Other Spirits

New U.S. Releases – July ‘11

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

It’s been a busy summer. We have a whole mess of new stuff coming in.

Highland Park Earl Haakon
Timeframe: July 2011
ABV: 54.9%
Price: $260
This 18 year old is the third Earl Magnus release. It’s supposed to be a darker take on both the Magnus series and the standard 18 year old. It’s named for Saint Magnus’s “deceitful and murderous” cousin!

HighWest 36th Vote
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 36%
Price: $45
This is High West’s “Barreled Manhattan” celebrating Utah’s vote to repeal Prohibition. It’s 2 parts High West Rye, 1 part sweet vermouth and bitters that was put together and aged for 90 to 120 days in rye whiskey barrels.

Auchentoshan Bordeaux Cask
Timeframe: Summer 2011
ABV: 58%
Price: $75
This limited release is an 11 year old Auchentoshan matured in Bordeaux casks and comes non-chill filtered. You read that right, not finished but fully matured in Bordeaux casks.

Auchentoshan Valinch
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 57.5%
Price: TBD
This new release is a response from the distillery to long time fans requesting a cask strength, non-chill-filtered version of the Auchentoshan Classic. It gets its name from the pipette used to draw the whisky out of the cask.

Black Bull Special Reserve No. 1
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 46.6%
Price: $105
This is Duncan Taylor’s newest Black Bull extension. This blend uses a 50% malt to grain ratio like the 12 and 30 year olds. There’s only 978 bottles of this so grab it if you can.

Tomatin Decades
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 46%
Price: $115
Those familiar with the Parker’s Heritage Golden Anniversary release will be familiar with this idea. To celebrate Master Distiller Douglas Campbell’s 50th year of serve this is mixture of whiskies from all the decades of Mr. Campbell’s career. Only 9,000 bottles worldwide!

Tomatin 30 Year Old
Timeframe: Late 2011
ABV: 46%
Price: $200
This new release is replacing the old 25 Year Old. It will be an ongoing limited release of 2,000 bottles per year.

Kilchoman Spring 2011 Release
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 46%
Price: $65
The latest Kilchoman release is a marriage of three and four year old whiskies aged in first-fill bourbon barrels. The four year old component was finished in oloroso sherry casks.

American Spirit Whiskey
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 40%
Price:
Marketed as an alternative to vodka, this new white dog release comes to us from a Charleston, SC bottler.

Arkansas Young Bourbon Whiskey
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 46%
Price: $24.99/375ml
This one is a new wheated bourbon from Rock Town Distiller in Arkansas.

Laphroaig Cairdeas
Timeframe: Now
ABV: 50.5%
Price: $65
Laphroaig’s latest in this release series is an 8 year old aged exclusively in Maker’s Mark barrels. Apparently, the barrels and warehouse location make this 8 year old worthy of a price tag rivaling the old 15 year old. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve
Timeframe: August 2011
ABV: 44%
Price: $125
This new limited release from Dalmore isn’t a replacement for the old Cigar Malt. Rather this is a whole new expression the vein of other recent limited releases. This one is specifically formulated for cigar pairing. Some of our good friends were nice enough to send me a review sample so I hope to have that posted this weekend.

As always, if we missed or misstated anything please let us know.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

New U.S. Releases – July ‘11 Read More »

Yo ho ho and a drink with rum!

/ / Cocktails, Other Spirits, Richard's Blog

Rum. It’s been on my mind a good bit the last week or so. Why? I spent last week in Puerto Rico, the self proclaimed home of rum. Did they invent it? No, but they make more of it there than anywhere else so I won’t argue the title. Personally, I like rum. I like fine aged sipping rums. What I haven’t given much thought to was the rum used in cocktails and mixed drinks. I never really thought about it for a couple of reasons. First, I figured that like vodka and tequila, as long as you’re not buying crap to put in it then it doesn’t matter too much. Second, being a whiskey drinker most of the classic whiskey cocktails have a somewhat muddled (no pun intended) history and identifying a specific brand for that cocktail can be nearly impossible. With rum that isn’t the case at all. Almost every rum cocktail with some distinction has a pedigree and specific rum it was originally made with. Those specific rums wear those recipes like a badge of honor. None do this more so than Bacardi and DonQ. I actually toured the Bacardi distillery while in San Juan but I’ll talk more about that in another post. What I found very interesting is this cocktail association that is latched onto by certain rum producers. With that in mind we’ll outline four classic rum cocktails and the “official” recipes by the rum producers that make the spirit the drink was invented with. Purists take note.

Cuba Libre
The Cuba Libre, otherwise known as a rum and coke was originally made with Bacardi Rum and Coca-Cola. The story goes that it was put together by American Soldiers on Neptuno Street in Havana around 1900. Bacardi was the preeminent Cuban rum at the time (originally made in Cuba prior to the Castro administration) and US servicemen wanted to mix it with this great new beverage from the U.S. called Coca-Cola. Bacardi will point out that this should always be made with Bacardi rum and Coke. Not any other rum and never Pepsi.

Recipe:
2 parts Bacardi Superior Rum
4 parts Coca-Cola
2 Lime wedges
Fill a highball glass with ice cubes. Squeeze and drop 2 wedges of lime into the glass. Pour on Bacardi rum. Top with chilled Coca-Cola.

Mojito
Everyone has their own twist on making Mojitos but the original was made with Bacardi. There was a forerunner concoction call The Draque made from some really nasty stuff you really shouldn’t even call rum. The Mojito as we know it came into existence in the late 1800s using the fine rum made by Don Facundo Bacardi Masso.

Recipe:
2 parts Bacardi Superior Rum
12 fresh mint leaves
½ lime in wedges
2 tablespoons simple syrup or sugar
Club Soda
Muddle 12 fresh mint leaves and ½ a lime. Cover with 2 tablespoons of simple syrup or sugar; top with ice. Add Bacardi rum and top with club soda. Stir well and garnish with a sprig of mint and a lime.

Daiquiri
I’m not talking about the fruity concoctions swirling in the mixing machines at your local Wet Willy’s. This is the original daiquiri. In 1898 an engineer at the Daiquiri copper-ore mines near Santiago, Cuba named Jennings Stockton Cox supposedly came up with this drink. It’s kind of like a rum version of a margarita. Try one of these and you may not go back to the strawberry party drink every again. I honestly have no idea where the bastardization of this drink came from that put it in swirly machines around the world in every color imaginable.

Recipe:
3 parts Bacardi Superior Rum
1 part fresh squeezed lime juice
1 part simple syrup
Put all ingredients into a shaker. Fill with ice. Shake vigorously until chilled. Double strain into a rocks glass filled ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Pina Colada
This is one of the few classic rum cocktails not claimed by Bacardi. Don Q (only recently sold in the U.S.) has a certified letter from Ramon Marrero stating that he invented the Pina Colada using Don Q rum. By the way, Don Q is the favorite rum of Puerto Rico. That should say something. Anyway, as the story goes Mr. Marrero introduced the Pina Colada on August 16, 1954 at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hotel management had expressly requested Monchito to mix a new signature drink, and after 3 intense months of blending, shaking and experimenting, the first Pina Colada was born.

Recipe:
1 ½ ounces DonQ Cristal (although Marrero said he used DonQ Gold)
1 ounce coconut cream
2 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice
Add ice, mix in a blender and garnish with a slice of pineapple and one cherry.

Personally, I don’t think the cocktail gods will hit you with a vermouth thunderbolt if you don’t use these recipes or the “appropriate” rum. I just found all this drink history interesting and thought you might too.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Headlong White Dog Whiskey

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Headlong White Dog Whiskey
40% ABV/80 Proof
$30
Currently Available in Washington and Oregon

What the Distillery Says:
Good things come to those who wait—and also to craft distillers using the finest equipment available, carefully chosen organic ingredients, and the mentorship of an industry giant. We proudly offer you our un-aged White Dog Whiskey “headlong” out of the still. Smooth, flavorful, unexpected.

Tasting Notes
Aromas of frosted peach pastry, buttercream and raisin bran with a soft, silky dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and a super smooth, lingering peppery spice, Brazil nut, and grainy flour accented finish. Great purity and balance.

Made from a true bourbon whiskey mash bill (recipe), this unaged whiskey begins its journey to perfection as 100% organic corn, wheat, and malted barley. Un-aged and slowly distilled with precise cuts and handcrafted quality. Non-chill filtered.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Bananas, warm custard, and pina colada.
Palate: Very clean on the palate with a peppery nuttiness and hints of coconut.
Finish: A little spicy heat but it’s a very short finish so it fades quickly.
Comments: This is our first review of un-aged “whiskey” or “white dog” as we call it in the U.S. I love that these folks are making real bourbon out in Washington of all places. I also like the organic angle. It’s even USDA certified on the bottle! I also love that they are making it themselves instead of bottling someone’s bourbon and calling it their own. What I really have a hard time with is this new white dog sub-category all together. Let’s be fair, white dog “whiskey” is really a fancy name for vodka. As such I can’t in good faith review it against other bourbons. It will fail every time. However, I do think that rating it against vodkas is appropriate and as such Headlong kick’s the crap out of the competition. The folks at Woodinville sent me along some recipes that I will post below. Where I’d really like to try this is in a Chi – Chi. For those that aren’t familiar with that particular cocktail, it’s essentially a Pina Colada with vodka instead of rum.
Rating: Stands Out (as a vodka-type product)

We would like to thank Cameron and the folks at Woodinville Whiskey Company for sending us a bottle to review.

Apple Dog
3-4 oz spice or sparkling apple cider
1.5 oz Headlong
Dash Angostura Bitters
Stir with spoon and fill glass with ice.

Headlong n’ a Splash
2 oz Headlong
Ginger Ale or 7-Up
Fill highball glass with ice. Pour Headlong over ice. Top with Ginger Ale or 7-Up to taste.

The White Wedge
2 oz Headlong
1 wedge of Apple or Orange with peel
1 ice cube

Brown Derby
1.5 oz Headlong
0.5 oz honey syrup (2 parts honey thinned with 1 part water)
1.0 oz Grapefruit Juice
Dash Angostura Bitters
Shake well with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

White Manhattan
2 oz Headlong
1 oz Dolin blanc (sweet) Vermouth
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dashes Reagan’s Orange Bitters no.6
Mix with ice and strain into Pear Brandy rinsed glass.

Green Trellis
3 slices cucumber and 10-12 mint leaves muddle together

After muddled, add:
1.5 oz Headlong
1.0 oz Apple Cider
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass

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Pisco Apostle?

/ / Matt's Blog, Other Spirits

Many of you may be asking yourself, “Where’s Matt? He hasn’t posted in a donkey’s age.” Okay, maybe you would not say that exactly, but you might be wondering. The short answer, I was out of town. Where did I go? My wife and I went to Peru.
Before you ask, I did not do the Inca Trail or go to Machu Pichu. I did, however spend some time in Peru’s wine country outside of Ica. I’ll spare you the slide show and daily details, but I would like to talk about Peru’s native spirit, pisco.
The exact origins of pisco are obscured in myth and legend; even the country of origin is cause for debate. Chile also claims pisco as it’s national drink (or the pisco sour at least). The actual history of pisco is probably a very simple. The Spaniards came to conquer. They brought with them the means to make wine and therefore, brandy. Over time, the brandy developed a particular quality that became synonymous with the port city where sailors could purchase such (bourbon drinkers may be familiar with a similar tale). So, this clear spirit made from grapes became known as Pisco. Since Pisco is in Peru, I think that gives them a leg up in the controversy.
Peruvian piscos are governed by fairly strict set of laws and, not surprisingly, Chilean piscos cannot be sold as ‘pisco’ within Peru. There are several differences between the two, but the most obvious is Chilean pisco is aged in oak. Cheaper Chilean piscos are still clear because they are heavily cut with water and aged for only a short time. High-end Chilean piscos are tinted yellow, much like whisky. Peru outlaws any additives, including oak aging. Peruvian pisco must be aged in a vessel that will not affect the taste or aroma of the spirit.
In the wine country, which lies mostly between Ica and Pisco and extends below Ica for 100km or so, there are several large bodegas (the vineyard kind, not the convenience store kind) and more boutique bodegas than you can count. Pretty much anyone with a grape vine in their backyard can make wine and pisco and sell it at the local markets. The classifications of Peruvian pisco are pretty simple Pure (Puro) is comprised of only one grape. Aromatic pisco is made from only one grape varietal, but must be one of a specific range of “aromatic” grapes. Aromatic piscos are sometimes labeled by the variety (Muscat, Italia, Torontel, etc.). The last two classifications are blends: Mosto Verde (distilled before fermentation is complete) and Acholado (a straight up blend of grapes).
Because of the variety of grapes available and the number of wineries making pisco, the quality and flavor can vary greatly. We tried piscos that tasted like grappa, tequila, vodka (that is to say no discernable flavor) and even white dog whisky (I would have loved to taste that one after a few years in oak). Our favorites tasted like nothing else we could name. I guess you could say that our favorites tasted like pisco.
We really enjoyed the wines of Peru (the whites especially). Unfortunately, I have never seen Peruvian wine at my local shop. The good news is that a small variety of piscos are on the shelf. If you are in the market for a new clear spirit, give pisco a try. The puros and the aromatics are my favorites neat and the mosto verde is great for those with a sweet tooth. For a great mixer that still has some character, try a nice acholado. My current favorite brand is not available in the U.S. (Tacama Puro), but Ocucaje is available here and that is one of Peru’s largest vineyards and pisco producers. Work your way down the shelf. It won’t take long and won’t cost a lot. Hopefully, you enjoy pisco as much as my wife and I do.

Salut!
-Matt

Pisco Apostle? Read More »

Supply, Demand, & Economics

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

I want to start off by apologizing for the recent slowdown in Whisk(e)y Apostle activity. Matt’s on hiatus and I had all these reviews lined up to do. Unfortunately, my beautiful little angel of a daughter brought home a cold and I haven’t been able to smell anything for the last week and a half. That makes whiskey tasting difficult. Hopefully I will be back up and running this weekend. We’ll have to wait and see.

The time has given me the chance to go through emails from readers both old and new. As I was going through a few it reminded me of an article I’ve been meaning to write for Whisk(e)y Apostle for quite some time. I get asked about availability more than any other topic by a wide margin. That’s really the main reason why my monthly new release summary is exclusively those items coming to the U.S. It’s very frustrating to hear about all the great new releases that we can’t get here.

Why do so many new releases never come to the U.S.?

And if they do come stateside, why can’t I find them near me?

There are three main reasons why you may not see the new release of Glenmorangie or Hibiki in a liquor store near you:
1. Supply
2. Demand
3. Economics

Richard, we just want our whiskey, not an economics lesson. Fair enough. I’ll keep it relevant and in layman’s terms. I promise.

Supply
There are some bottlings that are even made in the U.S. but don’t come to a store near you. It’s driven me nuts for years that I can’t get Buffalo Trace in Atlanta. If I can reasonably drive to Kentucky in a day and buy it, then you would think that they would sell it here right? Well, as the Buffalo Trace label has grown they have to make enough for everyone who wants it. It’s pretty darn good, especially at its price point so the supply has been a little strained. If a producer can only make so much or only have so much on hand then they have to be selective on where they distribute it. Usually, this means the major markets like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, etc. will get it first. This leads right into the demand issue.

Demand
For whiskey that doesn’t see the distribution levels that Jack Daniels and Glenlivet do there has to be sufficient demand in your market for whiskey or the producer won’t bother allocating any to your area. This recently came up in regards to the new Hibiki 12 Year Old Japanese Blend. I’m dying to try the stuff and Matt’s seen it in New York but no hint of it in Georgia. One of our readers asked when we might see some. I spoke with several retailers and ultimately the distributor and importer before getting the disappointing news. Atlanta isn’t a “major whisky market” in the eyes of international whisk(e)y producers. We don’t have the festivals, sales, or interest in our area to warrant some new products bothering to make inroads into our market. If you live in Charleston, Oklahoma City, Wichita, or similar areas you may have the same issue. How do we combat this? As Apostles you have to be a driving force to see this kind of stuff in your area. If 10 local retailers each hear from 20 individuals and then let their distributor know that there’s a sizeable demand for a product in that area then the distributors may talk to the importers and say “Hey we really need to get some of this stuff to Wichita.”

Economics
However, some things will just never come to the U.S. The reason is that the cost for the producer to make it and send it here is more than they can make on the sales. Whiskey production is a business after all. The United States is one of the few countries that sell 750ml bottles instead of the 700ml international standard. (South Africa & Sweden are a couple of others) It’s also one of an even smaller list of countries that says that by law all full sized bottled spirits sold within its borders must be in bottles with a volume of at least 750ml. So if you’re making a very small amount of whiskey or it’s a vintage or single cask bottling and you know you can sell all 100 bottles that you’ll make at 700ml across the world then it doesn’t make sense to set up a whole new bottling line just send 10 750ml bottles to the U.S. The government justifies it as protecting the consumer. There are points on both sides of the argument but I still want more variety and I don’t care if I have to give up 50ml to get it.

I know this doesn’t take the sting out of missing out on the latest and greatest new thing but I hope it at least helped in understanding what’s going on. Keep pushing for more stuff in your area and you may be surprised by what you get.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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