Some Splendid Suntory Specials...

Phew! what a busy week in the spirits world!

The start of the week saw some of the cream of the worlds tipples packed into the vast halls of Londons ExCel centre. Then Thursday, it was the flavours of the Orient that got Caskstrength's tastebuds in a twist with the release of Suntory's newest blended masterpiece- Hibiki 12 years old.

At a suitably oriental venue (the Nobu restaurant in the London Metropolitan Hotel) we were lucky enough to meet some of the men behind the sensational dynasty of Hibiki blends and got to taste some seriously interesting cask samples, which perfectly demonstrated how Japan continues to innovate and produce some of the world's finest whisky.

Our tasting mat contained cask samples from an array of differing styles of Suntory whisky- from an intensely sherried Yamazaki 14 year old (which I would dearly love to get a bottle of!!) A Hakushu distilled in 1994 and matured in a white oak Puncheon followed, which had a superb creaminess, mixed with fragrant lavender, and then- 'Malt X'- which turned out to be a another 14 year old Yamazaki, matured intensely for 2 years in a cask containing plum liqueur- one of the many whiskies which make up the Hibiki 12 year old.

General Manager and Senior Blender Shinji Fukuyo and his team have expertly married together grain and malt whiskies of up to 30 years old and then matured for a time in 'Umeshu ' - Japanese plum liqueur casks. But their innovation doesn't end there, for as Seiichi Koshimizu, Suntory's chief blender points out; 'our goal was to create a uniquely Japanese whisky that is mellower and smoother than any other premium 12 year old whisky in the world'
The secret to Hibiki 12's purity is filtration through bamboo charcoal- which is very much evident from the first sip. This is actually the 2nd time we've tried Hibiki 12 (firstly in our recent round up of Whisky Live) but there was no stopping us diving back in for a second taste!

Hibiki 12 year old blended whisky - 43% vol - 70cl

Nose: Hugely fruity and, dare I say it- plummy (no surprise there) with slight wafts of fragrant licorice, rice wine, honeysuckle and when you dig deeper, some wonderful buttery/creamy notes. Given a bit of time in the glass, an array of other sweet notes come through, such as honey, lots of vanilla pod and country fudge notes. Sensational stuff.

Palate: Well, this is really where the whisky comes into its own- the delicate, yet rich texture in the mouth is about as smooth as i've ever tasted. Not a trace of alcohol burn in the slightest, just layers of smooth malt and grain, with more of that licorice coming back, leaving your mouth with a clean, fresh taste. That may sound like a tooth paste, but mark my words, try this and you'll be really amazed at the clarity it has.

Finish: The finish has some lengthy, spiced notes and this is where the first element of dryness comes through- nothing too oaked, just well balanced and throughly enjoyable.

Overall: We loved the small sample we tried at whisky Live and if anything, to try it for a second time only highlights just what a quality whisky this really is. Contender for our Best In Glass awards this year?..... oh yes...

Many thanks to Hiro Miyamori, Takeshi Tsuruoka and Shinji Fukuyo from Suntory for this insightful tasting and long may they continue to make great whisky!

DISTIL Diary - Day one

Before we get calls from C&E - no, we haven't started an illicit pot still in the shed at the bottom of Caskstength towers (although it was considered...!) The next couple of day posts concern the DISTIL conference over at the ExCeL Centre in the London Docklands. Caskstrengh were invited down to sample a few wares and put a few faces to names of the many jolly and hard working folk in the drinks trade.

The event, isn't centered on any particular spirit- and on arriving at the vast conference halls, you'd have to look twice to notice the whisky exhibitors among the more noticeable brands were Welsh marvels Penderyn who had a small stand, as did the new owners of Glen Moray - La Martiniquaise and independent blenders and bottlers, Angus Dundee Distillers (who make the fine Mackillop's Choice bottlings)

First presentation of the day was with the totally unstoppable freight-train-of-whisky knowledge that is Mr Richard Paterson. If you have seen Richard in action before, you'll know that there should be a health warning attached to his presentation. As well as the ludicrous amount of knowledge he throws out to his audience, handfuls of barley, jugs of water, ice buckets and confetti all feature in Richard's arsenal- and by the end of his mesmerising blending class not one person left questioning his passion for the spirit.

Caskstrength were lucky enough to try one of Richard's landmark blending achievements- the Whyte & Mackay 40 year old- which did not disappoint:

Whyte & Mackay - 40 year old blend - 45% vol - 70cl

Nose: Really intense orange zest, dark chocolate and bonfire toffee, followed by lots of spicy cedar cigar box woodiness. Make no mistake, this is serious stuff.

Palate: More oranges (of the blood variety) tobacco notes, black java coffee, and a mouthful of very oaky sherry lambaste your senses, but quickly reassure you that you're in safe hands- and in for a very long and enjoyable ride.

Finish: I timed my journey around the arena after finishing this dram- 18 minutes and 33 seconds - and I was still tasting a wonderfully tangy, oaky finish, laced with licorice for minutes after that. Sensational.

Overall: Not a lot more can be said about this dram, other than that it defies the ageing process and is as effusive and vibrant as Mr Paterson's presentation!!

Next up, and a more botanical theme in the shape of a gin nosing masterclass led by Beefeater's Master distiller- Desmond Payne. Although this blog predominantly features fine whisky (and the occasional ale, when we feel like it) be sure to look out for our first forays into light spirits with a special 'gin week' coming soon!

Onto the flavour of the Caribbean- and the Demerara rums of El Dorado. Highlights included the 15 year old and the wonderfully rich and reduced 21 year old, which had all the woody, spicy elements of a wonderfully aged single malt.

El Dorado rum -21 year old - 40 % vol - 70cl

Nose: Rich, silky and unctuous – with big mahogany aromas, wax and dried vine fruits. Almost hints of Cognac. This is undoubtedly one of the highlights that highly aged rum brings to the senses.

Palate: An immediate sweetness hits the palate with a definitive ‘liqueur’ like mouth feel. Gentle flavours of marzipan and golden toffee give way to an unexpected freshness. This has all the hallmarks of a well-reduced sauce.

Finish: More lingering sweetness, leading into drier, oaky notes.

Overall: A tremendously luxurious sipping rum, for those warm, summer evenings spent in the company of a fine Macanudo, or Hoyo De Monterray cigar, whilst the sun gently sets.

Soon enough, it was 4pm and time for a refreshing pink gin, in the company of the lovely folks from The Spirits Business magazine, Patience & Daisy.

More to follow tomorrow...!

The Royal Choice

As part of one of my various day jobs (Jack of all trades, master of none) I was asked to write a piece on 'Drinks with Royal Patronage'. Great- where do I start, I wondered? Clearly the Royal family have always liked their booze (Princess Anne and the indefatigable Queen Mum were HUGE fans of a rather potent cocktail- Dubonnet and gin)
But look back further and the Royal Warrant has been a life blood for many of our most resilient and well known drinks brands. It was a seal of quality, respected the world over and usually reflected Britain at its very best.

Today there are over 800 Royal Warrants (look closely and you'll notice the various 'crests' adorning plenty of household names) and over 30 specifically supporting alcoholic drinks from gins, wines, ports, sherry and... of course... whisky.

Laphroaig has been supported by the Prince Of Wales since 1994, when he visited Islay, nearly crashed his plane on the blustery runway and stayed a little longer than expected. Some would say it was fate...He fell in love with the 15 year old and never looked back. Examine any bottle of Laphroaig and you'll see the classic '3 feathers' logo of the Prince.

Which brings me nicely onto their newest bottling- the 18 year old.

I must confess that I did not share the Prince's affection with the now discontinued 15 year old, which seemed to confuse as to its real identity- it was neither peaty, nor subtle enough to get me excited, in the same way perhaps as the Quarter Cask. Will this new expression be the new pretender to the peated throne, or lose its head in the Tower?? One shalt now find out....

Laphroaig 18 year old - 48% - 70cl

Nose: A lovely waft of soft peat, which, if you read our previous posts, is something we're mad keen for. But there is something else- red apple, chocolate covered fudge and dig deeper, a heady waft of Carbolic soap. Definitely more characterful than the 15 year old at this point.

Palate: Lots of coal/oil and more than a passing resemblance to our new favourite Islay malt- Caol Ila. Quite salty and coastal notes are noticeable at first but then a sweet fizzy sherbet note comes through, with more of that chocolate fudge. There's very little of the more medicinal notes you find with the younger expressions of Laphroaig.

Finish: More Carbolic notes lead into a long and pronounced salty finish.

Overall: A dram which doesn't wear its medicinal heart on its sleeve, but certainly has more than enough to make this a real contender in the older peated malts market. We have recently put this up against the Talisker 18 and our beloved Lagavulin 16 and it faired superbly well.

I wonder what the Prince will make of it? well, 'One thinks that it will show splendidly, what what....!'

Goodness Nose book winner!!

Well, we have a winner for our recent 'Goodness Nose' competition, which closed at the end of April. The lucky recipient is Scott Donkers from the Netherlands! Well done Scott and hope you enjoy what is a most entertaining read.

Keep your eyes peeled for more competitions which we have planned for later this month - and also stay tuned for our 'live-from-Islay-daily-diary' during the Feis Ile. Try saying that after an afternoon's tasting at Lagavulin!!

Nearly a ton of whisky and several frantically flung flying fish.

Now, there's an abstract title for a whisky post.  But as mad as it may seem, all in a days work for caskstrength. Friday saw us sampling a mammoth 98 whiskies in the space of a few hours, which if swallowed, would surely require some kind of superhuman liver... or no liver at all.  (sadly, we only fully consumed a few, but they were all crackers, as you will see below.  

Only a few hours later and your humble writer was fending off well targeted fish, flung from the hand of a small boy.  No, it wasn't feeding time at my young nephew's, but a very bizarre scene in a film I've been luckily enough to get my mug in, involving a staged food fight.  As they whistled past my head, I imagined going to the doctors with a fish-related black eye... 

Anyway, Back to those whiskies.  The name Port Askaig will excite many of you - its precise location lies to the north east of Islay where, a certain distillery, surrounded in spectacular scenery, lies in wait.  It is now the name of a new range of single malts, exclusively bottled by Speciality Drinks, the contents of which come from the mightly Caol Ila distillery- and we were itching to get stuck in!! here's our findings. We'll be reviewing the 'cask strength' edition in a later post...

Port Askaig - single malt- aged 17 years - 45.8% - 70cl

Nose: Lovely fresh and floral notes are the first thing your nostrils will notice- perhaps even some lilies and a hint of grapefruit?  Further in, and some lovely waxy comb honey rears up, mixed with some of the sweetest, softest peat i've come across in a while.  This has an aroma which belies its age masterfully.  

Palate:  The classic coal/oil mix of Caol Ila breaks through and then you're into creamy fudge, fizzy sherbet, followed by a sharp, salty, coastal note.  It shares some similarity with Ardbeg's Airgh Nam Beist, albeit with less of those sweeter, richer notes and silky mouth feel, but a satisfying licorice note and more fresh lemon really gives this a really classy edge.  

Finish:  Some excellent length with the oily notes slowly fading away over time.

Overall: A superb example of one of my new favourite Islay malts.  

we also got to sample the 17 yo's older brother, which at 25 years old is certainly the oldest Caol Ila ! have tried!

Port Askaig - single malt- aged 25 years - 45.8% - 70cl

Nose: Rich and textured with lots of summer fruits, seasoned oak, red wine and again, that soft older peat.  Very expressive for an older beast...

Palate: Some firey licorice, woody spices, a faint hint of cereal and another squirt of that soft, flavoursome peat.  It still retains that coal/oil feel of the 17, but it is much less pronounced. A little sweetness decends on the palate, in the shape of swizzle sticks (remember them, you older folks??!) dipped in honey.  

Finish: The sweetness dies away and leads into the drier, woody notes that your would expect from an older whisky, the coal like notes returning long into the finish. 

Overall: Another highly regarded dram which certainly raises the bar for all other Independent bottling's of Caol Ila.  The 17 yo just pips it to the post for me, in terms of overall excitement but, make no mistake, these are some serious whiskies that any Caol Ila fan should take a look at.