Proselytizing the way of the malt
Well, we’re three months into 2011 and we’re still hanging in there with our new year’s resolution. April will focus on Dalmore. We got some great samples courtesy of Laura with The Baddish Group and we’re pouring through them (pun intended) in April. We’ve also got a backlog of a few other things folks have kindly sent our way. Look for reviews of Early Times, Greenore 18, Canadian Club 12, and some new things from craft distillers around the country.
Redbreast Single Irish Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey Aged 15 Years
46% ABV
$75
Website
What the Distillery Says:
Unique among Whiskeys, Redbreast is a ‘single’, unblended, Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey which has been Triple Distilled and Matured in Oak Casks for not less than Fifteen Years. The uncompromising dedication to authenticity and Quality gives Redbreast a traditional smooth Mellow Character and a Taste which is Full Flavored and assertive but over Robust.
What Richard Says:
Nose: Malty, grassy, and herbal. It’s a little more muted on the nose than the 12.
Palate: A slight sweetness with balanced wood notes but hotter than the 12.
Finish: A little spicy with a good bit of oak and malty notes.
Comments: Redbreast 12 is a classic. So the 15 should be more so right? Well, it’s a very nice whiskey in the same vein as the 12 but not necessarily an improvement. It’s definitely an Irish you should try if given the chance but I don’t think it’s worth paying up for a bottle of this over the 12 Year Old.
Rating: Must Try
We recently got this press release about an exciting new competition at Bushmills!
MASTER DISTILLER SET TO TAKE DISTILLERY ON TOUR…
Colum Egan, Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery is set to launch a global competition – ‘Make it 2 Bushmills’ – that will, for the first time, see him take the world-famous distillery on tour.
Colum is offering two friends the chance to work alongside him for two weeks, to learn the skills of whiskey-making that have been alive and well in the Bushmills area for over 400 years, before he packs up the best bits of the Old Bushmills Distillery to go on tour. Destination? The winners’ home country.
Speaking ahead of the launch of Make it 2 Bushmills on St Patrick’s Day, Colum said: “More than 100,000 people visit our distillery every year but there are millions of BUSHMILLS™ fans the world over – so we thought it was about time that we visited them.
“We’re going to bring two friends here, give them behind-the-scenes access to the distillery, £5,000 spending money, luxury penthouse accommodation and the chance to together make their own unique blend of BUSHMILLS Irish Whiskey. Then we’re going to take the distillery on tour, when we pack up some of the equipment, people and whiskey that make our distillery the home of the world’s Best Irish Whiskey¹, and bring them to the winners’ home country for the ultimate BUSHMILLS party, where the winners and their friends will be the guests of honour.
“We’ll have live music from some of Ireland’s best up and coming musicians, we’ll unveil our winners’ unique blend and we’ll even toast the occasion with a few bottles of our special Distillery Reserve – a whiskey you can normally only get at the distillery itself.
“Make it 2 Bushmills is a great opportunity for friends from around the world to come here, to the heart of distillery and then take the distillery home”.
Make it 2 Bushmills will culminate in a global final – Bushcamp – a three day event taking place on Ireland’s spectacular north coast this August. Two friends from each country² will be voted by the public to go forward to Bushcamp, where they will experience what life at the Old Bushmills Distillery has to offer.
Colum said: “At Bushcamp we’ll be looking for our winners – the two friends who best represent the BUSHMILLS spirit of friendship, so we’ll be challenging our finalists to together try some of the things the team here love to do. I love my golf, so we might be asking our finalists to together take on my trickiest Par-3 on one of the world’s biggest bunkers, or, as I like to call it, the beach! We take our whiskey ‘mixing’ very seriously, so it could be fun to see how our friends get on when it comes to DJing, and we’ve got some keen cyclists here, so we may even organise a tandem race round the distillery!
“We’ll not be forgetting the whiskey of course – we’re also going to test the palettes of our finalists with a series of whiskey challenges.”
Make it 2 Bushmills will be judged by a panel of famous BUSHMILLS fans, chaired by Colum himself. The full panel will be announced in the run up to Bushcamp.
“We’re looking for real friends, with a genuine love for life and wicked sense of humour”, said Colum, “and do you know what? I’m sure we’ll find them.”
To enter or find out more, visit facebook.com/bushmills1608. Entry closes at 11.59pm GMT on Sunday 17th April 2011. Terms and conditions apply.
Share Bushmills Responsibly
The contest is open to residents of
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Czech Republic
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Netherlands
• Northern Ireland
• Republic of Ireland
• Russia
• South Africa
• United States
Templeton Small Batch Rye Whiskey
40% ABV/80 Proof
$39.99
Currently very hard to find
What the Distillery Says:
Upon first impression, the unique, small batch rye whiskey presents a rye spiciness and almost bittersweet taste that is found in the rye grain. Other impressions are dried fruit, toffee, caramel notes and allspice flavors.
Color: Deep amber
Nose: Mellow, yet complex balance
Palate: Dense mixture of spiciness with sweet undertones of dried fruit, toffee, and caramel
Finish: Clean and spicy
What Richard Says:
Nose: Licorice, clove, cocktail bitters, and something meaty that I can’t put my finger on. It all comes together in a pleasant way.
Palate: You really get that characteristic spicy zing from rye. It plays with a notable sweetness reminscent of candy. Candied fruit maybe?
Finish: It finishes warm and spicy.
Comments: I really like this one. It’s a shame that it’s so hard to get a hold of. With LDI (the original source) running low on aged rye stock we may not see too much relief in that regard in the near future.
Rating: Stands Out
Our thanks to The Baddish Group for providing us review samples.
Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve
43% ABV/86 Proof
$85 to $95
Widely available in limited quantities
What the Distillery Says:
A true original, Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve is an exceptionally balanced whiskey and is the elder statesman of the Jameson Family. Its mellow, complex taste and lingering finale of wood, spice and toffee have been deftly created by the Master Blender; his hand-picked selection of no fewer than three exquisitely poised whiskeys serving as the light, shade and foreground used to craft this unique blend.
Dutifully matured for no less than 18 years in a combination of bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, it’s given a final finish in fresh fill American bourbon barrels. Since its debut in 2002, stocks of Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve have been, as its name suggests, limited. So any opportunity to enjoy this connoisseurs’ choice whiskey, in its individually numbered bottles, should be savoured.
Nose – Aromatic oils with a touch of wood, spicy toffee.
Palate – Wonderfully mellow and smooth, a mouthful of complex flavours – fudge, toffee, spice, hints of wood and leather, vanilla and a gentle sherry nuttiness.
Finish – A long, lingering finish carries the theme of the wood, spice and toffee right through to the end.
What Richard Says:
Nose: Honey, fresh grass, and sherry notes. After letting it sit I find it a bit oily with a buttery sweetness.
Palate: Very rich and slightly oily. Spice, vanilla, and delicate oak.
Finish: Slow and soothing. A little spicy with some of that buttery sweetness from the nose.
Comments: Jameson doesn’t monkey around too much with their range from expression to expression. By that I mean it’s easy to connect them and find an overall Jameson profile. That’s comforting and refreshing with the explosion of small runs and new finishes that while good, can sometimes mask the true nature of the whiskey. This particular express is insanely drinkable stuff. You really need to try it.
Rating: Must Try