Speyside Blending Trip Day 1: Blend It Like Beckham

The majority of what we write about here at CaskStrength focuses on single malt whisky.

The single malt category has a mind-blowingly large array of offerings, from standard releases (no age statement and named ages) through to cask strength, single casks... and that's even before we've moved to indie bottlers and cask finishing.

Phew!

But now think of the wider market. The most over-used stat of 2010/11 seems to be that the worldwide market for Scotch whisky is made up of just 7% sales of single malt whisky, with the rest, a whopping 93%, being taken up by blends.

"Ah!" we hear some of you cry. "But blended whisky is made up of all the off-cuts. All the stuff they don't want to put in to a single malt. You get me?"

Let's not beat around the bush here, there are some pretty awful blends out there. You can *usually* tell which one's they are, because they'll be, erm...unnaturally cheap.

These particular blends are not really designed to be drunk in isolation. They're there to be mixed, often in cocktails or with a single mixer. They're like the drums in a band: You wouldn't want to listen to a Beatles record of just Ringo playing the drums (Although the break in 'The End' from 'Abbey Road' is pretty damn special) Equally, you wouldn't want a Rob Roy without a blended whisky in it. But you *might* not drink that particular blend on its own.

However, some blends are designed for drinking sans mixer and a lot of hard work goes in to creating them. Once the flavour profile of the blend is nailed, it is then the job of the Master Blender to use a selection of casks from different distilleries to create consistency in the brand. You know, keep it the same time-after-time-after-time-after-time. A bit like making a Coldplay album...

We recently found out just how hard this task is. Along with a handful of other blogs, we've been asked by online whisky gurus Master Of Malt, to design them a blended whisky. Last week, several boxes of samples turned up at Caskstrength HQ. The package included small quantities of different Scotch; base whisky in the form of a blended grain and a blended malt. Then 4 single malts; one highland, one lowland, one speyside and an islay. To finish off, we have four “top dressing” (expensive!) single malts; A very old highland, a very old speyside, a very old grain and a very old islay.

As simple as this task sounds (get a grain and malt base down, whack in some mid tones of highland and speyside and then top dress with something very old and tasty...), it is actually a very tricky game. When the samples arrived, we tried a couple of different approaches, each failing to make something that we would be proud to call a decent blended whisky. What we needed was some coaching. Some training. Some 'proper' advice...

And so it was early one Monday morning we find ourselves in Speyside. This is a place we have visited a couple of times before on whisky adventures, but those times have all been to focus on single malts. This journey was different; it was all about the blends. How, what and why.

One thing you learn when visiting Speyside is that wherever your initial destination, Aberdeen or Inverness, everywhere else is “about an hour away”. That and never, ever eat the cooked breakfast on the flight... but that’s another story for another day. On this trip we were hoping to learn something else- how to compose a decent blend.

Arriving at Glenburgie Distillery, one could be forgiven that you’d actually arrived at Glen Ballantine's, such is the significance of this venue to the blend. The company was founded in 1827, yet another internationally known blender to start from a grocers store in Scotland. Today Ballantine's encompasses a range of six different expressions from a No Age Statement through to a 30 Year Old.

After a brief tour of the distillery with manager Neil Corbett, we were led to a tiny stone cottage on the distillery site where we were greeted by Ballantine’s Master Blender, Sandy Hyslop and a host of samples, empty bottles and scientific measuring equipment. It soon became clear that we were to have an education in how to blend! Once Sandy had given us an overview of what goes in to Ballantine’s and what an exact science (or is it an art? Discuss!) it is, we set off.

For some tips on blending from Sandy, check out the video here. One of the problems we found with 'our' blend was it was way too easy to over use the peated malt, completely drowning the subtlety of the blend.

The whiskies we had been given were some vatted grain, Strathisla single malt, Glenburgie single malt, plus undetermined highland, lowland and islay malts. This time, the aim was not to create our own blend, but to try and match that of the Ballantine's Finest. And with the Master Blender's beady eye on us... so no pressure then!

20 mins later and a couple of attempts down the drain, we’d nailed what we thought was the best match that we were going to achieve in the time allotted. With Sandy’s nose twitching, the thumbs went up as a sign of approval (or maybe he was just being polite) and we felt one step closer to being able to create our very own blended Scotch. To reward ourselves, a dram of Ballantine's much lauded 17yo was in order.

Ballantine’s – 17 Years Old – 43%

Nose: Soft,with buttery notes, backed by vanilla, hints of summer spice, heather and a faint whiff of smoke.

Palate: Sweet vanilla, soft ripe orchard fruit with undertones of creamy fudge. Balanced is a word often over-used in whisky, but having been through the torment of trying to blend a whisky, we can say with confidence that this is truly balanced! The citrus, fudge, dusty chocolate and fruits all sit together complimenting one another. A job well done.

Finish: A fairly short sweet fruit finish with some residue of peat smoke, but this is not a “smoky whisky”.

Overall: An excellent blend which is highly decorated for a reason. Not just “well worth a try”. This is a must for any whisky fan looking to complete their knowledge of the best blends in the world at the moment.

As we leave behind the wonders that lie in the little stone cottage on the Glenburgie estate, one thing still nags me: if you had all the casks in the world to choose from to make a blend, where on earth would you start? I’m not sure, but I know one thing: I’d have a bloody great smile on my face if I did. Unlike the gent in this video:

FOUR! (blends)

Luckily, here at Caskstrength.net towers we have some good friends. One such person is our mate Andy. A Northern Irish fella who now lives in London, Andy is a massive golf and whisky fan and sends this report down from the Barclay's Scottish Open at Loch Lomond this weekend. Lucky git... Finally you get a break from our inane ramblings to hear those of another misguided fool:

Hello! Here I am, in Scotland again for what feels like the third time in as many weeks (mainly because it IS the third time in as many weeks). It’s a perfect July day, grey, cold, and windy, with the type of rain that Vietnam would be proud of in the monsoon season. I also have 3 text messages from friends in London informing me it’s 31 degrees and sunny. (Note to self, don’t rub people’s noses in it when heading to Scotland.) Added to that, a 3 hour delay at Gatwick the night before had led to a missed dinner and an intimate knowledge of just how uncomfortable the seats are at gate 45.

However, you’d be VERY much mistaken if you think my damp exterior would lead to low spirits… I had the prospect of seeing some of the best golfers in the world play The Scottish Open along with a tasting of the Ballantine’s prestige range around lunchtime!

Off I set on the 30 minute cab ride to the course. Jim the very friendly driver, pointed out the Ballantine’s bottling plant at Kilmalid on the way and, in what felt like no time at all I had arrived at the course, grabbed a coffee and a bacon roll and nestled under an umbrella by the 8^th green in front of the club house to watch a few groups of players come through.

Golf and whisky are regular bedfellows and go hand-in-hand like Russell Brand and Katy Perry, though perhaps with a little more class. I never set foot on a course without making sure my hipflask is topped off and in the side pocket of my bag. If you don’t play golf, and I know many of you won’t (oh what infuriating joy you’re missing out on!) it may not quite translate, but the tasting of a wonderful dram while walking through beautiful countryside with good friends is an experience that simply cannot be bettered. The fact you have to stop occasionally to hit a ball (and then usually look for it in the trees) very often does come second (insert joke here about Tiger Woods coming second…).

I digress, back to the present. After standing still for an hour or so, I was thankful to see a group with Graeme McDowell coming through as not only did he win the US Open 3 weeks ago, he’s a fellow Ulsterman and as I discovered, a fellow lover of whisky. He’s is also a Ballantine’s brand ambassador and gets personally involved in special golf commemorative blends. What a man. After following them for a few holes my heart began to sink as I slowly came to the realisation that “no, I would never be good enough to be a professional golfer” and “yes, these guys really are that good”.

Checking my watch I realised it was time for lunch followed by a much anticipated tasting. I walked up the impressive steps of Rossdhu House and was shown through to a fantastic old dining room which couldn’t have been purpose built any better for a whisky tasting. With the setting so perfect, the whiskies laid out and the golf on a telly in the corner, I wondered if life gets any better? (Just to reiterate, it was 31 Deg down here in London! – Ed)

Ken Lindsay, Ballantine’s Global Brand Ambassador took us through some of the background of the blend and had some bottles of the two key Single Malts that go in to the range (Glenburgie and Miltonduff), along with a sample of the blended grain that forms the base of the range too. A wonderful opportunity to taste the ingredients in their virgin states! While it’s fair to assume that the bulk of the grain spirit does come from the Pernod Ricard group distilleries Dumbarton and Strathclyde, not even he knows the exact blend with grain from all 7 major distilleries being used. In fact, anywhere between 35 and 40 different whiskies actually go in to each different blend from all corners of Scotland.

At this stage I must hold my hands up and say that I’m not a huge drinker of blends. That’s certainly not to say I’m a Malt snob, or that I don’t enjoy them; it’s simply the case that in the course of my drinking life I haven’t had the opportunity to sample as many blends as I have Single Malts. Added to that the general “down the nose” look that most whisky drinkers give to grain whisky, I must admit that I was very pleasantly surprised by the depth and complexity in the drams I sampled.

Ballantine’s - 17yr – 43%

Nose: A soft buttery vanilla nose with hints of summer spice and heather.

Palate: Over-riding sweet vanilla and fruit with undertones of creamy fudge. Balanced with a touch of citrus. Overall very smooth and balanced.

Finish: A fairly short sweet fruit finish which is worryingly moreish.

Ballantine’s - 21yr – 43%

Nose: A very floral nose, hints of cadbury’s crunchie, and sweet spice.

Palate: Sweet rich mouth with hints of smoke, honey, and citrus.

Finish: Very balanced sweet spicy finish that lingers.

Ballantine’s Limited – Release No A00553 – 43%

A special limited release with no age statement. A “representative” blend from the master blender Sandy Hyslop.

Nose: Rich fruit, brown toast, Devon fudge.

Palate: Honey, hints of coal, rich sultana type fruits. Very soft creamy mouth feel.

Finish: Sweet, sherry hints, spicy, and enough body to be very pleasing.

Ballantine’s - 30yr – 43%

Nose: Rich vanilla, honey, oak.

Palate: Hints of smoke, toffee apple, winter cake, heather.

Finish: A finish that stays for a LONG time. Full and rich, hints of liquorice, with sweetness from caramel tones.

I’m sure you’ll have noticed from the above notes, similar hints are common throughout the range and to be honest that’s what I was actually most impressed with. To be able to have a consistent thread through all of the blends to maintain a “Ballantines-ie” identity, despite huge age differences really surprised me. Obviously each has it’s own nuances and the age difference gives the older blends considerably more oak and richness, but the key flavours were still common to all. For me, the 17 YO, (for its simple drinkable enjoyment) and the 30yr for its remarkable finish were the two standouts on the day. Now I’m not one to parrot corporate identities around, but Ballantine’s use the banner for their brand of “soft, sweet, complex, elegant” and I’ve got to hold my hands up and say that it’s probably a fair commentary on their blends!

In the hour and a half I’d spent in the clubhouse, the weather had decided to brighten up considerably (people were sunbathing!) so with a warm glow from the tasting and a spring in my step, having checked to find out that Darren Clarke (another fellow Ulsterman!) was still leading, I headed back to the course and managed to catch his group heading down the 12^th.

For the rest of the afternoon I wandered happily around the course immersed in my new found love of, well, pretty much all things around me really. The course looked magnificent in the sun, the players were bombing their drives 320 yards+, and hitting it stiff to the pins (You what? – Ed). I also had a lovely warm glow in my chest which lasted me right up until I got back to my hotel and tucked in to their considerable back bar. I began with a Yamazaki 12….. and well, the evening just carried on from there.

Extra Notes……

Glenburgie 17yr – A floral fruity nose which leads to smooth honey and fruit palate with slight citrus hints. Not a long finish, but very pleasing and sweet.

Miltonduff 17yr – A vanilla floral nose, with hints of candle wax leading to a rich fruity palate and quite long sticky toffee finish with hints of floral spice.

Grain Vat (used for the Ballantine’s 17yr) – Light honey nose with hints of candy floss and toffee popcorn. A vanilla/ floral palate with narrower fruit tones, leading to a sharper finish, which is sweetened by the caramel hints that stay through it. One of the nicer Grains I’ve tried to be honest.

A big "thank you" to Andy for his guest blog post. It must have been tough...