Cheap As Chips: Cadenhead's 1973 Glenfiddich and 1976 Dalmore Single Malt Scotch Whiskies

Those of you who have read this site for a while will remember back to my 30th birthday. In the years leading up to it, I had assembled a collection of bottles from the year of my birth, 1979. Doing so wasn't too difficult (this was in the days when one could purchase a bottle of 1979 Port Ellen from an indie bottler for under £100, and an OB for little over that) and the army of drams which were opened on my celebration day would grace any high end hotel nowadays.

I'm not one of those people who perpetually complain about the price of whisky rising. I understand that it is a finite product and if demand rises, so will prices. Doing so, is like complaining about the current house prices in certain parts of London. 20 years ago, I could have probably afforded to live in, say, Notting Hill. But not these days. Do I complain? No, I just go and live somewhere that is nice and affordable. Move on. Literally.

The price of a bottle of whisky is not determined just by the demand for mature stocks, however. As discussed in a post from last week about the possible shortage of casks coming over from America (legislation tbc), cash-flow plays a major part, too. If more money is needed now to lay stocks down for the future, then you'll more than likely see an uplift in the cost of your beloved dram.

All of this is going to have an effect on whiskies from the year of my birth, 1979 especially when people like me actually go and open the damn things. More so, any Scotch from the 1970’s seems to have seen a fairly hefty price hike in the last few years and my thoughts go out to you if you were born in the 60's, 50's or, god forbid, the 1940s and you’re looking to purchase birthday bottles! My advice would be: stockpile now if you want something to drink on your special birthday in the future.

However, there is hope! The indie bottler often rides to the rescue of those indeed of a rare, old dram and we feature a few of them on this site every so often. But one bottler who we hardly ever talk about (in fact, I don't think we ever do) is Cadenhead’s.

The last time we had a wee drop from these chaps was down in Campbeltown after a visit to Springbank distillery. They have a shop locally and sell some quite astonishing stuff at exceptionally low prices. I used to frequent their shop in London's Covent Garden (before rent price hikes forced them out to Marylebone- see what they did there? When faced with a price hike, they just moved on...) but have sadly not taken the time out to check out their new London store.

Silly me.

Why? Because of bottling such as this:

Cadenhead's 43 yo Glenlivet

I discovered this wee treat behind the bar at the Royal Oak  pub in Dufftown a few weeks ago. Not many people have whisky dating back this far. And not many sell it for well under £200 a bottle. Yeah, you heard: under £200 a bottle.

So, what do Candenhead’s have in store for future release? Well, one of them is their most expensive bottling ever, a 41 year old Glenfiddich from 1973 which comes, as Brand Ambassdor Mark Watt excitedly tells me "in a cardboard box!" and is a single cask which yielded just 96 bottles, retailing for £450.

Glenfiddich - 1973 – 41 Years Old – Wm. Cadenhead – 96 bottles only - 43.1% abv

Nose: A complex nose of sandalwood, petrichor, old diesel locomotives, school desks and furniture polish. This is like sticking your nose into a 1960's ercol cabinet. Some orange peel, fig, angostura bitters... this would be brilliant in an Old Fashioned.  

Palate: Rich and oily, it starts off with apricot jam, dark chocolate-dipped candied orange, some more sandalwood, cinnamon sticks and ginger. Rich and mouthfilling, this could have been dry and woody, but it is as refreshing as a dewy walk through an autumnal wood at dawn.

 

Finish: Apricots, old armagnac and a hint of menthol.

Overall: Rich with great woody notes, a full body and lots of fresh fruits. Fantastic.

Alongside this release is a single cask 37 year old Dalmore, retailing at an astonishing £170.

Dalmore - 1976 – 37 Years Old – Wm. Cadenhead - 150 – 46.4% abv

Nose: Brandy butter, rich clotted cream, some marzipan and toasted almonds give way to the oak, which takes a while to lift from the glass, but once it does it provides a good spicy topline, finally resting on fresh pine needles.

Palate: Vanilla again, rounded with cinnamon and green apple, which quickly develops into toffee apple and light, runny honey. The palate also has an element of watermelon and pear drop sweets. Some custard notes, too.

Finish: Rhubarb and custard sweets.

Overall: A great dram at a stella price, this is all about the vanilla, cinnamon spice and rhubarb & custard.

So, if you look hard enough, you'll find the odd bottle out there which is extremely good value for a well aged product. Just keep your eyes peeled.

18 Under 30 Part 9: Gonzalez Byass Matusalem Oloroso Sherry

If you read our last musing on port, you'll no doubt be familiar with the predicament faced by sherry. Like port, it's easy to make a huge sweeping generalisation that no one buys it anymore (especially in the UK) but the sad thing is that to many drinkers, sherry will no doubt evoke a few memories, which they would perhaps care to forget. In the UK, one could argue that sherry has been one of those unfortunate drinks to be looked upon with embarrassment and derision; a lingering hangover from 1970’s family Christmas parties, and as well received as the poorly-knitted, itchy festive jumpers a nation of aunties forced us to wear.  

Remember your auntie doing this at Christmas?
Thought not. 

But strip away those images of half drunk, lipstick smeared schooners of Harvey’s Bristol Cream, plus the overpowering alcoholic hit of a 70's trifle and the real inner complexity of sherry comes to the fore. Thanks to some exceptional wines hitting our shores from Jerez, sherry has once again begun to flourish as a very noble drink, like it once did several centuries ago.

One winery currently spearheading the resurgence of sherry is the González Byass bodega.  Known to many as the company who produce the trend-bucking Tio Pepe Fino sherry, (and to a few whisky folks out there as the bodega who supply Dalmore with sherry casks for a number of their high-end Constellation bottlings) we've been lucky enough to fall under the spell of several of their recent offerings.  
In fact our very good friend, wine writer Jane Parkinson switched us onto a range of exceptional sherries that should be top of your list if you happen to be warming to the idea of fortifying one's self in the coming weeks.   

For those who appreciate the huge importance of sherry casks in whisky, it will come as no surprise that sherries such as Palo Cortado and Oloroso represent some of the finest wine making in Jerez and highlight just how the ageing process can produce flavours and aromas which often surprise and delight in equal measure.  From rich, dark earthy palate coating notes to a distinctive aromatic nuttiness, there's nothing quite like a slightly chilled glass of aged Oloroso with a selection of festive epicurean delights to raise a smile from even those who profess to have an abject hatred of sherry - a hatred usually stemming from the aforementioned forceful aunties... 

Anyway, alongside the excellent Gonzalez Byass Leonor Palo Cortado, which is a steal at £12.95 from here 
(think an abundance of roasted caramel-coated nuts, burnt orange zest and a faint waft of anise)  we shall definitely be buying a bottle or two of the bodega's mighty 30 year old Matusalem Oloroso -  a sherry so intensely packed with complexity that if it were a Christmas gift,  it would be one of those fiendish Japanese box puzzles.   

Gonzalez Byass -  Matusalem Oloroso -  30 Years Old - 20.5% - 37.5cl

Nose: An intense dryness, but tempered with rich oak notes, polished mahogany, dried fruit, marzipan and chopped nuts. Given time in the glass a distinct note of brittle caramel comes to the fore, backed up with mature oak notes and dark fruit.

Palate: The dryness of the nose continues, but there is an almost resin-like note to this on the palate- hugely complex, with more dried fruits, further hints of oak and a savoury/meatiness. The dryness subsides into toasted hazelnuts followed by a lovely lingering blood orange citrus note. Quite breathtaking really. 

Finish:  Lingering notes of mouthwatering dried fruit, an oaky dryness and a distinct nuttiness.  

Overall:  This Oloroso demonstrates precisely how far we have come from the world inhabited by the one-dimensional sherries of several decades ago. For those of you who love the uncompromising directness of a heavily sherried whisky, this is a no brainer, but for those in doubt, don't underestimate its underlying subtlety: the complexity of this bottling will leave you wondering just why it took so long to give sherry a second chance.  Stunning. 

Gonzalez Byass 30 year old Matusalem Oloroso is available for £18.95 here 

You Can Not Be Sirius

So, London 2012, the Olympics, has finally hit us. Living so close to the middle of London has proved, against all odds, to be a total and utter joy. The streets are deserted; you can get in to any restaurant, bar or theatre and hotels seem to be dumping rooms at discount prices, like they're going out of fashion. Live anywhere near London? Come on in! You won't find a better time to visit...

And with this smorgasbord of sport available, why would you stay away? Well, one main reason: it's all on the telly. And when I say 'all', I mean ALL! The BBC have done an amazing job covering the event so far with a mind-boggling selection of ways to watch your chosen sport, support your nation live or even catch up on the action from previous days. It really is a joy to behold.

But all has not been plain sailing for this whisky writer. Oh, no. When the time came to apply for tickets, I decided to have a go. Throw my credit card in the ring and see what I got.

The plan was simple: go for big ticket items such as the Men's Tennis Final at Wimbledon, Opening and Closing ceremonies, 100m final... but to add a touch of realism in the mix, I also chose some more 'attainable' tickets: anything at the tennis and football were my two picks... especially the football, as I was advised that I would get two matches over the course of an afternoon / evening. What better way to spend an August afternoon than kicking back with a couple of mates and watching four international teams play on the world stage?

Or so I thought. When the draw for tickets was made, I came away with just one pair of football tickets, for Wed afternoon at Wembley. "Excellent", I thought "I might get a Team GB match and then something else as an entree."

But, just a few weeks before the official start to the games, the draw for the football was made. With great anticipation I waited until the conclusion of the draw and, with bated breath, looked up which games I had got for my money.

The result? Just one match. And that match? Gabon vs South Korea. Oh, dear.

Well, this is what I was given in draw by the Olympic gods so, taking it on the chin, I awaited my tickets. But the punishment from the Olympian deities didn't stop there. 

Oh, no. 

Each set of tickets is hand delivered, to be signed for by the recipient and my tickets chose to turn up, with a loud knock at the door, at 7am on a Saturday. 

Great. Thanks.

When the day of the game came around, I duly made my way across the ghost town and found myself with 76,000 other people, watching Gabon play out an incredibly dull nil - nil draw with South Korea. And thus ends my Olympic experience.

But think for a moment of the chaps from Gabon. Running out to a stadium well over three quarters full (total capacity of Wembley: 90,000). A situation, without being disparaging, that many of those players may never find themselves in again, in their sporting careers. Because that is what the Olympics is all about: providing a world stage to many athletes who you may have never heard of, but who have put themselves in a position of attaining glory through a mix of talent and sheer hard work.

Many new names have appeared just in the last 24 hours. Rowers Heather Stanning and Helen Glover, Shooter Peter Wilson, Gemma Gibbons (left) in the judo... all new names to me, and all new superstars in the UK.

In a similar fashion, there are many indie bottlers out there in the whisky world, trying to battle weekly against the giant single malt and blended brands on our supermarket shelves.  Maybe they don't have the budgets or the resources of their gigantic counterparts, but occasionally someone you have never heard of can turn in a gold medal performance.

Two weeks ago, I headed over to The Whisky Shop in London's Patanosta Square for the launch of a new range of independently bottled whiskies, under the banner Sirius.  This series of bottlings has been put together by Mahesh Patel, the man behind the Nth Whisky Show in Las Vegas, a seriously top-end event which its bottlings aim to replicate.

Having chosen his casks with great care, Patel has gone not for the common man here, but for serious collectors and drinkers, with his bottles starting at £1,000 and going up to £3,750, with all the hooch (two single grains, two single malts) coming from casks in the 1960's.

Working backwards in price, the collection hails a 1967 Dalmore from a rum cask, yielding 89 bottles, for £3,750.

The Dalmore - Sirius Collection - 1967 - 89 bottles - 64.3% abv

Nose: Cocoa (chocolate mousse), strong notes of dark sugar and rich oak.

Palate: Rich fruits, honey-heather, dark chocolate and a hint of candied orange.

Finish: Sweet, unctuous and delicious.

Overall: A great whisky but second on the rostrum with silver in this competition...

The continues with a North British from 1962 (138 bottles, £1,250 bottled at 44.5% abv) and a Fettercairn from 1965 (39 bottles, £1,750 bottled at 52.6% abv) but the real star of this show is a new name to me: Carsebridge, the grain distillery which was closed in 1983.

Carsebridge - Sirius Collection - 1965 - 63 bottles - 41% abv

Nose: Figs and honey, orange and the lovely subtle tones you always get from a grain whisky of banana and pine. This is very well aged and has a simply wonderful nose.

Palate: Fantastic oddly malty tones with cooked banana and maple syrup. Smooth and incredibly drinkable.

Finish: Orange creams, milk chocolate.

Overall: Simply stunning. A gold medal winner of a whisky. Seriously awesome.

As a collection, this series does a great job of showcasing some great old malts and, more importantly, some great old grains. It may not be aimed at people with a limited income, but for those out there with some serious (sirius) cash to splash, it'll be a great education as to what sort of quality can be attained from the right casks at the right age, especially with the grain examples here.  

And if this is what a grain from 1965 tastes like, I'm off to find some more undiscovered superstars...

Smokin'

The world of whisky and cigars is an often maligned subject. Do the two really work together? Sometimes we're inclined to think not. A visit to Fox's of St James recently proved to be a mixed bag for us - three superb cigars: Bolivar's superbly rich Belicosos Finos, a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial and a moreish Montecristo Edmundo.

We'd chosen some interesting whiskies to go with our sticks: Ardbeg Uigeadail, Highland Park 21yo and a single cask Glenfarclas, providing a meaty mix of wood and sherry influence.

But despite the wealth of wares on offer, we just couldn't get a handle on any of the pairings - they were either too weighted in favour of the cigar, the whiskies losing all their appeal, or the melange of flavour just overwhelmed the palate totally. In the end, we just wanted a milkshake and a sit down.

But not being quitters we've vowed to keep up the research into the ultimate pairing - and by jingo, we're pretty sure that courtesy of Partagas and The Dalmore, we've found an intriguing marriage, based on compliments, subtlety and spice. Surely, the recipe for any great partnership?

Mr Richard Paterson, man of refined vices galore, is no stranger to the gentle art of fine smoking. One of his best creations, The Dalmore Cigar Malt was perfectly balanced to allow even the most subtle wafts of a lightweight El Rey Del Mundo to tantalise the palate, one giving the other enough room to breathe (excuse the pun). When it was discontinued in 2007, a few people undoubtedly planned to march on Whyte & Mackay's Health & Safety Commandants (sorry, lawyers) burning stakes in clenched fist, hell bent on retribution for the whisky's untimely withdrawal.

Or perhaps a few strongly worded letters were sent. Either way, it was a huge result when the whisky was rightly reinstated earlier this month, in a slightly reformulated state. The new The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve will be available from February bottled at 44% and priced at £70 and we were eager to test it out - with the daddy of the Partagas range, the Serie E 2.

With a full bodied blast of toasted chocolate and spiced notes, it is a formidable test for many a decent dram...

The Dalmore - Cigar Malt Reserve - 44%

Nose: Toasted orange zest, leather, earthy/mushroomy undertones and dark chocolate shavings. given a little time, a touch of vanilla (reminiscent of pipe tobacco) comes to the fore.

Palate: A rich mouth feel, with a little rubberiness, dark sherry, dark sugar- in fact, lots of dark tasting things- treacle, cocoa and toasted malt round out the darkness. Given a few minutes and the first mouthful of Partagas, the flavour is undaunted by the smoke - citrus notes and woody spice also develop, but the undercurrent of treacle, sherry and chocolate blend well with the top notes of the cigar.

Finish: the smoke clearly takes the lingering lead, but the rich fruity notes of the whisky return, alongside a pronounced malt extract note. Everything is there, but nothing pokes out too provocatively.

Overall: There is enough light and shade to this whisky to handle a big beast of a cigar. We have yet to try it against a mild smoke, but it is very pleasing when the combination of flavours on the palate doesn't pull in different directions. Here, the experience is enjoyable and complimentary.

Richard, a victory for you and two fingers to the non smoking pedants.

Is That A Miniature In Your Goalie Bag Or Are You Just Pleased To See Me?

from www.caskstrength.net

It seems that when a distillery is looking for a new name for a bottling, lineage and heritage, with a huge spoonful of traceability thrown in, is the key to finding a title.

Obviously, the most popular method of naming a whisky is simply with an age statement. Two large digits on the front of any bottle should suffice to keep the consumer calm. Taking it up a notch from just a simple number is to use a vintage, a specific year.

Giving your whisky a year for its name is like having the coolest nickname in the school playground. You could be picked for any sports team first, no matter what your ability, if you were known as, say, ‘Striker’. We had a kid at our school with that nickname. He was rubbish at football, but got his name from his dad who wasn’t a professional footballer, but a Miner.

If a distillery wishes to expand their range of whiskies away from the normal age statements and vintages, but is still keen to show off artisanal roots and farmhouse production methods, then finding a local figure of historical importance, or a special event to name your whisky after is a must.

Most famous for this approach is surely Bruichladdich. Left with a whole heap of stock when the current owners took over the distillery, the obvious way to release some of their liquid investment was in unique and inventive bottlings such as the Weapons Of Mass Destruction bottling (due to them being spied on by the CIA), the Mayor Of Islay bottling (for the Mayor of Islay, a place in Peru) and the Drambusters, an acrobatic aeronautical team who clearly like their whisky. One hopes their exploits are as a result of their thirst and not a result of pre-flying boozing...

Fair play to Bruichladdich for their creative efforts, even if (like a late 20’s man who has been a little wild over the past few years) they’ve now started to settle down a bit with the launch of the their new 10 Year Old. I’m sure some of their releases have meant a great deal to a lot of people (the Links series I’m sure is very popular with golfers) yet none have managed to find an association with anything I’m that interested in. In fact, I’ve not yet managed to find an unusually named whisky bottle that I could say reflects my hobbies, until now!

Browsing through twitter the other day, I saw a shop announcing a sale on a miniature of whisky called Goal Keeper Whisky. As a custodian of the sticks, a fully paid up member of the goalkeepers union, I eagerly clicked on the link to find this:

Someone has taken the time to bottle up a mini under the title of Goal Keepers whisky. Right up my street! But this got me thinking;

“Why a miniature?”

The only explanation I can think of is that in this modern era of technology, goalkeepers tend to carry a small clutch, or man-bag with them on to the pitch. The contents are often as simple as a spare pair of goalkeeping gloves and a cap for when it gets sunny. That’s about it really.

Maybe carrying a tiny bottle of booze in the bag is the start of a series of accessories for the goalkeeping clutch. Whatever can we expect next? A goalie branded hanky, perhaps? Maybe a set of business cards with the job title “guardian of the goal” underneath to hand out during corners. Or some sort of alarm for when the big opposition striker penetrates the ‘keepers defence and enters his box...

Either way, I’ve found my blend. This shall become the staple bottling in my household, at least for display purposes, and if not for my house, then for my goalie bag.

All this brings me on to a whisky which has been out for a while, yet I have only just encountered in the last few weeks, the Dalmore 1263 King Alexander III.

The name, like all good whisky monikers is of course steeped in tradition and history. King Alexander III was saved from certain death from an attack by a vicious stag, by a member of the clan Mackenzie. As a result, the monarch granted the clan the 12 point royal stag emblem which can be found on every bottle of Dalmore. The scene was depicted in a painting called ‘Fury of the Stag’ by Benjamin West, a print of which was included in a limited edition bottling from last year, our review of which you can read here.

So that’s the name sorted. Not quite Goal Keeper whisky, but there you go... But what about the important bit, the juice inside the bottle? Well, this whisky is a real feat of blending, as it brings together whiskies from six different types of casks. You heard correctly, SIX. In the bottle you’ll find Scotch matured in Bourbon casks, Port pipes, Marsala barrels, Sherry butts and Madeira drums as well as a portion of whisky matured in French wine casks.

Phew!

That’s quite an effort in one bottle. But does this massive mega-mix work? Will it be a case of Too Many DJ’s or Jive Bunny?

Dalmore - 1263 King Alexander III – NAS – 40% abv

Nose: the nose gives notes of orange blossom, some hard toffee fresh from the fridge, a little spiced marmalade. Then a big hit of sweet cure bacon fresh from the packet and finally a note I’ve not used before: ‘distillery warehouse’. By this I mean a mix of slightly damp earthen floor, but then that rich air full of a melange of maturing spirit. It’s inviting and pleasing.

Palate: the thick cut sweet cure bacon, possibly cured with maple syrup is the first thing that hits though. A heavy spirit with a good oiliness, this carries flavour well across the mouth. The meaty weighted tones drop as you hold it in the mouth to leave the sweetness of the maple syrup and then some orange dipped in dark chocolate. Slightly drying towards the end.

Finish: The drying nature continues in the palate on the finish like high coco chocolate powder (maybe Green and Blacks Dark Hot Chocolate Powder) a hint of coffee and dried apricots.

Overall: My cabinet contains an open bottle of the Gran Reserva, but this trumps that to the medal for the Dalmore I’d most like to drink. It’s not cheap at over £100 a bottle (over twice the price of the GR) but it is a complex and characterful whisky which I’d be proud to pour at home after dinner. A bit like my goalkeeping ‘skills’, this goes down a little too easily.

Having now looked around to find any other amusingly named whisky products which may reflect the man that I am, I’m pleased to report that this next Dalmore, discovered on the same website as the Goal Keeper whisky, in no way reflects any aspect of my person:

Having had one great mix with the Dalmore, let's leave you with our favourite mix of the year so far: