Parlez-Vous Whisky?

Summertime.  Impossible to predict in this country, yet always so welcoming, especially after a tough few months of back to back projects.  After Caskstrength's busy event schedule, which included a fun and very bustling bespoke whisky bar partnership with Mumford & Sons for their recent outdoor summer UK gigs and a positively sparkling gin tasting at the Southbank Centre, it was time for a holiday and the destination for one of us was the Loire Valley in France to a remote farmhouse, perfect for idling around with family for a week.

Lois Ridley, with no wardrobe issues.

Now of course, when you're preparing for a summer holiday, there are certain demands on one's wardrobe:  are shorts really that acceptable?  How should one dress to avoid looking too much like a tourist?  Is black tie absolutely necessary for a provincial dining experience?  All these were vexing questions, cutting a deep furrow during packing.  I obtained a brand new panama hat before the trip (not the rolled, 'travelling' type) which also posed an issue regarding where it would sit in the car, without getting crushed by my daughter's extensive wooden toy collection.  Decisions! I thought a holiday was time to avoid making any but before we even set foot on French soil, I was presented with far too many.

One easy decision concerned which whiskies I was to travel with.  A lightweight, but beautifully balanced Glen Grant 10 year old would provide everything I needed for making tall, icy drinks, a Caol Ila 18 year old (in 20cl format) would provide some robust warming power in case the sweltering French weather was to turn swiftly on its beret'ed head and a Yamazaki 18 year old would provide a perfect counterpoint to the endless barbecued meat products we would no doubt be consuming during the week.  So simple there. Or so I thought.

Anyone who has travelled by car to France for a vacation will have no doubt stopped off at the many Hypermarkets dotted along the highways:  E.Leclerc, Carrefour and Inter Marche are vast warehouse-styled shopping experiences, totally out of kilter with the enjoyment of pottering around a rustic French village looking for a loaf of bread, some croissants and 200 Gauloises (I don't smoke, so I made this bit up.)

But what is truly astonishing is the selection of wines and spirits available - from all over the globe.

As I wandered down the spirits aisle, I was taken aback by the range in Leclerc, which rivalled that of a specialist UK retailer:  Single barrel bourbon, Japanese whiskies I have never seen close up and an entire section dedicated to exceptional vermouths.  The comes the prices.  Come on UK! Quite frankly, when you can pick up bottles of Four Roses Single Barrel for under 30€, Highland Park 15yo for under 30€ and the aforementioned Japanese whiskies for a fraction of the prices they appear on specialist websites, I can see why whisky is hugely popular in France. Needless to say, after spending 200€ on whisky on the first day of the holiday,
I thought I should probably settle down a bit and put my wallet away.

One interesting whisky which did catch my eye in a local Carrefour shop was from the Warenghem distillery, produced in the Breton region in northern France.

As part of my recent book project with Gavin Smith (Let Me Tell You About Whisky) I tried a number of whiskies from the region and was impressed by the emerging quality. Warenghem produce several single malts and a couple of blends: from a double matured (French oak and sherry cask) to bourbon cask matured whisky and Breizh, a blend that recently triumphed in the 2013 World Whisky Awards.

The bottling I bought from Carrefour for 15€ is labelled Reflets de France and appears to be a range of products, much in the style of Tesco's Finest - from honey to sea salt and foie gras, the range seems to represent French gastronomy at its best, so I was quite surprised to see a whisky featuring here, but equally pleased to see that French whisky is revered by its producers as highly as some of the country's more well known delicacies.

So what of the whisky itself?  Well, there is little information available on the bottle, short of the abv (40%) but a quick glance at the back label with my basic grasp of French reveals that the whisky is 'composed of malt aged for up to three years in oak casks, with an emphasis placed on the quality of the local water to add character to the flavour...'

Let's dive in, shall we. Will this be a French Fancy, or simply a case nonchalantly shrugging one's shoulders, the same brilliantly disdainful way that only the French do best... ;-)

(Breton top and Panama hat not included with purchase)

Reflets de France -  Breton Whisky -  Produced by the Warenghem Distillery - 40% - 70cl - 15€

Nose: A light, clean malty note opens up first, with a touch of dried ginger, some slight moist wood, some lightly perfumed powder, banana milkshake and a wisp of smoke perhaps? Just a touch, to give this a very entertaining mix of aromas. It is certainly young, but given a little time, a honeyed sweetness begins to emerge.  

Palate: No mistaking the light wisps of smoke here -  it is rich and oily, but still restrained - reminiscent of the lightly peated Ardbeg Blasda or Caol Ila Moch.  Alongside sits some fresh green apple, oaty porridge, an oak note, bitter hard caramel and a malted chocolate milkshake note.  Light and frothy but with a highly drinkable approach to it.  

Finish:  Given the age the finish is malty, with a hint of zestiness creeping through and a little sour cherry and light milk chocolate on the death.  

Overall: Now listen very carefully, I shall say this only once... For 15€, this is a really good example of a French whisky that one could easily get into trouble with.  Neat, over ice or as a highball, this is pleasant in all its guises and definitively hammers home that French whisky is not to be taken lightly. Whilst it won't trouble many of the serious malt hounds out there, it gets a tricolour-coloured thumbs up from us. Vive le Whisky Breton! 

Sing When You're Winning, You Only Sing When You're Winning: Glen Grant Five Decades Single Malt Scotch Whisky

When you first discover music, and I mean proper music, not some pop-tastic, here-today-gone-tomorrow, tweenie-aimed, profit-driven offering from a major record company, you often realise what a wealth of natural talent there is to hear in the world.

The are so many artists who have had a genuine impact on culture that it would probably be impossible to listen to every track by every artist listed under the ‘influential’ banner. As a result, as we move through life, we hear certain tracks (usually the biggest ‘hits’) by major acts and we pick and choose whose back catalogues we would like to dig a little deeper in to.

Every-so-often, and due to the huge reservoir of recorded music in the world, we’re hit with a classic artist or album which we’ve genuinely never heard before. I remember when I first subscribed to Spotify; it was a nightmare for about a week, because I didn’t know whether to go through and enjoy all the music I knew I already liked, or to explore the artists I loved, or to simply listen to loads of ‘new’ music (or at least new to me, if not in the literal sense).

And of course, there is brand new music being created every day. This just adds to the ever increasing pile of music, from both past and present, on the great ‘unlistened-to’ playlist in the sky.

However, it is good to have a cheeky look sometimes at some of the acts which have sold bucket-loads of records in the past, who have shaped modern culture and the sound of many of today’s artist.

The whisky business is booming at the moment. Okay, so sales maybe down overall (with profits up), but the expansion of various Scottish distilleries, the re-opening of others and the building of new premises, both in Scotland and across the world, makes it seem like we’re in the middle of the industrial revolution.

With all this new sprit being generated and previously snoozing brands coming back to life, it is easy to forget the stalwarts, one of them being Glen Grant.

The first distillery to be opened in the now whisky-focused Speyside town of Rothes (home not just to several distilleries but also to the Combination of Rothers Distillers (CoRD) dark grains plant, as well as Forsyths, world-renowned coppersmiths and stillmakers), Glen Grant has established itself as a major player, one of the biggest selling single malt in the world. 

Pretty impressive stuff, really.

With a powerhouse in the USA and Italy as its sales foundation, since it was acquired by Gruppo Campari in late 2005, the range has been expanded to cover a No Age Statement ‘Major’s Reserve’, a 10 Years Old and a 16 Years Old, all supplement by market-specific offerings, such as a 5 Years Old in Italy, all of which are matured in ex-Bourbon casks.

The running of the distillery is overseen by an industry legend, Dennis Malcolm who started at the distillery in April 1961 as an apprentice cooper. Having been in charge of both Glen Grant and its sister distillery, the now-departed Caperdonich, in his 50 years plus Dennis has worked in all stages of the whisky making process. Needless to say that what he has forgotten about whisky making is more than I’ll probably ever know.

To celebrate his five decades at the distillery, Glen Grant have release a special, limited edition bottling simply known as ‘Five Decades’, containing whisky from each of the decades, which was launched at a dinner in Edinburgh last week.

Dinner is always great (something I try to fit in every single day, don’t you know) but the two real treats of the evening were firstly being able to spend some time chatting to Dennis about his career and the business and secondly, trying the core expressions from Glen Grant, something I really haven’t done in a very long time, if at all with a couple of the expressions. Going through the Major’s Reserve and the 16 Year Old was a little like digging into the past albums from a great act which you haven’t really spent much time with before. Suddenly you realise why they are so well loved.

Having sampled the 10 Years Old, the 16 Years Old and the aforementioned Major’s Reserve, we were treated to a glass of the new release, Five Decades.

Putting together a whisky using stock from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 80’s and 00’s can’t be an easy feat, but Glen Grant has a history of fantastic old stock, much of it bottled by the brilliant independent bottlers, Gordon & MacPhail. This new release is not to be confused with one of these vitnage bottlings, as it is very much its own beast, but the age does shines through, coupled with youthful bursts of spirit along the way. Unusually for Glen Grant, this uses a portion of whisky matured in Oloroso sherry butts.

Glen Grant – Five Decades – Limited Edition – 46%abv 70cl

Nose: Orange blossom, honey and nuts (crunchy nut cornflakes?), sweet vanilla and golden syrup. Yet more honey as it develops in the glass.

Palate: Vanillas, orange citrus fruits, milk chocolate (rum and raisin?), apricots, rye bread with salted butter.  

Finish: a hint of smoke (just a tiny amount), some blackcurrant  and liquorice tones.

Overall: This is available from July 2013 for an RRP of £115. One of the hot potatoe topics of the whisky business at present is that of age statements. Here, you have a whisky carrying no age, but with the knowledge that it contains a good portion of whisky from a span of five decades. A sweet and soft whisky which will appeal in abundance to the Glen Grant drinker, this is well worth a try.

Having discovered their core range and fully understood quite how this distillery can be so well respected (the 16 Years Old is particularly fantastic stuff), it has inspired me to go off and dig around on Spotify and find some of those major-uit-shifting acts which I’m not all that familiar with: Neil Diamond, Chicago and Foreigner await. This could be a very long evening... someone pass me a glass of Glen Grant. 

A Major Delight

Yesterday, Caskstrength was given yet another great opportunity to visit Speyside - that's twice in a week now. We're starting to think it would be better if we could get a little bolthole somewhere up here and save on travel. Then it came to us.... As we were visiting Glen Grant for the launch of their brand new 170th Anniversary bottling perhaps we could get permission to pitch a field tent at the bottom of the distillery's wonderfully manicured gardens? Better still- maybe we would be allowed to bed down in the cave, which Major Grant had purposefully cut into the rocks which now houses a very special cask indeed? Don't mind topping and tailing!!

Having a little bit of free time before the official launch, we got to wander through the gardens with Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm. Not only is Dennis a legendary whisky maker, but it seems he's also a dab hand at garden design- it was his idea to rebuild the walkway over the burn up to where the cave is situated and it makes for a spectacular tasting platform.



First up, a rare treat - a healthy measure of 1961 Glen Grant was drawn from the slumbering cask for us to get our palates around. Brace yourself Ridley...

The Major's Glen Grant- 1961 - 'The Cave Finish' - ABV Unknown

Nose: Deep, dark and murky. Bloody hell. You can tell this has been maturing outside in the Scottish elements. Some huge polished wood, mixed with a fruity then vanilla perfume, quite reminiscent of George T. Stagg bourbon. Dig deeper and the woody notes turn to a more cedar'y variety. To finish off this wonderful aroma we get molasses and some dark fruits steeped in aged rum. Really quite an experience.

Palate: Perhaps not as beguiling as the nose, with some drying wood taking a firm lead, but this soon dies away into burnt toffee, big malt notes and toasted nuts- no...make that charred nuts! Not sure what strength this is at, but with water, some of the drier notes subside and the fruits in rum from the nose make a welcome return.

Finish: We're often asked what a 'long' finish is. Put it this way, we took a leisurely walk back through down the wooden path, zig-zagged across the lawns, examined the flowerbeds and had time to take plenty of pictures. This whisky lingered, developed and coated the mouth like engine oil. That's a long finish.

Overall: More often than not, trying a whisky in the open air at the distillery gives it a fairy dust which you just can't obtain anywhere else. To try this, with the burn flowing underneath us makes it one of those heart fluttering moments. Thanks to Dennis for a great opportunity to try something a little bit out of the ordinary.



As the early evening started to draw in, we were ushered in to the filling warehouse for the official tasting of the Anniversary bottling. Dennis gave a short introduction to the concept behind the whisky, which is a vatting of casks from between 1976 and 1990, but with as much as 45% of the whiskies included coming from between 1976 and 1982. So there's some seriously old bits and bobs in here, folks.

It was then left to Mr Jim Murray to take the assembled group through tasting notes. Here's what we thought:

Glen Grant - 170th Anniversary Release - 1840-2010 - 46%

Nose: An initial fruitiness, coupled with some marzipan, wet cardboard and a spicy raisin sweetness. Very clean, with a crisp barley freshness. The balance between old whisky and the younger casks from 1990 works very well. It's unmistakably Glen Grant.

Palate: Spirity at first, with a hint of some red fruits developing, then a sharp wave of gooseberries and green apple peel. Jim recommended not adding water, but we decided to explore a little further and the result was very pleasing indeed, with some big fresh bread-like maltiness emerging and a return of the raisins. There's also a subtle hint of peat smoke, which is perhaps due to the peating of the 1970's malt. Jim mentioned he found a little sulphur on the palate, but it isn't something we detected at all, just lots of clean, fruity goodness.

Finish: Some lingering licorice, with a little hint of soapiness, but most of all, that big barley.

Overall: A very well put together bottling, which sings Glen Grant on every level. Most certainly recommended and not a hint of sulphur in sight. (Sorry Jim!)

Our evening was then topped off with some generous drams of a modern Glen Grant classic- the Cellar Reserve bottling from 1992. We reviewed this last year, notes of which you can read here. If you haven't got round to grabbing a bottle of this, get on it now! it has recently been discontinued and on tonight's performance, perhaps the real star of the Glen Grant bottlings.

As the Celler Reserve flowed, someone thought it a good idea for your caskstrength ambassador to have a quick blast on a set of bagpipes. Oh dear. There exists a picture of this horrific experience, which shall hopefully remain hidden in a vault somewhere, but sounds akin to that of the bowels of Beelzebub emanated from both the pipes and your red faced, wheezing scribe. Below is an artists impression- not a pretty sight, i'm sure you'll agree....

Don't take these for Granted....

Ever had one of those really busy days, where you just make it by the skin of your teeth? Of course you have.

Recently, every day has been like that for Caskstrength- running from HQ for the train, heavily laden valise in hand only to realise you forgot your wallet. Train delayed due to a light track dusting of...dust. I recently shifted over to a more autumnal wardrobe and of course, this week has been blazing sun, so as I waited for the 10.42 to Victoria to finally arrive I could feel my temperature rising into distinctly 'hot and bothered' status.

Then a phonecall comes through - "Mr Ridley, we've sadly lost your really important parcel of documents....not our fault....no refunds....probably chucked in a ditch...have a wonderful day"...etc etc. Great.

My mind shifted to 'The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (the classic original version with Leonard Rossiter, not the appalling remake)

Should I jack it all in- snog my attractive secretary and stage my own demise by wandering off into the sea? (tricky, as I pretty much live in Kent)

Then one thing calmed me down. Hang on- i'm actually off to a whisky tasting, which will be great.

The 45 minute delayed journey into Victoria didn't seem as bad then, even as the power died on my phone and some fool accidentally sprayed my newly cleaned white linen blazer with Coca Cola.

The tasting in question was one I had been looking forward to for a while, if my memory serves me, it's a distillery that we haven't really featured very much on Caskstrength; Glen Grant.

As I arrived at the Albannach bar, a beaming figure in the shape of Dennis Malcolm greeted me, resplendent in full Scottish dress, with a table of bottles; Glen Grant (no age statement) 10 Year-Old, 1992 Cellar Reserve and something just a little bit special- A single cask bottling from 1992, to act as a perfect foil to the Reserve.

Dennis gave the assembled guests a great insight into the history of Glen Grant, where we discovered they were the first distillery to fill spirit into Sherry casks and that one of the Grant brothers was a gardening fanatic. (My next Scottish trip will definitely incorporate a visit to the gardens around the distillery, which look superb)

Rather than have pre-poured drams, Dennis encouraged us to pour our own, which, was a totally unexpected treat- not that you end up with larger measures, but the whole process seems a lot more relaxed and less rigid, something I definitely needed after the day so far!

Glen Grant No Age Statement- 40 % - 70cl

Nose: Very fresh and fruity, with a yeasty, barley note on the second nosing. Clearly a young whisky, but not at all overpowering.

Palate: Rich malt, coated with golden syrup and pieces of freshly cut apple /pear. Like a bowl of Shreddies jazzed up with some tasty accompaniment.

Finish: Very light and floral, with more apple notes coming through.

Overall: A great way to start the tasting- nothing overpowering here, just good, clean malty whisky. Very drinkable indeed.

Glen Grant - 10 Year-Old - 40% - 70cl

Nose: Immediate toffee notes, followed by some orange blossom, country fudge and a latte-like milky coffee aroma. Then comes a few light swathes of malt. Decent all round.

Palate: A refreshing and light entry to the palate, with vanilla, a little prickly white pepper and some light menthol notes. Again, the sweet malt comes to the fore, in a similar way to the No Age Statement bottling.

Finish: Apples notes again, with some almond paste/marzipan sweetness.

Overall: Another highly drinkable whisky- uncomplicated and smooth. Worth seeking out.

Glen Grant - 1992 Cellar Reserve- 46% - bottled in 2008 - 46% - NCF - limited release

Nose: Heather honey, light and fragrant floral (honeysuckle) with chopped hazelnuts, some slightly creamy white wine aroma and toffee apple. Sounds like a totally mixed bag, but all very sweet, fruity and floral...

Palate: Light menthol notes, white pepper, more of that white wine and some spiced cinnamon dusted apples.

Finish: Light and fragrant again with the hint of spice enriching the palate as it dries.

Overall: Essentially the big brother of the 10 year old, this has complimentary spicy woody notes (from the addition of sherry butts, we suspect). Another cracking bottling.

Glen Grant - Single Cask Bottling - Aged 17 years - Distilled 12th February 1992 - Bottled 20th May 2009 - Cask no: 17152 - 360 bottles - 58.8%

Nose: An immediate burst of vanilla, golden syrup and honey, mixed with a woody oaky quality. It's a real joy to nose whiskies at caskstrength. With a little water, the previously discovered pear and apple notes start to come through in abundance. Very much within the house style, but so much more.

Palate: Just as beguiling on the tongue as on the nose. Ripe fruits, syrup, marzipan and lemon zest combine with a slightly smoky woody undertone. Thicker mouth-feel than the 1992 reserve but to be expected, given it's at caskstrength.

Finish: Long, fruity and lingering, with a lasting syrupy sweetness.

Overall: Compliments the existing range extremely and a delight to try.

Certainly not taken for granted...

I was recently out for a drink with an elderly friend of mine at a wonderful pub in the Yorkshire Dales.  The sky had just bruised over and we were hungry, after a bracing walk down an old railway track just south of the Wensleydale cheese factory.  So to a local hostelry we retired and a warming nook, with the prospect of homemade steak pie and big chips.  What better way to start the evening.  

As our conversation developed, my friend went on to tell me just how much he loved our location, because it hadn't changed very much at all since his childhood- perhaps mellowing with time, but resisting modernisation and 'high street blandness'. It suddenly got me thinking about a very special whisky I had recently tried- certainly an elder statesman but refined and similarly untainted by the rigours of time and progress.  

Glen Grant Ancient Reserve - Distilled 1951- bottled 2004 by Gordon & MacPhail - 40% - 70 cl

Nose: Candle wax, fresh mint and strawberries topped with a slight earthiness or musty wine cellar aroma.  Very delicate hints of almonds and cereal also follow. Subtle and sublime.  

Palate: An oaky dryness as expected with a whisky at this age, but then bags of mouth- watering flavour come through:  hints of liquorice,  pepper and a slight aftertaste of star anise and more cereal.  A really wonderful mouth feel which coats every tastebud. Minute touches of sherry but only feint. Fruity, with more of that strawberry and a little menthol on the death.

Finish: Really long, developing into salted liquorice, more wood (this time cedar) and a tiny bit of sweetness.  The oak is still present but this is still on the right side of flavour-some vs over-age.

Overall: A fine old gent, still very much with all its faculties before the ravages of oaky old age catch up with it.  There are really pleasing similarities with the well balanced Glen Grant notes you find with the recent fantastic Bluehanger vatting.  

Special thanks to WillieJJJ for his generosity with such a fine whisky.