Two Distinctly Different Drams - in Uncertain Times.

What stranges time we live in. It is almost impossible to hide from the fact that here in England, we are sliding towards all-out war on the streets of our major cities. As London recovers from the rash of mindless, opportunist, idiot rioters, you have to question just what drives the younger elements to commit such crimes. Boredom? A sheep-like mentality? Perhaps a reaction to the endless advertising of things that people just can't afford, a counterpoint to the fact that we are in real danger of creating a society of children who value material things above everything else.

But despite the madness of the last couple of days, we turn our attention once again to what drives us- great whisky. To unwind with a great new dram, knowing your family is safe, feels like a hell of a good thing.

A few days ago, a couple of new drams from Speciality Drinks came through the letterbox. Well, actually they were so well packaged, the postman had to knock on the door...

Can you spot the drams?

Anyway, after recovering one, which accidentally fell into the kitchen bin, I quickly realised that this brace of drams was a bit special. A 19 year old Rosebank from 1991 and a favourite of ours from old, just a little bit wiser - Speciality Drinks' Port Askaig also at 19 years old.

The door is locked, Mrs Caskstrength is on the sofa and the rattle of the catflap, signifies that my faithful companion, Bobby is back, satisfied with his evening patrol.

Speciality Drinks - Rosebank - 1991 - 19 years old - 46%

Nose: Freshly cut wet grass, lemon balm, sherbet lemons, some slightly spirity menthol and a waft of some floral perfume/powderpuff notes.

Palate: Stewed apple and melted butter, some light sweet vanilla notes and a drying oakiness.

Finish: A lingering perfumed note vies for your attention whilst the vanilla notes get creamier.

Overall: Nice, light and summery. A welcome lift for a London night, mired in doom and gloom. Perhaps not as vibrant as some of the younger expressions, but very enjoyable.

And now for something completely different. Port Askaig is an undisclosed Islay distillery, although we have long since suspected it to be a Caol Ila. The previously released 17yo backdropped a superb Feis Ile a couple of years ago for us and whilst I was over in Islay recently, I thought it would be good to relive this excellent dram at the newly-owned Duffie's bar in Bowmore.

Stocks of the 17yo have pretty much gone now and I have high hopes from this, which is 2 years older and perhaps wiser. Whilst the backdrop of Penge is very different from Islay, Will this new release transport me back to such a magical and tranquil place.

Awaiting final image... so here's the 17 again...

Speciality Drinks - Port Askaig - 19 years old - 45.8%

Nose: Gentle, restrained peat, some medicinal carbolic notes, vanilla cream, banana milkshake and malty oakcakes covered in melted toffee. Not a million miles from Caol Ila Moch.

Palate: Classic Askaig grit on the palate, backed with digestive biscuits, milky sweetened coffee, sweet peat, more of the banana milkshake and some medicinal, notes. Lovely and oh, so drinkable.

Finish: Sweet cereals and sweet peat.

Overall: Well, it's adios to the 17 year old and whilst it's a shame to see it discontinued, this is a more than welcome substitute.

No doubt, you'll probably get a chance to try this cracker and others at the Whisky Show, which this year showcases its flavoursome wares from Vinopolis on the 7th & 8th October. The masterclasses, including an epic flight of sherried Manager's Dram whiskies, led by the irrepressible Colin Dunn look like winners to us, to if you want tickets of more information, visit: www.whisky-show.com

Sleep well, England. And keep up your spirits.

Easter Treats

5pm on Good Friday and I can't think of a more apt name for a national holiday. The sun is belting into every corner of my little south London garden, i've put the dartboard up and some close friends are coming round for an evening at the Oche, accompanied by a choice of warm weather whiskies... But what to go for?

Well see, here's the dilemma. At Caskstrength towers, the Rosebank is usually placed behind a sheet of glass with a sticker on the front, which reads 'Break me at the first sign of summer'. Do I risk cracking it out now and finishing it all off this weekend? (it's forecast to be a belter here) Kind of feel that if I do, i'll pretty much hex the whole of the summer period and summon up the usual weather we get in South London (rain, with the occasional sideways gale)

So i've held back on the majestic Lowland masterpiece and gone for a choice of 2 drinks for tonight: Firstly, a Yamazaki 12yo served 'Sonic style'...

50ml, into a Hi-Ball glass, topped with ice, half filled with chilled soda water and them topped up with tonic. To garnish, a slice of lemon zest and a sprig of mint. Give it a quick stir and you can confidently parade across your veranda, without a care in the world, except for running out of ice.

My second choice tonight is a Tropical Fruit Whisky Sour, using another cracking Japanese whisky- Hakushu Bourbon Barrel.

40ml of Hakushu (you can use any light, fruity whisky really, but this is great)

10ml lemon juice, 10ml vanilla sugar syrup, a dash of lime juice, 5ml of pineapple juice and if you have any, a little kiwi fruit juice (yeah, ok, so we have lots of fruit to use up, ok!!)

Add the ingredients to a shaker with half an egg white and ice, shake till your hands turn blue and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. drop a few dashes of bitters onto the top and garnish with a small piece of lime and a cherry.

A (non) typical view across the plains of South London

The Rosebank remains intact, but I feel my friends and I will be more the merrier as the sun sets in glorious Penge.

Happy easter everyone...

Lowlands trip Day Three: How 'Low' can you actually go??

Technically, this isn't really 'Day Three', as we were only in the Lowlands for 2 days, but we wanted to conclude our mini odyssey with a little round up from the other Lowland distilleries, as well as tasting notes from a few, both open and closed.

There feels like a bit of a buzz in the air about Lowland whiskies presently. As well as William Grant's huge operation Ailsa Bay, We have the opposite end of the spectrum with Daftmill (www.daftmill.com) the newest functioning Lowland distillery in Fife, Who have been producing spirit since 2005, but not bottling for at least another 4-5 years. We may well soon have a brand new one to contend with, in the shape of The Falkirk Distillery Co. who look to have got their licenses in order and are busily developing their plans for a brand new Lowland single malt. We reported this last year and now the company has a fully up-to-date website with a little more detail... www.falkirkdistillery.com

Time will tell if the project gets off the ground, but any new distillery is good news in our eyes so best of luck to the owners. Hot on their heels are another group of new contenders Kingsbarns Distillery (www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com) who are looking to locate a distillery, not far from St Andrews and a short distance from the aforementioned Daftmill. They've teamed up with pioneering Tasmanian distiller Bill Lark so the results look promising on paper. More info as we get it.

Now for something a little different. It gives me great pleasure to introduce Mrs Carrie Ridley, Mrs Caskstrength for her very first whisky review! Carrie was so taken with Auchentoshan's Three Wood that we asked her to put her thoughts down and her own style of tasting notes. Go girl....

Don’t be alarmed. It’s not that caststrength.net have opted to balance the sexes by opening the floor up… to a ‘girl’. But I was invited by Neil Caskstrength (my other half) to explain my partial whisky ‘epiphany’ that I had recently experienced.

You see, I’d been asking for a bottle of Auchentoshan Three Wood for a while when Neil Caskstrength presented me with one as a Christmas present last month. This being most unusual for me since I don’t proclaim to be a ‘whisky drinker’, far from it. Over the years I have struggled to enjoy the fine flavours and complexities of whisky on my palate, despite many efforts to overcome this. But there was something different about this Three Wood release when I tasted it last summer at the Taste Of London Festival. Something that actually made me think I could claim this as the one whisky I would like to taste more of and savour on a regular basis.

Auchentoshan - Three Wood - 43%

On first nosing, it seemed so different to the previous drams I’ve tried. Soft, fruity (orange zest, anyone?) and buttery, not that overwhelming kick-back, that a novice whisky drinker senses when approaching a glass. I felt suitably intrigued to go in further and see if this might be something I could enjoy more of. And indeed it was. More of that butter smoothness on first taste, almost a whole Werther’s Original in there, followed by the subtle smoky textures you would expect from a bottle called ‘Three Wood’. Lots of dried fruit notes also grabbed the taste buds, reminding me of some of the Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherries I tried on a recent trip to Porto.

Finally, a Whisky I can definitely envisage myself curling up on the sofa with. It’s been a long time coming but well done Auchentoshan, hopefully this will be the turning point for me and I’ll be able to sample a few more from the Caskstrength vaults with a more open mind to see what all the fuss has been about over the last 3 years!!

Thanks Carrie- hopefully we'll be bringing you a few more 'Mrs Caskstrength's Recommendations' over the coming months...

Next up- The Lowland's 'lowest' distillery- draw a line out east from Bladnoch, next to Wigtown and you'll hit Carlisle. We recently tasted Bladnoch's 8yo, bottled at caskstrength and was mightily impressed by its vibrant fruitness and bite.

Bladnoch - 8yo - 55%

Nose: Very fresh notes of nectarines, ripe plums, fresh bread/yeast, marzipan, fudge and clean cereals.

Palate: Warming, with a mild fruitiness, wheat and grass notes with a mild oily texture and citrus notes on the front. With a dash of water, the cereals open up, to reveal some sweet, barley sugar notes. Very satisfying indeed.

Finish: Short, but clean and malty.

Overall: For a youngish whisky, this has some solid fruity depth, coupled with a clean, refreshing palate. Definitively Lowland and certainly a distillery we'll be visiting soon, with a view to exploring the more mature whiskies in their portfolio.

Our final dram from this wonderful trip has a special resonance for me. In the past year, i've been putting together a list of birthday whiskies, to enjoy with friends on my 40th birthday. Although it's still 5 years away, i'm a bit of a hoarder and I certainly feel like buying a few decent bottlings now, before the price goes through the roof, just in time for all those folks who turn 40 in the same year. So I picked up a bottle of Linlithgow or, using its alternative name, St Magdalene. The distillery, based in the town of Linlithgow, not a million miles from Glenkinchie fell silent in 1983, along with that other long lost great from the Highlands, Brora.

This Murray McDavid 'Mission' bottling was distilled in 1975 and bottled in 2004, making it 29 years old. The last time I tried a St Magdalene/Linlithgow was in a bar in Cape Town and, to be honest, I was a little disappointed. I decided to open this now for a sneaky dram, as my curiosity got the better of me. Let's see where it takes us...

St Magdalene - Murray McDavid Mission bottling - Distilled 1975 - bottled 2004 - 46%

Nose: Very dry and grassy at first, but then leading into some quite pronounced floral notes (jasmine, lillies). A hint of dry oak begins to dominate, but with a drop of water, we return to the floral fruitiness with the merest dash of Rowntree's Fruitgums.

Palate: Initially a little bitter, with the oak again taking precedence, but given a few minutes in the glass, this evens out giving more of the Fruitgums, some vanilla sweetness and a dash of green apple skins. Not very developed, but with a bit of vitality hidden away behind a big oak door.

Finish: The palate dries off to a slightly bitter tannic note, with the remnants of the grassy/fruitiness remaining for a short while.

Overall: I can't help but feel a little let down, although it does possess lots of lighter, softer qualities, which are beaten down by the heavy oakiness. I imagine a younger bottling of this would be rather excellent, in a similar fashion to a younger Rosebank, a distillery which, in my opinion also seemingly doesn't age particularly well. Fortunately, I have a trump card up my sleeve when, a few years ago, I bought an extra bottle of The Whisky Exchange's phenomenal SMS 14yo Rosebank, as modelled here by Mrs Ridley. What a corker, eh... ;-)

A Load Of Old 'Toshan....

Recently, I was going through the cabinet at Caskstrength towers, wondering whether I should categorise all the bottles into their respective regions. I'd seen my pal do this and create a rather fetching leather-bound menu, which I liked the look of. So like trying to order one's music collection into genres (which starts out like fun, only to descend into absolute misery)

I set about the task, only to quickly realise that 1 region, the Lowlands was pretty poorly represented. I have a couple of nice Rosebanks, which i've been rationing out, but are becoming severely depleted. I also picked up a bottle of Auchentoshan Three Wood, as Mrs Caskstrength tasted it at a food festival earlier this summer and proclaimed it to be 'the whisky that MIGHT start her enjoying whisky'... High praise indeed.

It was somewhat timely then, that earlier this week, we received a couple of small samples of 2 new Auchentoshan releases, namely their 1998 and 1977 vintages.

Auchentoshan - 1977 vintage- 49% - Oloroso Sherry Cask - 249 bottles

Nose: Moist Christmas cake, slightly earthy and musty, with some pine resin, aged leather, big fat juicy raisins and some freshly cut oak. Quite surprising that this has been in Oloroso for its entire term, yet doesn't show any signs of over-age or dryness/dark fruit.

Palate: Hot and quite firey, with ginger, lemon zest, a hint of chilli, then extinguished with some creamy milk chocolate, some herbaceous /almost vermouth notes. Lingering sweetness from those big juicy raisins and all spice come through on the death.

Finish: Not a hint of dryness, the palate is left feeling juicy and peppered with fruit and spice.

Overall: Altogether, a bit of a minx. The nose has lots of juice and leather, the palate is very spicy, but the whole thing is very pleasingly balanced. This works as a wintery whisky, but differently to most other older sherry casks, in that it certainly isn't dominated by overly woody flavours and still retains a zesty, spicy sense of youth.

Auchentoshan - 1998 - Fino Sherry Cask - 54.6%

Nose: Toffee, with peanut brittle, honeycomb, oak sawdust, white pepper and lemon zest are all noticeable on the first nosing. With a little water, summer fruits including gooseberries and elderberries make themselves known, coupled with a malty cereal undercarriage.

Palate: Not as open as the 1977. There is a similar spiciness, with the ginger and lemon zest, but it's not quite as appealing as before. Water really gives this a lift, with a much more fruity edge coming to the fore.

Finish: Clean, with a residual malty note developing as the palate dries.

Overall: Nothing inherently wrong here- a very well put together Auchentoshan, but perhaps not as developed and as exciting as the 1977. The Fino sherry notes really compliment this style of whisky, heightening the spice and citrus. Overall, well worth seeking out if you have a penchant for discovering a hidden depth to Lowland whiskies.

I think I already have one resolution for 2011. A bigger cabinet.

Rosebank Rises From The Ashes?

Not an entirely new story (in fact, recently reported on Rob Allanson's excellent new blog) but a story that we felt compelled to share with you. We'd been hearing all manner of reports about the proposed new Falkirk distillery (from way back in 2008) apparently purporting to call itself Rosebank, which was making a few people very unhappy indeed. But now it seems that the distillery has been given the backing of the Scottish planning authorities and will see the light of day after all. The £5 million distillery had applied for the erection of a new distillery premises, bonded warehousing space, a visitor's centre, restaurant and 6 retail units and the picture below gives you some idea of their proposed layout.

All well and good. Great, a new Lowland distillery. But a new 'Rosebank'? Purists will argue that the distillery died, the day the original distillery was mothballed back in 1993, the final nail firmly driven into the cask when the original stills were apparently stolen and broken down into scrap. But according to recent reports, the distillery group have now also obtained the right to buy up all the remaining equipment, owned by the previous owners of Rosebank, DCL. The name Rosebank is a massively valuable asset (legally owned by Diageo) and we suspect the majority of whisky fans out there will be uncomfortable with any tenuous association to the new facility, despite the acquisition of original distillery gear, especially if it creates a 'Rosebank 2.0' situation. Remember folks...remakes are seldom better than the original... The Italian Job and Get Carter immediately spring to mind.

And what of the remaining stock? Clearly, the value of whatever is left will rise, probably creating some sort of gold rush of official and independent bottlings. Potentially good in one respect, as we dearly love Rosebank, but potentially bad, as the last few bottlings we've tried were in their late teens- and in our opinion, a little tired, over oaked and lacking in that wonderful zesty, floral note and the rich buttery charm younger bottlings have had.

Some things are best left long lost and sorely missed...despite the unfairness of their demise.

On a positive note- if the distillery group get the project right, a brand new Lowland whisky will be born- and in this day and age, that much is worth championing, just so long as it isn't poorly dressed up in someone else's outfit.

Slow Tasting - 4 Connoisseurs Choice

Quick!We!Live!In!London!Where!Everything!Is!Done!Really!Fast!

"I'm!Late!For!Work!"

"The!Film!Is!About!To!Start!Get!Me!My!Popcorn!Faster!"

"If!This!Night!Bus!Doesn't!Get!A!Move!On!I'm!Going!To!Miss!Match!Of!The!Day!"

"Shit!The!Condom!Broke!"

It's time to slowwwwww.... dowwwwwwnn....

Here at Caskstrength.net we would never dream of a speed tasting. Not when it comes to whisky anyway!

Slow.

Down.

Savour and enjoy.

Be it Bells 8 Year Old or the Port Ellen Feis Ile Bottling, pouring that magical liquid in to your glass should afford you time to sit back and savour. That stuff has taken at least three years to even become whisky, so why not give it some of your time? (FYI- these were tasted in the following order: Rosebank, Aberfeldly, Ledaig, Caol Ila. But are listed here in alphabetical order):

Aberfeldly - 1989 / 2009 - Connoisseurs Choice - 43% - 70cl

Nose: Orange zest; wow! This is a fresh nose. Fantastic. It does have a hint of household cleaner about it, but it zings!

Palate: Orange cream chocolates (esp the ones from Quality Street), Fanta Orange (or Solo, of you live in Norway- Big up my fellow Norse massive!). A touch of toffee and bitter chocolate. This is how you do orange-flavoured whisky!

Finish: Long, esp at this ABV with the fizzy-sherbet nature taking the driving seat.

Overall: This is the first Aberfeldy we've posted and it's gooood! If you like fizzy orange, you'll like this!

Caol Ila - 1996 - Connoisseurs Choice - 43% - 70cl

Nose: Smoke (d'oh!), some blackcurrant (as there was in the Rosebank), black-jack penny sweets.

Palate: Initially a delicate hit, this is a lovely dram that sits comfortably on the tongue, bursting into life after a good swill about the palate; a hit of stewed fruits, blackcurrants and ribena

Finish: Long, with the blackcurrants and smoke taking the driving seat. Like warm ribena by the bonfire.

Overall: It's been a while since I've found myself in the familiar arms of a Caol Ila. Like a f*ck-buddy (for those of you that are single), Caol Ila represents a dependable "friend" whom one can visit in a time of need; an often awkward bedfellow but one whose characteristics you know inside out from the first time you meet and you know will satisfy every basic instinct you have. Not too complex, but different every time. I find Caol Ila a fun dram, less serious than the Kildalton distilleries but every bit as competitive on the peat front. Not the greatest Caol Ila in the world, but very drinkable.

Ledaig - 1990 / 2009 - Connoisseurs Choice - 43% - 70cl

Nose: I was expecting smoke, but no. Instead you get fresh winter veg (in the UK), so we're talking Parsnips, Cabbage and turnip. But with time in the glass (and it's time that makes whisky a drink, not a shot) it develops a sweetness like shortbread.

Palate: Initially it hits the palate very cold, with some of the nose carried over; a hint of winter veg soup, cheap vanilla ice cream and wet woolen blanket.

Finish: Long and spicy with a slight bitterness. The wet wool won't go away.

Overall: The overall sensation is that I want to go back to the Aberfeldly....

Rosebank - 1991 / 2009 - Connoisseurs Choice - 43% - 70cl

Nose: Vanilla Creme Brulee, Blackcurrant cough sweets, Rhubarb and Custard boiled sweets

Palate: The rhubarb comes through with a hint of liquorice and mint.

Finish: The liquorice really lasts coupled with hints of red chillie.

Overall: Less floral than other Rosebanks of this age; the nose is the stand out, let down slightly by the bitterness of the palate and the finish.

OVERALL: For me, the Aberfeldy was the pick of the drams here today. The orange zest, "fanta" notes that came through were just fantastic. But hey, that's my opinion. You might like the sound of the others. If so, take a chance. Sit back and enjoy them. Give them some time. After all, they've given you some of theirs.

Howzat?!

That split second of confusion, anticipation, hope. A gap of 5 seconds or so where everyone else around you knows what is going on. But not you. You are in the dark. That fact, that little piece of knowledge has not yet reached you. But everyone else around you is in the light. And then you get it. It hits you; that fact, that piece of knowledge. It is in your life, in context and you belatedly make the same reaction as everyone else around you.

I'm sat in my garden, the sun pouring through mottled clouds and a warm, blustery wind whips up the washing on the line. Not far in the distance I hear a loud cheer, so I quickly look down at my computer screen, logged on to a lagging stream of a foreign broadcast, to see an Australian bowler (Siddle) dispatch a perfect delivery to England batsman Broad who hooks it high into the sky. In my ears still rings the cheers of the crowd from The Oval just down the road. He must be out. He's a gonner. But no! As the ball skies towards Mitchell Johnson at long leg, he goes for the catch but drops it! And I cheer. I cheer with same gusto and relief that the 15,000 people down the road cheered. And suddenIy feel part of it again. Part of the atmosphere; part of the summer; part of England.

There really is only one whisky to be sat in the late summer sun with and that is Rosebank. Well, Rosebank and Clynelish. Which makes this a good opportunity to post some recently taken notes from 2x Rosebanks!

Rosebank - 17 YO - Single Malts Of Scotland - Dist. 01.07.91 - Bottled 20.04.09 - Cask No. 2206 - 259 bottles - Vol. 46%

Nose: Nice and fresh, with a good dollop of spirits, some vanilla, cream and mint.

Palate: Rhubarb and custard with a touch of mint again.

Finish: Medium. Smooth and fresh.

Overall: Yummy in the summer time! Forget your G&T, pour a big glass of this with some ice, sit back and take in the evening heat.

Rosebank - Rare Malts - 20 YO -1981 - 62.3% Vol.

Nose: Stewed, dark red fruits. Crumble.

Palate: Sherbet and the extra age has added some liquorice to the taste. Not as light as Rosebanks in their teens (when I think they are at their best) but he extra weight doesn't detract, nor add. But gives a more robust dimension.

Finish: Waxy, "black and red" sweets / dark coloured wine gums.

Overall: My preference is for a Rosebank in it's teens, but this good if you want a little more meat to your delicate spirit.

(Rose) Bank On This

Have you ever made a bad decision?

Bought the wrong size shirt in a shop.
Chosen the chicken when you should have had the fish.
Decided to take Russia in winter.
Bought a house in Swindon when you should have bought a house, er, anywhere other than in Swindon.

We all do it.

We all make stupid decisions.

Sometimes these decisions have bigger ramifications that we expect.
Sometimes these bad choices are personal to us only.

But we try and learn.

We try the shirt on in the shop before buying it.
We choose the fish instead of the chicken.
We wait until the harsh winter in Russia is over before pushing the Northern front forward.
We never, ever even go near Swindon.

That’s how life works. We make mistakes.
We’re only human.
But life is also about learning.

Just ten years after closing the Port Ellen distillery on Islay, Diageo took the decision to mothball Rosebank; a Lowland distillery situated between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Often considered as the finest example of Lowland whisky, Rosebank is famed for a delicate and floral flavour. Now ear-marked for house development, a Beefeater “restaurant” takes up some of the old warehousing space.

I’d hazard a guess that the staff at Diageo c.1980 – 1995 all wear ill-fitting shirts. I bet they all chose the chicken when they got to the Beefeater in Camelon, Falkirk. I bet their marketing department tried to take Russia in the winter, years before it became a lucrative new emerging market. And I bet they all now live in... shudder... Swindon.

Rosebank – Single Malts Of Scotland – 16 Year Old – Distilled 01.07.1991 / bottled 22.04.2008 - cask no. 402 - 249 bottles - 55.2% Vol. – 70cl

Nose- the trademark Rosebank camomile comes hitting through at first, backed by gentle lavender, warm butter and a slight track of golden syrup. This is the whisky equivalent of a 1980’s Laura Ashley dress. All grace, flow and spring flowers. A real innocence here to the nose, pushed not too heavily by the alcohol content.

Palate- a real sweetness at first, with the golden syrup making the first impact followed by pineapple juice, hot toasted crumpets with melting butter on and then red chilli. A real blast at the end to keep you on your toes. Far more warming than the nose would lead you to think. This is a whisky that does not need any watering down. It’s just perfect at 55.2%.

Finish- the heat dissipates leaving a real dryness and coal dust finish, but not in an unpleasant way. Medium in length, it really leaves you wanting more.

Overall- a cracker. A lot of people say that Rosebank does not last well into the teens but this one has managed to retain the floral joys of life without becoming over woody. At £49, a great buy.