Scandi Whiskies – Isle of Lime Sangelstain 46.3%

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Every once and a while, a completely unexpected treat joins our whisky tastings – the Sangelstain expression from Isle of Lime distillery was a perfect example!

You won’t find this in any duty-free or even in your reasonably well-stocked whisky store. So far, it is only available in Sweden’s Liquor stores – Systembolaget – and that too if you are lucky to catch a limited expression!

The Isle of Lime Distillery was established in 2012 in Gotland – an island on the far eastern part of Sweden. They use barley from local farms and produce five expressions -from unpeated (like the one we tried) to peated.

So what did we think?

Isle of Lime Sangelstain 46.3%

  • Nose – Delicious from the start! Really summery – warm and inviting. Fruity and fresh, amber perfume, vanilla sponge cake… as it opened up further the oak base became more prominent, topped by jasmine… over time it shifted with pine needles or spruce transporting us to a verdant forest
  • Palate – Fresh wood, spice…nice buttery mouthfeel, countered with green peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, cloves with orange rind and marmalade… this may sound Christmasy yet was still summery
  • Finish – Carried on with similar elements – equally pleasing… at one point we thought it was a bit nutty, another a hint of anise

As we sipped, the nose remained joyful…. it was enchanting summer dram prompting us to think of wandering in a fresh forest peppered with flowers.

This was exactly the kind of whisky to get one in the “mood” for an enjoyable evening… light, refreshing, inviting and far too enjoyable!

I came back to it and enjoyed its mellow character – yet with enough substance on the palate to keep it interesting. I’d happily like to explore more from this distillery.

What do the folks at Isle of Lime have to say about this expression? Rather a lot!

SANGELSTAIN – A SOLID TREASURE
On a remote field on the northern part of the limestone island Gotland, lies a hidden anomaly.
A large phonolite stone, transported by the hands of gods to this alien place far from its volcanic origin.
So this stone was worshipped for having extraordinary powers. And if you hit it with a stone, it sang. That’s how it got its name Sangelstain – Gotlandic for clinkstone. Pour this fifth edition of Isle of Lime, and listen to the clink of your glasses and let it resonate through your body as you toast a friend.
The sound of the Sangelstain belongs to this mild malt whisky, stored and matured in oak casks giving it a unique character.

For official tasting notes:

  • Colour – Deep Copper
  • Nose – Fruity, oily, prunes and thyme
  • Palate – Fresh jam, salty, lively with a little licorice
  • Finish – Medium long with a sweet, vinous and peppery mouthfeel

BARLEY AND CASKS
TYPE OF BARLEY: Propina Tipple ekologiskt odlat på Gotland
FARMS: Halner gård, Bro och Sigdes gård, Rone
MATLTING: Mältas på Sigdes gård i Rone, Gotland. Malten röks med torv under nio timmar
WATER: Gotlandic hard water
YEAST: Torr jäst för Maltwhisky. DistilaMax MW
CASKS: Bourbon barrel, American oak medium, American oak char. Sherry hogshead och Ungersk Ek
CASK SIZES: 96, 200 och 250 liters fat
CASK FILLING DATES: 2014-2015
BOTTLING: 2021 April

And if you are really a whisky geek? They even share the barrels used – Sangelstain!

Bottom line? We loved it and found it a perfect way to kick off our Scandi evening.

We continued with:

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Scandi Whiskies – High Coast and Isle of Lime

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Last summer I had the distinct pleasure of spending a few days in Sweden visiting a Whisky Lady. Naturally, we prioritized exploring distilleries and made it to Spirit of Hven on the West Coast near her family home followed by the mighty Mackmyra outside of Stockholm.

Years before we had tasted a few expressions from High Coast (mostly from when it was still called Box!) and also a couple drams from Smögen. So I was exceedingly curious to see what she chose to bring back to Mumbai for the Whisky Ladies.

Happily, it was two contrasting expressions from High Coast and our first ever experience with Isle of Lime from Gotland.

What did we explore?

Then two from High Coast’s Origins Series:

What an incredibly special evening… just a few Whisky Ladies experiencing three unique and exceedingly enjoyable whiskies!

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Gin gin gin! Portobello Road 42%, Gunpowder Irish 43%, Brockmans 40%, Sacred 43%

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By now, it is well known in the spirits world that Gin has made a major comeback – and how! With an explosion of distilleries launching gin expressions, from classic London Dry style to some highly creative concoctions, using different ingredients and methods from distilled, vapor, vacuum, infused… there are so many choices!

Once and a while, our merry malt meanders bring us to explore spirits beyond Whisky alone… Originally intended for a larger more sociable gathering, our Bombay Malt & Cigar lads and I kept to our very tiny tested “bubble” (COVID times and all) to crack open an interesting quartet featuring:

  • Portobella Road No 171 London Dry 42%
  • Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish 43%
  • Brockmans 40%
  • Sacred No 205 – 5509 London Dry 43%

Before we got down to a tasting, we whet our whistles with a chilled gin martini… a most civilized way to begin…. then did wee pours neat before considering how best to enjoy that particular gin.

First up was Portobello Road No 171 London Dry 42%

What did we think?

Such a classic London Dry! A nice clean aroma of juniper, pepper, and coriander continued through on the palate, joined by fresh citrus and closing with herbal and slightly peppery notes.

It struck me this would work exceedingly well in a Martini with a citrus twist or a classic gin tonic.

The 171 is a “true” London Dry gin, part of a line-up of spirits from The Distillery London which was started on Portobella Road, four friends in 2011, who now run The Ginstitute with a distillery, tasting and creating experiences, restaurant, hotel, and shop.

What more do we know? Their Portobello Road No 171 takes a traditional approach with nine botanicals. What do they have to say?

On the front of the palate, Portobello Road Gin has a generous slug of juniper, the mid-palate has a sustained, fresh citrus character from our use of lemon, bitter orange and coriander, which then develops into a sweet peppery finish, achieved by the use of liquorice and nutmeg. Best served simply with tonic and a twist of pink grapefruit!

Would we agree? Absolutely!

Next came Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish 43%

What a contrast to the 1st! This one was bursting with fresh floral notes, sweet citrus pomelo, rose rooafza, herbal, light licorice candies, utterly enchanting.

As for the palate? Also a contrast – here is where the clear gunpowder tea quality reveals itself, joined by fresh herbs, sweet peppers… Complex yet effervescent – an absolute delight.

As I sniffed and sipped, I considered… how best to enjoy? As simple as possible – just a cube of ice. In many ways, this reminded me of a favorite Munich gin – Whobertus – another which needs no embellishment.

The concept behind this gin is Ireland meets Asia…. with founder/creator PJ Rigney setting out to create a unique gin combining gunpowder tea with oriental botanicals in his shed near lake Drumshanbo.

What more do we know? The folks at Drumshanbo, share an interesting tale – including the ‘trail’ to explore the different elements used in this gin here!

This was followed by the very berry Brockmans 40%

Woooah! Crazy berry aromas – mostly black currents, almost overly sweet. The first sip was equally bursting with berries – raspberry joining the black currents… in short, there was nothing subtle about this one!

So far it was an evening of contrasts – classic London Dry to a crisp exquisite floral number to the almost overwhelmingly berry Brockmans.

As I considered the best way to serve, I thought of something akin to a Poinsettia -typically a combination of vodka, prosecco, cranberry juice… just in this case the berry quality could come from the gin!

What more do we know? Well the folks at Brockmans set out to delibertly make a “properly improper” gin bursting with dark berries. On this score, they succeeded!

Here is what they have to say about their gin:

Brockmans unique recipe of naturally grown aromatic botanicals are steeped in pure grain spirit for many hours to release their natural oils and aromas. The more traditional notes of gin are combined with a refreshing influence of citrus and aromatic wild berries. Bulgarian coriander plays its part, providing an aromatic, gingery orange top note. This blends perfectly with the soft and rounded harmonies of blueberries and blackberries, all of which is supported by the bottom note of Tuscan juniper berries. Dry, bittersweet Valencian orange peel elongates the deeper tones and gives an intensely smooth finish.

Thereafter, Brockmans is slowly distilled in a 100 year old traditional copper still, where we capture the heart of the gin distillation. The distinctive gin notes derived from Brockmans unique recipe deliver an exquisite intensely smooth gin, with a uniquely defining sensual taste experience.

Indeed… cocktails would be the way to go here….

We closed our gin tasting with Sacred No 205 – 5509 London Dry 43%

With this gin, we returned to a London dry style – greeted with a clean, sweet perfume, a hint dusty citrus… It was absolutely lovely on the palate, subtle white pepper, a nice balance of fruits… closed on a refreshing citrus note – perhaps grapefruit? When we returned, it was the aromas of juicy fruit gum!

As for the serve? I would recommend an elegant straight dry Martini….

From Highgate in London, distiller Ian Hart founded Sacred Spirits in 2008 with vacuum distillation (vs Pot Still). Here is what they have to say about this gin:

Our classic London Dry Gin. Each of the organically sourced botanicals is distilled under vacuum to create a fresh, creamy, beautifully balanced gin like no other. Made with fresh cut organic Spanish & Italian Pink Grapefruit, Sweet Orange, Lemon & Lime, perfectly offset by Tuscan & Bulgarian Juniper, Angelica & Orris Root and rounded off by subtle Cinnamon & Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra) from the Sultan of Oman.

All I can say is this is one fine gin… and at GBP 30 still a great deal for quality.

Sometimes its good to shake (or stir!) things up!

PS – I can’t help but add a wee “plug” for a new series “Daru Desi” on their Bharatiya Touring Party YouTube channel – hosted by one of our Whisky Ladies of Mumbai.

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Whisky Lady – January 2022

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What a month!! I’ve been happily home in India and even better managed to fit in a couple tasting sessions – squeezed in a narrow window of days in-country and negative tests!

Winter in India is perfect for whisky and yet we also had some gin too.

On New Year’s Eve, I found myself surprisingly more in a gin than whisky mood, so decided to open a trio gifted by an American friend many years ago… much later I sat down and revisited, sharing a few impressions of these gins from California distillery St George here: St George Terroir, Botanivore, and Dry Rye 45%

Our Bombay Malt & Cigar gents managed to gather not once but thrice in rapid succession to explore two sets of whiskies and one set of gin. We started off with a Scottish Adjacent exploration of:

In a departure from our usual focus on Whisky, our host had long back collected for a social evening an assortment of Gins featuring Portobello Road No 171 London Dry 42%, Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish 43%, Brockmans 40%, Sacred  London Dry 43%.

And we closed with a fun-filled evening of one of my favorite distilleries – Lochranza – with a quartet of Arran expressions exploring cask finishes – Sauternes, Amarone, The Bodega Sherry and Port with tasting notes to come soon!

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

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

Arran Cask Finishes – Sauternes, Amarone, Sherry, Port

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A year ago we came together to enjoy an Arran Vertical – 14 year 46%, 18 year 46%, 23 year (1996/2020) Sherry Hogshead Cask No 436, 52.6%.

It was so enjoyable that our London-based whisky explorer went on a bit of an Arran purchasing spree – delighting in their cask finishes series. Confidently we thought we could easily acquire another bottle or two… until we realized our favorites from the Cask Finish series disappeared from Arran’s online shop! And then also from most UK distributors! Thankfully they are still available in Germany… but likely not for much longer.

For now, we can still enjoy this quartet of:

Currently, only The Bodega remains readily available. However hopefully it is simply a matter of time for the Amarone and Sauternes Casks to return to production.

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When you think you know the Penderyn Madeira 46%

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Ever think you know something well? To discover perhaps you don’t it as much as you thought? For a couple of us, that was clearly the case with our blind tasting of this Penderyn Madeira finish!

Penderyn Madeira 46%
  • Nose – A curious forrest like quailty initially then shifted into the tropics – more specifically banana… even more a banana cream pie – a yummy banoffee pie, sugar and water, vanilla, berries with a dusting of white castor sugar
  • Palate – Banana, coconut, toffee…. consistent with the banoffee pie and yet also quite dry…
  • Finish – Bitter

Our speculation ran rampant. We could not guess the distillery however thought likely not a standard ex-Bourbon or ex-Sherry… one idea was perhaps a rum cask as we found a Caribean quality to the aromas and flavours…

In truth, we were stumped… and then shocked with the reveal. Why?

This evening was far from our first brush with this Penderyn. And that is when I pulled out previous notes…

To discover our memory was perhaps faulty as there were quite a few elements still in common – particularly the bananas from our 2017 experience! The bananas and bitter finish was even there back in 2011!

So what did our memory retain?
  • A bit of a tricky whisky – not a traditional bourbon or sherry influence (check!)
  • Can initially come across as a bit sharp or unbalanced (check!)
  • But give it time and it becomes quite enjoyable with the different elements start to come into an interesting tune (and…. check!)

I suppose it was more that the banana really dominated this time whereas our most recent tastings (in completely different environments!) had less of the banana and more perfume (2019, 2020). We were also influenced a bit by its cousin expression – Myth – tasted in 2021.

It is also possible that there was a shift in recipe, storage conditions… or just that we approached this one with a different mindset coming 4th in a completely blind tasting evening.

The overall conclusion is that it remains a solid dram and frankly we also just love the elegant cut glass bottle. Yes.. appearances do influence too!

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Another English entrant – Cotswold Signature Single Malt 46%

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English whisky is starting a wee revival… nothing on the scale or breadth of the Irish, however there are modest entrants here and there… now numbering around 20+.

Apparently, the 1st in this English whisky revival came in 2007 with “The English” from St. George’s distillery in Norfolk that we tried earlier in the evening.

In a previous evening, one tasting companion and I had the pleasure of sampling a whisky from The Lakes Distillery – which has an Arran and Macallan connect that started in 2014.

For Cotswold, their distillery also began in 2014 with both gin and whisky… to be honest I heard more about their Gin which has been well received. So was delighted when the blind tasting revealed their whisky!

What did we think?
Cotswold Batch 06/2018 46% (5950 bottles)
  • Nose – Distinctive, floral, brown sugar, custard, tuberoses? Milky Toffee, hazelnut and honey
  • Palate – A nice kick, heavy, chewy chili whisky, very dry…. as it settles starts to reveal a delicate fruitiness on the palate too with that millky toffee and creamy custard also there…
  • Finish – Dry cloves, cinnamon bark, the kind of finish that prompts you to pucker up! Then again… like the palate… keep sipping and it settles in nicely, even reasonably long

Initially, we found it a tiny bit imbalanced but with the revisit, enjoyed the sweetness and spice… especially the aromas are enchanting and invite you to return to sniff and sniff again. Give it a bit of time and this whisky nicely opens up. As it is quite a ‘light weight’, there is zero need for any water – best had neat!

As we tasted it blind, we again turned to speculate the cask mix. Perhaps ex-bourbon maybe even a first fill? Though we had sweet spices on the finish, didn’t discern much of a sherry cask influence.. perhaps something else? But what do we know?

Turns out it is indeed from first-fill barrels – unspecified on the label. And as Cotswold works with batches, what we had in the 2018 6th batch could differ from what is available today.

What more do we know? I believe we tasted one of their Signature Single Malts. In which case they have this to say:

Our award-winning Cotswolds Signature Single Malt Whisky, the first whisky ever made in the Cotswolds, is crafted using the finest locally grown, traditionally floor-malted Cotswold barley. Matured in highly active STR (Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred) ex-red wine casks and premium first-fill ex-Bourbon casks, this single malt whisky provides an incredible depth of flavour with notes of honey, Seville orange marmalade and dark red fruits.

An interesting introduction – I would certainly keep an eye out for other opportunities to explore further.

At the moment, this expression (but not batch) is available for GBP 39 – which is quite reasonable all things considered.

What else did we try in our Scottish ‘adjacent’ themed evening?

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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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Reviving England’s Whisky Production – The English “Original” 43%

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St.George’s Distillery in the UK (not to be confused with the Californian St George), was founded in 2005 by James Nelstrop and his son. Whilst initially they had a micro distillery in mind, the permit would only come with a full blown operation – so that’s exactly what they decided to set-up!

Taking advice from whisky expert Iain Henderson, production began in 2007 with both peated and unpeated standards. We were introduced to the unpeated “Original” one fine evening in Mumbai, early January 2022 – sampled blind.

We started with The English… what were our impressions?

  • Nose – Citrus, resin, sharp alcohol, pine, green apple, boiled sweet, shy, allspice, as opened up becomes sweeter
  • Palate – A piquant spice, curry leaf, very bitter – Allspice? Dry mace flower (Javithri)… has quite a dry mouthfeel
  • Finish – Bitter… like bitter almond (which is a bit off), or that slightly salty dried Chinese sour cherry, one sampler even found a bit of licorice

Overall? We found that the nose required a bit of a workout, we really needed to carefully pay attention to be rewarded with a few different elements. It had many of the right ingredients however it felt a bit like it wasn’t quite there yet…

As we were tasting blind, our speculation turned to cask – we thought likely an ex-bourbon cask. We weren’t convinced it was a typical Scottish single malt… but no clue beyond that.

And the reveal?

Interesting and a good introduction to this English distillery. This whisky also stood up well with a cigar – which is always a good thing with these gens!

What did the folks at The English have to say about their “Original” standard?

The English – Original. Aged to perfection in specially selected Bourbon Casks. An unpeated single malt whisky. A great easy-drinking classic single malt

With their official tasting notes:

A gentle aroma with hints of vanilla and tropical fruits. Like a soft whipped vanilla ice cream. Melts on the palate. Slightly nutty with a long malty finish. Finish is clean, dry and slightly salty.

This whisky retails for GBP 42.50.

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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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