August 2012

SMWSA Cask No. 24.122

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, SMWSA Whiskies /

SMWSA Cask No. 24.122
Highlands, Speyside
53.0% ABV
Distilled September 1995
$120
US Allocation: 120 Bottles
Early August 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
The satisfyingly fragrant nose offered dried pear, green apple, fruits in syrup, scented soap, light Pernod, vanilla, caramel and dark chocolate gingers; also hints of smoke (from burning paper). The palate conveyed ample sweetness (amaretti biscuits, honey, bourbon creams) but also some quite ‘grown up’ flavours – cinnamon, clove, star anise, chilli, salt, menthol and gunpowder. The nose was much lighter with water – jasmine, daffodil and floral soap, alongside poached pear, creamy dragon fruit, plantains and tree bark. The reduced palate was sweetly fruity, with pleasant lingering Christmassy spices, carrot cake and Rooibos tea. The distillery lies between Aberlour and Craigellachie.

Drinking tip: A perfectly reasonable alternative to afternoon tea.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Dried fruit, vanilla, fennel seed, cherry, oak, cinnamon, and a mild sulfur note.
Palate: It’s orange zest sweet and light. It kind of reminds me of black tea a bit.
Finish: The finish is mildly woody with helpings of dried straw.
Comments: A very nice and pleasant dram but nothing I would call extraordinary. It’s a fine dram to share in mixed whisky company as it won’t offend anyone but they aren’t going to be dying to know what it is either.
Rating: Average

Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.

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SMWSA Cask No. 3.182

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, SMWSA Whiskies /

SMWSA Cask No. 3.182
Islay, Loch Indaal
46.4% ABV
Distilled August 1990
$145
US Allocation: 60 Bottles
Early August 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
We found quite a bit of fruit on the nose – tinned pears, passion fruit and ‘someone peeling tangerines in the a recently painted hospital’ – in addition we enjoyed lavender, orange blossoms, patchouli, burnt paper, smoky bacon and well-kept stables – quite complex all in all. The palate had Elastoplasts and gauze bandages, star anise, walnut fudge, honeysuckle, nutty tobacco and baklava. Water brought freesias and parma violets, creosote and peat fires to the nose, while the palate became sweeter, developing slightly burnt treacle tart, sugar cane and dark chocolate coated marzipan with some coconut to finish. The distillery was built in 1779.

Drinking tip: A good barbeque or camp fire dram.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Ooooh creamy smokey yummy. Smoked bacon and ripe orchard fruits. I don’t like what water does to the nose on this one. It makes it a little too vegetal.
Palate: Sweet and spicy at first. Lots of honey. The spice is driving me nuts. I know I’ve had it before. It’s hot and peppery like some kind of southwestern Mex-fusion. Water makes it much more floral and peaty.
Finish: The finish plays out slow to a medium length. That honey sweetness lingers and slowly fades into the ember smoke of a camp fire the morning after.
Comments: After seeing the depth of notes the SMWSA puts out I’m a little intimidated. Well, we’ll see how it goes. 😉 [cough]Bowmore[cough] Honestly, assuming I’m correct about the distillery, this is one of the best glasses of malt from there that I’ve ever had. Very nice. This is a busy whisky with lots going on but you don’t get lost in the mix. It all plays very nicely together. Easily a must try dram.
Rating: Must Try

Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.

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Whisk(e)y Apostle Goings On

/ / Richard's Blog, Scottish Whisky

Some of my content may have seemed a little screwy lately. I started off on run of Irish whiskey reviews and a review of the Old Jameson Distillery coming off of my trip to Ireland. From there I was quiet for a while and then Four Roses, Spicebox, SoCo, and rum reviews popped up. Well, believe it or not I do have a plan in mind respective of when and what I review and what other content gets posted. That grand plan gets a little derailed when I have new product come in. I feel personally obligated to move up reviews of anything I received from producers. They don’t hound me (well some of the PR folks might 🙂 ) but I just feel it’s proper etiquette. That’s what caused the pause in my Ireland segment.

Along those same lines I was invited to be part of a unique program recently and that might delay the rest of my Ireland content just a little longer. Last week I was invited to be a part of the Blogger Sample Program for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America. Was does that mean? Well, plainly put they want me to take a stab at most of the casks they release to their members. For those not familiar with the SMWSA it’s a member’s only organization that sources and privately bottles unique casks at cask strength for their members. For the record I am not a member and I am not pimping for them. Believe it or not I was conflicted about whether or not to accept the offer and if I did what kind of coverage I could provide. Up until now I haven’t reviewed any independent bottlings of single malt scotch. Partially this was because they weren’t as widely available and therefore most of the Whisk(e)y Apostle family might not be able try them. There is also the problem that I lived in Atlanta and now live in Columbia. Georgia and South Carolina aren’t exactly on the short list for most independent bottlers’ distribution. There’s also just so much scotch out there that I haven’t needed to expand into independent bottlings. Really, I’ve still got plenty of the standard line up to review.

So why did I decide to do it? Free whiskey is always hard to turn down. That’s a given. However, it also gives me the opportunity to share part of the wider world of independently bottled scotch with all of you. I’m sure the SMWSA hopes it will drive membership and it probably will. They aren’t known for selecting crap casks. But even with the decision to participate made I was still unsure about what to say. I first considered just reviewing them with tasting notes but giving no rating but that just seemed kind of silly. I want all of you to know what I think about the whiskies and how they stack up to some of the regular stuff you are already drinking. I will however, be tagging the SMWSA reviews as such and giving them their own section in the Review Archive. It would be hard to miss them even if I didn’t. The SMWSA only gives you cask numbers and region of origin by which to distinguish them.

Hopefully, all of you will enjoy the additional content as much as I will. It’s going to keep me on my toes. They release 3 to 5 new whiskies every 3 to 4 weeks. Let’s hope I can keep up! Based on the limited quantities of each cask and frequency of new releases the SMWSA releases will jump ahead of whatever else I’m reviewing unless it is product sent to me by another producer. The first review will post later today and the next three will follow in the next couple of days. I hope you all enjoy!

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Clement Premiere Canne

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Clement Premiere Canne Rhum Agricole
40% ABV/80 Proof
$30
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Produced using selected varieties of sugarcane from Habitation Clément, Première Canne is unique white rum created from fresh pressed sugarcane juice, which spontaneously ferments into an extremely aromatic and flavorful sugarcane wine; and then softly distilled only once to capture the natural aromas and flavors of the tropical appellation of Habitation Clément, following our time-honored tradition passed down from Homère Clément. Première Canne rests for just over nine months in a stainless steel vat and is slowly reduced over time with distilled volcanic spring water, which results in a well-balanced, smooth, super clean, white Rhum Agricole, loaded with character and flavor unlike any other rum in the world.

Volcanic terroir and Clément’s tropical appellation lend Première Canne its exotic bouquet and a sensational palate entry with flavors of cocoa bean, bittersweet chocolate, black tea, and unrefined sugar. The mid-palate brings elements of fresh grass and beans preceding a graceful finish with subtle notes of caramelized sugar.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Raw pre-appellation. It reminds me of a slightly sweet whiskey mash in the washback mixed with a nice merlot red wine. Very funky but not necessarily off putting.
Palate: Very floral and grassy. Very little sweetness for a white rum.
Finish: Dry and vegetal.
Comments: This is my first experience with a rhum agricole, much less one from Martinique. It’s not what I expected at all. It’s like a cross between corn whiskey, white rum, and artisan vodka.
Rating: Stands Out

I would like to thank Shannon Fischer with Handcrafted PR for sending over a bottle for review.

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