November 2011

Old Scout Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Old Scout Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Batch 1
49.5% ABV/99 Proof
$32 to $35
Website

What this Distillery Says:
Check out the information provided over here.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Water opens the nose up to orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla, and a little honey.
Palate: You can definitely taste the spicy high rye content in the mashbill. It starts off mildly sweet and kicks in with a woody rye wallop. Water tames it down a little giving me crisp apples and vanilla.
Finish: Straight out of the bottle it’s all fiery rye and oak barrel. With a little water you still get the spicy rye but it’s more tame and leaves you with a mildly sweet, peppery, and dry finish.
Comments: Drinking strength is a personal thing. When I review whiskeys I do them straight out of the bottle and with varying degrees of water. It allows me to pick up different things that may be hidden by the alcohol. When I’m just enjoying a drink I typically have an ideal alcohol level for regular enjoyment. For Irish whiskey it’s about 43%. For Scotch it’s between 43% and 46%. For Bourbon or Rye it’s usually around 50% ABV. Old Scout seems to be an exception to the rule. This one can be a little overwhelming right out of the bottle. With a little water this is a nice, enjoyable dram that is better than a lot of other things you’ll find on the shelves in the $30 to $35 range. Of course, how you water (or don’t water) your bourbon is completely up to you. I think I’d like to see this same bourbon at 8 years rather than the 5-6 years it’s bottled at now. I think it might help tame it just a little more. Even still, it’s a stand out whiskey.
Rating: Stands Out

I would like to thank John Little at Smooth Ambler for providing me a bottle to review.

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Old Pulteney 21 Year

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 21 Years
46% ABV/92 Proof
$110 to $130
Website

What the Distillery Says:
As with the 17-year-old, with this expression we marry together Old Pulteney matured in ex-bourbon wood with spirit from ex-sherry wood casks. The crucial difference, however, is that the ex-sherry wood in this case is made from American Oak (mostly Fino sherries). This adds yet another layer of complexity, depth and character to this truly superb malt whisky.

Colour: Golden amber with straw highlights.

Nose: Full bodied with traces of fruits (apples and pears); slightly fragrant with spicy overtones.

Palate: Sweet to start with a light fruitiness; hints of honey and vanilla followed by a dry finish.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Smoked oysters, granny smith apples, bailed hay.
Palate: Very dry with notes of oranges and grains.
Finish: Pleasantly smoky with a hint brine laying over a base of polished wood. Long after the glass is empty there’s a aftertaste that reminds me of sashimi, iceberg lettuce, and smoked salmon.
Comments: I’ve never made Old Pulteney a consistent personal dram. I’ve had various expressions over the years and some I liked, others not. Of all the ones I’ve had this expression is my least favorite. I’m a little sorry I started Old Pulteney reviews with this one but it was the sample I was sent. In the $100 plus range of scotch there are a lot of great drams. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of them.
Rating: Average

I would like to thank Lucas with Alembic Communications Ltd for providing a sample for review.

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Germain-Robin Brandy

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Germain-Robin Fine Alambic Brandy Lot 25
40% ABV/80 Proof
$40 to $50
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Hand-distilled on an antique cognac still by Hubert Germain-Robin, master cognac distiller, in Mendocino County, California.

Wonderful Californian fruit overtones, with appealing floral aromas and a sensuous viscosity in the mouth. Much better than VSOP cognacs.

What Richard Says:
Nose: This one is fruitier and a little less floral that typical cognac. Fall leaves, fresh cut grass, lemons, and fresh grated ginger stand out. It’s also a little more alcoholic on the nose than you would expect at 80 proof.
Palate: Light, delicate, grassy, not overly sweet. It’s very refreshing. No a typical cognac-type palate.
Finish: The finish is a little musty, not too woody, dry, and rather clean. There are are more hints of cognac-type flavors on the finish than either the nose or palate.
Comments: I had a little fun with Matt a few years back. We were exchanging whiskey samples and one of the samples I gave him had no label. I told him just to try it and tell me what he thought. I got a lot of guesses for various whiskeys but the end result was that he really liked the sample and wanted to know what I’d given him. Well, it was a generous sample from my first bottle of Germain-Robin. It’s been around for over 20 years but I only discovered it about five years ago. I’ve bought several bottles since then. I was, and still am blown away by the quality of this American brandy. The makers have a great story and a really great product. I really think this is a stand out product for cognac, brandy, and whiskey fans alike.
Rating: Stands Out

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Duty Free & Travel Retail Shopping

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys, Richard's Blog, Scottish Whisky

NOTE:  Richard posted this originally in Nov 2011; as prices and even what is/isn’t available has changed – Gary updated in Jan 2019.

The holidays are once again right around the corner. For most people in the U.S. this means two things…gift giving and travel. So with that in mind I thought I would pontificate on the intersection where those two things meet whiskey. Duty Free/Travel Retail shopping immediately come to mind.

I’m sure that most of you who have done any type of international travel have seen whiskey for sale somewhere. It might be a small duty free liquor section in the gift shop of your cruise ship or a massive store in Heathrow. If you’ve flown out of Cancun then you can’t actually get to your gate without going through the duty free store. The selections may be big or small but how do you know what to buy?

Before we start I want to dispel the myth that if you get it in a travel shop then it must be a good deal. What once was referred to as “Duty Free” shopping has now morphed into “Travel Retail” shopping. That means that depending on where you are, where you’re going, and what you’re buying the items may not be duty or tax free at all. If you see something that you buy all the time at home then you probably have a good point of reference for the relative value of the purchase. However, if you’re picking up a gift either as planned or on impulse you might be surprised to know that the price of the bottle you are looking at may not be that great. In some instances it might even be more expensive. In this age or smartphones and instance wireless internet connectivity I recommend doing a little homework before pulling the trigger.

If it’s whiskey you are after, look to old favorites, exclusive items, or high-end blends. You need to pay attention to pricing though (and if you’re not sure, that’s what smartphones are for). Some travel retail locations (such as near where the cruise ships dock in Grand Cayman) have historically charged more for some standards than you would pay at home.

Next, I would recommend looking at travel retail exclusive bottlings for something interesting. More often than not you will find Scotch in your search for travel retail exclusives. There are also items that started out as travel retail exclusives, can be found elsewhere in the world, but still may not be available in the United States (so despite not being a pure ‘travel retail exclusive’, if it is up your alley – likely will be cheaper to buy there than say in London).  Also, many (not all) now have web-sites where you can check before your trip.  They may still have items in-store that aren’t on their site, or just the opposite (on the site but not in-stock).  But I always recommend a little web-shopping in advance.

Here’s a brief list of some to keep an eye out for:

Laphroaig fans can look for:
Laphroaig PX Cask
Laphroaig Brodir
Laphroaig The 1815 Edition

Johnnie Walker fans can look for whole bottles from their Explorer’s Club Collection, or they have a sample pack with three 200 mL bottles of Gold Route, Royal Route, and Spice Road.

On the American whiskey front, the selection isn’t as broad, although we do really like the Jack Daniel’s Silver Select if you can find it!

A final thought might be a good Scotch blend. Blends have been getting beat up a good bit in the past decade with the growth of single malts. I can’t seem to throw a cork without hitting a single malt snob these days. The truth is blends are good. Some can be very good. They also seem to have a higher tax/duty mark up and therefore offer great buys in a duty free shop. I’ve regularly found Dewar’s Signature and Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year Old for half of retail price. You might only save 10% or 20% on the bottle of single malt sitting next to it. With deals like that maybe it’s time to see how good blends can be. Personally, I always have a good blend at home and if it’s more than $100 you can bet I got it duty free.

I hope some of this might help you in the near future while waiting for your next flight. I want to be clear that this is purely from personal experience. I have no data from expansive international pricing surveys but I travel regularly and I’m always looking for something interesting. Hopefully, on your next layover or trip to visit the family you can find something interesting too.

Oh by the way, most of the shops gift wrap too. 😉

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Pierre Ferrand Reserve

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Pierre Ferrand Reserve Grande Champagne Cognac
40% ABV/80 Proof
$65 to $70
Website

What the Distillery Says:
The Reserve has depth and density. The fresh roses have transitioned to dried roses, and the bright citrus has softened and mellowed into something richer and more diffuse. A distinct note of honey pervades the nose, and the texture is dense, soft, and silky.

All Ferrand cognacs are derived from vineyards in the heart of the chalk-rich and mineral-laden soils of the Grande Champagne region.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The nose is very sweet and floral. It’s floral in the same vein as the Ambre. Ferrand says roses, I can’t quite be sure that’s it. I also get a citrus sweetness with cinnamon and cloves. It also kind of reminds me of the smell of brand new dress shoes.
Palate: The flavors are a little more muted and coy than the Ambre and it was already muted. Honey sweetness and lots of orchard fruit present if you roll it around for a while.
Finish: The finish is incredibly sweet. It’s almost like the finish on a liqueur. It’s a little woody but it’s a big improvement over the Ambre.
Comments: I’m really liking the influence of the extra 10 years. The 20 year old Reserve is a more reserved and polish older brother to the 10 year old Ambre. At $65 I also think it’s a pretty good buy. If you’re apt to try brandy then go for this one. However, if you don’t like brandy or cognac in general I don’t think this will change your religion on the subject.
Rating: Must Try

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