2009

New U.S. Releases – November ’09

/ / Scottish Whisky

After being inundated with new releases the last few month, especially in the bourbon category, November was pretty sad. Really the only news I have was the announcement that Glen Grant will be shipping to the U.S. beginning in January 2010. I don’t have the details on which bottlings or suggested prices but the current range consists of a single malt with no age statement, a 10 year old, and a 15 year old so hopefully we will see all of those in the new year. What I’ve heard so far is that initially they will be focusing on New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, and California.

If anyone has heard about anything that I may have missed then let me know.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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A Thanksgiving Tip and Find

/ / Bourbon, Matt's Blog

It’s Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. and I’m spending it with the In-Laws.  I’ll make this short since I should be in the kitchen.  My wife is feeling adventurous and  is making a pumpkin pie and bourbon pecan pie completely from scratch.  She is using a Paula Dean recipe.  A word of warning though.  The recipe on the site says “2 tablespoons good quality bourbon.”  In the cook book, one of the tablespoons is for the cook.  If you use both in the pie, it will not set properly and you will have a runny pie on your hands.  Becky is using Basil Hayden’s for the pie this year (based on Richard’s suggestion).  We’ve used Buffalo Trace and Four Roses Single Barrel at various times.  We’ll see if it makes a difference.

While rummaging through my In-Laws liquor cabinet, I found a strange little bottle of bourbon.  It’s labeled “Walker’s DeLuxe Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Aged 8 Years”.  The strangest part of the label though is where it is distilled:  Peoria, Illinois.  I found a somewhat useful thread on straightbourbon.com.  It seems that the Peoria distillery closed in 1979.  The whiskey is still pretty good.  It’s a little sweet and some of the alcohol has evaporated, but it is very drinkable.  All around, a nice find.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving everyone.

-Matt

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‘Green’ Distilling Under Fire In Scotland

/ / Matt's Blog, Scottish Whisky

Whisky Magazine just released an article discussing a conundrum within Scottish whisky.  There are new regulations before British Parliament that will change the definition of ‘Scotch malt whisky.’  Part of these regulations, set to go into effect November 23, requires malt whisky to be produced using copper pot stills.  It would seem like a no-brainer.  After all, tradition states that single malts are produced in pot stills and column stills are reserved for ‘lesser’ grain alcohols used in blends.  However, Loch Lomond distillery outside of Glasgow produces whisky using an energy efficient still instead of a traditional pot still.  According to the new regulations, whisky distilled at Loch Lomond will no longer be able to bear the title ‘Scotch malt whisky’.

Presumably, these regulations are to protect consumers and distillers alike from dubious producers (at home and abroad) using inferior products to undermine the Scottish whisky industry.  Loch Lomond produces a whisky much loved by Jim Murray. So, one can assume that the energy efficient still produces quality whisky. Murray even implies that the whisky has improved in quality since upgrading the still around two years ago.  Should one of the most energy efficient distilleries in Scotland be marginalized for environmental concern?  Is tradition and protectionism more important than carbon footprint regardless of product quality?  Furthermore, would allowing Loch Lomond to continue using the ‘Scotch malt whisky’ label open the floodgates allowing all sorts of still configurations?

These are all tough questions.  Quality does not seem to be the issue for Loch Lomond.  So, in this case, it seems like harnessing the industry with the yoke of tradition.  Quite a heavy yoke at that.  But, can we apply regulations by situation.  That seems rather random and unfair.  In my experience, I have preferred pot stilled whiskies and whiskeys around 70% of the time (the major exceptions being mainly American whiskeys).  That leads me to side with the ‘tradition’ side, but the crunchy hippy in me is livid that anyone should be punished for trying to green-up their production process.  Ultimately, I’m all for quality control.  However, I’m not sure this is the way to go.  Anybody else have thoughts on this?

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Tuthilltown Spirits New York Whiskey

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Tuthilltown Spirits New York Whiskey
Batch #3, 2009
46% ABV, 92 Proof
About $45, Limited Availability

What The Distillery Says (from notes taken at the distillery tour):
New York Whiskey is Tuthilltown’s experimental line, a series of one-offs used to let the distillers flex their creative muscles.  It all started with a blend of leftovers from the weeks distilling.  Matt loved that one.  It was complex and weird (in a good way).  Batch #3 is 100% wheat.

What Richard Says:
Nose: A sweetness that brings to mind a dram that’s now forgotten. It seems like a mixture of rum and Canadian whisky.  Water dampens the rum notes and pulls forward the oak.
Palate: A very medicinal flavor.  Sinus clearing bite with little of the sweetness promised on the nose.  Water opens it up but it is still not the most outgoing whiskey.
Finish: It finishes spicy and then retreats to something reminiscent of cough syrup.  Odd but not altogether unpleasant.
Comments: It became more evident to me as I try more whiskey matured over a shorter time span through the use of smaller casks that this imparts a medicinal note on the whiskeys.  I get this from Laphroaig Quarter Cask too.  I’m all for innovation but I haven’t seen proof yet that this is a corner worth cutting.  Overall, this is an interesting whiskey.  It’s not for me but I don’t want t dissuade others from trying it.  Innovation has a tendency to be polarizing when it comes to whiskey.  If you’re in the area then give it a go and decide for yourself.
Rating: Average

What Matt Says:
Nose: Karo syrup, pecans, heavily citrus, honeysuckle and a big plug of charred oak.
Palate: Oak, sweet potato, brown sugar and sweet cream butter.
Finish: Dark fruits, light spice, sweet cherries and menthol.  Like a very sweet cough drop or the cherry lollipops my pediatrician gave out when I got a vaccination or had blood drawn (did this happen to anyone else?).
Comments: My experience with this whiskey was very different from Richard’s.  I really enjoyed it at the distillery and didn’t get the menthol/medicinal note.  Maybe it’s the power of suggestion, but I get it every time now.  I still enjoy this whiskey though.  It feels like Fall.  My official rating is “average”, but I really think it’s somewhere between “average” and “stands out”.
Rating:  Average

Overall Rating:  Average.  An interesting dram worth trying.

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