A Danish Whisky Tasting

 

The full line up (bonus dram on the right)

For February's tasting, we visited one of the newer whisky producing nations - Denmark. Club member Marc (you can find him on Instagram) has family connections there, and took advantage of some recent visits to bring us some of the best of the growing Danish whisky scene.

Stauning El Clasico

A lot of the bottles were 50cl so we had seven to work our way through rather than the usual six. But that wasn't the case for the opening dram, a full 70cl from the best known name in Danish distilling, Stauning.

El Clasico is a rye whisky aged in vermouth, aimed at creating a flavour a bit like a Manhattan cocktail. And it does this, more or less. Other tasting notes we picked out included custard tarts, with an overall bittersweet sense about it. Very distinctive and nice, it was £64 at an ABV of 45.7%.

Thy Spelt Rye

Next we moved on to the Thy distillery, and a single distilled bottling called Spelt Rye, which featured 50% rye and 10% spelt flour along with the more regular 40% barley, all grown at their local farm.

Matured in virgin American white oak barrels, this had an interesting mixture of flavours. Bubblegum and a certain sweetness, mixed with a chemical sort of taste as well, "like thinners" as someone suggested. Liquorice was another shout. The official tasting notes suggested a lingering finish but we didn't get a clear sense of that, instead finding it a little on the short side. It's 47.9% but at £84 for 50cl, there would be better value bottlings on offer later in the evening.

Braunstein 12.2

On to dram number three and Braunstein, another family-run enterprise consisting of a micro brewery and distillery, along with a range of independent bottlings. We had the Library Collection 12.2 to try, a peated dram with a sherry finish (the picture of the empty bottle doesn't do justice to the dark colour of the actual liquid).

This packed a bit of a punch considering it was just 46%, with a real woody smoke. Water took some of the edge off, though. Generally we liked this one. £86, again for 50cl.

Mosgaard

After a half-time break to recharge our beer glasses downstairs at the Britons Protection, we were back for a homeward run of four more Danish drams. Starting with Mosgaard, and their PX cask finish batch 8.

Aged in French oak and then the sherry, this smelt great. And it had lots of flavour on the palate too: some coffee, chocolate and apple, along with other citrus type notes. Fantastic, we thought. At £64 we agreed this was a "mad price for a three-year-old" but was undoubtedly amazing. It came in at 46.3%, and again it was just 50cl.

Isfjord

Isfjord was next, a brand made at the Braunstein distillery from dram three, but using iced water from Greenland allowing it to call itself 'premium Arctic single malt'.

This again was from a sherry cask, and we got tasting notes including chocolate and raspberry. A honey-type sweetness along with creaminess, and raisins too. It's £73 (50cl) and 42%. Not bad but not the favourite for most from the night's line up.

Fary Lochan

To Fary Lochan for whisky number six, a distillery that certainly sounds as if it ought to be in Scotland somewhere. We had a 6 year-old Moscatel finish to try, an expression called Batch 5.

There wasn't loads on the nose but a truly great taste. Juicy, fresh, with a definite flavour of green apples. Water brought this out even more: Granny Smiths all round. Arguably it didn't even taste all that much like whisky, and we spent some time discussing whether that really mattered. Certainly well worth trying, although at £120 it wouldn't exactly make an everyday drinker. It's 62% (although it seems to have sold out).

BBR Stauning

For the final dram it was back to Stauning and a full 70cl bottle, this time courtesy of legendary indie Berry Bros. and Rudd. This was a 5 year-old, distilled back in 2017 and bottled last year, again with a Moscatel finish.

And it was great! Lucky number seven indeed. This was "awesome" all round from nose to palate, where the only tasting note I was able to write down was "thick jam". It's safe to say we all liked this one. We got it for £125 and it was 58.9%.

That brought us to the dram of the night voting, which produced a victory for the last whisky of the evening, the Berry Bros. Stauning. Tied for second were the Fary Lochan and the Mosgaard.

Thanks to all club members and guests for coming along, and to all at the Britons for hosting us - and especially to Marc for putting together such an excellent and well-curated showcase of Danish drams. Skol!

Manchester Whisky Club's 10th Anniversary!

 

The tenth anniversary line up

Has it really been ten years? Yes, yes it has. A full decade on from the beginnings of Manchester Whisky Club, on Twitter and then at the Lass O'Gowrie, we were packed in at the Britons Protection the day after Burns Night, to mark our biggest anniversary yet.

29yo Glaswegian

Chairman Adam has picked out some special cask strength goodies to mark the occasion. And we started off with a whisky almost three times as old as the club, a 29-year-old Glaswegian from the Whisky Works brand. An indie-style offshoot of a famous old name in whisky, Whyte and Mackay, this was the first time we'd had anything of theirs at the club.

The liquid came from the now-closed Port Dundas grain whisky distillery. It was very pale, but went down well straight away. "Gorgeous" offered someone. It was very biscuity, and the mouthfeel improved a bit with a drop of water. A bit sweet, a bit of caramel. A good start all round. It's 54.2% and it's available at £128.

WotW Mackmyra

Next we went to Sweden and one of the club's favourite distilleries, Mackmyra. Unusually though, rather than a distillery bottling it was an independent offering from French outfit Swell de Spirits as part of its Wonders of the World range. A 2013 bottled last year, this was aged in virgin American oak throughout.

This was great on the nose in particular. A real sweet shop vibe about it. Syrup as well, and biscuits again too. A further tasting note was a carton of apple juice! Quite spirity as befits the 53.4% ABV, this was another that got plenty of positive comments. It's available for £95 (although it's a 50cl, rather than 70cl bottle).

GlenDronach 26yo

We concluded the first half of the tasting with something the club really pushed the boat out for: a bottle of 26-year-old GlenDronach that came in at no less than £245 (although if you can find a bottle now, it would be an awful lot more than that). GlenDronach is always associated with sherry and this was a real sherry monster, having spent its full maturation in a Pedro Ximenez puncheon.

Big and sweet, this one came on as strong as you might expect for a 54.9% dram, with some big flavours on the nose and then the palate - intense fruits, raisins, syrup and much more along those lines. One or two in the club thought it faded a little in terms of an aftertaste, although not everyone went along with that, although given the high proportion of sherried Speyside fans in the membership it's perhaps not surprising this went down well.

M&H 3yo

After a half-time opportunity to recharge our beer glasses at the bar of the Britons - which has been our home for most of the past decade following initial spells in the old snug at the Lass and then upstairs at the Castle (each of which we quickly outgrew) - it was back for another trio.

Another feature of our tastings over the years has been trying a whole range of international whiskies, including from all sorts of new and up and coming distilleries. To check off that particular tradition, Adam selected a bottle from Israel's Milk and Honey. It was a 3-year-old which had spent its full maturation in a cask which previously held port-style fortified wine from Galilee, although there's no word on whether this had previously been water.

Talisker 8yo

I immediately got cigarette ends, although nobody else really did so this might say more about whatever beer I had drinking than anything else. Even allowing for the faster maturation possible in the Israeli climate, this tasted much older than three years. It was too strong for some at 66.5%, and gave some a bit of a harsh, heartburny type taste. But with water this mellowed a bit, and gave way to some lovely fruity notes, along with a bit of barbecue. It's £85.

A bit more smoke for dram number five, in the shape of Skye's Talisker and an eight-year-old, from Diageo's 2021 special release series. This was matured in some heavily peated refill casks, adding a real edge to the already coastal character of the liquid.

Ruadh Maor 10yo

And it was very peaty. In fact, we felt this tasted a bit like another great dram we've had over recent years, Bruichladdich's Port Charlotte. This was just as drinkable, and at £82 we felt this was decent value as well. It's 59.7%.

Adam rounded off the half dozen with another indie, a Lady of the Glen bottling of Ruadh Mhor, the name used by Glenturret for its peated expressions. This was a 10-year-old, finished in a first fill ex-Amarone wine barrique for the last two of those years.

Smoky and salty, this got Frazzles on a very distinctive nose (although as I often say when Frazzles comes up a tasting note - when was the last time anyone actually ate Frazzles?). If anything the nose overshadowed the actual taste of the stuff, although perhaps our palates were a touch worn out after an evening of very big flavours of which this was last but certainly not least. It was 61.8% and cost £86.

JD Manchester cask

This brought us to the dram of the night voting. As is only sometimes the case, each of the six whiskies attracted at least one vote - always the sign of a well-chosen selection. But it was the Mackmyra that came out narrowly on top, with 13 votes ahead of the 11 which went to the GlenDronach in second, while five peat monsters backed the smoky Talisker.

There was still time for one more whisky, though, courtesy of our generous hosts at the Britons.

The pub has a long association with Jack Daniel's and boasts the best range of JD in the UK and probably Europe. This extends to a series of special expressions created just for the Britons, and we had in our hands a bottle of cask number five. I didn't actually take any detailed tasting notes down for it (it was that time of the evening), but it was a great dram - a lovely way to finish another successful evening.

Thanks to all club members for attending and continuing to show such support to us, and once again to the Britons for hosting us so brilliantly. I think we can all drink to the next ten years.

Christmas Party 2022

 

The whisky table

We gathered upstairs once again at the Britons' Protection for the Manchester Whisky Club Christmas party. It's the annual event where we bring back the bits and bobs of whisky we didn't finish at the tastings through the year, and members bring a few snacks and homebakes to help us through the evening.

Thanks again to everyone who attended a tasting throughout the year, and to all at the Britons for helping to take care of us. We've also been enjoying our latest club bottling (below), an excellent 14 year-old Caol Ila.

We'll be back with more in the new year, as the club marks its tenth anniversary. Merry Christmas!

Our latest club bottling

Cask Strength Islay

 

The full line up

For November's tasting we visited one of the club's favourite destinations - Islay - for an evening of cask strength drams from the home of peated whisky.

Untold Richest

With Martin guiding us through the list, we began slightly counter-intuitively, with something unpeated. It was old, 28 years-old in fact, and was a Wemyss Malts Bunnahabhain called Untold Riches. The liquid comes from no fewer than 31 casks, mostly bourbon-aged but with some sherry cask as well.

We wouldn't have pegged this one as an Islay, if we hadn't known. It was chocolatey and spicy with distinctive notes of cereal and oats. Quite spirity too, still quite a lot of life in it despite the age and the 49.1% ABV. Certainly a great way to start the evening. We got our bottle when it was released for the RRP of £150, but these days you'd be lucky to find one at auction for anything less than £325.

Bowmore 15yo

Bowmore was next, another of Islay's great distilleries. We had a Feis Ile bottling, released for the annual Islay festival. This put us immediately in mind of last November's tasting when we had a whole series of festival drams.

The Bowmore was a 15yo released for the 2022 festival, costing £110. And it was clear from the first taste this was something extra special. Bourbon, chocolate and coffee were all over this. Really fruity, with an extra hit of coffee beans again at the end. Lovely all round. It was 54.7%.

Spiritfilled Port Charlotte

October's tasting from Spiritfilled was one bottle short due to the vagaries of the postal service, but the bottle did eventually turn up and slotted into this tasting as whisky number three. 

This was a forthcoming Port Charlotte, a bourbon cask 13 year-old clocking in at 58%. At the time of our tasting, this had a total availability of one! But this will be changing soon as it gets a broader release. This was certainly a very punchy dram, and went down particularly well with those who enjoy the big Islay peat monsters (this is a not insignificant proportion of club members!).  It's £145 for pre-order.

Caol Ila 9yo

After a half-time break, giving everyone the chance to recharge their beer glasses downstairs at the Britons' Protection bar, we were back for the second trio of whiskies.

Next up was a bottling created for the Southport Whisky Club, a 9 year-old Caol Ila. A sherried Caol Ila is a relative rarity which is what caught Martin's eye when he picked it up for us for £75 (there was a discount involved here, we think the bottle itself is probably no longer available).

This had a high ABV of 57.9% but was nevertheless very smooth. In fact it was "surprisingly chill" as someone put it. Very peaty as well, of course, with some ripe bananas at the end. This got the nod as being a "quintessential Islay", a classical sort of dram and a great example of the combination of sherry and peat.

Lagavulin

Lagavulin was dram number five. On this occasion, a no age statement bottling from 2018, consisting of a vatting of two types of cask, a heavily charred refill bourbon and an American oak.

This didn't feel like a Lagavulin to us, although "it is Laggy adjacent" as someone suggested. A really good dram, with more of a subtle sweetness than you'd expect from the distillery. A little bit muted even, but not in a bad way at all. There was something creamy about it too. It was £100 and came in at 53.5%

Kilchoman

The final dram of the night involved a visit to Islay's farm distillery, Kilchoman, and a bottle created especially for Robertson's of Pitlochry, a notable independent whisky retailer. This was a single cask whisky, aged in a refilled bourbon barrel from Woodford Reserve, then finished for a year in a French oak tequila barrel. It was £90 and 54%.

This was lovely on the nose, and in fact some thought the palate didn't quite live up to the promise. Sweet and fruity, there were mixed views on whether the tequila really added anything much to the mix here. American cream soda was another tasting note.

That brought us to the dram of the night voting, and the Bowmore ran out a clear winner with 15 votes, ahead of the Spiritfilled Port Charlotte in second place.

Thanks to Martin for selecting and presenting such a great range of Islay whiskies, to all at the Britons for hosting us again, and to club members old and new for joining us to take part.

Mythical Beasts From Spiritfilled

 

The evening's line up

For October's meeting of the Manchester Whisky Club, we were treated to our first brand tasting since the pandemic. Ross and Russell from cask broker and independent bottler Spiritfilled were on hand to share their story so far, and to allow us to try some of the expressions they've released under their Mythical Beasts label.

Ardlair 11yo

We had four to try (the fifth, a forthcoming Port Charlotte, was delayed in the post, but we're looking forward to having it next month instead). 

The opening dram was an Ardlair. Not a name that is seen all that often - it is in fact an unpeated Ardmore, a Highland distillery best known as the key component of the Teacher's blend. An 11-year-old, this was finished for the last 18 months in a PX sherry cask.

And at 53.5% it was certainly a bit fiery. "Don't be afraid to add water" was some early advice. We got green apples on the nose, then pears and toffee apples when it was tasted, so a good dram for the time of year. The finish was quite long as well, and citrussy. Very flavourful all round, you certainly know you've tasted it. It was dry too, almost like a dry white wine as someone suggested. It's £68. Not bad value for a whisky with plenty going on.

Glenrothes 15yo

More sherry next, in the shape of a Glenrothes. This spent the full 15 years in a first fill sherry butt. A Speyside, Glenrothes also has a long association with a particular blend, in this cask Cutty Sark.

Ross and Russell said this tasted so big out of the cask, they had to "bring it down a bit" to 55% before bottling. This had chewy sweets (like Fruit Salad) and ginger biscuits on the nose, and a bit of vanilla too. On taking a sip, this was thick and unctuous, with dates and fruitcake. Very Christmassy. Some water brought out some orangey notes as well. It's £120.

After a short break to recharge our glasses downstairs at the Britons Protection, we were back for dram three and the most expensive bottle - at time of purchasing - we've ever had, in almost ten years of the club.

Fettercairn 32yo

It was a 32-year-old Fettercairn, bottled from a cask which had been held by a Birmingham woman all that time. It went into an ex-Bourbon hogshead in July 1989, when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, the Berlin Wall was still standing, and Soul II Soul were at number 1. Just 98 bottles exist and we had two of them in the room, and at £425 a pop that's some seriously valuable liquid.

The distillery itself is officially considered a Highland, although in reality the village from which it takes its name is just a short distance from the North Sea.

On the nose we got some rich, dried, fruit, like raisins and apricots. It was sweet to taste, and there was a very pleasant maltiness about it. This was very special to try and we liked it a lot although, sad to say, it was more than a little out of reach in terms of price. It's 48.6%.

Kilchoman 15yo

That brought us to the last dram of the evening and a visit to the Islay distillery of Kilchoman. A small, independent, farm-style distillery, Kilchoman is a real favourite of club members.

This particular Mythical Beasts expression was a 15-year-old private cask release, which spent its entire maturation in a bourbon cask. A little bit of pepper and spice on the nose, and then when tasted a lovely, subtle peated flavour with some vanilla too. I thought this was particularly outstanding (although as we'll see, the membership as a whole had a different favourite). Although at £190 again it's one to push the boat out for. The ABV is 55.5%.

So that brought us to the dram of the night voting, and all four whiskies gained some support from the members in the room. The Kilchoman, in fourth place, still had six votes. But the winner was that sherry bomb Glenrothes, with ten.

Special thanks to Ross and Russell for bringing us such a special selection of whiskies and telling us all about a business that is already going from strength to strength (having been founded in - of all times to do it - March 2020). Thanks also to club members old and new for joining us, and the Britons for hosting us once again.

Bourbon Special

 

The full line-up

Our September tasting had us take a trip over the Atlantic for half a dozen top class bourbons.

Old Forester

And where better to start than Kentucky, the state probably most associated with the golden liquid. We kicked off with Old Forester, as an example of the sort of entry level bourbon that's widely available and won't break the bank. Part of the Brown-Forman group, the Old Forester brand is therefore loosely speaking a sister of Jack Daniel's.

We thought this was a good drop, pleasant and excellent value. It's 43% and £25, although you can sometimes pick it up for less if there's a deal on in your local supermarket. Nothing here to go too deep on but there's a nice aftertaste. Gentle with a bit of spice.

1792 Single Barrel

Moving onto the second whiskey and we stayed in Kentucky for a single barrel 1792, a brand referencing the year it formally became a state. It's owned by the spirits group Sazerac.

The bourbon itself was sweet, and the flavour really hangs around with this. Sugar puffs thought someone (other 1980s breakfast cereals are available), and it's certainly distinctive while also packing a bit of a sweet punch. Approachable at the same time. Among those less keen, one more negative tasting note was that it was a bit on the "grassy" side.

It's 49.3% and will set you back a shade under £60.

Four Roses

Four Roses, next, and their Small Batch Select. This is a whiskey made from a combination of six of the ten recipes used by the distillery, and then matured for six years. The distillery itself is another Kentucky one, although these days it has Japanese owners in the form of Kirin.

Spice and fruit were the key tasting notes here. Fruitcake and grapes were other shouts. Someone also suggested liqourice allsorts (although the ones which aren't entirely liqourice, you know the ones). As someone said "I forgot to add water because I was enjoying it so much." Although praise wasn't completely universal, and others felt there was a bit too much going on, and all those different recipes didn't quite marry together as they might have done.

It's 52% and is £57 - as is typical for bourbons, though, it's a 75cl bottle rather than 70, so offers very slightly better value than it might first appear.

Penelope Barrel Strength

There was a half-time break as ever, allowing us to get another pint from the bar of the Britons Protection, before resuming for bourbon number four.

You might say we went from a pitstop to a Penelope, as in our glasses was the Penelope Barrel Strength. A brand named for the co-founder's new daughter, this was billed as a "high-octane whiskey experience" and for once the marketing bumph had some truth in it. "It costs 72 pounds but tastes more like 72 percent" as someone suggested.

Very whole and well-rounded, salty, and nice despite the big ABV (which in reality is 57.9%). Those who tried it with a bit of water said that opened the flavour out and took away the big kick, although I have to admit I'd finished my glass by then.

The Cadenheads

Cadenheads is the oldest independent bottler around, and we've had many great expressions from there down the years, drawn from all kinds of distilleries. Tonight's choice was an 18-year-old Tennessee, certainly taken from George Dickel, the Diageo-owned distillery, which uses the Scottish spelling of 'whisky' (the label is a bit of a giveaway here).

At £125 we thought this was actually outstanding value for what we got, because it really was something extra special. Smooth and a bit buttery, the way to sum it up is the phrase "like a crème brûlée in a glass" which was so uncanny that we all more or less agreed with it. Spectacularly good. It's 46%.

Elijah Craig

And that brought us to the final dram of the evening, a cask strength monster from Elijah Craig, a bourbon again produced in Kentucky at the Heaven Hill distillery and named for a preacher considered one of the fathers of whiskey in the area.

This 65.7% Barrel Proof expression was from September 2018, and very powerful it was. Quite a lot to handle after the smooth subtlety of the previous dram, this was big and heavy and needed a bit of water. "What if bourbon, but too much?". It cost £100-ish.

For the dram of the night voting, despite the fine array of bourbons on show, it was a clear win for the Cadenheads George Dickel with 12 votes. A worthy winner!

Thanks to all club members old and new for another great evening, and to the Britons Protection for again playing hosts.

An action shot

Rage Against The Maltchine 2

The full line up

For our August tasting we returned to a theme we explored last year: Rage Against The Maltchine.

Singleton of Dufftown

Club chairman Adam took us through three distilleries owned by spirits giant Diageo, and three expressions from the same distilleries released by independent bottlers.

First up was Dufftown, a Speyside chosen by Diageo back in 2006 to be marketed under the 'mega brand' Singleton. The opener of the duo - we were tasting each pair blind - turned out to be the official bottling, the Singleton of Dufftown. Easy to drink we thought, but at the same time a bit forgettable.

If anything, not really worth the £60 price tag, even for an 18-year-old. It's 40%.

The Cadenhead's

The other Dufftown had had was from (extremely) long-standing indie Cadenhead's, a firm favourite at the club. It tasted a lot stronger than the first whisky, and it took a bit of water which helped ease off any rough edges.

Perhaps surprisingly it was only 51% - some in the club had it pegged a bit higher than that. It's 51% and when we picked it up we paid £57 for it.

Mey Selections Glen Ord

The second distillery of the evening and second pairing of drams took us to another of the 'Singleton' distilleries, Glen Ord, situated in the Highlands on the Black Isle.

Whisky number three would turn out to be the indie this time around, a 12-year-old from Mey Selections, a brand name used for a wide range of products from salmon to gin. Launched by the-then Prince Charles in 2005, the whole enterprise is managed by Loch Fyne Oysters.

But how's the whisky? Not bad, ok on the nose certainly, but if anything a little blander on the palate than we'd expected. A bit metallic, was one tasting note. The 12-year-old was 51% and came in at £118, again not one we're likely to be investing in.

Singleton of Glen Ord

For once, the Maltchine had it, in the form of Diageo's Singleton of Glen Ord 18-year-old. More punchy all around, and we felt this had the edge on the Mey Selections. Having said that, it wasn't exactly cheap either at £130. It's 55%.

With Rage and the Maltchine level at one each, we went to the third distillery to act as the decider for the evening. And it was Blair Athol, a Perthshire distillery known for being a major part of the ubiquitous Bell's blend.

Blair Athol F&F

The fifth dram was the distillery bottling, a Blair Athol 12-year-old Flora and Fauna. A great drink, this got the thumbs up all round, even more so when it was revealed as costing a very reasonable £46. From a first fill sherry cask it was a very chunky dram, especially considering it was only 43%.

The 23-year-old

The last whisky of the evening, being tasted alongside, was another cracker. The indie in the spotlight this time was another long-time club favourite, Whiskybroker. This was a 23-year-old coming at 57.7% and, as ever for Whiskybroker, was reasonably priced at £87. Between both the distillery bottling and that last one, Blair Athol earned a few more fans.

This led us to the dram of the night voting. And although the Whiskybroker Blair Athol did well with ten votes (all drams got at least one - this doesn't always happen! - a sign of a strong line up), it was just one behind the Cadenhead's which took the honours.

Thanks to all club members old and new for attending another great tasting at the Briton's Protection, and of course to all at the Briton's for hosting us once again.