Other Whisk(e)ys

Extravaganza in Atlanta – 2010

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

Last night was the Single Malt and Scotch Whisky Extravaganza held in Atlanta. Was there Apostle representation? Whisky…in Atlanta…of course I was there. Here’s my take on the event….

Location
The event was again held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Buckhead. It is a great location that is easily accessable from Peachtree Street, major interstates, and MARTA. It’s an Intercontinental Hotel so the facilities are very nice, as you would expect. There’s not too much more for me to say on that.

What Was Poured
There were a good number of scotches on offer as well as single malt Japanese and Irish offerings. I didn’t specifically count the exact number but it was a lot. A quick summary includes Dalmore, Laphroaig, Ardmore, Glenlivet, Chivas, Glenrothes, Yamazaki, Glen Garioch, Bowmore, Macallan, Highland Park, Longmorn, Famous Grouse, Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Talisker, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Lagavulin, Oban, Cragganmore, Michael Collins, Bushmills, and several others that escape me at the moment.

I didn’t try everything on offer. With that much variety you have to be selective or you will be on the floor in no time. I started with Dalmore because I felt like I didn’t give the new range a fair shake at WhiskyFest NY 2009, possibly due to palate fatigue. I limited myself to the 12 Year Old and the Gran Reserva because I felt they had changed the most from their prior incarnations. I was informed that the change was mostly an increase in sherry aged casks in both bottlings. I found the 12 meatier than the older version and the Gran Reserva to be dryer than the old Cigar Malt. Both were better than I remembered from WF. More exploration is required.

From there I went over to the Bowmore/Glen Garioch booth. I hit the 12 Year old and 15 Year old Bowmore expressions first. The 12 seems to get better every time I try it. (mental note: we need to do a review soon) The 15, not as much. Formal tasting is difficult in a large setting like this but there was something offputting that I can’t place. From there I scooted over to try the Founder’s Reserve and 12 Year Old Glen Garioch. These are both newly released expressions that are just making it to Atlanta. The Founder’s Reserve was more vegetal on the nose but both were very nice and had a good balance of sweet and spicy on the palate.

My next stop was to try the new 15 Year Old Single Barrel Balvenie. Very nice! I hit the 21 Year Old Portwood again while I was over there and that was very good too. After that I did a trio of 25 Year Olds going from Glenlivet (thanks Randy!) to Highland Park to Laphroaig. The cheeky bastards at Laphroaig had it hiding in a boot and you had to know to ask for it. They did the best overall talk on process and whisky in general of all the booths so I can’t give them too hard a time.

I rounded the evening out with a few selective stops by Macallan and others. All things I was familiar with but just wanted a taste of. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get dates on when Hibiki and Glen Grant would be coming to Atlanta and thus they weren’t poured last night. That’s kind of the paradox of the way the Society does their events. They don’t allow the pouring of anything that isn’t available in the city where the event is held. On the upside, it’s nice to know that you can buy locally everything you taste. On the downside, there’s a lot of great stuff that doesn’t get poured depending on where you are.

Who Was There
The Extravaganza events seem to have more distributor representatives rather than whisky makers. I don’t think any Master Distiller’s were there last night. The crowd ranges from the young and hip to the well seasoned and everything in between. It was a good mix. I always find the Pour Bunnies rather amusing. I’m not really sure what the term is for the ladies that work the booths for show but I call them Pour Bunnies. Their knowledge varied greatly depending on the booth. Even between the girls at the same booth. Somebody has to pour the drinks, right?

Other Offerings
The food was good again this year. Carving stations for roasted meats, pastas, risottos, salads, deserts, coffee and various other things. Everything I tried was very good. They were again giving out cigars to attendees again this year which I find a nice touch. My one real gripe about the event as a whole was the food service. It would be nice if they had two separate stations so that everyone didn’t have to wait in line forever in a big circle that never went anywhere.

Summary Thoughts
In summary I thought the event was great. In the spirit of full disclosure I will note that I was a guest of The Society this year and that courtesy is greatly appreciated. There are very few whisk(e)y events that come to Atlanta each year. This is definitely one not to be missed.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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New U.S. Releases – February ’10

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

The new release calendar is starting to pick up a little steam this month. There are some interesting things coming down the pipe.

Garrison Brothers Texas Bourbon
Timeframe: Spring 2010
ABV: 50%
Price: less than $50
This is the first release from this little distillery in Hye, Texas. These guys are doing new bourbon from the ground up. This is a pre-release bourbon that was distilled in 2008. Only 1,000 bottles will be distributed to local liquor stores in Blanco and Gillespie Counties in Texas ahead of the full release at a later date. It should also be noted that these are 375ml half bottles.

Old Crow Reserve
Timeframe: Spring 2010
ABV: 43%
Price: $10-$12
This new version of Old Crow from Beam Global is aged an extra year over the standard Old Crow to the ripe old age of 4 years.

Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whisky
Timeframe: March 2010
ABV: 40%
Price: $50
The folks over at Buffalo Trace got their hands on some Canadian whisky and thought it good enough to bottle. I’m not the biggest fan of Canadian (especially after the defeat in Olympic hockey) but if it’s coming from Buffalo Trace then I’m intrigued.

Jura Prophecy
Timeframe: April/May 2010
ABV: 46%
Price: $70
This new release from the Isle of Jura is another smoky whisky along the lines of their Superstition release.

Dalmore 18 Year Old
Timeframe: April/May 2010
ABV: 43%
Price: $150
This is the newest addition to the recently relaunched Dalmore line. I can’t wait to give it a try!

The Glenlivet Cellar Collection 1973
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 49%
Price: $1,250
This bottling is the newest release of The Glenlivet’s ongoing vintage release program. Only 240 bottles of this are coming stateside so if you want it and see it, you better grab it.

Ardbeg Rollercoaster
Timeframe: TBD
ABV: 57.3%
Price: TBD
This new release from Ardbeg is celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Ardbeg Committee. A must try for the peat freaks out there I’m sure.

That’s it for February. Please let me know if I missed anything.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Penderyn Welsh Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review / ,

Penderyn Aur Cymru Single Malt Welsh Whisky (March 09)
46% ABV/92 Proof
Around $65
Available in select markets

What the Distillery Says:
At premium strength (46%) Penderyn has an exceptionally balanced taste with an aroma of cream toffee and fleetingly of fresh new leather. Then, as the initial sensations fade, the finishing notes of tropical fruits, raisins and vanilla emerge strongly and are long lasting.

Like Welsh Gold (Aur Cymru) this malt whisky is rare and precious. Handcrafted and Madeira Finished.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Ripe fruits, floral sweetness, aged and polished wooden furniture, and well worn leather. Very brandy-like. Cognac in the 10 to 20 Year Old range more than anything else.
Palate: Macerated orchard fruit but not citrus. It’s more like peaches and apricot but not sweet at all. Vegetal under currents. A good bit of heat and spice that seems to be coming from the youth of the whisky and alcohol more than the inherent flavor profile.
Finish: It leaves the lips numb. More woody on the finish. Those vegetal notes show up more pronounced on the finish than the palate.
Comments: This is definitely an interesting whisky. The nose alone makes it stand out. I love the nose. The palate is pleasant and should develop with some more years on it.
Rating: Stands Out

What Matt Says:
Nose: At the back there is a distinct “whisky-ness” about it (an echo of smoke, caramel and crème brulee that reminds me of Springbank). The predominant scents are more akin to sour fruit candies. When I was in the UK, I got addicted to these Starburst Jellybeans. They were a lot better than the ones we get over here (actual fruit juice and different flavors). The two flavors that really grabbed me were the pink grapefruit and black currant flavors. This smells exactly like those tasted.
Palate: Cantaloupe, barley malt, green wood and sap. More oak than the nose suggests.
Finish: Slight burn with lingering oak.
Comments: This is a very nice dram. Its easy to drink. Its not all that complex, so you can drink a lot of it. It easily holds it’s own with other entry-level drams from the rest of the UK. However, for the price point, I want a little more complexity. I love Wales and there is nothing else like this out there, so I would buy a bottle of it for the novelty. I would drink it all and not necessarily buy another bottle based on this bottling. I’ve enjoyed past bottlings much more and look forward to future bottlings.
Rating: Average

Overall Rating: Average

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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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Nikka Coming Stateside

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

Big news on the Japanese whisky front. An article in the Wall Street Journal concerning whisky from the land of the rising sun had this little scoop for us…Nikka is coming to the U.S. in 2010! As our regular readers know, I’m completely infatuated with Japanese whisky and Matt’s taken quite a shine to it too. Current distribution includes Yamazaki 12, 18, and vintage 1984 along with the Hibiki 12 year old blend. All these come from Suntory. With Nikka coming in our fortunes continue to improve. No details yet on the timetable, lineup or pricing. Stay tuned for more!

Drink wisely my friends,
Richard

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