August 2016

Edradour 10 Year

Edradour Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey Aged 10 Years
40% ABV
$60
Website
edrob.10yov1
What the Distillery Says:
Despite being so small Edradour produces more whiskies than most other distilleries. Owner since 2002, Master of the Quaich Andrew Symington has expertly used the spirit from our small stills, matured in the highest quality oak wood, to create a stunning and diverse range of single malts.

The ten year old Edradour is handmade and one of the last Single Malt Whiskies from a traditional farm distillery still in production today. The methods of production remain virtually unchanged in the last 150 years and are only just capable of commercial quantities. Indeed Edradour Distillery makes as much whisky in a year as most distilleries produce in a week. A rare pleasure for a fortunate few.

Aged in a combination of Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon casks. Chillfiltered at 40% ABV.

Nose: Hints of dried fruits, Oloroso and almonds
Palate: Spicy Christmas cake, sweet golden syrup with a touch of honeyed almonds. A distinctive, old fashioned, rich mouth feel coming from the small copper farm stills
Finish: Oaky, soft spices, mellow and warming

What Richard Says:
Nose: Dried herbal potpourri, sherry, and a meaty nutty backing.
Palate: The rich sweetness of (good) fruit cake drizzled with a sherry reduction at first that then moves into a bitter almond and malt dryness.
Finish: Dry, nutty, spicy, and woody finish of medium length.
Comments: This is a rich sherry dominated expression that punches well above its weight. As I get older and drink more whiskies I find that what I’m looking for in a good single malt is hard to find in the 10 year age range. There are a few exceptions (Laphroaig Cask Strength 10 Year Old, Talisker 10 Year Old, and Springbank 10 Year Old) and I think is another to add to that list. It drinks well above its age and is a deeply satisfying dram.
Rating: Must Try

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Compass Box The Circus

Compass Box The Circus Blended Scotch Whisky
49% ABV
$250
Website
The Circus
What the Blender Says:
I have a longstanding belief that there is a magic to certain combinations of Scotch whisky. Such blends – like the very best of circuses – have the capacity to take us outside of ourselves for just a moment, to elevate the senses beyond the everyday and – following the sentiment of Charlie Chaplin’s immortal clown – to raise our eyes upwards to consider horizons new.

Such is the case with this whisky, for which we were lucky enough to uncover that rarest of finds – old parcels of Blended Scotch and Blended Grain whisky that had been aged pre-blended in cask for many years. In such parcels, what you get are whisky blends so seamless, so complex that they function for us as single components.

We know little of the component distillery whiskies used in these blends for The Circus, only that they contain both single malt and single grain whiskies and that the ‘marrying casks’ are sherry butts. However, the provenance of the components isn’t important to us now, as what we have are old casks containing whiskies that are extraordinary.

Availability: Limited Edition release of 2,490 bottles worldwide. Bottled March 2016.
Flavour Descriptors: A lithe frame and opulent mouthfeel showcasing the supple softness of mature grain and the complexity of aged Blended Scotch Whisky. Brimming with dried fruit character, a luscious maltiness and
nuances of almond and hazelnut.
Recommendations: Like all the best circuses, this whisky is transient, ephemeral – in town for one night only. We recommend it for celebrations, moments of optimism, one-of-akind events – those fleeting moments all the more precious in the knowledge that they can never be repeated.
Bottling Details: Bottled at 49%, Not chill-filtered, Natural colour

What Richard Says:
Nose: Slightly musty with a nutty, malty, dark fruit nose.
Palate: Sweet stone fruit flavors backed by a nutty backbone. The sherry is definitely there but it doesn’t over power. Instead it wraps up all the components in a delicious embrace.
Finish: It finishes a little dry and woody and you would expect that for scotch of this age.
Comments: Damn delicious for sure. The Circus stands above just about any other blended scotch out there that you can get for $250. If you are fortunate enough to come across one of the less than 2,500 bottles available throughout the world then you should jump on it. It’s not on the level of The General from a couple years ago but it is still exceptionally impressive. Where John Glaser gets his hands on whiskies like this I have no idea. But thankfully he can and he shares those whiskies, and his art, with the world.
Rating: Must Buy

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Jefferson’s Reserve

Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Very Small Batch

45.1% ABV
$55
Website
jefferson_s_reserve_very_old_straight_bourbon_whiskey_1_2
What the Bottler Says:
In 1997, when Jefferson’s was first starting out, we found a 15-year-old bourbon that we immediately knew was rich, complex and needed to be brought to market. It was in 2003 that we decided to bring in other bourbons to marry with the original Jefferson’s Reserve. Similar to Jefferson’s, we still use over 50% of that mash bill and add up to 3 more bourbons to create more flavor and complexities. Jefferson’s Reserve is a big, sophisticated bourbon that has a lot of flavor up front, a lot of weight mid palate and a deep, wonderful finish.

What Gary Says:
Nose: Sweet, cinnamon, vanilla with oak throughout and hints of anise spice and cloves.
Palate: Soft, very nicely balanced between sweet caramel creams, honey, cinnamon spice, and subtle pepper-spice; hints of cereal grains.
Finish: Moderate and pleasant.
Comments: Full disclosure – I’ve not been a big fan of Jefferson’s because of the lack of transparency, and rumors that some whisky bottled may not have been 100% as it was labeled. That said, this is a damn nice bourbon! Incredibly drinkable, and hits all of my bourbon checkboxes:
Sweet, but not “too sweet”
Oaky, but not “too oaky”
Spicy, but not . . . (you get the idea)
This is one of the most well balanced bourbons I’ve tried recently. Sure – I have no idea the age or what it all contains, but at the end of the day – what I’ve found most important is how much do I enjoy what’s in the glass. And I like this one a lot.
Rating: Must Try

What Richard Says:
Nose: Creamy, vanilla, burnt cinnamon sticks, and a little bit of licorice.
Palate: Caramel syrup drizzled over cinnamon Red Hots.
Finish: Peppery pop that fades quickly into a woody soft vanilla close.
Comments: I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t had any of this for many years before this most recent bottle. It’s one of those bourbons that I had so long ago that my memory can’t be trusted for comparison. That aside, this is a very tasty and drinkable bourbon. It is a very solid middle of the road bourbon. My only complaint would be the price. North of $50 I would expect either more to reach out and grab me or a substantial age statement.
Rating: Stands Out

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McConaughey, Wild Turkey, and Finding Whiskey

As many of you may already know, there is much commentary in the whiskey world about the new spokesman and creative director for Wild Turkey. He’s a Texas fella by the name of Matthew McConaughey. Yes, that Matthew McConaughey. Not only will he be the spokesman for Wild Turkey but he is also spearheading the writing and directing of their promotions, commercials, photography, etc. So far all we have seen of this union is a painful snippet in the New York Times which doesn’t portray Mr. McConaughey very well and a six minute video you can view here. Admittedly, that video is probably the single best piece of whiskey advertisement that I’ve ever seen. It kicks the shit out the sad pandering that was the Mila Kunis/Jim Beam spots.

Mr. McConaughey’s poignant piece on Turkey really got me thinking. Which is good and I guess that was kind of the point. It got me thinking about how we find ourselves in this crazy infatuation we call whiskey. Whether your tipple of choice is bourbon, scotch, Irish, Japanese, Canadian, Taiwanese, Indian, Australian, French, Dutch, Swedish, or wherever the hell they are making whiskey now, it still comes down to the liquid in the glass. The poorly exerted conversation with Mr. McConaughey in the Times highlights his fervent belief that to get whiskey in the hands of Millennials we have to stop “selling” to them and tell them an authentic story. Well, I bristle a bit at that.

First, any half-witted twenty something who hasn’t been in a bunker their entire life will be well aware that even McConaughey’s well crafted piece of storytelling is selling them something. That’s the point. You don’t buy this product now. I’m going to do whatever I can to engage you enough to get you to buy it tomorrow. Ta-da! Selling! Second, the whole idea that Millenials are the golden goose of whiskey consumption is half baked at best. Yes, everyone is trying to sell to these kids because they are the burgeoning gorilla of buying power. But I’ve got news for you. There are tens of millions of Boomers and Gen-Xers out there who also are not drinking your (or anyone else’s) whiskey. Sell to those damn people too!

I also think that the way whiskey producers are going about selling their products is misguided. There is a lot of talk about the “Mad Men culture” fueling whiskey sales and about trying to get people to “turn away from clear spirits” but I think some of that is horseshit. Yeah, there is a drinking contingent out there that drinks whatever the hell they think is hip or cool. They buy their clothes, cars, food, and just about everything else that way too. Forget those guys and gals. They are bunch of douches anyway. You’ll have their dollar today but it will be gone tomorrow. That’s not what real whiskey drinkers are like and that’s not the base that they should be tapping into. Real whiskey drinkers are those that enjoy whiskey because they like whiskey. Whiskey is their alcoholic vehicle of choice. They may drink it straight, on ice, or crushed under a mountain of soda. They like the taste of whiskey. They don’t drink it because someone told them it was cool or because their dad drank it. That may be why they first tried it but that is not why they still drink it.

Let me dispel a rumor about whiskey drinking. You don’t have to “work up a taste” for whiskey. It’s not a goal to be powered through to at the end. You either like it or you don’t. And that changes over time. Someone may have had it in college to get drunk with buddies but never moved beyond Jim Beam. When they graduated they stuck with beer and then in their forties they were reintroduced and found that they really liked bottles like Bakers, Four Roses, and Elijah Craig. Why? Well they sure as shit weren’t working up a tolerance for the intervening 20 years by drinking Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams. As we get older our palates change. If they didn’t then we would all be forty year olds who only eat McNuggets and fries. As your palate develops you appreciate different flavors. You come back to whiskey and find a depth you never tasted before. THAT is when you really become a whiskey drinker. THAT is the moment a whiskey producer can get their bottle in your hands. Now it’s hard right? That moment is different for each of us. We founded Whisk(e)y Apostle on the belief that there is a whiskey for everyone. You just need to find the one for you. Well, encapsulated in that is the time in your life when you are ready to find that whiskey. Your palate may be ready at 25 or not until you are 55. Everyone is different. As a whiskey company the best you can do is set the table for these folks. And in the mean time you can also fill the coffers with earnings from the numerous sheep that started to drink Wild Turkey 101 one part to 12 parts Coca-Cola just because they like Matthew McConaughey movies.

My own personal story is a bit of what I’m talking about. Matt was heading off to a semester in Wales his senior year at the University of Georgia. Leading up to that he came to Atlanta for a visit. On that visit he wanted me to try something he’d recently been introduced to. It was Bushmills. It was regular old white label. It changed my life. Seriously. Up to that point I avoided alcohol because I didn’t like beer, tequila, or vodka and the only whiskey I’d had to that point was Crown Royal and J&B Rare, both of which I found kind of nasty. Wine was okay but I didn’t know enough about it to stay away from the crap stuff. Bushmills was a revelation. From there, I went so gonzo on Irish whiskey that I had lists of bottles I wanted Matt to track down while he was in Wales. Irish led to scotch. Scotch led to bourbon. Bourbon led to rye…..and on and on it went. I was only 21 but it set me on a course, 16 years later, where whiskey drinking is just a part of who I am. I am a father, husband, karate-ka, and whiskey drinker. It’s that important to me.

All this blathering on makes for a pretty shitty manifesto on whiskey. However, I like where McConaughey seems to be going. His thoughts on the subject may be a little off track (or off quoted) but he’s doing a damn good just setting the table for anyone nearing their intersection with whiskey. They just need to take a seat. Wild Turkey isn’t too damn bad for a first course either.

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