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

Posted on by
Reply

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:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

European Tour – Braunstein Danica 42%

Posted on by
Reply

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%

Posted on by
Reply

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 Lady – June 2016

Posted on by
Reply

Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

June was full of travels! Which just so happened to prompt a few whisky adventures with:

June featured three tasting sessions!

2016-06-28 European TourWhisky Ladies European Tour with four completely distinct whiskies:

  • Finland – Teerenpeli 10 year43% – A delightful whisky you’d love to sip and savour all by yourself!
  • Denmark – Danica Peated 42% – Interesting Danish offering…
  • France – Kornog 46% – Sexy, sultry deliciousness in a bottle!
  • Germany – Slyrs 51 at 51% – Quite direct, in your…

View original post 270 more words

Irish Night – The Wild Geese, Knappogue Castle, Teeling

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve shared the genesis of this blog was a whisky tasting group started with friends in Mumbai in 2011…

We are rather particular about adherence to our pre-set dates and have been known to plan a year in advance who hosts which session. The evenings are blocked and the commitment sacrosanct…. except… when unavoidable things get in the way.

Like a change in dates for my Canada / UK trip which meant I missed the June session. Oops!

Teasingly photos were shared and exclamations about what a fabulous night it was…

(Photo: Ashok Gulati)

(Photo: Ashok Gulati)

The group sampled:

  • The Wild Geese Rare 43%
  • Knappogue Castle 14 year 46%
  • Teeling Small Batch 46%

Alas no tasting notes were made though apparently much enjoyment was had!

And when I pretty please requested to pop over for a wee side sample… was gently informed all three bottles were polished off. Double oops!

Guess I truly missed the treat this time however have no doubt it was a merry night of most sociable Irish malts!

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

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

Posted on by
Reply

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??

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Winnipeg’s The Cabinet “Peat” evening

Posted on by
Reply

Some folks know that I originally hail from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada though long ago adopted Mumbai, Maharashtra, India as home.

During my June 2016 trip back to the ‘Peg, I had several whisky treats – not the least of which was a most enjoyable evening spent with the lads from “The Cabinet” – a venerable whisky tasting group based in Winnipeg.

During an earlier trip several years ago I had the distinct pleasure of joining a Cabinet session and was introduced to their constitution, traditions and lore. Since then these merry men (and yes they are ALL men!) have further evolved during their 9 odd years of gathering.

They update a chalk board that lists what currently resides inside “The Cabinet“,  which is unlocked precisely at the given hour and the session is called to order.

The Cabinet Whisky ListAs guest, I had the pick of the open bottles to whet our whistle before the real evening commenced. Purely as it is increasingly rare to come across a bottle, my eye spotted the Rosebank 21 year… What can I say? I’m a sucker for indulging in  discontinued distillery samples when the opportunity arises!

Post my selection, we had a decidedly peaty tour with the room scented with peaty smoke. Our host shared insights from his most recent Scottish whisky tour and even managed to acquire ‘peat pellets’ from Manitoba, wondering why oh why isn’t there a good peaty single malt made in Manitoba?

The Winnipeg “The Cabinet” evening featured:

The lads at The Cabinet maintain a most amusing blog and already have their post on the evening published! It is, quite simply, a ‘must read!’ and can be found here: “Peat”

Thank you again gentlemen and I look forward to our continued tasting adventures!

Whisky Cabinet

Fabled Winnipeg Whisky cabinet

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Laphroaig vs Laphroaig

Posted on by
1

It used to be when you thought ‘peat’ you thought of Islay and likely the mighty Laphroaig…. its thick, tar and rubber quality with seaweed, iodine which stands up to say ‘Hello Islay peat!’ This quality puts it firmly on the favoured ‘hit list’ of true die hard peat lovers.

Whisky lovers will also often share their whisky preference arch… often starting with easy drinkable blends, then graduating to ‘gateway’ commercial single malts and then somewhere along the way while exploring various single malts getting their mind and taste buds absolutely blown away by something completely peaty!

Some remain in their ‘peat phase’ for a long time… others evolve beyond that while still harbouring a special place in their whisky heart for the first peat punch that hit their palate.

After an early flirtation with Laphroaig, I moved on to others quite quickly. However I will never forget the ‘silver seal’ Laphroaig 16 (1987) that I sampled… it was distinctly different than what I’d come to expect with a soft, sweet, almost flowery quality with initially just a curl of smoke before revealing its peatiier nature.

So when I saw several newer Laphroaig’s were playing around with different elements was quite excited! Smartly, took advantage of samples available at the Singapore duty free which were promoting their new PX Cask thinking it may reveal some of that sweeter, lighter and almost teasing quality I found with the 1987. They were also freely offering the An Cuan Mor meaning ‘Big Ocean’ for its proximity to the ocean.

Short answer is I passed on the Laphroaigs and surprisingly (to me!) acquired without a pre-tasting a boxed set exploring the underlying single malt elements in Ballantine’s 17 year. The challenge with those split second airport decisions is you know you are not truly giving the whisky a proper chance so I was delighted the PX made a re-appearance in a recent tasting session.

Our host very kindly pulled out the standard Laphroaig 10 year to compare. In a quick nip had the impression of:

  • Nose – Tar and rubber sweet
  • Palate – Distinctly Laphroaig sweet peat with that edge of seaweed iodine
  • Finish – More sweet peat
  • Water – Are you kidding? Nooooo!

That was when I realized how spoilt we’ve become in recent years with cask strength whiskies… And if not cask strength, then tending towards higher strength rather than the standard entry level whisky at 40%. Far from the ‘in your face’ peat I remembered, the 10 year seemed a tad weak though clearly peated.

When sampled next to the PX, suddenly discovered in the PX that I had earlier missed… by contrast it has a much sweeter quality and could clearly discern the sherry stamp.

 

And what do the folks over at Laphroaig have to say about their PX?

  • COLOUR: Antique Gold
  • NOSE: From the bottle there is a nice sherry aroma of sweet sultanas and raisins with a hint of sweet liquorice and only the slightest tang of peat. Adding a little water brings out the marzipan and almond aroma with a counterpoint of creamy nuts and lots of ripe fruits but again there’s only the slightest tang of peat smoke.
  • BODY: An intense and profound deepness
  • PALATE: Without water a massive explosion of peat fills the mouth with huge amounts of oakiness only just moderated by the sweeter heavy sherry flavour. Adding a touch of water only slightly moderates the massive peat reek which very slowly fades and just allows a little of the sweeter sherried flavours to come through although there is always that burst of peat smoke that dries the mouth.
  • FINISH: Concentrated peat and thick sherried oak with a deep dryness

What did we think in our initial tasting? Read related posts here:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Getting distracted in a Winnipeg Liquor Mart…

Posted on by
Reply

It started off innocently enough… “Let’s go pick up a few things for tomorrow’s open house!”

My sister and her partner kindly host a gathering when I’m back in my hometown of Winnipeg. This time her partner suggested we head over to the local “LC” (Liquor Commission) and grocery store to stock up on a few drinkables and edibles for the celebration.

Cue wide-eyed kid in a candy store dazed expression… because the array of wines, beer and other liquid libations available in your regular old liquor store in Winnipeg far outdo your local Mumbai “wine shop”. They also have multiple tasting corners to try before you buy – I’m a HUUUGE fan of this concept!

First I was introduced to a “Growler Bar” where you re-fill your empty growler (1.89 L) or howler (946 ml) with beers on tap. Naturally everything is available to sip before you commit.

Growler Bar (Photo: http://www.liquormarts.ca/retail-marketing/growler-images)

Growler Bar (Photo: Liquor Marts)

Then I was distracted by the whisky section and a helpful lass who shared tales of her adventures with craft distilleries in BC… which turned from various whiskies to other offerings…

Fort Richmond Liquor Mart

Followed by further digression to another sampling counter where I revisited the delightful Caorunn gin. Which lead in turn to an exploration of:

  • Dillon’s Unfiltered Gin 22 40% (Batch 18) from Ontario – remarkably nuanced with 22 botanicals weaving together to awaken your senses with a teasing perfume
  • Spain’s Gin Mare 42.7% with its Mediterranean flavours of olives, rosemary, thyme, basil and mandarin is bolder and shouts out to be transformed into a wicked martini

Dillon's + Gin Mare

Apparently my father’s quest to obtain Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye was remembered! “Hey you are the one that lives in India and writes about whisky, aren’t you?”

Rather than hoard bottles, when Northern Harvest Rye initially flew off the shelves after Jim Murray catapulted it to his global top spot, Canadian liquor stores were re-stocked with the remaining 200 cases at the same price… with free samples being generously shared so the public could enjoy. How utterly Canadian, eh?

While we were decidedly delayed in completing our simple shopping list, what fun to while away some time with friendly knowledgable staff while sampling a few interesting wares not readily accessible in Mumbai!

Any local liquor store that you enjoy visiting?

Related posts:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Sometimes you need a treat! Zacapa 23 rum 40%

Posted on by
Reply

Our Whisky Ladies in Mumbai are a merry lot and so if one of our members has a birthday, that naturally demands a small celebration… and cake… chocolate of course!

While our host made from scratch this luscious number… adorned with flowers for a fanciful flourish.

2016-05-17 Birthday Cake

Our birthday lass decided we needed a treat…Zacapa 23 Sistema Solera.

2016-05-17 Zacapa 23 rum

Now there are rums and then there are rums!

From Guatemala, it is called ‘solera’ for the system used to blend the rum. No simple affair here, it is matured in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks… Unlike whisky where the age depicted is the youngest found, for rum it is the oldest. Hence Zacapa 23 does indeed contain SOME 23 year old rum, however is known to be a range from 6 to 23 year.

Here’s what they say about the Zacapa 23:

  • Keynote – Wonderfully intricate with honeyed butterscotch, spiced oak and raisined fruit, showcasing the complexity of the sistema solera ageing process.
  • Appearance – Light mahogany, with the tones of long barrel ageing at the rim and long, slow legs clinging to the glass.
  • Nose – A soft start which develops complexity in the glass; sweet aromas of caramel, vanilla, cacao and butterscotch, combining with layers of flavour indicative of the different barrels in the solera process; sherried notes of caramelised, roasted brazil nuts and toasted hazelnut, and the characteristic rounded toffeed banana and dried pineapple of ex-American whiskey casks.
  • Palate – Wonderfully complex, generous and full-bodied, with a sweet honeyed viscosity atypical of an aged spirit; a great depth of raisined fruit and apricot preserves, building to an intense heart of savoury oak, nutmeg, leather and tobacco with notes of coffee and delicately sweet vanilla, balanced with a spicy touch of cinnamon and ginger on the pleasantly astringent finish; truly a rum for the discerning palate.

We didn’t even pretend to make tasting notes, simply enjoyed its sweet chocolatey, slightly smoky molasses nutty delights.

Here’s what else we sampled that evening Whisky Ladies Like Labels:

Related posts Beyond Whisky:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on: