All Hail The Cooper: Glenfiddich Excellence Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The great author Jonathan Swift once wrote that “he was a bold man who first ate an oyster”. It is this sort of gastronomic experimentation which has given us such great delights as a human race, tickling our taste buds with incredible innovation.

I often wonder who it was that first invented the meringue; they must have been the Heston Blumenthal of their day, but probably didn’t get the fame their invention should have rewarded them with, let alone a Michelin star or even their own range of cookware.

And it is this need to create, to always push the boundaries, that man has been striving for ever since we had a sense of taste, a lust for flavour. Of course we all need to eat, drink and be merry. But the tastier the first two parts of that phrase, the greater the volume of merriment.

It’s a simple equation: Eat + Drink = Merry. Increasing the pleasure aspect of one, or both is like swapping the ‘plus’ symbol for a ‘multiply’ symbol. This is why we celebrate those who have the ability increase our pleasure, to change our +, to an x.

In the mix of master blender, the superstar bar tender (what an appropriate phrase to write with Tales of the Cocktail happening at the moment), the footballer-turned-whisky-maker... there is one person often forgotten, who is key to the final flavour of any aged spirit. And that is the cooper.

The origins of cask maturation have been long forgotten as the cask has, for centuries, been a fairly utilitarian tool for the transportation of goods. From coal and fish, to a variety of liquids, the barrel was the carrier bag of its day; developed into a sea container for special goods. But it is the people who first discovered maturation from a white spirit to a dark, delicious drink who should be celebrated as much as the man who first shucked and sucked an oyster. Long forgotten, these men are responsible for something very special, the ideal of the cask to cradle some of our most precious liquids from simple spirits to super single malts.

Already this year I have visited cooperages in Scotland, Spain and the USA and the results never fail to surprise me. Handmade, in the most part, casks are designed to absorb a small amount of their liquid contents, swapping spirit for spices, whiskey for wood influence. But not only do casks add flavour to their contents, they also breath; slowly letting air in and out, as if they are giant wooden lungs, taking in oxygen and breathing out lost spirit, a gift to the angels.

This conflicting purpose, to both store and give away, makes barrels almost biblical, following the guidance that the more you give away, the richer you will become; ergo, the more active the cask, the more condensed the liquid inside becomes, taking flavour from both the wood and the previous incumbent of the cask, and the richer the liquid gets. A truly spiritual experience.

In my journeys to see both sherry casks and bourbon barrels in production, to understand more about their role in maturation, I have learned a lot about the preparation that a cask must go through before it is allowed to mature Scotch whisky.

There are huge differences between American oak and European oak, between ex-sherry casks and ex-bourbon barrels, between a hogshead and a puncheon. But all were, at some stage, the results of experiments by innovators, leaving a legacy for today and well beyond. 

Thank you to those people, whoever you are.

Glenfiddich – 'Excellence' – 26 Years Old – Matured 100% American Oak – 43% abv - £350

Nose: The casks which this whisky has been matured in have delivered a first class aroma of sweet vanilla, custard cream biscuits, malted milk and crème brulee. There is a hint of oak spice, but only to give body and provide a platform for the developed Madagascan vanilla and white flowers to build on.

Palate: A richer mouthfeel than expected, this is a buttery dram with a hint of heather, yet again some spices to balance out the palate. It is clearly American oak, ex-bourbon and takes in the butterscotch aspects of well matured whisky from these styles of casks, but sprinkles a small amount of cinnamon on top.

Finish: A brilliant balance of sweet and spicy, with that rich vanilla giving a super landing to a great dram.

Overall: This whisky was designed to reflect the style of cask it has been matured in. American oak, ex-bourbon barrels filled in the last century, have marshalled a spirit through more than two decades, resulting in a whisky which is the perfect ambassador for this style of maturation.

If it hadn’t been for those great cooper-innovators, inventing the cask, maturing and re-maturing spirit in it, we wouldn’t have a whisky like this today. So, cheers to those forgotten folk for giving us all something so special which will echo through the ages.    

Mon Sherried Whisky: The Balvenie SIngle Barrel 15 Year Old and The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso Edition

There is something quite glorious about a summer’s day. To be honest, here in London, it isn’t quite summer just yet, but we are at the start of a rather warm snap which will, fingers cross, will last across the weekend.

In the UK, this is the sign for women to raid their wardrobe for flowery Laura Ashley dresses and for men to bare their legs; but when it comes to whisky, our thoughts turn from heavily peated numbers, to lighter whiskies (grains and blends), served up in a highball glass with ice, topped up with soda water and a slice of something zesty.

And herein lies the exact reason why we all need a cabinet of drinks: there is no one ‘cure all’ spirit for that moment when you want to pour yourself a dram or mix yourself a cocktail.

Our advice for putting together a basic drinks selection is to build up your cabinet from the basics, making sure you have a good quality gin and vodka in your freezer, with plenty of ice and some glasses, too (if you don’t have a lot of room, then make sure you have four Martini glasses at the very least). If you can store highball glasses too, then a top tip is to put a small amount of water in the bottom of each glass, so you have a natural layer of ice in each one; brilliant for G&T’s.

Moving from the freezer to the fridge, ensure you have some cans of tonic and soda water, as well just some filtered water too.

Topping all this off, a good drinks cabinet should contain a nice brandy (go Armagnac for better value than Cognac), a good rum (two if you can afford it- one for sipping, one for mixing), some Tequila and cocktail bitters (Angostura at the very least). And then some whisky.

You’ll notice here that, save for the rum where you can reach out over several varieties and Tequila / Mezcal where you might want a sipping option as well as a mixer, whisky is where the greatest variation is to be found. If we were being honest, you probably could do with having the following in stock:

A Smoky Whisky: Preferably a single malt with a good level of peat smoke. Example: Lagavulin 16.

A Sipping Whisky: Not everyone likes peat, so have a non-peated offering, too. Could be a blend, single malt, a bourbon, Irish or Japanese whisky. Example: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Years Old.

A Sunshine Whisky: A grain whisky or blend helps for those summer days when you want a long drink. Example: Cutty Sark Original.

So, in a basic cabinet we’d look at three different whisk(e)y offerings; quite a lot more than the others, but all playing different roles in the team.

In this blog we focus on all styles of whisky, trying to review them with their purpose in mind. As became evident in our look at flavoured whiskies recently, you can’t review something like J&B Urban Honey in the same way that you would a 40 Year Old Brora. Equally, as with Dave Broom’s new book The Manual, you shouldn’t be ashamed of mixing a ‘sipping single malt’, either.

When it comes to these single malt sippers, there are more and more appearing on the market all the time; some brand new offerings from indie distillers, others being released from major distillery names as range extensions.

One distillery who is undertaking a re-jig of their more niche offerings, is The Balvenie who have recently launched a couple of new single barrel expressions. It was a year ago when we reviewed their ‘new’ 12 Year Old First Fill American Oak Single Barrel, and the time has come again for another release from them, this time a 15 Year Old Oloroso Sherry cask.

The Balvenie – 15 Year Old Sherry Cask – Single Barrel – Cask Number 4440 – 47.8% avb – each batch has no more than 650 bottles – RRP £79.99

NOTE: These tasting notes are for one specific cask release, no. 4440. Other casks may differ.

Nose: Certainly a sherry cask whisky, this gives ginger and honey up front, some dusty oak and golden syrup, this isn’t hiding its roots. There is a slight Piri-Piri sauce element which develops over time. Returning to the nose after a while, the key elements have died a little and the spirit remains, giving a punchy youthfulness to the dram, but always with that Oloroso backbone of sweet spices.

Palate: Fresh apricots drizzled in honey sit atop cinnamon spices, some over ripe banana and rum and raisin milk chocolate. It is powerful with a hint of complexity, and some spiritus elements. Mouthfilling, the wood influence shines through towards the back of the palate giving plum chutney and more raisins.

Finish: Lots of ginger, runny honey and spices, which develop into nutmeg and cardamom.

Overall: This is a very tasty dram, which packs in big flavours with a good ABV balace, too. My preference is with a splash of water, which opens up the dram to reveal red cherries and heather honey, giving a better example of the smooth Balvenie spirit for which it is famed.

Another giant of the Speyside distillery world, who is also expanding a diffusion range (if you will) with an Oloroso matured edition, is The Glenlivet who welcome the ‘Oloroso Matured’ batch to the already popular Nadurra line. This will be the first ever 100% sherry matured offering from the distillery, under their own label. At the moment this is only available in Global Travel Retail, is a No Age Statement and is bottled at 48% abv but, as with other Nadurra releases, will see a ‘full strength’ edition hit local markets in the future.

The Glenlivet – Nadurra Oloroso Matured (batch OLO314) – NAS - 48% abv RRP TBC

Nose: More tropical fruits than the Balveinie, which is focuses more on ginger and honey. This is a fresher dram (I’d wager a touch younger, but not by a lot) and gives peach melba, fruit cake, cardamom and mango on the nose. A hint more summery than the Balvenie.

Palate: Cinnamon and Cardamom come through with a sprinkling of nutmeg. Blood Orange and fresh mint are backed with cigar box and a distinctly meaty tone of well aged rare steak, slightly peppered. It sits well on the palate, with the pepper and sweet sherry partnering well together.

Finish: Bloody orange meets vanilla macaroons to give a hearty, sweet finish which is mouth watering with a back drop of gala melon.

Overall: Again, this really opens up with a drop of water, smoothing it out reflect the distillery character and would be my preference to serve with a splash of H2O. It is going to be interesting to see how this works at an even higher abv. Bring it on!

These two new expressions are both excellent and with a splash of water both reveal their true distillery characters, which is pleasing as it is easy to lose track of the true DNA of the base spirit once sherry casks are involved. Both are perfect examples of ‘sipping whiskies’ which make themselves available for team selection in your drinks cabinet. Now it is up to you to decide which you want to be part of your team...

  

Ho Ho Hobart...Overeem Australian Whisky

Continuing our theme of interesting world whiskies you probably haven't heard of this month, we bring you news of a brace of new Aussie whiskies about to hit these shores, from The Old Hobart Distillery in Tasmania.  Australian whisky making has really begun to attract the sort of feverish attention it deserves thanks to a number of recent award successes and better distribution outside of Australia and the Old Hobart Distillery located to the south of Tasmania, is the latest to capitalise on this interest.  

Casey and Jane Overeem

The story begins back in 2005 when Casey Overeem, owner and head distiller was granted a distillers licence, with production beginning in earnest in 2007.  The small batch operation was producing around 5000 bottles of whisky a year, mostly matured in a mixture of cut down 100 litre quarter cask port and sherry casks and today the distillery is now running at a capacity of 8000 bottles a year.  

It's a remarkable testament to the explosion of craft distillation in Australia, which can really be traced back to Bill Lark, owner of the Lark Distillery, who first helped change Australian legislation concerning the minimum size of stills allowed in the production of craft spirits.  Since the landmark date in 1992, when Lark was established, Tasmania now boasts at least nine working distilleries (making whisky) with another couple in the planning stages -  heady times indeed.  

So what of the whisky itself?  Well, we've been sent four different expressions: two matured in sherry casks and two matured in port influenced French oak casks.  The differing strengths (two at 60% and two at 43%)  will give us a rough idea of where this spirit is heading. We're told that the casks selected here are between five and seven years old and judging by Casey Overeem's steady hand on the tiller, he's selecting what works best and when.  

Overeem Single Malt Whisky -  Old Hobart Distillery -  Sherry Cask Matured - 43%

Nose: Immediately, this is very inviting and open, with notes of spiced apple pie, vanilla ice cream some perfumed notes and a slight vegetative note (boiled sweet potato.) Given time some sweet, plump raisins come to the fore, alongside a little dustiness and some cracked black pepper. Extremely rich and complex, all said and done.  

Palate: Wonderfully spicy and sweet, with star anise, clove and cinnamon dusted apples coating the palate, alongside some dried fruits (apricot and date), soft caramel and some vibrant blood orange notes.  Balanced and very impressive indeed for a youthful whisky. 

Finish: Lingering notes of dark chocolate, orange zest and toasted malt give this a luxurious and very lengthy finish.

Overall:  What a flying start.  Make no mistake, this is high quality whisky making and what's clear is the care and attention that has gone into pulling this expression together.  Highly recommended if you're a fan of big, bold sherry monsters. 

Overeem Single Malt Whisky -  Old Hobart Distillery -  Sherry Cask Matured - 60%

Nose: Wallop.  This is a big hitter.  Wonderful wafts of classic sherry wood hit first, with juicy raisins, dates and prunes, coupled with woody spices, stewed Bramley apple and perhaps just a faint whiff of some smoky embers from a long forgotten fire.  With water (just a touch, mind) the lighter fruits come through with more precision, alongside a creamy vanilla.  

Palate: At 60%, this is clearly going to be a powerful experience, but extremely pleasing nonetheless. Bold sherry notes (oloroso and PX sweetness) sit alongside a sharp burnt orange zest note, some menthol tones, a blast of anise and high quality cocoa enriched chocolate.  With a dash of water, the fires are tempered slightly, but none of the resonance is lost: a touch of woody smoke can be found if you look hard enough, alongside some toasted nuts, celery hearts, flat cola syrup and vanilla. Superb stuff. 

Finish: Lengthy, with drying notes of moist raisins and orange peel.

Overall: Consider us mightily impressed, Mr Overeem. At this stage of the distillery's production I doubt many people would have expected what has been achieved here, which all points to further greatness in the future.  

With the sherry expressions working far beyond our expectations, let's delve into the port expressions...

Overeem Single Malt Whisky -  Old Hobart Distillery -  Port Cask Matured - 43%

Nose: Distinctly more perfumed than its tempestuous sherried sibling, this is calmer, more restrained and less bombastic.  It has a delicate balance of white flowers, vanilla, ripe summer fruits (strawberry, plum, nectarine and redcurrant) with a sweetened cream drizzled over the top.  Dig a little deeper and some polished wood begins to emerge with some tinned peaches popping in for good measure, but not enough to trouble the fresh and fruity frisson that works so well.  About as summery a whisky as you could hope for. 

Palate: The sweetness of the first sip gives way to notes of liquorice, lemon grass, some toasted oak and a darker, richer fruitiness, one can only assume is derived from a ruby port:  think blackcurrant, toasted vanilla, dark chocolate, a touch of spice and notes of leather and lemon zest.  

Finish: Subtle and balanced, with a few drying notes of tannic oak and cigar leaf. 

Overall: A start contrast to the sherry matured expressions, but no less exciting. This is a superb example of getting the balance between spirit and wood character absolutely spot on.  

Finally, the more shouty port expression... could this be a clean sweep?

Overeem Single Malt Whisky -  Old Hobart Distillery -  Port Cask Matured - 60%

Nose: A very different aroma meets the nose than from the lower ABV version. This time around, it's cracked hard caramel, a touch of butterscotch sauce, roasted walnuts and freshly turned earth, alongside wafts of fresh pine smoke.  The lighter fragranced notes are probably in there, waiting to be set free from the spirit, but this is an altogether more grown up affair.  

Palate: The higher strength brings an explosion of bold flavours:  a distinct toasted nuttiness, some bitter dark chocolate, a touch of espresso coffee, liquorice root, flambeed orange peel and creme brûlée topping.  Think after dinner complexity, from that of an XO Cognac or Armagnac and you're in the same ballpark.  With water, the perfume notes and a lighter orchard fruit note balance with the bolder flavours from above and you're left with something altogether exceptional.  

Finish: Lingering notes of liquorice, orange zest and toasted chocolate malt.  

Overall: What can we say... four outstanding whiskies from this fledgling distillery. With the growth in craft distillation, it would be easy to say that anyone with enough time, financial backing and vision could turn in a drinkable whisky, but to get to this level of finesse in such a short space of time is very unique and requires something extra, unobtainable by conventional means.  It's clear to us that Casey Overeem has a bag full of this fairy dust at his disposal and we very much look forward to trying the next whiskies he decides to give a sprinkling to.

Follow Overeem on Twitter:  @OvereemWhisky

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 

Yamazaki Whisky: Wood You Believe It?

Not so much 'Norwegian Wood' as 'Japanese Wood'

When you walk in to a room, there is a lot to take in. The furniture, the carpet, the colours on the walls. Is there any art hanging up and if so, what does it add to the room; what does it say about the owners? How is the room laid out, and for what purpose?

However, when we walk in to a room, we don't usually run through this check-list of points. Not consciously, anyway.

But a room is given life, personality and character by the items in it and the way it has been dressed and arranged.

Unless you go out and buy a single cask, every bottle of whisky you buy has been blended, be it from a mixture of grain and malts from different distilleries into what we would traditionally define as a 'blended whisky', or those which carry the moniker of 'single malt' which are also blended together, just using malts from one distillery.

Every so often as drinks writers, we are invited to try 'deconstructions' of both blends and single malts. Fascinating to write about, these occasions give a real insight in to the make up of certain whiskies.

Conversations with the Master Blender reveal interesting nuggets as to the flavour profile of the overall mix (percentages of first fill sherry, to refill bourbon, etc.) but these geeky facts may not excite everyone. Personally, I don't want an explanation of how an aeroplane works before getting on it; I just want to have a great customer experience with my flight. In the same way, most people don't give two hoots as to the make-up of their blended or single malt whisky; they just want it to taste good.

However, some of the whiskies which go in to making up a standard release of a single malt are pretty bloody good. So much so, that the Japanese distillers Suntory have decided to release a series of whiskies which, we are told, make up the constituent parts of their Yamazaki 12 Year Old.

This series will be made up of four release, two already on the market. These editions showcase the whisky matured in individual styles of casks: a puncheon, a bourbon barrel and a heavy sherry barrel (all named, cunningly, 'Bourbon', 'Puncheon' and 'Sherry') will be available for around £70. The jewel in the crown is the Mizunara release, an edition matured in casks made from the famous Japanese variety of oak. This will weigh in around the £250 price point.

These four release are all markedly different, with the puncheon and bourbon barrel showing off light and delicate whisky, the sherry barrel giving excellent, heavily sherried hooch which, for the money, seems absurdly good. The wild-card player in the squad is the Japanese oak release:

Yamazaki - Mizunara (480 litre barrel) - NAS - 48% abv

Nose: a big hit of dried apricots, figs, toasted almonds (almond croissant), marzipan, light and aromatic spices.

Palate: the initial hit is of toasted tobacco leaf, over-ripe banana, which develops into banana bread and ever such a delicate hint of smoke.

Finish: heavy butterscotch, tropical fruits of mango and passion fruit, all finished nicely with delicate pear drops.

Overall: This is a whisky full of wonderful character and bold statements. Delicious and intriguing, this is well worth a try.

These individual bottlings may well be excellent in their own right (and there isn't a ringer in the flight), but the really interesting conclusion was trying the Yamazaki 12.

A whisky which we feel is underrated, the flavours of cooking apples, cinnamon, vanilla and flapjacks left us in no doubt that, once again, the quality of whisky coming out of Japan is of the highest order.

These whiskies have not just been put together, they have been expertly constructed by masters of liquid Feng Shui to create a room with personality, character and flavour.

Kampai!