Matt

Founding Apostle

Tullibardine Interview

Some time ago, I attended a special tasting of Tullibardine single malt whisky at The Brandy Library.  Since I was somewhat impressed by the uniqueness of Tullibardine and had a lot of questions, Adam Jacobs of Total Beverage Solution hooked me up with James Robertson, International Sales Manager for Tullibardine (who missed the tasting due to volcanic activity in Iceland).  What follows is the result of an interview with James Robertson conducted by email.

Matt: James, what is your official title?
James Robertson: International Sales Manager
M: How long have you been in this position?
JR: Just over 2 years, before that I worked in the wine trade for 15 years including 8 years with Taittinger and Louis Jadot.
M: I really enjoy the unique character of the ’93 vintage.  Is this what we can expect from Tullibardine in the future?
JR: At the end of last year we produced our first bottling of new Tullibardine (made from spirit after 2003) tasted blind against the 1993 at recent events in Canada and Europe customers have been amazed how similar the profile is for a single malt which is in effect 6 years old.
M: Are the same barley strains available now as when the distillery was mothballed?  If not, how do you plan on recapturing the unique profile built under previous ownership?
JR:
The Barley used comes from as local a source as we can get, harvests permitting. The profile is certainly being retained but also we feel improved by following the same model as before but also in much better cask purchasing.
M:
Is the plan to continue with the vintage model instead of an age statement or will that change once you start bottling the whiskies produced after 2003?
JR:
The plan is at the moment to continue with the vintage statement although the new bottling mentioned earlier has no age statement but is called “Aged Oak Edition”. There may well be no age statement wood finishes to follow, so Tullibardine Port Finish for example.
M:
When will we see whisky made completely under the new management hit the market?
JR:
In most markets the Aged Oak has arrived but I am not sure when we will get it onto the US market, soon I hope!
M:
When you opened up the warehouse doors in 2003, did you find anything that surprised you?  Will there be any weird one-off bottlings like we’ve seen with Bruichladdich?
JR:
There were no real surprises although I think that most commentators would agree that we have been exceptionally lucky in the quality of the 1960 casks that we have bottled to date. All of them have been very fruity and not woody at all. Our oldest cask from 1952 will be bottled in the near future. We will not be increasing the range too much as we feel that we do not want to go down the route of “shelf pollution” as one retailer put it about distilleries releasing too many expressions but we have got some casks being finished off in Banyuls which is probably a first!
M:
What can we expect from Tullibardine in the future?
JR:
We aim to produce single malts that retain the elegant, delicate and fruity style of Tullibardine and also to maintain the policy of selling our single malts at a price across the range that means that at each level they do not just sit on the shelf.
M:
Thank you so much for your time.  I know I’m looking forward to seeing more Tullabardine on the shelf.  I’m especially interested to see what Banyuls casks do to the spirit.  Hopefully, we’ll cross paths at a whisky festival in the near future.

There you have it folks.  If you’re looking for a slightly different single malt, go looking for Tullibardine.  It looks like it’s only going to get more interesting.

-Matt

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Whiskies of the World Unite

Distilleries all over the world use Scotland as a touchstone for quality.  For this reason, the techniques of production vary little from country to country.  So why does the whisky vary so greatly?  In my last blog, I rambled on about yeast and barley and how much that can affect the flavor of whisky (specifically single malt).  However, we know that it’s a myriad of elements that come together to create unique flavor profiles.

Just a week ago, I guided a tasting that unintentionally lead to a personal study on the effects of local ingredients, environment and wood management.  My tasting menu would take us around the world and open my eyes to an even greater appreciation for the whisky I hold so dear.

We started with a standard Talisker 10yo for a basis of comparison.  I chose Talisker because it exhibits many qualities associated with Scotch whisky; brine, peat, fruit, malt.  Talisker is complex yet quite approachable.  For this reason, it’s one of my favorite drams in general and is great teaching dram.

We started our tour with Reisetbauer 7yo from Austria.  Reisetbauer is definitely the most unique whisky from the tasting menu.  For this reason, prudence would suggest putting it toward the end of the tasting.  However, it was the lowest ABV (40%) of the bunch and I was afraid the subtleties of the dram would get lost after tasting stronger whiskies.  What makes Reisetbauer so unique is the strict adherence to local products.  The barley, water and yeast are all local, of course, but even the barrels used for maturation are locally sourced.  No bourbon or sherry casks here.  For maturation, Reisetbauer uses Austrian Chardonnay and Trockenbeerenauslese barrels.  I’m not a wine guy, but I know Chardonnay (not a fan).  I had to look up Trockenbeerenauslese.  This mouthful of a wine is produced using grapes that were left to dry on the vine.  Essentially, it’s raisin wine.

The nose on Reisetbauer is somewhere between spoilt Chardonnay, dirty feet and baby diarrhea.  There are notes of sweetness and sourness that are equally unappealing to my nose.  Everyone noted the distinct scent; some liked it for some of the more herbal elements, others were more to my frame of thinking.

If you did not know what kind of barrels were used for maturation.  Your first sip would tell you all you need to know.  There was crisp fruitiness and dry oak from the Chardonnay and an undeniable flavor of sweet white raisins (sultanas). Underneath it all, lurked a distinct maltiness.  This whisky is really not my cup of tea, but I admire the uniqueness and complexity (and at a mere 7 years!).  If you can find Reisetbauer, give it try.  There is nothing else like it on the market.

Next, our journey brings us to the Willowbank Distillery in Dunedin, New Zealand.  The Milford (10yo) is some the last whisky to be bottled from this dead distillery.  We can’t even use the term “moth-balled” as the distillery was completely dismantled in 1999.  Of our world whiskies, the Milford most closely resembles Scotch whisky.  The climate conditions of Willowbank (once the Southernmost distillery in the world) are very similar to the conditions of Northern Scotland and the water used comes from snowmelt that filters through peat marshes.  There is no specific reference to barrel selection, but I will guess bourbon barrels.  The Milford reminds me of a lightly peated Speysider.  It’s creamy and smooth with honeyed malt, oak, and light peat.  This was one of the crowd favorites.  Unfortunately, once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.  If you find it in your area, pick it up.

While we are in the South Pacific, we might as well head up to Japan and try some Yamazaki 12yo.  Richard and I did a review of this one not too long ago.  The Japanese are very true the Scottish tradition.  While environmental conditions and local ingredients may vary, Suntory takes it a step further by aging some of their whisky in Japanese oak barrels.  So, it’s easy to pick out the stranger in the room if you are tasting through a bunch of twelve year old Scotches and this one sneaks in.  In addition to the Japanese oak, some of the whisky ages in bourbon and sherry casks.  The cask variety gives an uncommon richness to this whisky (a richness that only grows with the older expressions).  Another group favorite, Yamazaki is probably the easiest whisky on the menu to find in stores.  All I can say is “More Japanese whisky, please.”

Next we jump all the way back to the UK; not to Scotland, not to Ireland, but to Wales.  Penderyn is the only whisky produced in Wales today.  On our menu, the Aur Cymru (Welsh Gold) expression.  Penderyn is situated in the Brecon Beacons, a beautiful area of Wales with low rolling mountains and plentiful clean water sources.  Of course, they use Welsh barley.  For the Aur Cymru expression, Penderyn first ages the whisky in barrels from Buffalo Trace and Evan Williams, then finishes the whisky in Madiera casks.  We did a Penderyn review here pretty recently too.  The nose and the palate are unique, with strong flavors of Starburst fruit chews.

While Reisetbauer was the most unique of our whiskies, Amrut comes in a close second.  Amrut Single Malt is produced in Bangalore, India using barley produced at the foot of the Himalayas.  Bangalore has some unique environmental conditions that really affect the flavor of the whisky.  Firstly, it’s 3000ft above sea level.  Secondly, the climate is tropical in temperature, but quite dry.  The heat and the altitude cause the whisky to interact with the wood very quickly (don’t expect to see a 20yo expression from Amrut).  There is no age statement, but I’ve heard that the whisky is about 2 ½ years old.  For our tasting, we had the Single Malt expression.  This expression uses 100% malted barley from India.   Amrut Single Malt is extremely sweet and malty.  It’s almost like drinking a really strong barley wine.  Personally, I prefer the Fusion expression that uses some Scottish peated barley as well.  The peat helps cut through the sticky sweetness.

Every once in a while, something happens to stoke the flames of my passion for whisky.  This tasting was one of those things.  I’ve been really excited since then; about barley and yeast, climate and wood management.  Most importantly, I’ve been excited about whisky (product and process).

I encourage you to get out and try these world whiskies (and any others you can find). You may find a new favorite.  If nothing else, it will be a great education.

Drink well, drink responsibly.

-Matt

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Just Three Ingredients

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to yeast and barley lately (mainly because I’ve been reading a lot about brewing and distilling).  Particularly, I’ve been thinking about how barley and yeast have developed over the years and how regional variations can greatly affect the flavor of whisky.  When the ancestral distillers of malted barley first put flame to kettle, there was not much choice in ingredients.  There was a local barley crop (malting on-site), a local water source, and wild yeast captured from the environment.

I like the idea of wild yeast; riding air currents looking for the right slurry of fruits or grains, gorging themselves on the precious sugars until their wanton gluttony causes them to choke on their own excrement (alcohol).  I think there is a metaphor for the American financial system somewhere in that.

It seems so simple:  barley, yeast, water.  However, since the invention of refrigeration, distillers have been able to store and cultivate yeast strains.*  This alone represented a huge step toward consistency of product and innovation.  Not only could distillers be sure the same yeast was used each year, but they could tinker with a strain to get more of the qualities they found desirable (higher/lower alcohol content, more floral notes, less/more acidity, etc.).  Any home brewer will tell you, the right yeast can have massive effects on your final product.  Modern distillers go as far as patenting their yeast strains so no one can duplicate their product.

And what of barley you say?  Well, barley has changed too.  Distillers are no longer required to source barley from down the road.  Modern transportation methods make shipping barley quite simple.  Most Scottish distilleries use Scottish barley, but it’s sourced mostly from large-scale facilities that service multiple distilleries and offer several varieties of grain.  However, several things are happening right now.  There are a handful of distilleries experimenting with barley traditionally used for brewing beer (The Glenlivet Nadurra Triumph, for one).  There are experiments in malting (some of the malt in Glenmorangie’s The Signet is roasted in a tumbler like coffee beans).  Additionally, barley can be tinkered with in the same way as yeast.  Scientists can build it stronger, heartier, sweeter.  We have the technology.

When we are talking about whisky, we can’t leave wood or water completely out of the equation.  However, I think we sometimes forget the importance of barley and yeast.  I’m willing to bet that if you gave ten distilleries all the same water and a first fill bourbon barrel (all from the same distillery), you would still get ten distinct products.  Somebody contact the SWA.  I think we have a contest on our hands.

Of course, I’m leaving out the size and shape of the still and the unique environmental conditions of the warehouses, but you get the idea.

This was supposed to segue into a discussion about a tasting I recently lead, but I’ve somehow gone off track.  Oh well, such is life.  I think I’m going back to my books for now.  Or maybe I’ll hit the streets with a tub of grain slurry and hope for the best.  Do you need a butterfly net to catch wild yeast?

-Matt

*Note:  It was possible to preserve yeast strains before this, but the process was tricky at best, relying mainly on spent yeast to create starter cultures for the next product.  Of course, the term “starter culture” is an anachronism as it was not until the 1860s that Louis Pastuer discovered that yeast is indeed a living organism.

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Qu’est-ce que c’est?

“I hate people when they’re not polite” as the song goes.  Whisky writers and enthusiasts have long been accused of elitism.  Even those of us who seek to lift the veil on whiskey’s mysteries, can fall prey to what some see as arrogance and snobbery.  Whisky festivals often seem to enforce this theme.  The vast majority of attendees are white men over forty with very comfortable lifestyles.  Clubs, guilds, or societies often host the events.  There is often a dress code.  One expects a certain amount of decorum.

Where am I going with this?  Well I’m about to rant in a way that suggests my own elitism (though that is hardly the point).  This week the Single Malt Whisky Society hosted the Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza.  The event itself was very great.  However, some the attendees did not comport themselves a way befitting their standing.  There are always a few assholes at events like this.  There are the guys that pre-game and show up drunk.  There are the guys that don’t understand the point of the spit/pour buckets and are hammered after the first table.  My chief complaint this time?  The guys that do not respect the “talent.”

Unless you are at Whisky Fest, most of the folks behind the tables are brand ambassadors (as opposed to Master Distillers).  Brand Ambassadors range from dudes in kilts with a brogue to well educated non-kilt wearers to actors, actresses and models.  These folks are the “talent.”  Back in the day, the actors/actresses/models rarely knew anything about whisky in general and sometimes not much about their own brand.  I’m happy to say that (apart from a handful of brands) this is becoming a thing of the past.  They still hire pretty girls (they know their market), but the brands are doing a better job with education.

While talking to the Heather at the Glenfiddich table (a real class act who knows her stuff), I heard someone behind me mutter, “it doesn’t matter how many questions you ask, she is not going to sleep with you”.  This is unacceptable.  First of all, don’t disrespect a guy who is genuinely seeking knowledge.  That is the act of a barbarian.  Secondly, do not disrespect the ladies at these events (or ever for that matter).

If that was the only incident, I would still be outraged but I would allow that it was just one jerk-ass showing off for his friends.  However, throughout the night, there were many instances of this kind of behavior.  Now, I’m no prude.  I like a well shaped form as much as the next guy, but real men leave that kind of talk in the locker room or in the company of other men.  You’re momma raised you better.

If you’ve stuck with me this long, I guess I should talk about the event itself.  It was a good time.  The food was pretty good.  The layout in the tasting room caused some traffic flow problems.  The tasting tables were laid out in a “U” shape with table seating in the middle of the room.  There were times that navigating between the tasting tables and the seating became difficult.  Without prodding people to keep moving, I’m not sure there was anything to be done though.

There were over 100 whiskies on pour.  I tried a small amount of quite a few, but really took my time with a few others.  At events like these, I try to focus on things I wouldn’t normally try.  That night, the SMWS bottlings were high on my list.  They are all worth trying, but my favorites were the Cask No. 76.68-15yo from Dufftown (Mortlach distillery) and the Cask No 53.136-17yo from Islay (Caol Ila).  The Mortlach surprised me, because it was very sweet with some great berry notes.  Previous independent bottlings I’ve tried tasted like Robitussin.  The Caol Ila?  Well, that’s a distillery that continues to grow on me.  Perhaps my palate is getting more sophisticated.  Finally, I see what all the hype is about.  I get a lot of those fizzy, lemony notes I found in the unpeated Caol Ila with some great peaty bite.  This is a whisky you can chew.

I got my chance at the Ardbeg Rollercoaster.  Rollercoaster is very enjoyable, but I think the Corryvreckan was better.

Like Richard, I decided the give the Dalmore another try.  I’m still not enthralled.  For some reason, I’ve always wanted to like the Dalmore.  Maybe it’s Master Distiller Richard Patterson’s charm or the beautiful package design.  I’m never satisfied with the whisky though.

Usquaebach was there.  If you’ve never had this blend, I encourage you to give it a try.  The high-end version comes in a nice ceramic jug (it’s an NAS vatted malt).  That’s the only one I’ve seen on shelves.  They have two other versions. (a 12yo with some grain content and 15yo vatted malt).  For my money, I think the 12yo and the NAS are the way to go.  I wasn’t all that impressed with the 15yo.  The 12yo is a great little blend at a good price point.  I put it on the same level as Old Parr (maybe even better).

Overall, the Extravaganza was great.  I highly recommend the event.

Remember, if I see you disrespecting the ladies at one of these events, I’ll come at you like Richard Patterson going at someone putting water in a glass of Jura (seriously, he’ll slap you).

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa

-Matt

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Old Forester @ Louis 649

Last night, Louis 649 hosted a tasting of Old Forester bourbon.  According to Master Distiller Chris Morris, New York City has not seen a tasting like this in a generation or more.  Well, I’m glad they came and even more glad that I was there to see/taste it.

Chris started with the history of Old Forester and Brown-Forman.  An interesting story to be sure, but I won’t retell the whole thing here.  Just know that Old Forester is the longest continually produced bourbon brand and George Garvin Brown was the first to bottle bourbon for retail.  Previously, bourbon was purchased by the barrel and there could be great variety in barrels even within the same distillery.  Brown started by vatting whiskey from three distilleries to produce a signature taste profile and bottling the vatted bourbon under the name Old Forrester (they later dropped the second ‘r’).  After the passage of the Bottled-In-Bond Act, Brown purchased a distillery and started making bourbon using roughly the same recipe they use today.  I’ll leave the rest of the story for Chris to tell.  Now let’s talk about the whiskey…

Old Forester 86 Proof
This is the flagship Old Forester, produced with a high rye content and a low percentage of sour mash.  As a brand, Old Forester rarely talks about age.  Chris chooses barrels based on flavor, not age.  However, most of the bourbon in 86 is aged 4-5 years old.
Nose: Smells like bourbon; oak, vanilla, sour mash, orange shellac.  I’m reminded of the less offensive notes in Jim Beam.
Palate: Teacakes and Christmas spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.).  Very smooth and a little sweet.
Finish: Short, a very quick (and low) burst of burn and it’s gone.
Comments: Mild, easy going, but with some flavor too.  The 86 is not as bold as I like my bourbon, but is very enjoyable.  I would recommend this as a good starter bourbon.
Rating:  Average

Old Forester Signature
The Signature keeps alive the tradition started with the Bottled-In-Bond Act.  It follows all the rules for Bottled-In-Bond, including the 100 proof requirement.  If you think this is just high octane 86 though, you are wrong.  Chris has specific things he looks for when choosing barrels for the two labels.  For Signature, he’s looking for bold.
Nose: Big nose; coffee, crème brulee, chocolate, and tobacco leaf.  When agitated, a sweet floral bouquet emerges (lilac, violets and honeysuckle).
Palate: Amazingly smooth, viscous, strong rye notes (mint, cinnamon, nutmeg), citrus and caramel
Finish: Again there is that burst of burn, but here there is some oak, dark berries and chocolate.  It disappears too quickly though.
Comments: Very easy to drink at 100 proof.  In NYC, Signature is hard to find and runs almost twice the cost of the 86 proof.  Is it twice as good?  I think so.
Rating:  Stands Out

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (2009)
Birthday Bourbon is released once per year, represents a single day’s production and different each time.  This difference comes from environmental conditions, variables in process, and length of maturation.  The 2009 vintage is roughly 13 ½ years old and 97 proof.
Nose: Less chocolate and coffee than the Signature, but more caramelized sugar.  It’s softer in general.  Some of the orange shellac from the 86 proof comes back into the equation.
Palate: Dry, delicate, wood heavy with rye spice (mint and nutmeg) and hints of smoke and earth.
Finish: No burn, the rye notes hold on for a bit, but the finish is fleeting.
Comments: There is an almost Scotch-like character to this bourbon.  The flavors are light and balanced.  I’m reminded of a bourbon barrel aged Balvenie I once sampled.  Very enjoyable.
Rating:  Stands out but different.

Of the three, my favorite is the Signature.  It’s what I look for in bourbon.  I like bold flavors.  The nose intrigues and impresses me.

We finished the night with one of Louis 649’s signature cocktails, the Gold Rush (Old Forester 86, lemon juice and honey).  I highly recommend it.

-Matt

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