March 6th, 2010
Mark Brown, President and CEO of Buffalo Trace Distillery, is such a tease.
Here is the landing page of a website that will expand into revealing a project that Mark is hopeful “will be the largest experimental project of its kind ever undertaken.”
That’s saying a lot. But, if anyone call pull it off, Buffalo Trace can. Stay tuned!
March 5th, 2010
I first mentioned this new release here back on February 5th, and if you follow the thread you can read about all the details. Basically it’s a marriage of ten different casks from ten different years (1997-2006).
I tasted the whisky first on Super Bowl Sunday, and offered my preliminary thoughts here (@12). My opinion has not changed. My formal review follows.
89 Ardbeg “Rollercoaster,” 57.3%, $ 85.00
Deep gold color. Very bold aroma of toffee, dark chocolate, diesel fuel-soaked soil, smoldering campfire, coal tar, clove, leather, fig, and dark berried fruit. More of the same on the palate, with seaweed, smoked haddock and cough drops emerging towards the finish. This whisky is very dynamic and exciting to drink. My only criticism: it comes across a little green on the finish, which keeps me from scoring it in the 90s. Still, it’s pretty impressive considering how young some of the whiskies are. And if you like your Islay whiskies young and brooding, then this one’s for you.
March 4th, 2010
Diageo has released Round 2 of the now famous (infamous?) “The Manager’s Choice” single cask whiskies. I first wrote about Round 2 in detail here back in January. Have a look. Diageo was kind enough to send me review samples last week, which you see pictured.
If you recall, when I first announced The Manager’s Choice here last year in September, it created quite a commotion. My blog posting alone received 178 comments, most of them negative.
I did eventually review these whiskies here last October.
So, my question for you is: do you want me to formally review these whiskies, or would you prefer I devote my efforts to reviewing whiskies with greater distribution?
You have been very vocal about my reviewing whiskies you can’t afford or don’t have access to. These whiskies will not be sold in the U.S. and are somewhat expensive for their age. (Although “expensive” these days is a moving target.)
I don’t have enough time to review all the review samples I receive, so there is a definite trade-off here. Either way, I will still taste these whiskies informally and keep them on hand for my own knowledge and future reference. Besides, I am curious. But, since I feel my primary purpose here is to post up information that you want (rather than flexing my ego muscle), I’ll let you decide.
Do you want me to review these whiskies? Yes or no?
I will take votes until the end of the weekend, tally them up, and let you know on Monday morning.
March 3rd, 2010
Here are the four relatively new GlenDronach whiskies. The 15 year old is the one to get, followed by the single cask 19 year old (U.S. only). If you like sherried whiskies, then you will want to check these out.
GlenDronach, 1989 vintage, 19 year old, 58.7%, $135
The first single cask release of GlenDronach for the U.S. by the new owners, and a nice one at that. Silky in texture, polished, and clean on the palate, with light toffee, treacle, cherry bonbon, orange-soaked date nut cake, and chocolate-covered raisin. Never cloying, like some heavily sherried whiskies can be. Silky, soothing finish. Surprisingly soft and youthful for its age. (A Park Avenue Liquor exclusive.)
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 88
GlenDronach, 12 year old, 46%, $59
Nicely sherried. Rich, with maple syrup, honey drenched citrus, sultana, and a good dried oak spice finish for balance. Well done for a 12 year old, and definite competition for Macallan of the same age.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 86
GlenDronach, 15 year old, 46%, $95
Deeper, richer, more viscous, and more intriguing than 12 year old (and not as sappy as the 18 year old). Complex and intriguing, with raisin, orange marmalade, grape skin, sugar plum, cinnamon bun, raspberry preserve, mixed nuts, and coal ash. Nice tannic grip on finish. The best of the bunch, and very impressive!
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 93
GlenDronach, 18 year old, 46%, $136
There’s plenty going on here, but it’s not as vibrant as the other GlenDronachs. Lots of sherry influence, viscous, and a bit sappy, with Curacao liqueur, honey drenched fruit, raspberry tart, black cherry, and ripe malt, leading to a grape stem finish. An enjoyable whisky, but my least favorite of the bunch.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 84
March 2nd, 2010
How many of you have ever gotten “the look” from your spouse or significant other because of the amount of whiskies you purchased? And for those of you who have gotten the look, when was it and how many bottles did you have?
I have to go back a couple of decades, but I think it was around 1993 for me. And about 30 bottles. Little did my wife know at the time…
March 2nd, 2010
For those of you who still aren’t subscribers to Malt Advocate magazine (hint!), I thought I would post my editorial from the new issue that just mailed. Why? Because the topic is about you!
Have a look:
Are you addicted to whisky?
Okay, maybe “addicted” might be too strong. But I don’t think “obsession” is.
Over the holidays, I asked my blog readers on www.whatdoesjohnknow.com what their New Year’s resolutions were. Here are a few of many; note that they share a common theme:
“My resolution is to regain my sanity and not spend so much on whisky…”
“Measure my drams more carefully to control portion size.”
“I spent too much on whisky this year. So much so, that my wife gave me some sideways glances. Not good.”
“My resolution will be to stop buying impulsively.”
“More willpower and less buying”
Control portion size? Regain your sanity? More willpower? Your wife is giving you sideways glances? What’s going on here? (And why do I feel like those exact words came out of my mouth somewhere along the way?)
Here’s what I think this all boils down to. I think it’s a huge compliment to whisky. Whisky (and whiskey) is the finest, most complex, most individualistic, most diverse spirit in the world. Once someone truly discovers it, it’s hard to resist its magical allure.
If anyone understands, I do. One day, many years ago, a good friend turned me on to scotch, with help from a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label. The next day I read an article in Business Week magazine about single malt scotch. I immediately went to my local retailer and bought every bottle they had. All three of them.
For years to follow, I wanted to try every whisky I could get my hands on. My life revolved around trips to Scotland, whisky bars, whisky retailers…and reading everything about whisky I could.
Just look at me now: obsession to the max! I publish a whisky magazine, host whisky festivals, conduct whisky tastings and consult to the whisky industry. I am embarrassed to say how many bottles of whisky I have. (Let’s just say it takes up an entire room in my house. A large room.)
Addiction? No. Obsession? Definitely. Worth it? Absolutely!
Hey, did you hear about the new Ardbeg whisky coming out? I hear that the peat smoke levels are through the roof! I have to get me a bottle of that…
See, when you comment on WDJK, you never know where your quotes will show up. Thank you for the inspiration!
March 1st, 2010
On Friday, I received a review bottle of the new Old Crow “Reserve” with a press release that states it is intended to compete with Evan Williams. So, I procured a bottle of Evan Williams (on sale for $8.99 right now here in Pennsylvania) and compared the two.
You wanted me to review value whiskeys. I’m delivering.
Old Crow Reserve, 4 year old, 43%, $12
A new “upgrade” from the standard Old Crow, which is only three years old. Soft aroma of sweet corn, candy corn, vanilla and light caramel. Similar follow through on the palate—predominently sweet, with more corn, vanilla, and light caramel. It finishes sweet (too sweet, actually), a bit grainy, and slightly hot.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 75
If this brand is meant to compete with Evan Williams, then this four year old should be the standard “Old Crow” and the Reserve expression should be more like five or six years old, because the standard Evan Williams bottling (with no age statement) reviewed below is clearly superior to Old Crow Reserve. Old Crow Reserve is too sweet and lacks oak notes for balance and complexity. It’s acceptable enough as a mixing bourbon or perhaps on the rocks, but I wouldn’t drink this neat or with water.
——————–
And now, the Evan Williams Review:
Evan Williams, 43%, $12
Nice balance of honeyed vanilla, caramel, soft oak and a hint of summer fruits and creamy coconut on both the nose and palate. Soft, lightly dried spice notes emerge on a pleasant, albiet brief, finish. Economically priced to use as a mixer or on the rocks, but also high enough quality to enjoy neat or with a splash of water. A highly versatile bourbon.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 81
Bottom line here: If you’re looking for a versatile, inexpensive bourbon to have on hand, Evan Williams is a good choice.
P.S. I shared these two bourbons with a few very experienced bourbon drinkers over the weekend (some of them WDJK readers), and our feelings were unanimous.
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