Whisky Live Competition! Drink with Pilots Ridley & Harrison

Well then- here we go. Another competition on Caskstrength. This time it ties in with our fun masterclass, which is happening at Whisky Live London. As mentioned in our last post, we'll be running a tasting covering a wonderful 'flight' of whiskies that you can only sample at Duty Free - so the only way to taste 'em is to hop on a plane (bad) or come and see us (excellent choice!)

So far, the line up of drams we have for you is exceptional, with new Travel Retail releases from Laphroaig, Auchentoshan and The Glenlivet and Bowmore sitting next to some amazing duty free drams from Highland Park, The Macallan and Jameson. And if that's not enough, there's also a surprise whisky, which will be announced at the end of the tasting...

We've got a pair of tickets to give away for Friday's Whisky Live London which also includes entry to our masterclass.

Getting your hands on them couldn't be simpler. Just email us at the following email address

info@caskstrength.net

with the following phrase as the title of the mail:

'Come Dram With Me'

Please include your age, name and location. For logistical reasons, please only enter if you can actually attend Whisky Live London -this Friday 23rd March

from 5pm until 10pm. Oh...and over 18's please. Kinda figures, right?

We'll let the winner know on Thursday midday!

If you don't win, you could always just come along anyway - tickets for Whisky Live London are still available from www.whiskylive.com

Good luck!

Come Fly With Us!!

'This is Captain Ridley speaking. We're currently cruising around 40,000 ft on Flight W.H.1.5.K.Y and there's no sign of any turbulence whatsoever. So sit back relax and enjoy the compliments of our fully stocked whisky bar- there's a few fabulous flights of cracking drams to choose from...'

No we haven't gone barking mad due to decompression sickness or over indulging on salty in-flight snacks, we simply wanted to invite you to a rather fun masterclass tasting we're hosting at this year's Whisky Live London on Friday 23rd March.

Both Joel and I will be your whisky pilots, taking the assembled Club Class ticket holders through SIX exceptional drams, that are only available as Travel Retail Exclusives. The 'Flight' features some sought after bottlings of old, as well as a host of brand new releases, which have only just been launched in airports across the globe, so promises to be a very smooth journey indeed!

Something from the trolley?

Not only will you be receiving a special commemorative whisky tasting passport on check in, but we've taken the liberty of hiring a highly attentive, glamourous air stewardess to serve your drams throughout the flight. There will also be a few surprises in store and perhaps even a little 'in flight entertainment'.

There are just twenty places available for the tasting which will be leaving promptly at 8.15pm on Friday 23rd March so consider it like travelling via a whisky fuelled private jet! Tickets are just £15 each for the tasting, so for booking or further information, visit www.whiskylive.com

Whisky Live - The Honourable Artillery Company, Armoury House, City Road, London, EC1Y 2BQ

We'll be doing a little competition to win other Whisky Live goodies later this week, so stay tuned... and until then - have a safe flight, with Caskstrength Airways....

Hurlingham Highlights

For the second year running, Whisky Live rolled into the wonderfully secluded grounds of Hurlingham Tennis Club in South West London for a weekend of fine single malts and a catch up with old friends.

Over the 2 days, 1,200 avid whisky nuts crammed in to the grand hall, eager to try some classic drams from distilleries all over the world, as well as some brand new and sneak previews of whiskies to be released later this year.

As with last year, we were there, pens at the ready to bring you all the gossip and tasting notes!

First up- a real coup.



A few months ago, we got to try Highland Park's excellent Earl Magnus 15 yo bottling, which flew out the door quicker than free tickets to Glastonbury Festival. Yesterday, the irrepressible Mr Gerry Tosh (Brand Ambassador Of The Year at this year's WWA's!) was on hand to allow us a sample of the second release in the saga - Saint Magnus. This bottling follows on from where Earl left off (the story goes that Earl Magnus was killed by his evil and blood thirsty cousin, Haakon over a power struggle to control the Orkney Isles)

Saint Magnus will be a younger bottling (12 years old) at 52.6%, containing a high proportion of whisky matured in sherry wood and is due to hit the shops later this summer, with a slightly bigger outturn than the Earl Magnus bottling. Apparently pre-orders are shaping up extremely well already, so expect this one to repeat the success of the first release.

here's our tasting notes:

Highland Park - Saint Magnus - 12 years old - 52.6%

Nose: Really big sherry wood notes on the first nosing, with classic HP dried fruits and a wonderfully spicy hit. This is drier than Earl Magnus and further sniffs reveal a delicate aromatic peat note, which balances the sherry influence nicely.

Palate: Mouth coating from the first sip. That sherry encountered on the nose, swirls around the palate with real authority. Burnt orange notes, pepper, leading into a licorice sweetness all jostle for authority. A big hitting and direct dram.

Finish: The dryer notes from the sherry, give this a very lengthy and oaky finish, with more of that smoke on the death.

Overall: Another cracker. The Earl Magnus is a very differently styled dram to this, but Highland Park fans will be delighted with the way the saga is playing out.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL FOLKS.... THE SAGA IS TO BECOME A TRILOGY...!

Ooh er. This could be interesting. The antagonist of the story, Haakon is also to be given a whisky bearing his name- and not unlike his character, Gerry points out that the 3rd bottling will be "Big, powerful and.... Beastly!"

We got to try the very first draft of Haakon as well. Still in the planning stage, this whisky will be an 18 yo, bottled around caskstrength like the previous 2. The release date has yet to be finalised, but expect to see it emerge in around 16- 18 months.

The first draft was around 46% and again had a high proportion of sherry wood, which Gerry mentioned will be supplemented with some American oak (filled with sherry, not bourbon) in later drafts. Here's our impression of this work-in-progress giant:

Highland Park - Haakon (first draft)- 18 years old - 46%

Nose: Noticeably different to the Saint Magnus. Lots of fruit, but much more fragrant, leaning further towards an aromatic peat. Similar honeyed sweet notes to that of the regular 18 yo bottling.

Palate: Tropical fruit and coconut notes. The sherry isn't as prominent as Saint Magnus, but is certainly there, brooding away in the shadows, rather like Haakon!!

Finish: The sweet honeyed notes give way into a dryer spice. Lingering but lacking the directness of its caskstrength cousins.

Overall: Oh so drinkable now- it has all the hallmarks of the wonderful 18 yo bottling, but needs to be more 'beastly' in strength!! There is no doubt that this promises to be an EPIC whisky. And one that we can't wait to see the outcome of.

Wow! what a line up so far.. but that's just the start of it!!

In addition to the Highland park exclusives, Suntory were also proud to bring 2 very new bottling's to the table as well, both to be released later this summer. As always- we were there to dive in with the first samples....

Yamazaki - Puncheon edition- 48% - ltd to 3000 bottles - Scheduled for a July release

Nose: Red berries/ milk chocolate, slight spice (nutmeg) and strawberry sherbet. Becomes more perfumed over time. Wonderful, understated but very expressive.

Palate: So delicate on the palate- has the hallmarks of what you would expect from Yamazaki, but has superb sweet cereal, more red berries and a lovely creamy after note. Hubba Bubba chewing gum fruitiness too!

Finish: Very creamy as the palate dries, but an eloquent and enjoyable dram.

Overall: Another excellent bottling from this continuously innovating distillery. Snap this up in July, before it all goes.

Next up - something heavily peated from Hakushu. Due for a similar summer release date, this Hakushu will continue in the line of peated expressions, but will be a limited European outturn of 2-3000 bottles.

Hakushu - Heavily Peated - Ltd summer release

Nose: Deft and heady- carbolic soap, lemony washing up suds and a lot of fruit!! Toffee apple and sweet candy floss. A real bag of aroma.

Palate: A slightly salty intro, into Parma Violets with a wash of delicate peat at first, but then comes the main course of aromatic wood smoke. It's so different to Islay peat, a wall of floral flavours. Excellent

Finish: Lingering smoky notes, but still delicate and sweet on the death.

Overall: For Hakushu fans, this will absolutely delight. For peated whisky freaks, you simply must grab a bottle when the summer comes.

The final treat from this year’s Whisky Live, was the new 14 Year Old Glenfiddich, Rich Oak. This ‘fiddich is finished in both new American Oak and new European Oak (they call the casks “untouched”), with the latter being an industry first, according to the distillery. We’re fans of Glenfiddich, both the spirit and the people, here at caskstrength.net, so let’s see how this one sits with the rest of their core range:

Glenfiddich Rich Oak - 14 Years Old – 40% Vol – 70cl

Nose: white PVA glue, orange and a hint of mint. There are some apricots and other fruits in there, but I can’t get beyond that whiff of PVA glue.

Palate: I found this a little too weak. The flavours that are there, lime juice and cinnamon notes, don’t have a lot of energy, but the balance is good.

Finish: There is a warming bitterness on the finish and considering the use of “untouched” oak, they have managed to avoid too much dryness.

Overall: I found this dram to be a little lacklustre on the palate, but well balanced in the finish. The PVA nose still haunts me, however... RRP £30.99

new release notes from Hurlingham...

Wow! what a hectic weekend of whisky activity, folks.  Firstly, Friday saw caskstrength trying a few exceptional older treats which boggled the mind and left us gasping for more...(more of which later) 

Then, this Saturday we visited the splendid surroundings of the Hurlingham Club in Fulham, SW London for the Whisky Magazine's annual bash, Whisky Live.  Having played a few games of tennis at Hurlingham in the past (unbelievably, your humble writer used to be quite sporty!) I was thrilled at the prospect of tasting a fair few fine whiskies and bourbons.  I was not disappointed.  Despite fewer exhibitors present this year, the hall was packed and was apparently a sell-out. It is my pleasure to give you an update on a few superb new releases, coming over the next few months:

First up, Glenmorangie and something new, juicy and exclusive to the duty free market!

Glenmorangie Sonnalta - 46% abv - exclusive to the duty free market.

The lovely Annabel Meikle gave us a sneak preview of this young bottling of Glenmorangie and it certainly played a merry dance on the palate! Finished in Pedro Ximenez  sherry casks for just under a year, it is likely to be available from April onwards:

Nose: Lots of tropical fruits including banana, pineapple and passion fruit.  Lovely floral hints develop over time and a few heady whiffs from the PX casks, but nothing overpowering.  Superbly fragrant stuff.

Palate: More floral elements, coupled with light vanilla note, Banoffee pie and a slight cigar note leading into dryness.  

Finish: Back to the tropics again, as the fruit just keeps getting bigger and more concentrated.  

Overall:  This would be a super whisky for that perfect beach moment, under a palm tree as the Caribbean sea lap gently at your sun tanned toes. Worth taking a trip to Heathrow for, even if you're only flying to Manchester!!

Next up, the sister bottling of something we've been banging on about for some time... will it be as much of a looker? 

We have eulogised long and hard about the delights of the Longrow 18 year old bottling. It disappeared off the shelves faster than a free ticket for Slumdog Millionaire and left us wondering where we'd get another bottle from.  It very nearly won our Best in Glass awards last year, so when I heard there was to be a release of a Springbank 18 year old - in identical packaging my eyes immediately widened and my palate started getting ready. just 1,000 cases will be available world wide, which is considerably more than the Longrow, but expect it to sell out in no time at all when it is released later this month.

Springbank 18 year old - 46%  - 70cl - limited to 1,000 cases

Nose: lots of dark brown sugar, slightly spirity mixed with a hint of wet wool, lanolin and lemon zest. Also something perfumed?  Part of me wanted to dab this behind my ears as well as drink it.

Palate: Sherried notes (the balance is 80/20 sherry casks to Bourbon) mixed with rose water, sliced apple and fudge.  Hints of malt, cereal and something slightly farm yardy, but all unmistakably Springbank. 

Finish: relatively short, with more dried orchard fruit and green shoots. 

Overall: Something really strikes me about this bottling and i'm pleased to grab one whilst it's still around.  Whether it will outstrip the Longrow for me in the long run is tricky to say but, rest assured, we'll try to bring you a side-by-side tasting at some point soon!

Stay tuned over the coming days - we'll be ringside for an epic 'Battle of the Peated Monsters' and will be bringing you news of 3 great new japanese whiskies, including the new Hibiki 12 year old blend! will it live up to the current legend in the making?