Scottish Whisky

Balvenie Golden Cask

The Balvenie Golden Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 14 Years
47.5% ABV/95 Proof
$60 to $65
Travel Retail Exclusive
Website

What the Distillery Says:
“characterised by fruity sweetness and subtle spice”

In the crafting of GoldenCask, Balvenie is carefully aged for many years in traditional oak whisky casks and then transferred into barrels that had previously held golden Caribbean rum for a final period of maturation.

Characterised by fruity sweetness and subtle spice, The Balvenie GoldenCask is only available in Duty Free and is non chill-filtered and bottled at a strength of 47.5% abv.

NOSE: Light and fruity with notes of vanilla and honey. Delicate layers of orange and subtle flora add complexity.
TASTE: Sweet and spicy with a beautiful syrupiness. Chocolate orange and vanilla oak combine with hints of aniseed and liquorice.
FINISH: Long, dry and oaky.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Very light with lots of creamy honey fruit notes that remind me of cognac. Maybe scotch + rum = cognac? (I’m kidding!)
Palate: There is just a hint of sweetness. I’m mostly picking up a spicy smokiness. That’s not really what I expected from a rum cask finished scotch.
Finish: The finish is long with lots of smoky oak.
Comments: I don’t get out of the country too much. I’m not the international man of mystery the internet would lead you to believe. When I do I try to look for travel retail bottlings. A lot of them really are nothing special but I’m sucked in by the exclusivity of only being able to buy them in travel retail. This particular bottling is nice. I enjoy it from time to time but I was really hoping for a little more sweetness. Something closer to the Havana Reserve Glenfiddich 21 Year Old. I would’ve recommended that you pick up a bottle last year but with the new 14 Year old Caribbean Rum Cask as part of their standard line I’m not so sure anymore. I’ll have to grab a bottle and do a side by side to see if this is really just the same thing with 4.5% extra alcohol.
Rating: Stands Out

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Balvenie Doublewood

The Balvenie Doublewood Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
43% ABV
$37 to $42
Widely available around the world
Website

What the Distillery Says:
“characterised by rich honey sweetness and a delicate layer of sherry”

The Balvenie DoubleWood is a 12 year old single malt which gains its distinctive character from being matured in two woods. Over its period of maturation it is transferred from a traditional oak whisky cask to a first fill European oak sherry cask. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt ~ the traditional casks soften and add character, whilst the sherry wood brings depth and fullness of flavour.

NOSE: Sweet fruit and Oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla.
TASTE: Smooth and mellow with beautifully combined flavours ~ nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry.
FINISH: Long and warming.

What Richard Says:
Nose: I get a lot of honey and fruity notes but somehow I’m missing the vanilla and sherry.
Palate: Very smooth. Sweet at the start and then it settles into notes of oak, oranges, and hazelnuts.
Finish: The finish is as smooth at the palate and very warm. It’s a little more tart and bitter on the finish though.
Comments: I really like this particular dram, especially under the $40 price point. I think it’s a great value dram and shows great craftsmanship coming out of William Grant & Sons.
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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New U.S. Releases: January 2011

A new year and some new whiskey coming our way. January is typically a little light on new releases but anything better than the drought we saw in November and December. Here are the two we heard about this month.

Arran Machrie Moor
ABV: 46%
Price: $60
Timeframe: Early 2011
Matt mentioned this a couple of weeks ago. This will be the first peated single malt coming from Arran. Only 9,000 bottles are included in this initial release.

Evan Williams 2001 Vintage
ABV: 43.3%
Price: $26
Timeframe: Early 2011
I always look forward to this annual release. I really enjoyed the 2000 vintage last year. I can’t wait to try this one.

As always, if you heard of something we missed please let us know.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Is that peat smoke wafting from the Isle of Arran?

Yes it is!

We received a press release announcing the launch of Machrie Moor, the “first peated Arran Single Malt.”  Very exciting folks.  So far the Arran Malts have won high praise, we’ll see how this one does once the whiskirati gets a hold of it.  Maybe they’ll send us a sample to try?  No word yet on the US price point.

FIRST PEATED WHISKY FROM ISLE OF ARRAN ON ALLOCATION
Award-winning Scotch whisky producer Isle of Arran Distillers is launching its first peated Arran Single Malt under the brand name Machrie Moor.
Such is the expected demand, that retailers will only receive a limited allocation when the whisky, named after a peat moor on the west coast of Arran, is launched worldwide. The distiller expects to sell all available stocks quickly.
Master Distiller James MacTaggart has skillfully combined all of the elements available to create a harmonious combination of malt, peat and cask.
MacTaggart said: “With the distillery’s first peated malt, I wanted to create a whisky where the character and taste of Arran that our followers love remained but add a something different with the peat flourish.
“This first peated whisky has a hint of fudge, coconut and spice with notes of orchard fruits and cardamom spice. This is complimented by the peat -reek smoky finish which we are sure will go down well with single malts fans.”
To celebrate the first peated whisky and give it more stand-out, the distillery have given the bottle a different look than the usual Arran style. Only 9,000 bottles will be available from the first edition of what is set to become a limited annual release.
Isle of Arran Distillery Managing Director Euan Mitchell says: “We’re very proud of our first peated whisky and thought it merited a new look to separate it from the regular un-peated Arran malt.
“The barren Machrie Moor is strewn with Bronze Age stone circles. It is said that on one of these stones, the legendary warrior giant Fingal tethered his favourite dog, Bran.
“This peated expression of the Arran Single Malt perfectly captures the rugged beauty and lore of the landscape and Bran was the perfect pin-up for the bottle.”
Machrie Moor is packaged in a dark green bottle with an image of ‘Bran’ in copper and the words ‘Machrie Moor’ in bold to further add standout on shelves/back bars (change accordingly for on/off trade.)

The first release will be available to all Arran key markets worldwide including UK, France, Germany, USA, Russia and Japan.

Machrie Moor (46% abv) has an RRP of £39.99 available from www.arranwhisky.com

Machrie Moor tasting notes –
Aroma: Subtle and elusive initially. Hints of fudge, coconut & spice with a teasing touch of the glorious peat reek to follow.
Palate: Classic Arran at first with notes of citrus, orchard fruits and cardamom spice mingling in a rich melting pot. At the back of the palate peat smoke finally emerges to whip up a storm.
Finish: The peat reek takes centre stage leaving a rich, warming glow like the burning embers of a bonfire.

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Cutty Sark Blended Malt

Cutty Sark Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
40% ABV/ 80 Proof
$20
Available across the U.S. and select international markets

What the Distillery Says:
I’ve got nothing here and Cutty Sark’s website is damn near impossible to navigate.

What Richard Says
Nose: Apple juice, cotton fields, and old furniture.
Palate: It’s harsh and tart. Definitely not my favorite blended malt.
Finish: The finish is quick and smooth at first but then it leaves you with a very medicinal and woody taste.
Comments: I pulled the trigger on a bottle of this because it was on sale for a ridiculously low price at my local liquor store. Please don’t judge everything Cutty Sark does by this bottling. I tried it a few times and then quickly relegated it to the “whiskey sour” cabinet. I only pulled it out again so that Matt and I could review it before it was all gone.
Rating: Probably Pass

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