Eindelijk is het zover

Na 1 x een verkeerd vliegveld en 1 keer bijna naar Schotland geweest te zijn (die laatste keer kwam de verhuizing er tussen) gaat het nu toch echt gebeuren.

Deze lente gaan Anneke en ik, met de auto, naar Schotland om daar de cultuur, natuur en uiteraard whisky te ontdekken.

De route mag ik uitstippelen, als ik maar een beetje rekening houdt met Anneke en het feit dat die niet per se de hele dag op z’n kop in een distilleerketel hoeft te hangen.

Voor een eerste trip naar Schotland pakken we het wel gelijk goed aan met in ieder geval een stuk of 7 distilleerderijen, en dan voornamelijk op Islay, net buiten de kust van het Schotse vasteland.

Grotere kaart weergeven

We varen lekker over vanaf IJmuiden, niet ver van huis en dan kom je uitgerust in Newcastle aan. Wat toch al snel 2x 500 kilometer scheelt, als het niet meer is.

Vanaf Newcastle meteen door naar Glasgow, daar een dag rondkijken. Dan naar Arran om te wandelen. Campbeltown om Springbank, Longrow en Hazelburn te bezoeken (dat is 1 club, dus niet 3 stokerijen). Van daaruit met de pond naar Islay om daar een aantal dagen de tijd te nemen om alles te bekijken en te proeven.

Nadat we terugvaren naar Kennacraig gaan we langzamerhand naar Edinburgh om daar nog anderhalve dag te hebben en dan weer naar huis.

We nemen de tent mee, om op Islay te proberen te kamperen. We gaan er vanuit dat dat in ieder geval een aantal dagen gaat lukken, ondanks het beruchte Schotse weer. De dagen dat het hard regent willen we een B&B proberen te vinden.

Onwijs veel zin in! Vooral omdat we het ‘lange weekend Schotland’ naar een volwaardige vakantie hebben weten te rekken. Effe ontspannen…

De grote Klus-proeverij

Afgelopen zaterdag was het, na lang plannen, eindelijk zover. Iedereen die heeft meegeholpen met klussen en waarvan ik weet dat ze een whisky op z’n tijd lekker vinden was er. Een aantal flessen op een rijtje.

Ik had bedacht dat het leuk zou zijn om de proeverij blind te doen, dus zonder dat iemand wist wat er in het glas zat, om zo wat reacties uit te lokken.

Bij het eerste rondje had ik alleen verklapt dat het geen van allen Schotse whisky’s waren. Dat deed bij iedereen blijkbaar een vermoeden opleven dat het Bourbons moesten zijn, wat alleen bij de laatste het geval was. Dat was dan weer degene waar ik die vraag het minst heb gekregen.

Suntory Hibiki 12
Een Japanse blend. Het feit dat deze erg zacht is verraad hem een beetje, maar dat is niet zo erg. Er werd vooral veel fruitigheid en een vrij zwakke geur uitgesproken. Men was niet onverdeeld positief, gezien de meesten hem toch echt wat te zacht vonden.

Redbreast 12
Ierse Pot Still whisky. Bij deze dacht men dat het een bourbon was, maar waarom is me niet helemaal duidelijk. Wel vond iedereen dat er weinig uitschieters is smaak in zaten, maar dat er wel veel verschillende dingen te proeven zijn.

Knob Creek 9
De enige echte Bourbon. Hier werd positiever op gereageerd dan ik verwacht had, ook door degenen die normaal niks van Amerikaans spul moeten weten. Erg diepe smaak, met veel zoetheid, en duidelijke hout invloeden

Hierna werd het eten gebracht. Spare-ribs van De Krokodil. Zoals te verwachten was het eten erg lekker. Ook een welkome pauze om niet als een stoomtrein door de whisky te denderen. Uurtje rust dus. Misschien achteraf wat verpeste smaakpapillen, maar dat viel op zich mee.

Rosebank 25, 1981-2007, 61,4%
TT had meteen door dat het een Rosebank was. En gezien hij ongeveer weet wat ik heb staan was de link naar de 25 jaar oude ook snel gelegd. De meesten waren hier erg positief over. Veel diepgang. Beetje grassig, niet te veel hout, klein beetje een rooksmaak, maar dat kan door het vat komen.

Glenmorangie Astar, 2008, 57,1%
Ook deze werd positief ontvangen. Er werd echter weinig gesproken over de vanille smaak die ik er duidelijk uithaal. Alleen JPH wist te bedenken dat het wel eens een Glenmorangie kon zijn. Credits voor hem dus!

Bowmore 9, Whisky Live Leiden, 2000-2009, 56,5%
Dit was een waar ik naar uitkeek, vooral omdat TT normaalgesproken niks van Bowmore moet hebben. Omdat deze blind geproefd werd kon dat wel eens heel anders uitpakken, niet in de laatste plaats omdat deze gewoon heel lekker is. Na de andere whisky’s kwam de turf en rook wat duidelijker naar voren. Ook de frisse ziltigheid op de achtergrond werd snel opgepikt. Onverdeeld enthousiast!

2e pauze. Dit keer om wat versnaperingen klaar te zetten voor het laatste rondje. Chocolade, nootjes, gedroogd fruit enzovoorts. Ondanks de redelijk standaard attributen qua snaai werd er nog niks gevraagd over mogelijke sherry bottelingen.

Speyside’s Finest, OMC, 1966-2009, 48,2%
Gezien de overduidelijke kleur in het glas was iedereen heel snel richting de sherry gestuurd. Kloppend in dit geval. Veel hout invloeden, maar op een manier dat de whisky wat kruidig wordt, en niet zozeer wrang. Erg enthousiaste reacties. Inmiddels gingen de gesprekken over 1000 dingen en was niet iedereen meer bezig met het zoeken van smaakjes. Een teken dat het erg gezellig was!

Brora 30, 1974-2004, 56,6%
Hier begon het echte turf-werk. Iedereen heeft als een malle allerlei Islay distilleries zitten roepen om het ‘goed te hebben’. Toen ik verklapte dat deze daar niet vandaan kwam werd het stil. Zo geturfd, en niet van Islay… Hmm…
Wat wel duidelijk werd, was dat iedereen hier toch wel voor te porren was.

Pe1, Elements of Islay, 2009, 58,7%
Hier wist TT weer snel te melden dat het wel die Port Ellen moest zijn, vooral ook vanwege het aparte flesje. In alle gevallen een overtreffende trap van de Brora. Meer sherry invloeden, meer alcohol (in de smaak, procentueel valt het mee). Toch vond, volgens mij, iedereen de Brora wel lekkerder.

Hierna was mijn planning wel afgelopen. Er is nog een rondje Bowmore rond gegaan. Daarna heb ik uit mijn kamertje nog een Karuizawa Noh 12 gepakt, omdat deze zo apart is dat je die na al dat geweld nog wel proeft. Ook de Ardbeg Supernova kwam nog even langs, om de excessen van turf te laten proeven.

Hierna werd het wat stiller en begon iedereen de effecten van alcohol toch wat te merken. Na al dat geweld hebben we met een paar man nog een lekkere Sazerac gepakt, en volgens mij is de Supernova nog een keer rond gegaan.

Nog even het schaatsen kijken en daarna naar bed. Een enorm geslaagde avond! Volgende verhuizing weer :)

Talisker

Van de ene eiland distilleerderij (Lagavulin) naar de andere. Dit keer kwam Talisker aan de beurt. Bij de whiskykoning wel te verstaan met een paar mooie flessen ‘van weleer’ op het program.

Helaas was ik snip en snipverkouden, dus ik heb er maar matigjes van kunnen genieten, erg jammer…

Talisker Distillers Edition
Erg zacht, weinig rook. Ook worden de typische Talisker smaakjes een beetje overstemd door de finish.

Talisker 18
Dit blijft schitterend. Een prachtige volle whisky, met een zoetheid van bruine basterdsuiker, een flinke turf-neus en wat ziltigheid. De typische peper smaak van Talisker maakt het daarna mooi af.

Talisker 57 North
Deze vind ik wat te jong. Je proeft veel alcohol en veel graan. Verder smaakt het alsof hij nog een paar jaar in een vat nodig heeft.

Talisker 20, 1981, 62%
Volgens Jim Murray moet je deze proeven wil je leven compleet zijn. Daar durf ik aan te twijfelen, maar het is onmiskenbaar een fantastische whisky. En dan nog uit mijn geboortejaar ook. Ook een sherry vat, dus wat zoeter en fruitiger dan de rest, maar vele malen beter dan de Distillers Edition. Alles wat Talisker goed maakt zit hier in. Wat zoet, wat zout, turf, peper, echt enorm lekker.

Talisker 25, 1983, 54,2%
De op één na lekkerste van de avond. Ook lekker zacht, zonder dat er smaak verloren gaat. Minder fruitig dan de 20 jaar oude variant, en dus iets meer hout, maar niet overmatig.

Talisker 30, 51,9%
Deze vind ik wat over de top heen. Het is nog steeds een lekkere whisky, maar ik zou eerder voor de 25 gaan, omdat die nog wat krachtiger is. Deze begint op veel fronten een klein beetje in te leveren.

Talisker Distillery Only
Heel zilt en vissig. Flink turf, maar je proeft wel dat ie wat jonger is.

Al met al was het een erg gezellige avond met veel leuke gesprekken. Mooi wat informatie in kunnen winnen over Schotland en welke dingen daar leuk zijn om te doen. Toch handig, gezien we daar dit jaar toch nog wel naar toe willen.

Lagavulin

Nadat ik afgelopen week klaar was met het na proeven van oudere flessen ben ik dit weekend eens rustig gaan zitten om mijn collectietje aan Lagavulin onder de loep te nemen.

Lagavulin is één van mijn favoriete distilleerderijen, en hoewel ze niet heel veel uitgeven vind ik het wel altijd een daverend succes.

Lagavulin 16, 2008, 43%
Een all-time favorite. Dit was een van de eerste rokerige whisky’s die ik proefde, en sindsdien staat deze nog steeds hoog op de ranglijst. De meeste whisky’s waar je mee begint evolueren weg naarmate je meer begint te ontdekken wat je smaken zijn. Deze niet.
De geur van boenwas, leer, oude rook en wat fruit komt je meteen tegemoet. Een enorm belonende whisky. Eentje om voor te gaan zitten.

Lagavulin 12, Friends of the Classic Malt, 2008, 48%
Aanzienlijk fruitiger dan de 16 jaar oude, maar dat komt door ander vatgebruik. Veel sherry tonen van de volledige fruit. Gedroogd en gekonfijt.

Lagavulin Distillers edition, 1991-2007, 43%
Dat deze op Pedro Ximenez vaten gelegen heeft proef je duidelijk. Veel meer tonen van sinasappel, rozijnen en wat kruiden die naar voren komen.

Lagavulin 21, 1981-2007, 56,5%
De overtreffende trap van de Lagavulin 16. De smaak is enorm en staat als een huis (met een openhaard, wel te verstaan). Er zit ook zeker een notensmaakje bij. Wat een geweldenaar… Een van de lekkerste dingen die ik geproefd heb. Jammer dat is niet te betalen is (ik heb ook alleen dat monster-flesje)

LG1, Elements of Islay, Specialty Drinks Ltd. 2009, 56,8%
Erg jong, dat proef je. Waarschijnlijk nog onder de 10 jaar. Door de leeftijd komen wat graantonen door, niet overdreven, maar ze zijn er zeker. De rook is ook wat meer uitgesproken. Een uitgebrande bakkerij :-)

Lagavulin 12, Limited Release, 2003, 57,8%
Vrij bloemig voor een Lagavulin. Vanille, peper, ook iets fris van het groen van een bosui ofzo. Iets in die geest. Bloemensteel (zoals dat ruikt, want ik heb het nooit geproefd)…

Een lekkere line-up al zeg ik het zelf. De 21 is veruit de lekkerste, al zitten er in dit rijtje geen whisky’s die ik iemand zou afraden. Verre van.

Oude vrienden #3

Gisteren nog een avondje lekker op de bank gehangen. Het laatste seizoen van Lost is begonnen, dus ik had genoeg te doen gisteravond. Mooi om er een paar whisky’tjes bij te pakken waar je niet al te hard bij hoeft na te denken.

Bruichladdich XVII, 2007, 46%
Deze blijft hoe dan ook wat fris. Een ongebruikelijke Islay whisky, maar wel een gebruikelijke Bruichladdich. Frisse fruittonen en wat stro of gras voeren de boventoon.

Highland Park 18, 2008, 43%
De nieuwste editie van de Highland Park 18. Het knappe van deze whisky (en distilleerderij) is dat het alsnog een heel erg lekkere whisky is, terwijl ie slechter is dan beide voorgaande edities.
Warm fruit, klein beetje hout, een haardvuurtje, kruiden alles zit er eigenlijk wel in, maar dat maakt hem juist zo mooi en complex.

Longrow 14, 2004, 46%
Typische Longrow, maar een beetje ingetogen. Een niet zo spectaculaire Longrow, maar toch niet slecht. Zilt, vrij veel rook, en bloemen. Veel geurtjes die je verwacht als je een whisky drinkt in de duinen, bij de zee.

Caol Ila Unpeated 8, 2007, 64,9%
Aanvankelijk vond ik dit niks, een paar jaar geleden, maar ik ben toch wel om. Het is een geweldige whisky, die ondanks de belachelijke hoeveelheid alcohol toch nog naar behoren weet te smaken. Een soort van melk / romigheid, olieig, met veel droog gras en zoet deeg. Het mooie is dat ie echt heel veel op normale geturfde Caol Ila lijkt, en exact dezelfde smaken tentoon spreidt, behalve de rook. Mooi product

Een mooie afsluiter van het rondje ‘oude vrienden’. Volgend jaar na oud en nieuw eens kijken wat er dan weer staat!

Van sommige whisky’s is het voor mij wel weer een bewijs geweest dat ik ze zeker eerst moet proeven voor ik iets van dat merk koop, maar ik ben wel erg geinteresseerd geraakt in de nieuwere Unpeated versies!

Oude vrienden #2

Gisteren, net als eergisteren, toch maar weer een paar oude flessen uit de kast getrokken. Soms herontdek je nog wat, en je besluit dat andere flessen eigenlijk weg kunnen.

Talisker 10, 45,8%, 2008
De geur van een rustig kampvuur komt je tegemoed. Ergens ruikt en smaakt de whisky vervolgens naar deeg, en zoet geel fruit (boterhammen met abrikozen jam?)

Bunnahabhain 12, 40%, 2007
De lucht van vers brood komt je tegemoed, met een vleugje van iets fris, kokos ofzo. De smaak is erg waterig en dun, maar wel veel graan en wat zoetig deeg. Ook proef je fris fruit, zoals appels.

Macallan Elegancia 12, 40%, 2008
Of deze is helemaal kapot, of ik heb het nooit eerder gemerkt, want ik kan me niet onttrekken aan de sterke Grappa geur die me aanvalt. Het duurt heel lang voor je wat anders gaat ruiken dan Grappa of terpentine. Weg ermee…

Springbank 10, 46%, oude beige label, 2007
De typische geurtjes en smaakjes van Springbank zitten hier wel in. Zilt, graan, klein beetje rook, vanille en iets van anijs denk ik ook op te merken. Helemaal niet verkeerd.

Nikka Taketsuru 17, Pure Malt, 43%, 2007
Dit is nog steeds erg mooi. Beetje rook, veel gedroogd fruit, mooi klein beetje hout en wat graan. Ondanks dat deze al bijna 3 jaar in de kast staat is hier nog echt niks mis mee…

Al met al een vermakelijk avondje. Als de kat van huis is (in dit geval waren Anneke en Kikker er allebei niet)…

Binnenkort nog een paar van lang geleden, maar dan niet meer uit het 30 euro project. Daar kwam tenslotte bijna alles behalve die Nikka nog uit.

Oude vrienden

Gisteravond heb ik weer eens wat oude vrienden uit de kast getrokken om te proeven hoe mijn smaak veranderd/geevolueerd is.

Het zag er als volgt uit:

Signatory Rosebank 1989-1999, 43% (dit is een gok, ik ben vergeten het te noteren)
De geur van roggebrood met boter, of een ander zoet brood komt je meteen tegemoet. Het bedekt de typische Rosebank geurtjes en smaken die ik eigenlijk verwachtte. De kleur is afwezig. Wanneer het in je glas zit moet je ruiken of het geen water is. Nagenoeg geen finish. Erg zwak.

Glenfiddich 12 40%
Dit vond ik vroeger het summum van lekkere drank. Toen heb ik eens een fles gekocht na er maanden over nagedacht te hebben. 30 euro voor 1 fles drank. Poepoe. Al met een ‘ronde’ whisky. Oftewel, geen uitgesproken smaak, er zit wat bloemigheid, fruit, graan en hout in, maar er is niks te vinden om deze nog eens terug te pakken.

Miltonduff 7 (Battlehill) 43%
Hier begin je al wat meer karakter te proeven met wat meer fruit en kruiden smaken. Beviel me eigenlijk best, zo’n whisky’tje. Helemaal als ik terugdenk dat deze maar 22 euro kostte. Niks mis mee, voor die prijs.

Old Pulteny 12 40%
Deze is om de een of andere reden nog niet op, terwijl het eigenlijk best een lekkere whisky is. Een mooie om de avond mee te beginnen eigenlijk, want hij is niet heel sterk van smaak. Wel zitten de smaken erin die je verwacht. Wat zilt, wat fruit, beetje hout en kruiden. Een mooie, doch eenvoudige, highlander. Voor rond de 30 euro een heel mooi flesje.

Glengoyne 12 Cask Strength 57,1%
Een lekkere typische Glengoyne. Licht qua smaak (geen rook, of iets in die richting), met mooie volle sherry tonen. Veel zomerfruit zoals perziken en abrikozen. Beetje graan, maar niks wat er niet in hoort. Ook best OK.

Ik moet zeggen, sommigen zijn nog best aardig. De whisky werd beter naarmate ik het einde van het lijstje naderde.

Ik geloof alleen niet dat ik deze flessen zo snel leeg zal maken, op de eerste en de laatste na (daar zitten misschien nog 2 glaasjes in, dan is het echt gedaan). Maar dan kan ik weer een beetje plaats maken voor wat anders, zoals de in aantocht zijnde Karuizawa Noh 1976 32 jaar…

Zin an!

Meer whisky

Gisterenmiddag was de voorproeverij om de nieuwe clubbotteling van de Usquebaugh Society te selecteren. Na een lange aanloop daarnaartoe wist ik op het moment dat de zeer gelimiteerde inschrijvingsperiode begon nog niet eens of ik mee wilde doen, maar toch uiteindelijk maar geprobeerd om in te schrijven.

Ik was blijkbaar de allerlaatste met mijn inschrijving, maar kon toch nog mee doen. Gelukkig.

Eerst een paar mensen opgepikt zodat ik niet het hele stuk alleen hoefde te rijden, en zodat anderen niet met de trein naar Nunspeet (of all places) hoefde te reizen.

In de auto begon voor mijn bijrijders reeds een kleine proeverij met een zeer goed ruikende Hazelburn 8.

Aangekomen in Nunspeet was er eerst tijd om flink te ouwehoeren. Voor mij was het de eerste bijeenkomst met clubleden, dus ik kon na 3 jaar actief ‘forummen’ eindelijk wat gezichten plakken bij de namen op het forum. Erg vermakelijk om die mensen allemaal eens in het echt te zien. Zeker voor herhaling vatbaar.

Na een half uur begon de opwarmronde van de tasting met 3 whisky’s. Blind geproefd dus je hebt geen idee van wat je allemaal gaat drinken. Uiteindelijk was niemand echt enorm positief over hetgeen geschonken werd, maar vond iedereen het ‘gemiddelde’ whisky’s.

Na een korte pauze begon de echte proeverij met wederom 3 whisky’s waaruit uiteindelijk de nieuwe clubbotteling zou komen.

Heel leuk om op deze manier, zonder dat je van te voren ook maar enige informatie hebt over wat je gaat drinken, te bepalen wat je lekker vind en wat niet, en voornamelijk ook het waarom daarvan.

Naderhand nog even in de Heerenkamer van hotel Veldenbos gewacht op de uitslag.

De eerste opwarmronde bestond uit de oude Clubbotteling (BenRiach Sauternes finish), de huidige Springbank 10 ‘100 proof’ en de Longrow CV.

De Longrow CV vind ik normaal een heel plezierige dram, omdat ik weet dat het een redelijk recht-toe recht-aan rokerige whisky is, zonder al te veel diepgang. Nu, omdat je blind proeft ga je zoeken naar andere dingen en dan komt ie aanzienlijk minder uit de bus.

De whisky voor de club botteling is uiteindelijk een lekkere 10 jaar oude Springbank geworden, welke beter uit de bus kwam dan andere whisky’s van dezelfde distilleerderij.

Voor de taxi-dienst heb ik van mijn passagiers nog een paar lekkere samples gekregen van leuke whisky’s. Fulco en Sandor, bedankt!

30 jaar oude whisky’s

Gisteren was er weer een ‘recessie tasting’ bij de Whiskykoning in Den Bosch. Ditmaal met 6 30 jaar oude whisky’s.

Een recessie tasting wil in dit geval zoveel zeggen dat de beste man wat exclusievere proeverijen organiseert met open inschrijving. Normaal waren die altijd alleen op verzoek en moest je zelf met een groep komen.

De line-up was als volgt:

• Famous Grouse 30 Blended Malt 43%
• Glengoyne 30 43%
• Macallan 30 Fine Oak 43%
• Springbank 30 Millennium Collection 46%
• Brora 30 2007 55,7%
• Port Ellen 9th Edition 2009 57,7%

Een paar van deze whisky’s kende ik al, maar dat is natuurlijk geen reden om zulk lekkers te laten staan :)

De Springbank vond ik veruit de lekkerste, maar dat mag ook wel met een prijskaartje van 673 euro voor een flesje. De Brora was een goede 2e, en in tegenstelling tot een aantal Port Ellen whisky’s vond ik deze ook erg lekker. Ik heb een paar andere uit de officiële reeks op (waar dit er ook 1 van is) die me tegen vielen.

De Famous Grouse is lekker, maar niet spectaculair. Veel tropisch fruit is wat je proeft, maar veel meer als dat heeft ie niet te bieden.

De Glengoyne was erg mooi. Veel fruit en complexheid (is dat een woord?). Niet zo overdreven gesherried als de 21 jaar oude van een paar jaar geleden.

De Macallan Fine Oak vind ik niet zo’n spectaculaire serie. De oudere met alleen sherry vaten ben ik enthousiaster over. Desalniettemin is dit een erg smakelijke whisky, maar wel een met een veel te hoog prijskaartje. De 25 vind ik ook lekkerder uit deze serie.

De Springbank had een aparte geur van anijs, zilt en hout. Die anijs had ik nog nooit zo expliciet geroken in een whisky, maar ik kan niet zeggen dat ik het vies vind. Wat een geweldige whisky. Onmeetbare diepgang!

De Brora heeft, zoals Brora betaamd, een flinke stal-lucht. Echt een boeren whisky, met veel turf, hout, gras en bloemen tonen. En natte beesten. Ook wat fruit, maar niet zo uitgesproken. Echt enorm lekker.

De Port Ellen was apart. Een hele zachte neus, maar een goede en onverwachte smaak explosie. De alcohol komt wel hard aan, die is wat minder geraffineerd dan bij de Brora.

Al met al heb ik erg genoten, en wat ik ook leuk vind is dat ik bij de whiskykoning steeds dezelfde mensen tegen kom, dus gezien je elkaar een beetje leert kennen gaan de gesprekken ook ergens over. Dus, een erg vermakelijke avond!

Binnenkort nog de tasting met een aantal Taliskers op een rijtje. Eens kijken waar daar de top in zit :-)

Werken om 0:40

Dat is niet iets waar ik op zit te wachten, maar het is even niet anders. Om deze tijd morgen moeten een aantal dingen af zijn die ik niet helemaal goed heb ingeschat.

In dit geval gaat het om het importeren van een enorme berg data, wat een soort ijsberg effect heeft. Elke keer als ik het een af heb, blijkt dat daar nog een hoop andere data gekoppeld zit.

Om een obscure en onidentificeerbare reden kreeg de server waarop het stukje software staat waar het in dit geval om draait ook nog wat kuren zojuist, dus er ging ook nog een en ander verloren van mijn code. Die moest dus opnieuw gemaakt worden.

Al met al zit ik dus, om kwart voor 1 in de nacht voor oud & nieuw nog actief te wachten. Dat is het grote nadeel van data importeren. In dit geval moet ik erbij blijven, anders gaat het mis en komt het niet af. Aan de andere kant kan je niet veel doen dan om de 5 tot 20 minuten op een knop drukken.

Wat doe je op zo’n moment? Je zet Tom Waits op en schenkt een glas whisky in, terwijl je een beetje gaat zitten lezen. Al met al nog niet zo’n straf, al had ik liever in mijn bed gelegen.

Tot nu toe heb ik drie nog niet eerder geproefde whisky’s ingeschonken, en één oude bekende:

Bruichladdich Black Art, 1989, 51,1%
Aparte roze (!) whisky. Heeft erg lang in een wijnvat gelegen, en heeft daar flink wat kleur van gekregen. Erg zoet, maar helemaal geen verkeerde whisky. De zoetigheid van Rosé komt erg terug in de neus en smaak. Meer alcohol natuurlijk, maar al met al veel rood fruit (aardbei, framboos, bessen).

Pittyvaich 20, 1989, 57,5% (Diageo special release 2009)
Evenals op het festival in Leiden vind ik dit een enorm verrassende whisky. Een lichte frisse neus, en een erg verrassende smaak. Erg blij met zulke dingen. Mint, dennen, wat hout.

Old Potrero Single Malt Rye Spirit, 2 jaar en 1 maand oud
Dit is eigenlijk geen whisky, maar Moonshine / Mountain Dew of hoe je het ook wilt noemen. Gestookt op de manier waarop ze 250 jaar geleden illegaal stookten en het komt enorm overeen met het vuurwater wat ik ooit in een openlucht museum in Belarus geproefd heb. Nu wil het feit dat ze in Wit-Rusland ook enorme bergen rogge hebben, dus daar zal de overeenkomst vandaan komen. ‘Vuile’ whisky, waarbij veel olien en dingen die normaal gefilterd worden er nog in zitten. Bijzonder. Rogge, rogge, rogge en vanille in de neus en smaak. Zelfs met water knalt dit als een 500 ponder.

Amrut Peated Cask Strength
Lekkere Indiase knaller met een goeie berg turf. Niks op aan te merken, zoals alle Amrut bottelingen die ik ken. Hier ga ik nu eens aan beginnen.

Al met al toch weer zeker 5 cc whisky gedronken (om de zorgenmakers gerust te stellen :-) )

Bottoms Up 2

Last Friday, I organized the second bottoms up tasting here at home. It doubled more or less as a ‘house cooling’, since most likely no-one will be here apart from Anneke and me before we turn in the key.

The line up of the tasting was a bit larger as it was last  year, since I added some bottles from tastings we organized over the past year. The extra bottles could be seen as a disadvantage, since we emptied only for bottles, compared to last years eleven.

I think this was the last tasting I organized in this way, since we are moving over a 100 kilometres next month, and most whisky drinking people I know are from this area. Of course, some could crash at our new place, but I usually don’t feel like playing hotel after too much to drink…

But anyway. The tasting was very good with some very nice whiskies varying from a couple of Clynelishes to Lagavulin and from Rosebank to Highland Park. So all ranges were covered.

A flight of Ardbeg

And a heavy one. I just tasted 7 different ones, and they hit me harder than expected.

One of them is up for discussion, since it is the Smokehead Extra Black 18 year old. According to my local retailer, it is supposed to be an Ardbeg, just as the previous Smokehead bottles.

The line-up:

Ardbeg Blasda, 40%, 2008
A little bite on the nose, but not really aromatic. A little grain, an idea of water and a bit of grass. Not too much going on. The taste is sweet, crisp, a bit sugary and a little sour. The finish gives me the only hint of a little peat in this bottle.

Ardbeg 10, 46% (from the ‘Peat’ box)
The nose is a lot more medicinal than the Blasda. Still a little light but with lemon and flowers. The taste is a little greasy compared to the previous one. A lot more punch to it as well. A lot of peat in the finish with a bit of citrus fruit, flowers and grass.

Smokehead Extra Black 18 years old, 46%
More wood than before. A little less sour, more sweet with more vanilla on the nose. A sweet, soft and full taste with a reasonably fierce and salty finish.

Ardbeg Uigeadail, 54.2% (from the ‘peat’ box)
Coffee, and full heavy barley on the nose. A really sweet taste, that goes to bitter rather quickly with barley and crisp fruit in your mouth. A rather fierce finish that shows peat, fruit and just a lot of goodness.

Ardbeg Renaissance, 55.9%, 2008
The nose has a lot of peat, and smells more of the barley shed than the barley itself. A farm whisky. A hint of chocolate as well. The taste is rather warming and soft, but very good. The finish displays straw, barley and a bit of fresh fruit. Very good.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan, Committee Bottling, 57.1%, 2008
Peat, sweet fruit, salt, barley and lemon on the nose. Heavy smoke with mango and peach (?) afterwards. A long and drying finish that is just what you expect form a seaside distillery.

Ardbeg Supernova, Committee Bottling, 58.9%, 2008
This is supposed to be incredible. And it is on the level of peat. The rest is a bit lacking I reckon. Apart from smoke, peat and a little fruit there is not too much going on at the nose and mouth part. The finish goes down after a short while to a good and delicious level where it stays for a very very long time.

Best of the afternoon is definitely the Corryvreckan, with both the Renaissance and the Uigeadail running up. Good stuff. The worst (least good) was the Blasda. It is just too watered down in my opinion. The miniature 10 didn’t do too much for me either. It is a good whisky, but there is nothing surprising about it. Compared to the others, that is.

This will be the last flight for a while, since we will be moving to our new house the coming weeks. Only thing left is a couple of tastings at the Whiskykoning during October, and a bottoms up coming Friday with a lot of friends, and a lot of almost empty bottles from me, my friend TT and a few remainders from tastings we have done. Cleaning out the closet ;-)

The Manager’s Choice

Right about now Diageo, the world’s largest liquor and drinks corporation is releasing their new ‘The Manager’s Choice’ series of whisky.

Diageo owns 27 distilleries in Scotland and will be bottling single casks in this new series and price them ‘accordingly’.

The first bottles have been released, as have the prices and they scare the shit out of me, to be honest.

A 15 year old whisky (which is about average in the series) goes for around 250 Euros, while a normal single cask bottle of the same distillery and the same age by any company other than Diageo goes for about 60 to 100 Euros.

On John Hansell’s blog (he is the editor of Malt Advocate magazine, one of my favourite whisky magazines) there has been a fierce discussion about how ridiculous the prices are. I have been trying to see it from a different point of view than my initial surprise has provided me with, but I can’t do it.

Diageo has reacted to all the fuss on the blog and there are some interesting points in there, but I still find it ridiculous. The quoted pieces are from the Diageo reaction to the discussion.

 

And the whiskies are not super-old either

 

No, they're not. They are approximately the same age as the standard editions of the distillery's own bottles. However, the price is about 6 to 10 times higher... Which is a lot.

 

For people convinced that age automatically determines quality and price, this comes as something of a surprise

And also for people who have finally gotten past the age/price/quality discussion, the prices are still a surprise since most other 'carefully selected' single casks by independent bottlers are still about 4 or 5 times cheaper.

 

essential distillery character with something unusual

 

To me the 'something unusual' seems more like a safety net than anything else, since this means that you can just do whatever. And if people don't like it, it is a matter of taste.

 

A single cask whisky bottling that delivers a mere 250 bottles is a tiny volume

Oddly enough, I recently bough a Single Cask Clynelish (also a Diageo distillery) from Douglas Laing's Old Malt Cask series for HALF the amount of money the average MC is going for. There were 145 bottles filled and it is 38 years old. A single cask filling of 250 bottles is not much, but not THAT low on count.

Now, I am frustrated by the bottles' prices. Not so much because they are really expensive and I will only maybe get a taste of them at a festival where they will still cost me an arm and a leg. Mostly because I expect it will be a carte blanche for the entire industry to get away with increasing prices five fold and put it under the 'rare/premium/exclusive' banner.

I really like most Diageo whiskies (Lagavulin, Talisker, Caol Ila, Clynelish) so I guess there must be something to it, but these are just too expensive for all but the wealthiest whisky enthusiasts.

A flight of Auchentoshan

Well, can you call it a flight if you taste only three?

Anyway, three Auchentoshans from the Scottish Lowlands. Three special releases that is. I do not have any regular Auchentoshans anymore. I finished the 10 year old about a year and a half ago and never bought another one. I am not too fond of them, apart from the old 10 year old. These special editions though, they are something else completely. Love those.

I tasted them from left to right. From the 16 year old Bourbon Matured, the 17 year old Bordeaux finish to the 18 year old Oloroso Sherry Matured.

Auchentoshan 16 Finest Bourbon Matured, 57.7%
Flowers, Vanilla and ‘Cookie Dough’ (the Ben & Jerry’s stuff) on the nose, with a creamy and a little biting mouth feeling. The finish has some full barley. It weakens to a level where it stays for a long time. Very good stuff this is.

Auchentoshan 17 Bordeaux Wine Finish, 51%
More wood than the previous one, with some wine and raisins in the scent. The taste is sweet in a different way than the bourbon matured, again with raisins and some light citrus fruit. The finish has some wood and honey. Very good, I like it so far.

Auchentoshan 18 Oloroso Sherry Matured, 55.8%
Typical sherry smells assail your nostrils right away. Some nuts (cashews?), some wine smells and also raisins. The taste goes a bit more towards the typical aged sherry with a hint of leather, with sweet cookies as well. A long finish that is fiercer than expected. Fruit and cereal here.

I can recommend any of these to anyone who likes a good whisky. They are a little more expensive than the regular Auchentoshans, but they are a lot better as well. I hope they keep releasing stuff in this look and feel, if the quality is similar as well. It would give me a hard time to choose which one is my favourite, since that is quite weather dependant. Yesterday it was not too warm and I would go for the Bourbon Matured. Today, when temperatures are a bit higher, I think the Bordeaux finish would win.

Great stuff…

A Flight of Springbank

This series of Springbank whiskies I tasted last week to celebrate officially selling our house. We got informed by the real estate agent that the mortgage of the buyer had been approved!

Instead of four in the Macallan and Clynelish set, I had eight different Springbanks, of which one was a Campbeltown Loch blend.

Campbeltown Loch 30 (2008), 40%
Salt, vanilla, wood and pepper on the nose. The taste is soft and smooth, a bit sweet and a little salty. The distinct flavour of vanilla cookies is present. The finish is long, with a bit of smoky with more sweet vanilla. Very good.

Springbank 18 (2009), 46%
Citrus, crisp fruit, cinnamon, chocolate and ‘dirt’ on the nose. The taste builds up to more chocolate and dough. The finish is really nice with fruit and cereal, a good summer dram. Nice

Springbank Marsala Wood 9 (2006), 58%
Enormous sweetness and fruit on the nose, also more wood than expected of a 9 year old (that sounds just wrong). Charcoal on the palate. The finish happens mostly in the front of your mouth, but it’s long, young and heavily fruity

Springbank Vintage 1996 Fino Sherry Wood (2009), 54.9%, Cask , Specially bottled for the ‘Hanseatische Weinhandelsgesellschaft, Bremen’
The nose contains all the strong hints of a good sherry cask. Leather, old fruit, caramel. It fiercely attacks your taste buds with the alcohol in the whisky, drying out your tongue. Fruit, wood, and quite fiery (not smoky, though).

A cup of coffee and a break to neutralize taste and not drink alcohol for a minute

Springbank 180 Refill Sherry Butt & Hogshead 1997 (2008), 48.7% Society Bottling
Wine like sweetness, French bread with cream cheese on the nose. Fatty, doughy, old fashioned whisky on the palate. The finish contains a lot of fruit, but is also a lot stronger than expected, which is good.

Springbank 28 Dun Bhaegan 1974 (2002), 48%, Cask 2247
The nose contains a little off note of rubber, but also a lot of fruit, nuts, a real mouthful. A really soft taste of more fruit. The finish is loooooong, fading slowly with fruit and nuts, a bit of woodiness.

Springbank Madeira Wood 11 (2009), 55.1%
Vanilla and wood on the nose. Also something familiar that I just can’t remember. Drying, strong but not attacking taste. The finish is fruity, crisp, alcoholic, with a bit of liquorice.

Springbank Vintage 1997 Batch 1, 55.7%
Another good amount of typical sherry cask smells on the nose. More nutty than fruity, over ripe fruit, smoky. The taste contains citrus fruit. It is crisp first, and smoky later. The finish is rather straight on and doesn’t add much to what already was tasted.

All in all, I really like Springbank whiskies in general (there are, of course, some bad ones). The Vintage 1996 and the 28 year old were the best of this line-up. The Madeira Wood is, unless its high alcohol, a bit too smooth for me. A good whisky, but not something I will remember for the rest of my life… 

Brora

After having tasted my first Brora last year in Vlissingen at the Whisky by the Sea festival, I really wanted to get one for in my cabinet. The drawback is the immens price tag that accompanies every bottle.

Then, a few weeks ago, a batch of bottles popped up at several shops at half price, for some reason. I was still in doubt because half of a Brora’s price is still pretty hefty. But it was the best opportunity to get Brora if there ever was one. It has been closed for 25 years, and the 30 year old bottlings are done. There will be no more, as far as anyone knonws… Now or never.

I chose ‘now’ over ‘never’ and reserved a bottle. Yesterday I went to The Old Pipe in Sint Oedenrode to pick it up, among other things that had been stored for me. The most expensive afternoon I remember, apart from signed the contract for our house.

Still, after having tasted it yesterday evening I can’t say I regret buying it. What an incredible whisky. Maybe the best in my collection, but definetly in the top 5. One for the books.

Read a good review of it here on Serge Valentin’s WhiskyFun.com!

A flight of Macallan

Last week I told you about the flight of Clynelish I tasted at home. This week, it is a series of Macallans that turned up. I might try to do this on a more regular basis, as long as it stays interesting.

I have four Macallans, so the line up is just as long as it was last week, but of course, the whiskies are very different.

Macallan 7, Original Bottling for Giovinetti & Figli, 40%

Sweet on the nose with that typical fruity sherry odours, a bit of orange in there too. The taste wasn’t too explicit, but nice enough with more summer fruit. The finish was a bit slow to start, but fades away beautifully. A simple but very good bottle.
Surprisingly mature for such a young whisky…

Macallan Elegancia 12, Fino & Oloroso casks, 40%

Lots of honey and marzipan on the nose, with a hint of flowers in it. More honey turning into a nutty flavour. More nuts and a slight turn to bitter in the end in the finish.

Macallan 10 Cask Strength, Travel Retail, 2008, 58.4%

A red whisky, with a lot of alcohol attacking your nostrils, after that it gives you lots of red fruit on the nose. It tastes a bit greasy, but with fruit as well. The finish is not as drying as I expected, but it turns a bit spicy.

Macallan 15, Blackadder Raw Cask, 1991-2007, 63.1%

An incredibly strong bottling by Blackadder. I guess this cask was very very good, since the whisky is tremendous. The smell is of the brown crust of sponge cake, with fruity additions, love it. The taste is rather sharp and it might need a bit of water to reveal more of itself, but the fruit cake is all around again. The finish is long, fierce and very very good. Complex, with earthy tones adding into the mix. I’ve had this bottle for over a year, but it still is one of my favourites.

The results, high to low: Macallan 15 by Blackadder, Macallan 7 for Giovinetti & Figli, Macallan Cask Strength, Macallan Elegancia.

The last one is not a bad whisky, but I find it very unlike a Macallan. It lacks most fruity flavours, and just isn’t as I would like to have it. Not bad, but not as great as the others.

Karuizawa Kamiasobi

Today my bottle of Karuizawa Kamiasobi arrived at the office!

I had this bottle on my wishlist ever since I read about it about 10 months ago. It is a 30 year old Karuizawa specially bottled for La Maison du Whisky in Paris. I didn’t want to order it from France but after a long search on the internet I found it at Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis in Belgium. He had it on sale for less than the price at the shop who released it…

I have been enthousiastic about Japanese whiskies ever since I tasted one of them a few years ago. Since then, my collection has a bigger and bigger amount of Japanese bottles in it.

Really looking forward to tasting it. I might even have some time to really sit down and enjoy it next week, when Anneke is on holiday with her sister for a week :-)

A flight of Clynelish

Yesterday I lined up all my different Clynelish bottles and tasted one after another. I thought I had five different ones, but there were only four of them.

The line-up was as follows:

Clynelish Distillers’ Edition 2008, 46%

Sweet dough and oranges on the nose, with a bit of musty lemon in the mouth. A not too long finish, that dries a bit near the end.

Clynelish James MacArthur’s Old Masters 1989-2002, 59.1%

The nose starts off with a bit of gluey smell, then turns to straw. The flavour is very alcoholic on your tongue, with a bit of a grassy foot note. The finish starts slow, but quite good. It turns a little sweet after the alcohol burn has gone.

Clynelish Samaroli Coilltean 1995-2008, 57% (1 of 500 bottles)

First a lot of alcohol with some hints of peach. After that a peppery fruitiness on the mouth. The finish starts of with some citrus fruits and goes towards croutons near the end.

Clynelish 38 Old Malt Cask 1971-2009, 47.9% (1 of 145 bottles)

This is just terrific stuff. Maybe the best whisky in my collection. The nose starts off with leather and oak, then turns towards a slight note of resin with a note of liquorice. On the tongue there is that oak again (not too odd after 38 years in a barrel), with barley and liquorice again as well. The finish build up for a few seconds and then lingers for a long long time. A bit sweeter than expected as well. Goodness!

About a year ago I was quite charmed by the Distillers’ Edition, but that was has lost its glamour for me. Don’t know why but it just doesn’t do it anymore. It is not bad, but it’s not really an exciting whisky as well. The rest is, though. The quality goes up as the line continues, so I tasted them in the right order..

A good night, all in all. I might have to do this more often with other distilleries, although that might be quite a job to do with Caol Ila, Karuizawa and Highland Park, of which I have a few more different expressions.

Finally

This evening, together with my friend TT, we had a small but great whisky tasting.

A spontaneous idea of the afternoon at the office, but one for the books, I reckon. It had been too long since such an evening…

The line-up consisted of some of the best bottles in my collection and a few samples I bought recently.

• Highland Park 21
• Port Ellen 18, Provenance (Winter 1981-2000), 43%
• Clynelish 38, Old Malt Cask (1971-2009), 47,9%
• Karuizawa 12, Ichiro's Choice, 61%
• Hanyu 18, Full Proof (1988-2006), Full Proof, 56,3%
• Yoichi 19, 63%
• Yoichi 17 (1991-2008), 63%, Fifth Anniversary

The highest roller of the evening was definetely the Clynelish 38. I bought it recently after reading only stellar reviews of it. And since it was a very limited release I decided to take an expensive guess with that one. One I definetely do not regret.

I am not sure whether that Clynelish or the Millburn I bought last year is the best bottle in my collection….

Great things…

Another jewel gone

A few minutes ago I finished my bottle of Rosebank 12 Flora & Fauna.

This was my first bottle of single malt whisky from a different region than Islay (apart from Glenfiddich, but those I don’t count).

I really really loved it and as the level of whisky in the bottle got closer to the bottom I started drinking less and less of it, since I would regret finishing it.

This might just be the best Rosebank I have ever tasted, and by now I have tasted a rather large amount of them, partly because Thomas has a massive amount of Rosebanks.

Too bad, I might just buy another bottle, since it is just too good not to.

A small tasting at Dirk’s

Yesterday Dirk and I organized a very small tasting of BYO whiskies. Everyone brought two bottles out of their own collection.

The line up turned out to be:

• Glenkinchie 12
• Glenmorangie ‘The Original’
• Bruichladdich XVII
• Adelphi Laudale
• Black Bull 30
• Glenlivet Nadurra (Natural Strength)
• Longrow 7 Gaja Barolo
• Aberlour A’bunadh (batch 25)

It was a bit warm to do a proper tasting, but we still had sense enough to really enjoy the whiskies. The highlights were the Adelphi Laudale, the Black Bull and the Longrow.

The rest are good whiskies each, but those are the ones I prefer.

When we have moved I hope to have people over for tastings like this, in the garden. Sitting outside when temperatures rise above 25 degrees Celcius is a must, especially when you don’t have airconditioning.

The DWCS event

A few months ago I became a contributor to the Dutch Whisky Connection Society. It is a small society created by a couple of whisky fanatics to share their open bottles with others that want to taste their obscure, rare and old bottles of the finest whiskies.

Last Saturday they held their first annual gathering at which you could taste their incredible collection of the finest scotches. I went there with Thomas. Of course, such a day is quite expensive: a train ticket, dinner, and whisky. The whiskies, although they only charge the replacement value of each bottle, are usually a few bucks each, going up to 50 euros for a single 2cl glass of an Ardbeg. I did not try that one ;-)

We tried several Scotch whiskies, ranging from Rosebank, Sprinbank, Longmorn and Ardbeg to Port Ellen, St. Magdalene, Laphroaig and more. We also tried a bit of Bert Vuik’s incredible collection of Japanese whiskies. I am quite fond of the Japanese take on Single Malt Whisky, and we tried several of those as well.

My favorites of the day were a 25 year old Longmorn by Hart Brothers, a Single Cask bottle of Yoichi from 1991. There were some others close to these but the Yoichi and Longmorn were the best.

I also tried some old Laphroaigs from (at least) the 70’s from Marcel van Gils, who is a well-known Laphroaig collector. I wasn’t too fond of those, and the last year I became less a Laphroaig fan than I used to be. They have several great bottles, but their quality is, in my opinion, not too consistent. The newly released 18 isn’t too good, and I didn’t like the 15 and the 10 year old Cask strength either. Strange… Since I can only find incredible reviews for the Bonfanti I tried Saturday, I might have just tasted it at the wrong moment, after all kinds of stunners…

Just before we went home I bought the remainder of the Yoichi bottle that was still on the stand, for quite a good deal, in my opinion. It is still between 1/3 and half full, and I paid less than a third of the price of the bottle. A great addition to my own collection, and one that won’t be sitting on the shelf for years.

Read another review of the event here (in Dutch)

Bourbon

Last Friday, the Whiskykoning organized a Bourbon tasting. Since I am not too familiar with American Whiskey apart from the regulars like Jack Daniel’s (Tennessee Whisky), Four Roses (Bourbon) and some other high profile and cheap whiskies, I thought it a good idea to attend.

A lot of my whisky buddies decided to join as well, and in the end we were with five guys going there. The line-up was the following:

• Old Overholt (Straight Rye, not a bourbon)
• Elijah Craigh 18
• Old Bardstown Estate
• Wild Turkey Rare Breed
• Hirsch
• Noah’s Mill
• George T. Stagg (2007)

Most of them were quite all right, not too great, but not bad either. I enjoyed all whiskies, but things really picked up for me when Hirsch came around. Different from other bourbons, this one is distilled in pot stills, instead of column / continuous stills. Never thought that would make a lot of difference, but it does.

The Noah’s Mill was nice too, but the real fireworks were reserved for the Stagg. at 70.3% ABV it is a MOAB in your mouth, but the taste is really good too. I expected the alcohol to overrule everything else, but it wasn’t so bad. The winner for the night.

After all was said and drunk, the shop’s owner poured us a McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt. Strange stuff. It smelled like a Caol Ila, but (maybe due to the violence of George T. Stagg) it didn’t taste like much at all. The short finish didn’t do it either. Not bad, but nowhere near great…

All in all, although most of my friends didn’t really enjoy the bourbons, I had a good time. I probably won’t be buying bourbons instead of Scotch or Japanese whisky, except if I can find a good deal on the George T. Stagg. Of course, my favorites of the evening (Hirsch and the Stagg) were both above 100 Euros, and not something to buy without thinking it over for a bit.

Whisky tasting at home

Yesterday Thomas and I wanted to taste some of the newest whiskies in my collection. We hadn’t been able to do that for several months, so we had a full evening planned.

Of course, dinner is part of any good evening and we started off with saltimbocca with both our better halves present as well.

The line-up for the evening was the following:

• Campbeltown Loch 30 (40%)
• Hakushu 18 (43.5%)
• Highland Park 18 (40%)
• Yoichi 15 (45%)

Dinner

• Clynelish 1995 Samaroli (57%)
• Auchentoshan 16 ‘Finest Bourbon Matured’ (53.7%)
• Sprinbank 11 Madeira Wood (55.1%)
• Karuizawa 1995 Noh Whisky (63%)
• The Ileach Cask Strength (58%)

We planned to have ‘The Cask of Yamazaki 1993’ as well, but we didn’t have the time, so that one will be tasted another evening.

I can’t define a top whisky for the evening, since I really like them all. The least favorite of the evening would be the new Springbank 11 Madeira wood. I will have to taste that one again to make a decent judgement on it, but in yesterday’s line-up it wasn’t too great. Good whisky, just nothing exceptional…

The Noh Whisky, Karuizawa is something completely different. I read some good to incredible reviews of it, and I can only say that I love that one. Apart from the cool bottle, it is just remarkable whisky.

I really enjoy Japanese whisky lately, and have decided for myself that my focus will be on those, when I am buying new whiskies.

A lot of whisky

This has been a week full of whisky.

It started more or less last week when I was able to order two bottles of Karuizawa 1995 12 years old ‘Noh’. This is a Japanese whisky of which I had read some good reviews, and since it is a very limited bottle, I took the guess to buy two.

They were delivered this Wednesday. Before that day Thomas and I organized a whisky tasting for 25 people on the Technical University of Eindhoven. The ‘trip through Scotland’ was quite succesfull I believe, and everybody had a great time. All regions passed our tastebuds and everybody started to develop likes and dislikes.

On Thursday I organized another tasting for a few friends at one of their homes. This time, the theme was Young Whiskies, so I had 8 bottles with me, all younger than 10 years of age. Also, I varied through some countries where they make whisky, from Scotland, to Wales, Sweden and eventually India. It was a good night, but since I was drinking with my friends, the morning after was a lot harder than Wednesday morning.

I also decided with a few friends (most of them were on that last tasting) to order a few bottles in England. Currently the exchange rate for the Pound Sterling is quite favorable, and since some distillers have incredibly expensive importers in The Netherlands, it is very profitable (or at least, a lot less expensive) to order, for example, Springbank whiskies from across the pond.

I have not decided which bottle(s) I might be ordering, but together with about 5 others, we sure can split postage and handling down many times.

Lowlands tasting

Yesterday I went to the Whiskykoning for his annual Lowlands whisky tasting. To let Anneke see where I spend several friday nights every year, I took her with me and she had a great time. This might start happening more often in the future.

We had only whiskies from the south of Scotland, to stay in theme. One of them was last year’s Lowlands tasting and one of them was used in the Stocknews tasting with only Blackadder whiskies I went to.

The line-up:

• Rosebank 9 (Secret Treasures) – 44%
• Inverleven 16 (Gordon & MacPhail) – 40%
• Bladnoch Lightly Peated 6 – 58,5%
• Auchentoshan 18 – 43%
• Littlemill 20 (Hart Brothers) – 46%
• St. Magdalene 25 (Blackadder) – 61,8%

The St. Magdalene was one I thought I was familiar with, but unlike last year when I rated it a 63 out of 100 points, this year I wrote down 85. I really enjoyed it. Maybe because of the different line-up that it wasn’t overruled by any other whiskies…

The Bladnoch is my own collection as well, I just haven’t opened it yet. I just might, I enjoyed that one a lot. I was a bit discouraged to open it, since my friend Thomas tasted it at the Pot Still festival last year and threw it away out of utter disappointment…

The Rosebank was very good as well. Of course, one that is not for sale anymore in the regular channels. The Inverleven was crap. The nose was quite all right, but there was absolutely no taste or finish, whatsoever.

Littlemill… I rated it poorly last year, and I stick to that. Weird flavours in the finish, a grainy, papery nose and not too much taste. Not my cup of tea…

I really liked the fact that Anneke enjoyed the tasting as well. I was a bit scared that she would think everyone there an incredible geek for only talking about whisky all night but it turned out very good.

Another trip to the north

This weekend we had to go north, to Krommenie again. A good friend of ours celebrated his birthday and who are we to skip a party!

Of course, we took another 5 boxes of stuff from our house to Anneke's parents. For some reason we already have about 25 moving boxes of stuff at their place, and only now our house starts to look decluttered. Only unnecessary stuff has been moved, so we seem to have far more crap than we thought we had.

Yesterday morning we looked at a house in Krommenie, and although the house is very very nice, it takes some serious work to make it more modern. Also, the garden is incredibly odd, being split with the neighbours nextdoor. No privacy at all, so that might be an issue. So, no decisions yet, of course, since we also have to sell our house as well.

After that I planned to go straight to work and still work half a day, but in the end I called in and took a full day off. This way we could spend some more time with our family in Krommenie.

Also, last saturday I considered the time right to take another trip to our local whisky shop and buy myself (after some serious consideration) a Hakushu 18. A nice and soft Japanese whisky, which I really like. It is the first whisky at a normal alcohol percentage (between 40% and 50%) instead of cask strength (around 60%) I have bought in a really long time.

Sample tasting (2)

On Friday night, Thomas and I has our second session of sample tasting, like the one I wrote about on February 3rd.

The line up for this very very nice evening was the following:

• Caol Ila 17, 43%
• Talisker 32, 45.2%
• Millburn 26, 57.5%
• Longmorn 36, 52.2%
• Longrow 13, 53.2%
• Bunnahabhain 14, 58.2%
• Nikka Yoichi 20, 55%
• Lagavulin 15, 52.9%

In the end, I think we decided upon the right order of the whiskies that had to be tasted. The best of this evening were, without a doubt, the Longmorn and the Millburn.

In the Millburn we liked the exceptional 100% spot on vanilla and a little wood. The Longmorn was a perfect sherry bottling, but not as rubbery and sulfury as they sometimes get.

The final top three, of both sittings would have to be

1. Clynelish 33, by Prestonfield House
2. Millburn 26
3. Longmorn 36

The latter two have a shared second place.

We should have more of those evenings, since great whiskies to be tasted, company in which you can discuss all bottles bought the last couple of weeks, and stupid jokes that are made make for the best evenings. Love it, and hope to do it again soon!

Supernova

Two days ago, the mailman delivered my two bottles of Ardbeg Supernova. It has been a highly popular whisky, since all 5000 bottles sold out in only 4 hours.

It is supposed to be a very very peaty whisky, with over 100 parts per million phenol in it, which is about three times the normal level of peat in an Ardbeg whisky.

I have not opened it yet, want to save it for a special occasion. The bottles are wanted badly by many whisky lovers, since a bottle of 65 pounds (at that time, about 65 euros) is already going for over 160 euros on eBay.

Depending on how good it tastes, I might sell one, if the price and time are right.

Ardbeg has been releasing many special bottles over the last year. They have released the Blasda, an almost unpeated variety of their product; the last version of 'the beast', an 18 year old Ardbeg, which is very good; a new Uigedail, a cask strength variety of their regular 10 year old; the Renaissance, the first ten year old whisky since they reopened in 1997; the new Mór, a 4,5 litre bottle of the Ardbeg 10. It is hard to keep up, since they usually sell out quick, because of the high value for collectors. Many bottles of Ardbeg are never opened, which is a shame.

Sample tasting

Last week I told you about our trip to Zeist, to buy some whisky samples of Michiel Wigman. Yesterday we had the first sitting in drinking them. There are fifteen samples, so we don't want to do that in one night, especially not on a week night.

Yesterday's lineup:

• Hazelburn 8, 46%
• G&M Millburn 34, 1972, 46%
• Peerless Bunnahabhain 38, 40.8%
• Signatory Longrow 8, 43%
• Kingsbury Springbank 14 (Japanese edition), 46%
• G&M Ardbeg 22, 40%
• Prestonfield Clynelish 33, 1973, 54.6%

We tasted the Hazelburn a few years ago, when we thought that the only good whisky was a peated whisky. I bought the sample to taste it again, and reevaluate it. It is quite nice. I would not too quickly buy a bottle of it, unless I come across an incredible deal.

I expected a bit more of the Millburn. It was still a nice enough whisky, but not as good as I expected. Apparently the Blackadder is a true gem.

The Bunna was a bit too sweet. A very nice whisky, but it lacked some bite. The Longrow tasted more like Laphroaig. More salty and more peaty than any Longrow I had tasted thusfar.

The Springbank! Damn that Springbank. Incredible whisky. A sweet note from the sherry butt, a little bit sour as well. All in the right proportions, I love this stuff.

The Ardbeg was our first time to sit down and savour an old Ardbeg. Everybody always talks about old Ardbeg as being incredible. This one tasted not too great. More like a chemical flowery smell and taste than I expected. A bit of a disappointment.

Clynelish. Some clynelish are great, some are okay, and some are just not so good. This one is beyond all that. One of the best whiskies I have ever tasted. Enough bite to chew of your arm, but nicely sweet and fruity. I really really love this stuff. If I ever come across an affordable bottle, it MUST be mine!

Drinking whisky in Zeist

On Monday Thomas and I went to Michiel Wigman in Zeist. Michiel is one of the main men in the Dutch Whisky Connection. I blogged about them earlier here.

A few weeks ago they sent me (and many others) a list with whisky samples they were selling, so we just had to order several. 15 to be precise. We went to pick them up, to save a bit of cash and risk on postage and handling. Also, we just liked to see his collection.

That was one impressive bit. I tried to take a few pictures with my phone, but even though I have a 5 megapixel camera on my phone, the photos are utter crap. Too bad.

We sat around for about two hours, and had some nice whiskies:

• A very old Glenfarclas 15
• Speymalt Macallan 9 years old
• Berry's Own Glen Grant 30
• Springbank 50 (!!!!!)
• Prestonfield Springbank 20
• Signatory Glenglassaugh 38

Of course we had very small sips, since we had to drive back to Den Bosch, and although that was quite doable, I doubt the results of a breath test would have agreed with that...

The Springbank 50 is one the most expensive whiskies that I have ever tasted, but as its reputation is, it didn't live up to its price. It barely tasted like whisky, did not have the Springbank tell-tale taste. It did not directly taste bad, but still...

Highlights of the evening: Just getting to chat with Michiel was very nice. Inspecting the at-home bit of his collection was nice. Drinking some cool whiskies rocks. A very good night. Time well spent.

Top whiskies: Prestonfield Springbank 20, Glenglassaugh 38.

Ardbeg Supernova

Last Tuesday the Ardbeg Supernova whisky was released. It is another 'special release' by the Islay staple whisky. The follow in the current trend to release incredibly peated whiskies, just as last month's Bruichladdich Octomore.

The heavily peated whiskies contain usually about three times the amount of Phenol, compared to regular Ardbeg whiskies. Phenol is the chemical that gives the smoky taste and smell. Bottled around 100 parts per million, that is quite astonishing.

To prove the popularity of these whiskies, they bottled 5000 bottles that were sold out in one day. Compared to the last "web shop only" bottles, that is incredibly quick, since the last one only consisted of 2500 bottles and it took several weeks to sell that one out.

I have two of them! I couldn't order more, but at least I have one to taste and one to keep. Maybe I will sell it in a few years, or just keep it in my collection to drink in a few decades :-)

Postage and handling costs were pretty steep for just two bottles, but I prefer 10 pounds more and have my parcel insured. It just might happen that I will receive a really nice smelling wet cardboard box with shards of glass, in which the insurance comes in handy...

Now, I just have to hope that it is as good as the other Ardbegs I have tasted...

Bottoms up!

Sunday was the annual Whiskykoning's Bottoms Up tasting. Some 15 people, 100 bottles of whisky, and a few glasses each. Last year we tasted about 32 different whiskies, of which we liked some, some were great, and some others were absolute crap (Old Crow Bourbon).

This year, my own approach was a bit different, since I didn't want to go home completely hammered. The bottles I chose were not as random, and the glasses I poured were containing less whisky.

I think, after the tasting I had sampled some 25 whiskies, of which I probably threw 10 away.

My personal highlight of the day was a 1989 Clynelish, from the James MacArthur's Old Masters series. Really full tast, and mouth coating. There were some nice Islay whiskies on the table, but we didn't taste too many of those.

A 1965 Macallan was very good, as was a 21 year old Glen Spey. Someone gave me a 21 Edradour, which was really really awful. It smelled not too good, but the taste resembled crusty washing detergent.

Of the few mystery bottles on the table, we did just miss the Springbank 21. Fortunately, Rob gave us a glass of it after the tasting. Thomas was very happy about it, and started worshipping the good man.

Looking at houses

Last Friday we went to Wormerveer to visit a first possible new house. We found it on Funda and we liked the style of the house right away. 1930's style, a bay window, en suite doors in the living room, 2 doors to the garden from the living room.

The lower floor of the house was a bit small, but the upper floors were pretty good. Nice sized bedrooms, and another proper room in the attic, instead of only storage space.

The only real drawback of the place was that we would have to rebuild the entire kitchen to get it functioning. And not only the kitchen, but that entire part of the house, including enlarging the kitchen area, moving to toilet to another place in the building, redoing the roof, and so on.

The price of the house was a bit on the high side, when you still have to invest some 50 grand into it.

We have more or less decided that we do not like to have a house that needs a lot of work, since we are not really D-I-Y people.

After the house-visit we went to have dinner with Anneke's sister and husband. They are inviting relatives and friends for home dinners since a few weeks, and Friday was our turn. We had a great meal and a lot of fun.

On Saturday we planned to go home quite early and visit a couple of liquor shops in the area around Krommenie, to see if they have 'old stock' in which I can find a good deal, or some other good special offers.

I didn't find any special offers or anything, but I did find one bottle of the increasingly expensive and hard to find Highland Park 5820, and last year's 'Friends of the Classic Malts' Talisker bottle. Good stuff, and very worthwile to walk into random liquor shops and not just the specialist retailers.

Whisky Tasting at home

Last Friday I organized a small whisky tasting at home. The theme (I like doing themes instead of some random whiskies) was 'Sherried whiskies'. This means that all seven whiskies have matured in a sherry cask, or had a small period in such cask after maturation in a regular cask.

The line-up was:

1. PX Sherry (no whisky)
2. Macallan 12 Elegancia
3. Clynelish DE
4. Glengoyne 21
5. Lagavulin DE
6. Highland Park 11 G&M 5832
7. Highland Park 11 G&M 5820
8. Macallan 10 Cask Strength

Most of the whiskies were highly appreciated, with people being most enthousiastic about the Lagavulin, Highland Park 5820 and the last Macallan.

My personal favorite of the evening is the HP 5820. Too bad it is nowhere to be found for the original price. It was released last summer and is already 30 euros more expensive as it was.

The next whisky tasting will most likely be held in February. I am still thinking about the theme for that one, but it is most likely going to be a 'horizontal 12yo tasting'. Meaning that all whiskies are going to be of different distilleries, and all are going to be 12 years old.

Christmas tasting

Yesterday the Whisky Koning organized a christmas tasting for several of his customers. The whiskies for the tasting were six that had been preselected from all whiskies that were released since the last christmas tasting.

I have not been to the pre-tastings, so what all made his personal selection for those events I do not know, but yesterday's line-up was the following:

• Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
• Glengoyne 21
• Glen Elgin 16 Cask Strength
• Linkwood Rum Wood 26 1981
• Talisker 25 (2008 edition)
• Lagavulin 15 (Feis Isle 2008)

We could not unanimously say which of these whiskies was the best release of 2008, but after a democratic vote I think the Linkwood was chosen. Beautiful year, 1981 :)

During the tasting he had some small bites to eat with the whiskies, ranging from deer paté, chopped salmon with herbes, and more great combinations with the whisky.

I hung around for a bit because I still had to pay for the tasting, and I just happened to be last in line. When I was up to pull out my wallet he told me to wait a bit and poured me the fabeled Springbank 21. He has been raving about it ever since I met the guy and never gave me a sample until yesteraday. I love it!

I think it is one of the best whiskies I have ever tasted. Even after 4 cask strength whiskies, of which two were pretty peated, the 46% of the springbank and its flavor simply overruled them.

A great evening all in all, and I brought home some kick ass bottles, again. a Highland Park 'cask 974' for my own collection and the Clynelish Distillers' Edition (also for myself) mostly for a 'sherry cask' tasting I am organizing in January.

Stocknews in Drunen

Yesterday we had ourselves a little stocknews tasting at Thomas' place in Drunen. We had the idea to taste a few whiskies and then be off, since we had to catch the last bus at 11. We made the bus, that was at least something, but we did so after 10 big-ass whiskies.

The line-up:

• Longrow 10, 1996, 46%
• Longrow 14, 46%
• Caol Ila 22, Hart Brothers, 1975, 43%
• Port Ellen 26, Blackadder Raw Cask, 1979, 56,9%
• Rosebank 20, 1981, Rare Malts, 62,3%
• Glenrothes 8, Adelphi, 58%
• Teaninich 27, 1972, Rare Malt, 64,2%
• Port Charlotte PC7, 2001, 60%
• Ardbeg 15, 1992, Scott's Selection, 51,6%
• Port Ellen, 1982, Berry's Own Selection, 56,1%

So, that was a damn good night, and one that is up for a rerun early in 2009. I have a few new bottles that are waiting to be opened as well!

Whisky Live Leiden

As last year, we went to the biggest whisky festival in the country. The difference with last year is that we know a lot more (about) whiskies, which made the expectations somewhat different.

Where we went last year to taste new stuff, and whiskies we had never had before, but mostly standard editions, now we went for the specials and the rare whiskies that are not available anymore through regular channels.

This also means that we have to spend a lot more 'drams' at the festival. Drams are the currency of the whisky festival, you get one for one euro which makes it very pointless in my opinion, but the festival's organization can charge an exchange rate to the clubs and importers that want to rent a stand.

In the end we end up tasting twenty-something whiskies, with the highlights listed here:

• Blackadder Millburn 33 (the one I bought last week)
• Adelphi Breath of the Isles
• Longrow 18
• Jura 5 cask 92 (heavily peated)

There were some other highlights, but these are the ones that are at least semi-affordable. The Jura was a big surprise, since I am not overly fond of that brand, usually. This one, however, was so heavily peated that it was quite a vicious surprise, more of a gimmick really, but a good one at that.

Other highlights that will never be in my collection:

• Lagavulin 13, Feis Isle
• Glen Grant, Animals
• Brora 25 (quite nice, but not nearly as good as the 30)

As in Vlissingen in September, we spent quite some time at the Dutch Whisky Connection's stand, since they again had some incredible whiskies on display and Michiel Wigman is really nice to discuss whiskies with. Again, thanks man!

Whisky, whisky and more whisky

On Tuesday, the Bottoms Up tasting was a huge success. We had a great time till 3 in the morning, which was a bit too late...

In the end 11 of the 17 bottles on the table were emptied, which means that the name of the tasting was quite appropriate. Still there are some left that will probably find its way into all kinds of meals and sauces ;-)

With the bit of money I got for the tasting, I went to Sint Oedenrode yesterday, to The Old Pipe. They had a whisky in stock that I ordered, quite a rare one. A 33 year old Millburn bottled by Blackadder. I had tasted it once at the Whiskykoning, but for some reason he could not get it for me. It seemed to be out of stock at a lot of places.

All in all, such a bottle of scotch is very much worth it to sacrifice some others for. I still have it unopened, together with some 6 or 7 others. They probably will be for a while, since I still have too many other bottles that need some drinking. I have been 'collecting' a bit too quickly to keep up.

Bottoms up

No, this is not some raunchy porn title, but tonight's whisky tasting at home.

The goal of the evening is to finish some long open bottles with a couple of friends. I have selected some 15 bottles that I have had since I started appreciating whisky and some that I am not overly fond of that I bought later.

I think I have a nice setup for tonight, with whiskies from almost every corner of Scotland. Only the Lowlands are a bit under represented, with only a small remainder of Auchentoshan 10.

There is also a Japanese and Irish whisky, and one blended and one Pure Malt. The rest is Single Malt, from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay. Peated and Unpeated, so there should be something here for everyone.

Taste of Islay

Yesterday was the first of three annual 'Winter Whisky Tastings' at the Whiskykoning in Den Bosch. The tasting almost always consists of only hard-to-get Islay whiskies so it sells out about ten months ahead.

Yesterday's line-up was the following:

• Jura Earth
• Laphroaig Cairdeas
  
• Bowmore 8 Feis Isle
  
• Caol Ila 15
  
• Port Charlotte PC6
  
• Bruichladdich Redder Still

Apart from the Caol Ila 15, none of the above was for sale, which was a pity, especially for the Laphroaig Cairdeas which was my favorite of the evening. It smelled like a nice version of wet cardboard, with some sand and lots of pepper. The taste a bit earthy and after about half an hour in the glass the taste got a lot sweeter and it reminded me of Licorice Chalk (some Dutch candy).

The Bowmore is just the newest addition to a long line of Bowmore that just didn't do it. It was way too orangy and in the end it reminder many people of the orange flavored painkillers and powdered orange juice. Not nice.

The Caol Ila was my second favorite, but that place has to be shared with the Redder Still. I did not taste the Caol Ila 15, because we tasted it two weeks ago and we got the 12 year old Blackadder variety. Really peppery, but very very nice. That one will find it's way to my whisky cabinet within a few months.

The Redder Still was very good. I think I like it better than last year's Blacker Still. Just too bad that prices start around some 160 euros. And with many pre-ordered whiskies coming arriving next week, that's just impossible.

Malt Fascination Logo

As of today we also have a proper logo to use in communications for Malt Fascination. Also, we are in Google, which is nice, although there are still a lot of little things to fix to optimize the site for Search Engines.

It is still a work in progress, but that should not deter you from booking us!