The United States of Dramerica

For June's Whisky Club tasting we headed back across the pond for the second time to sample and enjoy some of the best Whiskey from the USA

First up a bit of info on different types of American Whiskey. There are predominantly 3 main types of American whiskey:

Bourbon - Made with a mash bill of at least 51% Corn and then made up of other grains such as Rye and malted Barley
Rye - Made with a mash bill of at least 51% Rye and then made up of other grains such as corn and malted barley.
Wheat - Made with.. well.. wheat. At least 51% of it to be precise


Tincup Whiskey - 42% (Colorado)

Jess Graber started to play around with distilling many years back. In 2004 he turned his hobby into a business and that was how Tincup came into existence.

The whiskey is named after the rich mining heritage of Colorado during the Gold Rush. The miners would take to having their daily libation from the tin cups that were around at the time. The bottle actually comes with a tin cup lid too. Matured for 4-5 years.

This is a high rye content bourbon whiskey. You could almost say a bourbon/rye hybrid in terms of flavour. The nose was very spicy sweet with clove and the palate rich, spicy and very long on the finish.

For around the £30+ mark you can't argue with that.





Willett Single Pot Still Reserve - 47% (Kentucky)

Named after the original distillery founder, Willett's whiskey is produced by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, the same people who make Kentucky Vintage that we had last year and the Noah's Mill in this post.

For the past few years, KBD's distillery has been undergoing improvement works and rumours are that they have actually been using Heaven Hill distillery to make their more recent products. This whiskey comes in a bottle that gives a nod to the pot still that it is said to be made in (although a column still is thought to be used for secondary distillation).

The nose was much deeper than the tin cup, not as tinny! Tasters mentioned plums, brown sugar and raisins, on the palate people said dark chocolate and a bittering medium finish.

Willett Pot Still Reserve is hard to get hold of in the UK when you can get it thoguh it retails for around £45-£50

Noah's Mill- 57.1% (Kentucky)
Our second whiskey of the night from Kentucky Bourbon Distillers and this time it's the turn of the head turning Noah's Mill. Bottled at a hefty 57.1%, unusual for bourbon given the demand and production methods, Noah's Mill is tentatively approaching as craft presentation.

Noah's Mill used to be a dedicated 15 yr old whiskey however it now contains whiskey between 4 and 20 years of age with no age stated on the label.

The nose was very tight at first with raisins, vanilla, cinnamon and tobacco with a spicy, almost perfumed palate as someone pointed out alongside herbs and oak. For those that tried with water it was said that more chocolate and grain notes became present but in some ways took away the depth on the palate.

A great small batch bourbon with a surprisingly smooth profile considering the strength although still packs a fair amount of punch! £50



Corsair Ryemageddon- 46% (Tennessee)
Our penultimate dram came in the form of the only dedicate Rye of the night. Produced by small self professed 'artisan' distillers Corsair based in the Bible Belt town of Nashville Tennessee. Corsair are creating some very interesting experimental and small batch spirits and are starting to build a name for themselves in the market.

So why Ryemegeddon? First of all a great name for a product, very light hearted showing that these guys are enjoying their craft. What sold this bottle for us though is that it contained a mashbill of Rye (obviously) and chocolate malt like that used ins some of the delicious dark rich beers we at the MWC enjoy so much inc porters and stouts.

The nose was sweet with a lot of people immediately making reference to the chocolate malt influence, Cacao powder, dark chocolate, spice and surprisingly supple for a Rye which is normally seen as Bourbon's fiery cousin. The palate was silky in texture with more mentions of chocolate based sundries, nesquick milkshake, then with a grain and vanilla influence from the rye itself.

A fantastic dram it has to be said and great to try something so unique. Available from The Whisky Exchange for £45


Balcones Brimstone- 53.1% (Texas)

No USA tasting in modern times would be complete without paying homage to one of America's rising stars from the Lone Star State. We featured Balcone's True Blue in our last USA tasting in 2013 here. However this year we plumped for a bottle of the famous Brimstone.

Brimstone is very unique in that the whisky (Brimstone refer to it as Whisky not Whiskey) is smoked. However, when we say smoked we don't mean like Scottish whisky where the barley is dried by burning peat oh no no no. Chip Tate and the team actually smoked the distillate itself using texas scrub oak chips. The same distillate as True Blue using Blue Corn. The result? Well...

"Frazzles!" "Pork Scratchings!" "BBQ Ribs!" were the immediate cries upon first nosing the freshly poured drams. After this there were mentions of gammon steak, wood smoke, chipotle and sweetcorn. On the palate everyone was quiet for an unusual amount of time.. "savoury" seemed to be a running theme with various barbecue meats listed with a long lingering finish that many of us had with us the following day.

A unique and engaging whisky indeed and well worth the RRP of £65



The overall favourite of the night was hard to determine as we had a 50/50 split between Brimstone and Willet with Ryemageddon bringing in 3rd place followed by Tincup and Noah's Mill bringing up the rear.

5 great expressions showing the variety and quality you can now find in the American whiskey industry.

A Tasting With Midleton

Another month, another whisky club. Or should we say, whisk(e)y club? On the 27th February we welcomed the North West of England's Midleton brand rep - Greg to take us through some of Ireland's best whiskey. Pernod Ricard have a big presence in Irish whiskey so it was no surprise to see such a fantastic range of whiskey being lined up for this one.

Irish Whiskey has enjoyed the same renaissance as Scotch and other world whiskies over the last 5 years or so, and despite Ireland's share of the market still sitting below 10%, Irish whiskey retains its status as being a very strong and unique producing region with truckloads of tradition. Many argue that Ireland is the true home of whisk(e)y as it is known today. We're sitting on the fence with that one to retain our close ties with our whisky producing neighbours...

Greg taking the club through distillation processes and Jameson's History.

The packed room knew we were in for a treat when Greg rocked up armed with a crate and a heavily leaden holdall bag like Buckaroo fallen on hard times.

When everyone arrived Greg started by taking us through the distillation processes used at Midleton with the use of informative videos and examples. These included the unique way they dry their malted barley with natural warm air and the fact that Jameson is one of the few whiskies to use malted and un-malted barley.

Sore heads in the morning

In addition to the below we also tried; Jameson (standard), Jameson Select Reserve and Redbreast 12. We've skipped the bottles above that we'd already tasted at our last Midleton tasting, the notes of which can be found here.

Yellow Spot - 40%

Yellow Spot 12 yr

In our last tasting we'd tried Green Spot, a 10yr old offering named after the blobs of paint applied to casks by then whiskey merchants Mitchell and Son to identify the contents of casks sat to mature. Now we looked at Yellow Spot, Green Spot's older brother at 12 years old and matured in 3 different cask types; Bourbon, Sherry Butts and Marsala wine casks. Yellow Spot, like Green Spot is a single pot still whiskey.



The nose is very sweet and delicate, taking more of its lead from the Bourbon and Marsala casks than the Sherry. With a palate which was very tropically fruit led with spice, vanilla and oak. This is an altogether different Whiskey to Green Spot, where Green Spot was clunky and rich, the Yellow Spot seems more refined and aloof.

A very good dram and surprisingly different to the Green Spot. Both have very differing and favourable characteristics. This retails at around £60 from places such as Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange

 

Redbreast 15 - 46%

The ever present Redbreast 15

The theme of the night was single pot still releases and this bottling followed the trend. Redbreast 15, like its younger counterpart the 12, is adorned with that Garden favourite, the Robin. Hence the name. However, the name originally stemmed from the slight red hue of older releases according to Greg and the Robin was added later.

Packing an increase in strength by 46% and this bottling and having been matured exclusively in Olorosso sherry casks, the Redbreast 15 again, is a different whisky to it's younger counterpart.

Where the 12 exudes floral, green fruit and toffee notes, the 15 comes in with a heavy stewed fruit, warm pastry, honey, mango and orange pith nose. On the palate due to the whiskies Non Chill Filtration, is a wonderfully thick and oily consistency carrying more jam/ preserved fruit, vanilla cream and orange oil. The finish long and warming.

Redbreast 15 retails at around £65-£70 from specialist whisky retailers.

Powers John's Lane 12yr old - 46%

Next up, yup you've guessed it, another single pot still whiskey! Powers is a 12 year old matured in Bourbon and Olorosso sherry casks and is named after the distillery where the whiskey was originally produced which like many in Ireland, closed many moons ago.

The nose is a very vibrant yet deep affair despite its age and maturation partly in Sherry with notes of wet barley (sounds odd but akin to the Bruichladdich Laddie 10 in many ways!) which then turns around to the more sherry led profile with leather, polished wood with a liquorice and stewed blackberry note throughout.

On the palate straight away you can tell you are in for a smooth ride, it's worth noting Powers is a very well balanced dram, it remains smooth on the palate in true Irish style yet retains its spice and depth of flavour. Think cinnamon, chocolate Hobnob, more black fruits such as prune and more sugared blackberry before rounding off with a long and spicy finish.

Powers retails at around £45 from specialist retailers.


Jameson 18 Limited Reserve - 40%

A very refined and unique Jameson offering

Our 3rd Jameson bottling of the night and we're back to the blends (prior to Yellow Spot we'd racked up with Jameson original and the Select reserve). This, the 18 year old Limited Reserve is selected by the Jameson master blender and bottled at 40%.

A very sweet introduction with something similar to the barley in the Powers but more akin to cereal which is a note also present in the standard Jameson bottling with the use of un-malted barley in the wash. Jameson is closely associated with its standard release and one or two other bottles available in supermarkets. The 18 certainly isn't any of the above. The 18 is a blend of 2 single potstill whiskies and a grain whisky that are then matured in Olorosso sherry casks before being finished in first fill bourbon casks.

The nose is rich, possibly leaning towards the oaky side but retains a sweet honey like character as well as orange oil and toffee. The palate is again smooth, as we've come to expect from the Jameson range and carries toffee, polished oak, espresso, vanilla and hazelnut. The finish lingers sweetly for a 40% dram.

Where you can find it this retails at the edged of £70.


Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy - 46%

The Barry Crockett Legacy,
not to be confused with the Barry Chuckle Range from Diageo

This whiskey is the first to bear the name of the Midleton distillery in its own right for many years. Barry Crockett legacy is named after legendary master distiller of the same name in homage to his many years of work and craft at Midleton. This is a single pot still whiskey at 46% and features spirit matured in ex bourbon casks and new American oak casks.

This a special release at around 2,500 bottles a year and since coming onto the market has been picking up awards worldwide.

The nose provides lots of honey and a malty character not normally associated with Irish whiskey. Next to these were notes of lemon zest, sticky toffee and grilled corn on the cob.
On the tongue there is more honey initially but is clawed back with chocolate orange, fruit salad sweets and cinnamon. The finish is where vanilla really plays its part, its a long, sweet finish with a slight hint of toasted marshmallow. A very special bottling indeed and worthy of it's acclaim. At £140 a bottle we can't comment on the cost but this is a very well crafted whiskey indeed.


Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve 2007 - 46%

Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve

Yet another treat from Greg here a very rare bottle of Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve 2007. For some perspective here, this bottle is the Rolls Royce of their range. This bottling is a blended whiskey made from some of the oldest stocks in the companies warehouse and selected by t
he master blender himself. What is interesting about this whiskey is that one of the contributing spirits has been matured in port pipes. The grain whiskey component is around 24 years old.


We were very chuffed indeed to have this little beauty feature. Not only does it retail at around the £250 mark but it is also very, very hard to get hold of nowadays. So again huge thanks to Greg for stepping up with this lineup.

A sweet and rich nose here, this couldn't be more different to it's £20 standard bottling cousin. Nuts, raisin, cherry yoghurt and black forest gateaux with warm toast covered in honey a consistent feature.
The palate was an even more rich and graceful affair, think an executive's office with rich mahogany paneling and many leather bound books. This guy doesn't need a Mac or a PC.. oh no sir, he uses a fountain pen with an iridium nib. This carries a luscious damp leather note, and immediately replaced with stewed redcurrant and dried cranberry, then followed by a deeper, richer heather honey and freshly baked victoria sponge. Finishing with a long, and incredibly moreish waft of strawberry jam. These red and fruity notes probably all thanks to the contributing Port matured spirit.

We heard many murmurs from around our table saying how this is without a doubt the best irish whiskey, in some cases, the best whisky overall, that people have tried. A fantastic accomplishment.

Overall the consensus seemed to run with the top 3 being the Redbreast 12, Midleton Barry Crockett and Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve.

Tonight not only highlighted the tradition, skill and  passion within the Irish whiskey industry, but also really showed how and why Irish whiskey can easily hold its own with the big boys from Scotland.

Thanks again to Greg Slattery for taking the club through this amazing night.

Dram Good Drinks Vol I - The Old Fashioned

This is our first installment of a new series on the blog to provide a bit of variety.

Over the next few months we'll have a new whisky/whiskey based cocktail recipe here including photos and instructions so that you can try it yourself as well as being another great way of showcasing some great whiskies!.

So, without further ado, here is our first recipe. A rather famous cocktail that I'm sure many of you will have heard of - the Old Fashioned.

The Old Fashioned is a whisky based cocktail and was popularised in the 1960's. However, while there is no definitive date as to when this was created, the general consensus is that one of its first appearances was at a gentleman's bar in Louiseville Kentucky - The Pendennis Club. As a cocktail it's relatively simple to make.

So let's make one shall we?

First off, you'll need

• An 'Old Fashioned' glass or whisky tumbler
• A muddler/ pestle
• 60 ml (2 1/2 US fl oz) of bourbon, or blended scotch whisky
• A sugar cube or teaspoon of sugar. you can also use sugar syrup for convenience.
• Angostura bitters
• 1 Orange slice
• Maraschino cherries

First of all, add the sugar with a splash of water or a teaspoon/barspoon of sugar syrup to an Old Fashioned glass or whisky tumbler. Then add 2-3 dashes of the Angostura bitters.

Add large ice cubes and the 60ml of bourbon/scotch and stir gently.... then stir some more.. and more

Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry.. Done!

This cocktail is simple and delicious and here we have followed a traditional recipe.

Here we have used the fantastic and affordable Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon (available here). However if you don't have bourbon in at the minute, a lighter blended whisky or even a spicy highland malt can also work. Experiment! 

Living The American Dram

The night was the 27th June 2013, the place, the Castle pub on Oldham Street. A slow and constant drizzle had settled over Manchester but inside the Castle there was plenty of southern state sunshine courtesy of this month's whisky club lineup.

This was to be the club's first non- UK/Irish based tasting and featured some of the best Whisky and Whiskey the USA hd to offer.

Before we start all at the club would like to say a huge thanks to everyone at the Castle for making the club feel so welcome and Jonny in particular for providing us with the wonderful facilities.

The surroundings really did add to the atmosphere of the night, the Castle really is an incredible venue.



The Dukes of Hazard were kind enough to drop off some supplies!



We had a good turn out on the night with people from the waiting list and even the Castle itself in attendance. The room had a great buzz about it.



Above was the night's lineup. From Left to Right - Kentucky Vintage, Four Roses Single Barrel, Balcones True Blue, Sazerac Rye and Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1

Kentucky Vintage Small Batch Bourbon - 45%

When you think of traditionally styled bourbons you might automatically think of well known names such as Jim Beam, Four Roses, Bulleit, Makers Mark or Wild Turkey. This bottle of Kentucky Vintage Bourbon from Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Co is anything but well known and anything but mass produced. This bourbon is sold as small batch and individually hand labelled.

This whiskey itself is matured for longer than most standard bourbons at a whopping 8 years. Other bourbon expressions are matured for the minimum 2 year term in order for the spirit to be labelled as Bourbon Whiskey.

Nose  - Intense sharp sweetness, bananas and demarera sugar under the grill, oak, warm caramel, cinnamon and star Anise and some sort of citrus note such as lime rind.

Palate- Initial light brush of maple syrup, buttery, back to the sugar from the nose, treacle tart, lots of vanilla extract and sultanas

Finish- Medium length, very warm but then quickly fades to delicate notes of candy floss (or since we're going US cotton candy!) and slight oak and smokiness.

Four Roses Single Barrel - 50% Barrel 11-3

 Next up on our tour was an offering from renowned bourbon producer Four Roses. In this instance it came in the form of their premium bottling, the Four Roses Single Barrel. In this case the bottle was from warehouse NV and barrel 11-3 which incidentally is the same batch that Jim Murray of whisky bible fame scored a whopping 94 points.

The single barrel is a high quality offering and has been matured for 2+ years. The standard Four Roses Yellow label is made up of a selection of ten single barrels from the Four Roses stable. Incidentally if you're ever looking for a good bourbon to replace the usual suspects of Jack Daniels (which isn't actually a bourbon) Jim Beam etc check out the standard Four Roses Yellow Label bottling. For £20 it's a steal.

Nose  - An all together different beast from the Kentucky Vintage. Where the KV was delicate and light the Four Roses is deep and rich. So much going on here, intense plumb crumble, strawberry jam, créme caramel and warm parkin cake.

Palate- A lovely warmth & oily mouthfeel. Definitely feels older than it is. Oreo cookies, another breath of the plumbs from the nose, and a warming cinnamon fragrance leading to a wonderful hint of Peruvian chocolate (yes chocolate really can be that unique!) and finishing off before the tail with black cherry compote

Finish- The cherry lingers before being shouldered aside by a sweet yet powerful Oak.



Balcones - True Blue 50%

Now our next bottling is a very interesting dram indeed. Balcones you say? Who are these upstarts? Well, Balcones are making shockwaves throughout the Whisky/Whiskey industry. Founded in 2009 by a chap in Waco (yup a town called Waco), Texas named Chip Tate, Chip and a few friends purchased a run down warehouse, went on to make their own stills by hand and started to produce some of the most highly sought after small batch whiskies on the market.

As you can tell from the description above the entire Balcones range is lovingly crafted by hand and only produced in small unique batches. True Blue is one of the best whiskies in their range and is our first purely corn whisky of the night (its worth noting Chip has used the traditional Scottish spelling rather than whiskEy). In this case the corn used is blue corn, hence the name.

Nose  - Heavy and rich, spice, lots of spice, possibly nutmeg. Butter in a hot iron pan, honey, and warm fudge cake.

Palate- Starts off sweet more brown sugar here, then banana bread and Jamaican ginger cake followed by cinder toffee and honeycomb.
Finish- A long and warming finish with a return of the spices, there even starts to be a hint of sweetcorn with salt crystal butter before slowly fading away with a lovely warming glow.

 

Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey - 45%

We now move onto our first and only Rye Whiskey of the evening. Sazerac Rye, now produced by Buffalo Trace, was originally named after the famous coffee house in New Orleans where the Sazerac cocktail was invented.

Rye whiskey is named as such as the mash itself used to create it must contain at least 51% rye. This bottling is labelled straight rye as his has been aged for 2 years or over. In this particular case a 6 year maturation. Rye is fantastic in cocktails and is known to be a spicy and punchy offering. Sazerac is no different!

Nose  - Spiced oranges, ginger and rainbow peppercorns.

Palate- More orange, possibly blood orange this time, root beer float, cola cubes, very peppery again and finally a bit of Irn Bru can you believe!!

Finish- Liquorice root, more citrus and yet another heated kick followed by lingering vanilla and oakiness.

Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1 - 62.5%

White Dog Mash is a very interesting spirit. This is basically the very same mash used to create the famous (and great value for money) Buffalo Trace bourbon. The only difference is that this particular spirit has not been matured for 2 years to soften and mellow in virgin oak casks. Oh no no no. This bottle of wet death has been taken straight from still to bottle.

The mash itself consists of corn, rye and malted barley - the normal mix for a bourbon mash.

It's no wonder this is only bottled in very small bottles and again, very small batches!

Nose  - Initially thinking 'oh god what have I done' before realising there are layers here. Lychee syrup, cocoa dusting and bakewell tart.

Palate- Surprisingly smooth, obviously not to the extent of a matured bourbon but considering the mash involved and the abv there is more sugary syrup, a bit of rough cut marmelade and pepper.

Finish- Quite short but peppery and warm, this is everything that the Baijiu could only wish to be!

We had a great selection here tonight, 2 bourbons, a unique corn whisky, a wonderful rye and finally a little bit of white lightening! I think overall the vote was ties between the Sazerac and the Four Roses but all the drams both Whisky and Whiskey alike stood up to the scrupulous tastebuds of the MWC members.

Until next time!



Emerald Explorations

May 30th saw the MWC meet for the 5th time as a club. On a side note a huge thanks to those that made it down on the night both members and non-members alike!

This was the clubs first tasting actually hosted by a distillery rep so expectations were high. Luckily that rep was Jameson/Pernod Ricard's Stephen Carberry and we weren't disappointed.
Due to a low turnout we opened up to the general public and we had 5 people in one group turn out to sample some of the Emerald Isles' offerings alongside our members.

As we had a mixture of complete whisky newbies and the usual amateurs (we're far from pro's in the MWC!) Stephen started off explaining the differences between Irish and other world whiskies as well as distilling processes and a really useful Whiskey ABC style of presentation.

As part of the presentation, Stephen passed round samples of barley to smell and look at and a particular favourite was that he also passed around a sample of new make pot still spirit and new make coffey still spirit.

Onto the tastings themselves, boy did Stephen come prepared!

First off he set up 3 drams, to show the difference between the varying styles of USA Whiskey, Scotch and Irish.

Jack Daniels Old No7 - 40%

Possibly the most popular Whiskey in the world. Often mistaken as a bourbon but is actually classed as a Tennessee mash Whiskey!

Nose -  Lots of smooth caramel with fresh sugars cutting through. Oak character as well as oil a and nutty element.
Palate- What 'Jack' is famous for, smooth palate with more toffee and charred oak and cream
Finish- An overly sweet finish with the slightest hint of ginger and all spice

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 - 40%
An immensly popular blended Scotch whisky that adorns many an enthusiasts shelf across the world.

Nose  - Peppery with treacle toffee, orange zest and caramel.
Palate- Full and punchy, raw in a sense. Heavy spice notes, oak, slight dry smoke and toffee
Finish- Much longer than the Jack Daniel's, sultana's, more smoke and fruit bread.

Jameson- 40%

The standard Jameson expression that can be found in bars the world over

Nose - Very light and floral with hints of vanilla
Palate- Creamy but again very light showcasing pot still characteristics. Fresh orchard fruits, peanut brittle and a coppery tang
Finish- Slight spice with honey and more vanilla

There were mixed reviews of the 3, with a majority choosing the JW Black. While they are what could be classes as 'bog standard' offerings they did succeed in highlighting the unique differences between American, Scotch and Irish whiskies.

Next up we went into a bit more detail on the history of the Jameson Brand and sampled 2 more of their more unique bottlings compared to the standard.


Jameson Select Reserve Small Batch - 40%

What could be seen as the next step up from the standard expression, the Small Batch is a much more unique Whiskey in the sense that it uses a contributing grain spirit. The grain used to make this spirit is only available 2 weeks per year hence this becoming a very small batch whiskey from a mass capacity distillery!

Nose - Much richer than the standard expression, lovely stewed apple, clementine, cereals and spices
Palate You can tell there is sherry here. Reminiscent of Speyside hints here with Walnuts, ginger snaps, vanilla cream and dates.
Finish- Very warm and long





Jameson Gold Reserve- 40%

The Gold Reserve has a large amount of pure potstill whiskey and currently heads Jameson's range as their flagship bottling.

Nose - Sugars and so many bourbon-esque notes. Vanilla, elderflower syrup
Palate - Initially delicate and sweet but opens up in the middle to a spicy richness alongside the grain.
Finish - Quite short, signs off with a big thud of vanilla custard
They certainly have taken a very pro- bourbon approach to this one!


There seemed to be a 50/50 split in opinion between the Small Batch and Gold Reserves with some preferring the bolder Select compared to the lighter more delicate bourbon styled Gold. These bottlings offer more than the standard Jameson product and you can really tell the difference in quality and change of style.


Green Spot - 40%

Our first single pot still of the night. Green Spot has become very popular in recent years.
Green spot is named after the method of painting spots of different colours onto barrels of whisky to identify them.

It is one of the only remaining bonded Irish whiskeys, and is currently the only brand specifically produced for and sold by an independent wine merchant in Ireland - Mitchell & Son. Only 1200 bottles are produced annually (approx).

Nose - Crisp green apple, spanish heather honey, chopcolate sponge and menthol!
Palate- Cleaner and crisper than you might expect from the nose. Predominantly honey here with lovely balance and mouthfeel.

 Finish- A gentle exit with hints of the honey and menthol from the palate alongside cinder toffee.

Redbreast 12 - 40%

Onto the final whiskey of the evening. Redbreast 12 is possibly one of if not the most reknowned Irish single pot still whiskies in the world.

This little beauty comes in both the standard 40% and cask strength (57%) expressions. We sampled the 40% on the night.

A nice touch is thast the bottle is actually formed to represent an irish pot still!

Nose - Very rich compared to an irish blend. There seems to be an oily feel to it even on the nose with citrus fruits, caramel and warm corn on the cob with salt butter.

Palate - The palate is quite deceptive, the delivery is delicate, stroking the tongue with a marzipan/ almond paste quality. the mouthfeel is oily but thinner than you might expect. More citrus now, seville oranges, a slight tickle of sherry and warm cheesecake base

Finish - The light oily texture adds to this whiskey's charm as a wave of cream decends carrying delightful small boats full of ginger crystals and ground hazelnut.

I can safely say Stephen brought along a fantastic array of Whiskies and really highlighted the differences between Irish and other world whiskies that in turn put the spotlight on Irish Whiskey's charm. Pot still character is a phrase that can often be found in whisky blogs and books alike but you can really appreciate what that means here with some of these fine drams.

Overall a fantastic night and many thanks to Stephen for doing a great job in showcasing such a fantastic range.

Check out Stephen on Twitter @CarberryStephen

'Battle of the Blends' - Round 1

The most recent meeting of the MWC saw us focusing on blended whiskies.

Blends are often overlooked and seen by some as being inferior to single malts. So we went out of our way to showcase some of the best and most unique blends on the market.

Part of the nights lineup

Over all we had 7 whiskies in the lineup as we had 2 bonus bottles this month kindly provided by member Dave Marsland who brought along a bottle of Monkey Shoulder and Chivas Regal 12.

Monkey Shoulder 40%

So first off we cracked open the Monkey Shoulder which is a blended malt whisky from famous blenders William Grant. Composed of 3 Speyside single malts and bottled at 40%, Monkey Shoulder is often seen as a great introduction to whisky.

Andy's tasting notes were -

Nose -Boiled Sweets, caramel in the pan, slight malt and Butterkist popcorn

Palate - Sweet again, a bit of treacle toffee, plums

Finish - Quite short, flourish of malt with a bitter tail.

You can see why this is such a good introductory whisky due to its simplicity and sweetness. I always have a bottle at home for cocktails too.

Chival Regal 12 - 40%

Next up is the Chivas regal 12. An immensely popular whisky in the States and Asia. The Chivas bros owned a grocery shop in Aberdeen in 1801 and started to blend their own whisky. Chivas was said to be the preferred tipple of both Jim Morrison and Frank Sinatra. Groovy.

Andy's tasting notes were -

Nose - Short toffee, the club thought I was mental but I also got plastic carrier bags, sawdust and salt

Palate - Flat, white pepper, thin fruit syrup from the end of a fruit tin, extremely smooth.

Finish - Very short with the only noticeable flavour being a tart metallic tang

A bit underwhelming I think but you can see why it is popular in the US and Asian markets due to the light sweetness and smoothness.

The tasting gets underway!

The Tweeddale Blend 12 yo Batch #2 - 46% NCF

The Tweeddale blend produced by Alisdair Day is a 50/50 Grain/Malt split. Originally produced by his great grandfather back in the 1800's the Tweeddale 12 sticks to the same recipe as it did almost 200 years ago. There are 9 whiskies in the blend and all whiskies contained are drawn from single casks making each batch unique. Out of the 9, only 1 is a grain whisky with 8 malts following.

Andy's tasting notes were -

Nose - Very light and delicate, similar to the Bladnoch we had in January. Vanilla fudge, pear drops and cinnamon with the slightest hint of dried herbs.

Palate - Such power from nowhere! A sudden ensemble of Spice, black pepper, lemon sherbet, peanut brittle and baked apples.

Finish - A long lingering finish of toffee, brandy snaps and Jamaican ginger cake.

Overall a lovely blended whisky that really sneaks up on you! The nose is so delicate and almost floral and then the palate contains so much complexity and spice! If Alisdair keeps this up I think you'll be hearing a lot more about the Tweeddale brand over the next few years!

Black Bull 12 yo - 50% NCF

Black Bull 12 is part of indie bottler Duncan Taylor's famous blended range. First produced in 1933, Duncan Taylor took over production in 2001 and continued to win accolade's with their high quality range. The 12 has a few older brothers in the 30yo and 40yo, who knows, one day we might be able to try them too!

Another 50/50 grain/malt blended scotch Black Bull 12 yo has been kept to a whopping 50% which is fantastic to see in any arena of whisky let alone blends where 40% is sadly common place. 

Andy's tasting notes were:

Nose -  Red grape, Brasil nuts, Dark chocolate, sherry, vanilla and apple pie filling.

Palate - Surprisingly mellow and delicate on the palate, treacle toffee, vanilla pods and more apple

Finish - Heavier fruits now, vanilla and distinct creaminess.

A great offering from Duncan Taylor here with a lot of depth of character thanks to that whopping 50%

Compass Box Spice Tree - 46% NCF

Compass Box are a renowned and boutique blending company who offer consistently high quality and award winning products. Spice Tree is no different. It's not all been plain sailing for the Spice Tree. It was banned from production in 2005 by the SWA as they didn't appreciate Compass Box's practice of adding high quality toasted french oak staves to the cask that gave Spice Tree its unique flavour.

Compass box eventually compromised by using the same oak as cask heads instead. Spice tree is a Blended  Malt whisky as opposed to a grain/malt blend and is made up of only Highland Malt whisky including a big dollop of Clynelish.

Andy's tasting notes were:

Nose -  Ginger, cinnamon, clove and vanilla, deep.

Palate - Well rounded, very full and rich, brandy snaps, caramac, nutmeg, more vanilla, rainbow peppercorns.

  Finish - Warm Biscuits, cocoa and raisins.

One of my personal favourites, you can feel the love and attention that goes into every bottle. These bottling's become a signature of the true quality that John Glaser and the team are producing.

Sheep Dip Amaroso Olorosso - 41.8%

Every so often you come across a whisky that is so unique you can't help but buy a bottle. The Sheep Dip Amaroso Olorosso is one of these. Originally blended and matured in Scotland for 3 years in a Bourbon cask, the whisky was then sent over to the Sherry capital of Spain, Jerez where it was transferred into a Spanish sherry cask and warehoused  there.

9 Years passed as the Spanish company warehousing the whisky went bust and left it there! Once the company was bought out the new company discovered the barrel and contacted the Spencerfield Spirit co ( a subsidiary of Whyte & Mackay) who retrieved the cask. Since this whisky spent the majority of its life maturing outside Scotland it can no longer be referred to as Scotch Whisky.

Andy's tasting notes were:

Nose -  Holy cow! So much chocolate here! Dairy milk, coco pops with warm milk, buttered popcorn, vanilla frosting and almond.

Palate - Nesquick milkshake, chocolate digestive, baked apple, vanilla cream, raisins, 

Finish - There it is! The sherry tail alongside warm porridge and lovely warm banana bread.

Such a unique whisky, a few exclamations of surprise went round the room when this was being tasted. If only this was in constant production, worth owning just for the novelty!

Feárr Cuideachd - 40% whiskyblender.com

Feárr Cuideachd was the bespoke club blend that I made on Whisky Blenders website.

I used all 7 whiskies on the site including 2 grains and 5 malts in the following amounts. BURNT PUDDIN'

100ml, SMOKE ON THE WATER 50ml, TOUCH OF SPICE 140ml, SOFT & FRUITY 80ml, COCOA-NUTS 110ml, VANILLA FUDGE 120ml, TASTE OF THE SEA 100ml

Nose -  Initial fruit nose including Greengage and apple, followed by toffee, spice and granola.

Palate - Spice, a sea air freshness cutting through and a pleasant buttercup syrup-like overlay. Nice mouthfeel

Finish - A long and lingering finish, a bit more spice here and the 50ml of peat finally makes it appearance with a soft and warming glow.

Personally I'm pretty chuffed with how well this came out, it's not easy blending blind so to speak. I've since transferred the remainder to a smaller bottle and we will revisit in a few months once it has had more time to marry together. I think this will go from strength to strength.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overall I think we had some great blends on offer, from the entry level Monkey Shoulder to the higher-end and small batch blends such as the Tweeddale & Spice Tree. Personally my favourite was the Tweeddale which has a lot going on and shows the true quality of the ingredients within.

Have you had a good blend experience recently? Is one of your favourite drams a blended whisky? Let us know in the comments!

Many thanks do Dave Marsland of Drinks Enthusiast for a selection of the photographs.

Welcome to The Manchester Whisky Club

Hello!

Welcome to the Manchester Whisky Club web page!

The Manchester Whisky Club was set up in late October 2012. The idea of the club is to get like-minded people from around the Manchester area and further afar, to meet new people and to try some great whiskies at our monthly meetings at the The Castle Hotel pub in Manchester city centre.

The club's first meeting is to be held on 31st January 2013!

Happy dramming!