As Good As Gold?

As many eagle eyed regulars on here will remember, we're pretty big fans of Johnnie Walker's Gold Label blend. It ticks almost every box- finesse, price, versatility and all-round, solid blending. However, we've had mixed feelings about its more expensive brother, the Blue Label. In some areas, it often felt like it was missing something, that extra sparkle that one would expect for a whisky in its price bracket. I first encountered Blue Label at a restaurant in Cape Town- for the surprisingly generous sum of £7 for a dram. Needless to say, I enjoyed it, but still my mind returned to the half drunk bottle of Gold, sitting in my cabinet at home.

So it is with great intrigue that I recently had the opportunity to try the Blue Label again, but this time in the company of its 2 older and much more prestigious brothers- the King George V and newly released, 'The John Walker' bottling.

The John Walker now occupies the role as flagship of the Blue Label range and has been aimed at the increasing number of High End Cognac drinkers across the globe. Made in batches of 330 bottles from 9 casks (3 of which we're told include Cardhu, the discontinued Glen Albyn and Talisker) this is certainly going to have a story to tell. The blend is married for around 4 months in oak before being encased in individually numbered Baccarat crystal decanters and housed in hand crafted Chinese pine cases, which apparently take around 60 hours to turn out. And it shows. The case does look superb.

So where does this leave the whisky? Could this turn into the story of the man, who spent so much on the exterior of his house that he couldn't afford to furnish the inside? I sincerely hope not. Mind you, if I was small enough I think I would be quite happy taking up residence in one of these...

Johnnie Walker Blue Label - The John Walker - Blended Whisky - 43%

Nose: Reserved, but stirring. give this time and it really begins to open up. Vanilla notes, leading into aromas of malty, freshly baked loaves, lemon zest, seville oranges and heather honey. Scented wax notes also develop. Brilliantly balanced.

Palate: Quite a big surprise here. Whereas, we have found the Blue Label to lack some depth, this is a surprisingly bold palate, with a distinct note of briney peat, leading into milky, sweetened coffee, turkish delight more honey and mint chocolate notes. All this is wrapped up in a viscous, oily mouth feel.

Finish: An oaky dryness develops, with the coffee notes lingering and a return of the vanilla from the nose.

Overall: The nose and palate are sensational and certainly demonstrate just how blended whisky can beguile and give us hours of enjoyment. The finish perhaps doesn't deliver quite as many superlatives, but this is still no doubt, a class act. In comparison to the original Blue Label this shows a far greater elegance, which one would expect with the kind of whiskies used in its creation. It also highlights a different style of blending to the King George V bottling, which is much heavier on the dried fruit notes.

The best experience i've had with Blue Label? Certainly. But discount the other blends in the JW portfolio at your peril.

The Power and Efficacy of Indulgences

What is Northern Ireland's most famous export?

Is it the uber-talented but "haunted by demons" footballer-par-excellence George Best, whose name now graces Belfast’s City Airport?

Or perhaps it is the DeLorean? The car made famous in the Back-To-The-Future trilogy, now derided for its utter uselessness and total inability to do anything, let alone take us back in time, or indeed to deliver us back, to the future.

Or maybe its good old, simple terrorism. Can't find a bin to put your chewing gum in on the tube? These were removed in the 1980’s due to the ease with which bombs could be hidden in them. Ah, the days when terrorists would phone ahead. Now-a-days the 'phone is used to set off the bomb, not to warn against it. How times have changed.

It could well be Bushmills whiskey. Known worldwide, it even made its way in to the popular American TV drama The Wire, where McNulty accuses Bushmills of being "Protestant whiskey". Classically ill-educated, this comment seemed to capture a time when the American culture, under the misguidance of George W Bush, not only used religion to degrade, but insisted on giving inanimate objects religious affectation. It's just whiskey, people. Try enjoying it for its taste and flavour, not for where it is made. Go, figure...

But if Bushmills is to be Protestant, then Master Distiller Colum Egan is their Martin Luther, drawing a new path for his whiskey in a market where ever-increasingly expensive bottles equates to column inches for whichever distillery is next in the line with their "indulgence"... £100,000 Dalmore Trinitas for absolution, anyone? I'll take two. One for now, one for my future sins.

Back in September, I had the pleasure of jumping on the 159 bus to an event hosted by Bowmore, where Islay was "recreated" in the National Geographic Store on Regent Street, taking all the stress (and most of the fun) out of travelling to Islay.

Well, someone is at it again. This time it was the turn of Bushmills, probably the most famous export from Northern Ireland, to try and bring a little piece of their country to The Big Smoke. And what better venue, than an Irish bar in Soho.

This is a far cry from mid-August, when I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Bushmills for a couple of days work. I was there as one of three judges, under the guise of running a whisky blog and as a contributor to Whisky Magazine, on their Make It At Bushmills project: a master-stroke in PR which invited people from around the world to win a vote to represent their nation on a three-day final at Bushmills. The ultimate prize was £5000 spending money, a months work experience at the distillery and, best of all, the chance to make and bottle their own blend under the guidance of the Master Blender Helen Mulholland.

The three days were amazing; a brief Indian summer before the winds and rain that we have today. Sitting on the first day at the Giants Causeway, gazing out towards the Isle of Islay, in bright sunshine with my fellow judges, Irish Singer Songwriter Foy Vance and Rugby legend Keith Wood, surrounded by people passionate about whiskey of all kinds, was a total pleasure.

The winner, Ivan, was from Bulgaria and after his month of training, I wouldn't be surprised to see a triple distilled whisky falling on my doormat from Bulgaria in 3 or 4 years time!

Yet here we are back in rainy London. And this time the people of Bushmills came to visit us!

Helen was our host in London last week, showcasing her new bottling of the Bushmills 21 Year Old. Released in batches of just 6000 bottles each year and retailing at around £120, the triple distilled whiskey is matured for 19 Years in a mix of sherry and bourbon casks, then spending 2 years maturing in ex-Madeira casks. This is the top of the regular Bushmills range in both age and price.

Bushmills – 21 Year Old – 2010 release – 40% - Bottle number 0001

Nose: A fresher nose than expected from a 21 Year Old, with hints of oak and apricot jam, the nose develops with time to raisins soaked in sherry, a touch of fresh mint, some green tea and fresh green herbs. All round refreshing for an older whisky.

Palate: Initial hit of dark chocolate but a low coco content version with develops in to strong toffee notes and eventually ends up as Dandelion & Burdock with an over tone of Wurthers Originals. Sweet but rounded off with good wood spices which are subtle and delicate.

Finish: Coffee notes which come through with quite a bitter edge. Roasted hazelnuts and pickled walnuts with oatcakes and plum chutney. Some cloves and spices.

Overall: This is a solid Irish whisky which is not as sweet as other Madeira finished whisk(e)y that I have had in the past. The nose is wonderful and the palate is well constructed, but for me the finish is lacking the poise and character of the other two sections. It would also have been nice to see this whisky at 43% or even 45% ABV. I’ll stick my neck out and say that the 16 Year Old is their best and most consistent whiskey, but the 21 is not far behind.

All in, I can not fault the Bushmills experience. Part of their raison d'etre is to go from grain to glass at the distillery, with malting, distillation and bottling side-by-side. Having visited and seen some of the guys again in London last week, they not only manage to get the grain into the glass, but the spirit of the distillery too.

Protestant? This stuff is positively Evangelical.

I Could Be So Good To You

Just a quick reminder that entries for the limited space tasting of some interesting whiskies from The Glenlivet, on November 30th at Boisdale of Belgravia at 6pm, is still open until midnight tonight (12 November 2010).

There are only 15 spaces available so if you'd like to come along, drop us an email to info@caskstrength.net with the following phrase:

"“Me, please. I’d like to come along and drink some Glenlivet with you.”

along with your age (you must be over 18) and we'll stick your name in the hat. Winners will be notified on Saturday 13th November 2010.

Further details here.

What's In A Name?

What’s the most difficult thing about being in a band?

Is it learning to play your instrument?

Nope.

Is it writing some hit songs?

Nope.

Maybe it is your image. Working a natural style that no one has had before. Iconic yet easy. Surely, that must be it?

Nope.

The hardest thing about being in a band is, of course, finding a band name.

You can pour for hours over a copy of The Racing Post, mixing horses’ names with greyhounds. Today alone you could form a band called “Somewhere In Atlanta” or “Big Man Little Man”. Both names, I’m sure you will agree, of bands destined to stay playing in their local pub for the rest of eternity.

Another option is to use a website such as Random Band Name Generator. A genius idea for the ultra-lazy creative, the site gives you an option for a key word and away you go.

Our first effort yielded the following results:

Serious Of The Colony / Dart Verbal / Earl Of The Effect / Lovely Fetus / Ruthless Storm / Chafing Transport And The Wood / Pivotal Candle / Introduction Of The Lipstick / Bending Uranium And The Misspent Spoon / Dumpy Of The Fetal

Honestly. This is all true.

Now, transpose this problem to producing and marketing your own blend.

What is the hardest thing about putting together a blend?

Is the hardest thing getting hold of interesting, quality casks of good single malts?

Nope.

Is it working out, drop by drop, which of the subtle flavours to mix together to produce the ideal blend?

Nope.

Clearly, the hardest thing to do is to choose a great name for your blend. A task made even harder if you're not Scottish (no traditional Celtic imagery to call upon) or if your Great-Great-Great-Great Granddaddy didn’t own a grocers in Kilmarnock...

Well, step up to the plate Compass Box and take a bow for your wonderfully named blends:

Flaming Heart / The Peat Monster / Hedonism / Asyla / Lady Luck / Double Single.

All wonderful names, with fantastic bottles and lovely artwork (esp Lady Luck)

But we’re not here to talk about the quality of the packaging. I’ll leave that to other blogs. Let’s take a look at their whisky to see if it is equally as wonderful:

Double Single – Compass Box 10^th Anniversary Bottling – 53.3% - 876 Bottles only

Seriously, though. Check out that bottle shot. Beautiful.

This whisky has been brought out to celebrate 10 Years of Compass Box; two single casks, one malt, one grain. The malt is 18 Year Old Glen Elgin (which makes up 76% of the bottling) from a refill American Oak Hogshead and the grain is 21 Year Old Port Dundas from a First Fill American Oak Hogshead. Openness and honesty about your blend? That’s surely the way forward. Keeping it all hidden just makes us feel Blue.

Nose: Sweet kiwi fruit, a hint of banana, some pineapple and a touch of butter scotch. Light and well balanced.

Palate: Lots of hazelnuts and butter, with a hint of vanilla and grapefruit juice at full strength. With water the gentle pineapple notes are pushed through with wood / oak notes coming much more to the fore.

Finish: Crème Brulee and grapefruit juice neat, with water the finish is more pronounced vanilla pods and oak spices with hint of ginger

Overall: A very delicate, very easy to drink blend that used the Port Dundas grain to provide a launch pad for the refill Hoggy Glen Elgin to show off it’s butterscotch and grapefruit identity.

Now on to the second whisky we have from Compass Box, also to celebrate their 10^th Anniversary.

Flaming Heart – Compass Box 10^th Anniversary Bottling – 48.9% - 4,186 bottles

Again, look at the label. If I drank a whole bottle of this on my own, I’d fall into a tattooist and get this label as a tat on my arm. It is simply stunning.

7 single malt whiskies from the Highlands and Islands, including something from near Brora, something from near Caol Ila and something from the Isle of Mull...!

Nose: This whisky gives a real kick of smoke but backed with a richness and wisdom to not kick you in the teeth completely; kinda like Marianne Faithful, this whisky has seen a lot but has ultimately come out the other end richer for the experience with a real story to tell. There is everything going on in this nose. Smoke, walnuts, some juicy fruit chewing gum, baked potato, rich Christmas cake. It’s really very complex without screaming at you.

Palate: Earthy and salty gives way to an amazing rich brandy butter palate which dances around your palate with exciting verve and vigour grabbing cinnamon and cloves as it moves. A wonderfully rich mouth feel. Sweet and rounded with good hit of peat. Lovely, yet totally different to anything I’ve had in a while.

Finish: Red apples, peat and, yup more peat. Once the fire dies down there is some salt and red grapes. Long and warming.

Overall: This is how a blend should be: full of lots of different personalities. Too many blends are like a Mondrian painting for me, just blocks of different colours. This is a Jackson Pollock. Vibrant and unusual, yet somehow beautiful and structured.

There we have it. Compass Box deliver once more. Two very different blends, but suited to very different occasions. For me the pick of the two is Flaming Heart, a bottling which such a small company delivers with amazing consistency. The Double Single is light and delicate and the perfect pre-dinner whisky, but for the full impact of flavours and to totally confuse your senses, grab yourself a bottle of the Flaming Heart 10^th Anniversary while you can!

As for me... I’m off to get a tattoo.

The Glenlivet Tasting Competition

Whisky in 3D? surely not??

So far, we've only seen one movie in the "new 3D" format at the cinema: Toy Story 3.

Proclaimed by Mark Kermode as "the greatest film trilogy of all time", it really did come to life and brought a whole new dimension to cinematic story-telling.

Never ones to be left behind by technology, here at Caskstrength.net, we're finally entering the 3D world!

Well sort of. Instead of just the regular 2D 'here's-our-thoughts-on-a-whisky' posts, we've decided to launch our first official 'in-the-flesh' Caskstrength tasting.... and we want you to come along....

On St Andrews Day, (Tuesday 30th November) we will be hosting a fabulous tasting in London with some of the good folk from The Glenlivet. The venue will be:

Boisdale Of Belgravia,

15 Eccleston Street,

Belgravia, SW1W 9LX

Along with The Glenlivet's Brand Ambassador Phil Huckle, We'll be going through some excellent examples from The 'livet catalogue for your delectation and delight... and something really very interesting and slightly mysterious too...

There are 15 places up for grabs here- If you’d like to join us, it couldn't be simpler.

Send us an email to info@caskstrength.net saying:

“Me, please. I’d like to come along and drink some Glenlivet with you.”

And it gets better. If you can't make it into London, Fear not. Our friends at Edinburgh Whisky Blog will be hosting a similar Glenlivet tasting up in their home town, on the same night!!

A few house rules first, however:

1.You must be over the age of 18 Years and state your Date Of Birth in the email. (pretty obvious this one)

2.You must be able to get to the venue for 6pm on 30th November. We will be starting promptly!

3. This is a free event and we'll be drawing 15 names from a hat next Friday 12th November, so get emailing now...!

Slainte,

Neil + Joel