Richard

Founding Apostle

A Great Evening in Atlanta

/ / Richard's Blog, Scottish Whisky

I missed out on the Rare XI Balvenie dinner at New York Prime this past Sunday because I was a little under the weather. I have a young daughter and she’s always bringing home colds from day care. However, I found out that New York Prime’s sister restaurant Joey D’s was doing a more casual version on Tuesday night. I called up my buddy Sam and he was game so off we went!

Joey D’s does their dinners outside on the patio, the whisky list is usually one count smaller (no 21 year old in this case), and the food and atmostphere is more casual than New York Prime. The price tag is also a little cheaper too. Tuesday night they were pouring Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood, Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel, and Balvenie 17 Madeira Cask. Oh, and they were REALLY pouring. I think I ended up having seven or eight scotches Tuesday night…not that I’m complaining.

Sam and I get there about half an hour early and sat down at a four top. We were soon joined by Don and DeMark, a couple of gents who bravely came solo. We couldn’t have asked for better table company. Copious amounts of scotch and good conversation flowed all night. Shortly after we sat down we were welcomed by the new Global Brand Ambassador for Balvenie, Sam Simmons. You all probably know him as the venerable . Then the Buckhead Cigar Club representative brought over some very nice La Flor Dominicana cigars and we were off. Dinner included courses of she crab soup, caesar salad, danish baby back ribs, and apple pie a la mode. The food was okay.

We all had a very good time. I will be going back. In comparing it to New York Prime’s dinner there are pluses and minuses to each.

Joey D’s is outside so not as smoky, more casual, the music isn’t too loud so you can still have good conversation, you’re at smaller tables, and they are much more generous with the number of drinks they bring. On the downside the food is just okay. The price tag is $39.99 plus tax and gratuity.

New York Prime offers more variety of whisky with the dinner (usually one more higher end offering), has much better food, and a real guy’s club kind of feel. However, it’s pretty loud when there lounge singer kicks in and there are mostly large tables. Also, it’s indoors so even the seasoned cigar smoker might find it a bit much with all the smoke. The price tag is $59.99 plus tax and gratuity.

Now that I’ve experienced dinners at both restaurants I can say that both are definitely worth while. It really just depends on what atmosphere you would prefer. Hopefully, I’ll see some of you at an upcoming Speakeasy dinner.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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More Information on the New Knob Creek

/ / Bourbon, Richard's Blog

We first talked about the new new single barrel Knob Creek release coming out in our roundup of July’s New Releases. At the time we were pretty short on details. Since then we’ve got a little more information for you. It will be called “Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve” and will be available in the February 2011 time frame. It’s going into the bottle at 60% ABV will be around $40. Here’s a shot of the new bottle:

Oh, and it’s still going to be 9 years old.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Johnnie Walker Gold

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Johnnie Walker Gold Label, The Centenary Blend
40% ABV/80 Proof
$65
Available Worldwide

What the Distillery Says:
Johnnie Walker Gold Label was blended to celebrate the first 100 years of the House of Walker in 1920. A well-kept secret, it’s only been available outside the company since the 1990s. It has a distinctly smooth, sweet and luxurious character, with a stylish elegance and refined quality.

Gold Label is crafted using whiskies such as Clynelish for a honeyed flavor and creamy texture yet still retaining the signature Johnnie Walker smokiness.

With its rich gold color and old-gold glints, it reveals a full, round, deep nose. There are notes of soft raisins and toffee, fresh malt and light cream – Gold Label is as enticing as it is sensuous.

Its palate is rich and broad with full malt flavors and honeyed spices with almonds and marzipan, which leads to a distinctive creaminess.

Cardhu provides strong yet smooth malt and oak flavors. Extra-mature grain whiskies deliver some of the lingering sweetness, while Clynelish from the northern Highlands is responsible for the unusual aromatic creaminess. The finish is multidimensional and satisfyingly long.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Fresh woodchips added to a fire.
Palate: Slightly sweet with hints of shortbread cookies and mild oak. No water with this one.
Finish: Short and crisp. This is a whisky that gets the heck out of Dodge.
Comments: Gold Label is actually recommended by Diageo to be served out of the freezer. I guess given the muted flavor the chill doesn’t have much to hide. I know this is Matt’s favorite of the Johnnie Walker blends but I’ve never really taken to it. It’s very mild and easily approachable but there’s nothing there to make me specifically want a glass of Johnnie Gold. I do think that overall it stands out because it’s not offensive and shows a great balance similar to Dewar’s Signature. On a side note, I find Gold Label to be a great palate cleanser to prep me for tasting other whiskies.
Rating: Stands Out

What Matt Says:
Nose: caramel, smoke, orchard fruit, light zesty citrus
Palate: Heavier sherry influence than younger Johnnies; dark berries, smokey sweetness
Finish: Lingering traces of peat smoke and brine
Comments: Wow!  Richard and I could not disagree more.  Perhaps its because the sample I sent over was the last drops of a bottle that was open for a while.  I think this is the best JW has to offer.  It’s complex and bold, but smooth.
Rating:  Must Try

Overall Rating:  Stands Out

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Woodford’s Pipeline

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

I don’t make a habit of swiping content from another blog but if the information is just too cool to leave alone I will lower my standards for the greater good of the whiskey community. That said, I will give credit where credit is due. Woodford gave whiskey writer Chuck Cowdery and Whisky Magazine an exclusive list of what they have in the pipeline for their Master Distiller’s collection. The Maple Finish will be this year’s release which I mentioned yesterday. The coming pipeline is quite diverse and there is no specific year for each of the others. They will all be released over the next nine years whenever they are ready. Without further delay, here’s the list:

Maple Finish (2010) Mature Woodford Reserve bourbon finished in toasted sugar maple casks.
Wine Finish Mature Woodford Reserve bourbon finished in used wine casks (wine type to be announced).
Tequila Finish Mature Woodford Reserve bourbon finished in used Herradura Tequila casks.
Rum Finish Mature Woodford Reserve bourbon finished in used rum casks.
Straight Rye Whiskey, Low BEP (Barrel Entry Proof) Whiskey made from a 100 percent rye mash with an 86° BEP (43% alcohol), aged in new charred barrels.
Straight Rye Whiskey, Historic BEP Whiskey made from a 100 percent rye mash with a 99.8° BEP (49.9% alcohol), aged in new charred barrels.
Rye Mash Whiskey, Low BEP Whiskey made from a 100 percent rye mash with an 86° BEP (43% alcohol), aged in used barrels.
Rye Mash Whiskey, Historic BEP Whiskey made from a 100 percent rye mash with a 99.8° BEP (49.9% alcohol), aged in used barrels.
Straight Malt Whiskey Whiskey made from a 100 percent barley malt mash with a 124.8° BEP (62.4% alcohol), aged in new charred barrels.
Malt Mash Whiskey Whiskey made from a 100 percent barley malt mash with an 86.6° BEP (43.3% alcohol), aged in used barrels.

Honestly, I’m most excited to see what Woodford can do with rye and malt whiskey. I guess we’ve got a few years to wait to find out.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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New U.S. Releases – July ’10

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys, Scottish Whisky

July was pretty heavy on the American whiskey announcements. This is to be expected leading up to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in September. Here’s what I heard about in July.

Evan Williams Cherry Reserve Kentucky Liqueur
Timeframe: September 2010
ABV: 35%
Price: $14.99
This is a marriage of extra-aged Evan Williams Bourbon and natural cherry flavor. Apparently the Evan Williams Honey Reserve that came out last fall was pretty popular. So much so that they are coming out with a Cherry version. Look out Red Stagg!

Four Roses 2010 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon
Timeframe: September 2010
ABV: 55.05% or 56.2% (i got conflicting information)
Price: $75
Four Roses is replacing their annual Mariage releases (there were actually only two) with an annual limited release small batch. It gives them a little more flexibility by using more whiskeys and it gives their annual releases marketing consistency with the Limited Edition Single Barrel releases. For you whiskey geeks out there (who isn’t?) this will be comprised of three different recipes: 15 Year Old OBSV, 11 Year Old OBSK, and 10 Year Old OESK.

Parker’s Heritage Collection 4th Edition
Timeframe: Fall 2010
ABV: 63.9%
Price: $80
This year’s release will be a 10 year old barrel proof, unchillfiltered wheated bourbon. 4,800 bottles will be released in total so get it while you can.

Redemption Rye
Timeframe: Now in select markets
ABV: 46%
Price: $26
This is a new two year old rye whiskey made of 95% rye. It’s always exciting to see new ryes coming onto the market!.

Woodford Master Distiller’s Collection Maple Wood Finish
Timeframe: Fall 2010
ABV: ?
Price: ?
We’re still short on details but this sounds pretty yummy to me!

Knob Creek Single Barrel
Beam is short on details with this one. All I know is that they are targeting January 2011 for a roll out.

Cardhu 12 Year Old
Not really a new release but Cardhu had been absent from the U.S. market for some time. It’s coming back and can already be found in certain markets. $42.99 and 40% ABV.

That’s it for July. Let me know if you know of anything that I might have missed.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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