sawn oak are just a few of the notes that resonate in each batch. These steadfast characteristics embody the unique character, flavor and style of the original Stranahan’s whiskey.

Here’s what others have to say:

Other whiskies sampled in our American evening included:

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American Adventures – Pine Barrens Single Malt 47.5%

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The Whisky Ladies came up with whisky tasting order for our American adventures, kicking off with single malts and more specifically Pine Barrens.

Originally known for their vodka, the folks over at  Long Island Spirits  decided to experiment with whiskies. A few years ago, our original tasting group were introduced to Rough Rider with their ‘Bull Moose’ 3 Barrel Rye – it was a brash young and exceedingly sweet.

Since then, Long Island Spirits have rebranded their Rough Rider series and introduced a new Single Malt line under the Pine Barrens label – named after their water source from the Pine Barrens forest preserve.

Here is what more we know –  Pine Barrens is catering to enticing shifting beer drinkers to whiskey rather than specifically targeting whisky aficionados. The beer used is from Old Howling Bastard barleywine ale and it is aged typically for ‘about a year’, meaning it is quite young indeed!

Yet it seemed the right place to start our American whisky evening…

pine-barrens

Pine Barrens Single Malt (Batch 13) 47.5%

  • Nose – Quite hoppy on the nose, a bit sharp initially, very bright with a dash of cinnamon, honey, caramel, then citrus spice and nutmeg, a bit of woodsy pine cones, as it aired became even more fruity, wait longer and tulsi (sacred basil) joins the mix
  • Palate – Whisky beer, surprisingly good, very easy to drink, more of that little woodsy feel, very palatable
  • Finish – Don’t laugh, but best described as a burp!

We really didn’t know what to expect.

And while this is not a whisky for a whisky snob, it is quite enjoyable as a beverage. Sure there are only 1 1/2 dimensions, but that’s ok. Particularly for a warm Mumbai evening where a heavy whisky just isn’t your mood, this is a refreshing change.

Oddly when we tried to think of what to eat with it? Pumpkin pie was mentioned. Clearly we were in a North American mode to think of a quintessential fall treat… particularly with Hallowe’en around the corner.

We certainly enjoyed an opportunity to try something a bit different… pushing the boundaries of what whisk(e)y can be!

Here is what the folks over at Pine Barrens have to say:

Pine Barrens is the first American Single Malt Whisky to be distilled on Long Island. Instead of creating whisky from a regular mash, Pine Barrens uses an actual finished 10%ABV barley wine English styled Ale Beer that has a high hop count of 70 IBU’s.

The Ale beer is traditionally brewed to its perfect drinkability, double pot distilled, and finally aged in petite new American Oak casks to achieve an incredibly high quality whisky.

The result is spicy, rich velvet smooth maltiness, sweet hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, and caramel qualities on the finish. The hoppy flavor also shines through, which beer geeks will love, providing that same sweet on the tongue and smoothness throughout.

Here is what others have to say:

Other whiskies sampled in our American evening included:

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Whisky Lady – October 2016

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Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

Happy Diwali and Hallowe’en everyone!!!

As the lights glow, firecrackers pop and people get dressed up in silly costumes, time for my monthly Whisky Lady round up! Even being away in Jakarta for a good part of September and early October did not deter sampling adventures….

Nor an opportunity to share an extract of an interview with Inver House (AnCnoc, Balblair, Old Pulteney, Speyburn, Hanky Bannister, Caorunn) Master Distiller Stuart Harvey on whether “Single Malt drinkers are promiscuous.”

old-pulteney-westland-amrut

All three Mumbai tasting groups packed their sessions into less than a week:

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“Single malt drinkers are promiscuous”

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Now before you get all offended… there is a very specific context to this comment.

It came up at a Whisky masterclass with Master Distiller Stuart Harvey, where one of my whisky partners in crime whispered cheekily:

“Single Malt guys are promiscuous, whereas blended guys are very loyal.”

It echoed something mentioned earlier in the day by Stuart, when asked why Inver House decided to enter the Indian market in 2015.

Stuart shared how over the last decade he has seen a shift across the globe but particularly in India:

“Basically we’ve seen people trading up. Ten years ago it would have been the cheaper and mixed products that people were drinking. That was down to affordability, the price point.

Obviously now foreign travel is a lot more common. And they come back and bring back whisky – a nice status symbol.

Earlier they would bring back a nice blend. Then they moved up the ladder to a 12 year old blend. That’s the signal that it is time to introduce single malts. As going from 12 year old blend to a single malt is easy.”

So far, not terribly promiscuous…. however according to Stuart, 12 year old blends can be a tipping point to become a seeker of diversity over monogamy…

“They start getting more interested in the different flavour profiles, they want to try something different, they want to entertain their guests.

Single malt drinkers have more than one brand. As opposed to blended product where people tend to be very loyal to a particular brand.

They want to try something different. So when they are traveling, they try to pick up something different.”

From that point of picking up something different during travels eventually translates into two outcomes:

  • The single malt adventurer infects a loyal local blend drinker into the dangerous world of illicit relationships with an imported single malt!
  • And from such exposure, the desire to acquire extends to duty-free airports at ‘home’ or perhaps eventually from the local ‘wine’ shop.

So while blend drinkers are a loyal lot who for years, nay decades, stick to their Black Label, Teachers, Blenders Pride, those who have strayed down the path of single malts are always itching to explore, make that next remarkable whisky discovery!

I was again reminded of this when a fellow whisky explorer requested ideas for acquiring more miniatures… to add to his growing collection of different sets… already at 14, he added another 20 during his latest London jaunt.

So far we have explored the Tomintoul trio, four more minis in August, another set in September… and yet another mini session planned next week!

J2M Miniatures

Before getting smug about such miniature mania, I then thought of our Mumbai based whisky club members creative approaches to sourcing something ‘untried’ from around the globe and my own sampling scores:

Canadian stash

Would you agree? Are single malt sippers incapable of fidelity and always seek the novelty of something ‘new’ in their quest for the next great whisky?

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Hazelwood 21 year 40%

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When the Hazelwood series first came out, I couldn’t help but be struck by the rather attractive packaging and decidedly art deco style. A little pricey for a 500 ml bottle, I passed it up a few times at duty free.

From William Grant & Sons, the Hazelwood blended whisky series was created to honour William Grant’s granddaughter Janet Sheed Roberts, after her Hazelwood house, full of art deco items, near their Glenfiddich distillery.

Each in the trio is dedicated to a city from the 1920s:

  • Hazelwood 18 year for Paris
  • Hazelwood 21 year for Bombay
  • Hazelwood 25 year for Shanghai

Fittingly, one fine evening in Mumbai, we polished off the last of the Hazelwood 21 year, in honour of a French friend leaving our fair land for other shores…

hazelwood-21-year

Hazelwood 21 year 40%

  • Nose – Mix of slight tobacco smoke, sweet, vanilla, apple crumble, cinnamon, fruits, berries with an overall sense of freshness
  • Palate – Smooth, soft and accessible, honey, sweet spices
  • Finish – Just a honey sweetness that slipped away relatively early

Overall it is exceedingly easy to drink. Jokingly it was described as quite a ‘homely’ whisky. One could even say ‘charming’. There is a danger in attributing gender to a whisky, but this one certainly seems to be trying to appeal to women.

Here is what they have to say:

House of Hazelwood 21 Year Old is inspired by the sultry beauty of Mumbai in the 1920s.

This release represents a bolder, somewhat spicier and more robust whisky balanced to perfection by the ageing of some of its malts for 21 years in sherry casks made of European oak.

  • NOSE: Dried fruits and spice dominate, alongside a sticky sweetness reminiscent of rich fruit cake. A splash of water alters the balance and adds complexity with a subtle hint of tobacco leaf.
  • TASTE: Cinnamon, cloves and woody spice, with a dry finish. Water accentuates the sherry cask influence, bringing out the sweet oiliness of treacle, dates and polished leather.
  • FINISH: Spice, Molasses, and Resin.

I can’t say that I agree with the “bold” part at all! Or many of the other elements that just didn’t jive with our experience. However in fairness, we sampled from a bottle that was already open so one never knows… it could have been at one time?

20161017-yamazakisipsmithhazelwood

Farewell gifts… and fare thee well my friend!

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