Flight Of Fancy - Brora 40 Year Old Single Malt Whisky Travel Retail Exclusive

As I sit down to type this, may I refer you to our last post on Caskstrength. Whisky is truly an extraordinary thing. After all, it has for the past seven years filled pretty much my every waking hour in some capacity. It has helped form wonderful and lengthy friendships and it has also fuelled many a lengthy debate- in person and online.  But the bottom line is that there is clearly no other spirit in the world like it for bringing people together in anticipation of what delight they are about to try.  

The first time this happened for me was over 16 years ago now, with a group of several close friends.  We selected three single malts that we felt would be the pinnacle of excellence: the gateway into genuine appreciation for a drink, which I had never experienced before (being a reckless teenager and all that- then at university trying to emulate the life and times of Withnail.)  

In most cases, single malt opens one's eyes to a genuine respect for a spirit. It has that air of intrigue and the hand of genuine craftsmanship firmly upon it -  regardless of whether it carries an age or not. The night we selected three different single malts (a Cragganmore 12 year old, a Laphroaig 10 year old and a Glenmorangie 10 year old) I realised that something had changed. Over the course of three or four hours, I developed an understanding of how to really enjoy drinking without actually getting drunk. Each of these exceptional whiskies had a completely unique personality- for my other co-drinkers, the Laphroaig's bold, abrasive fiery temperament being the anthesis to the Glenmorangie's smooth and understated delicacy. Personally, I loved then all and to this day, those same three whiskies (different bottles of course) still grace my drinks cabinet as well as the one here in our office.  

Today, that drinks cabinet has one additional bottle; one much smaller in size, but equally profound.  

It contains a sample of 40 year old Brora, drawn from a single cask filled in 1972. For those of you who don't follow this blog regularly, Brora has become one of the trio of near mythical whisky distilleries (along with Port Ellen and Rosebank) closed down and long forgotten, until perhaps the last decade or so. Releases from these three are scarce, with Diageo owning the remaining (fast diminishing stocks). This Brora sample comes from a bottling done especially for Global Travel Retail in the Middle East and only 160 bottles will be available, each coming in a decanter and carrying the price tag of a shade under £7,000. So extremely rare and extremely expensive.  

Today, I am reminded of that very same sense of intrigue that first drew me into whisky and undoubtedly what led me to find a career in writing about it. Samples arrive at our office on a daily basis and every now and again, they genuinely stop you in their tracks: from the fantastic Overeem whiskies of Tasmania that arrived out of the blue (and totally blew us away) to an as-yet unreviewed and very, very old whisky, which we shall unveil later this week.  This sample of Brora is one of those moments. In fact, as I open the sample, I genuinely don't know what to expect...

Brora - 40 Year Old - Single Cask 1972 Vintage -  160 Bottles  - 59.1%

Nose: Where to begin.  'Lively' is a word that usually applies to whiskies only a fraction of the age of this elder statesman. But this has a real fire from the get go. Hugely peated (easily the most peated Brora I've come across) this could pass as a Caol Ila or perhaps even a younger Lagavulin. But underneath the peat lies some soft malt, linseed oil, Brazil nut shells, sweet vanilla and a cloud of white pepper - alongside a familiar slightly wet hay note that Brora often has. Would you really peg this as a 40 year old whisky though, if nosing it blind? I doubt it. The extremely high ABV helps to keep your nose guessing and only a little water reveals its true character. With a dash, stewed summer fruit aromas come to the fore alongside a little liquorice, carbolic soap, fresh mint and leather.  

Palate: Initially very sweet with a powerful chewy wood smoke. Buttery notes follow with some ripe bananas, more tingling white pepper and the first signs of oakiness. The strength is still right up front and in all honesty, is slightly distracting- again you wouldn't peg this as a whisky in its 4th decade. The water brings things down perfectly with dried ginger notes, rich shortcake and summer fruits, dark brown sugar and a beautifully aged peat note. That's more like it.  

Finish: A wash of wood smoke stays on the palate, alongside a tingling pepper, some traces of oak and a little creaminess, dusted with icing sugar and coated in dark honey. To say this is lengthy would be an understatement, thanks in part to the peatiness, but the mouthfeel (with water) is truly excellent.  

Overall: A huge surprise. This really won't be for everyone's tastes. Rather like that first encounter my friends and I had with Laphroaig, the smoke in this Brora is extremely dominant and not for the faint hearted. But dig past this and you'll be dazzled by what lies underneath. There are layers of complexity here which only an old whisky can deliver, but still signs of youth too, given the spritely ABV. It is, in essence, a very challenging whisky - and like that very first proper encounter I had with single malt, almost impossible to put down as a result.  

Turn the lights off and lock up will you, Joel... I may be here for some time yet...

   

Armed And Forewarned. The Rise Of Armagnac, Dear Drinkers.

A little while ago, I wrote an article on the science behind the cocktail; How some bartenders were taking drinks to a spectacular new level, even breaking them down to a molecular state of flavour.   What this supposedly represents is a sea change in how we will view our beloved tipples in the future.  Our drinking culture has begun to operate at two very distinct tiers: one where mass consumption and low quality homogenised goods exist to provide cheap thrills. The antithesis being bespoke, well crafted and in some cases, over engineered drinks, designed to slake the thirst of a more knowing and well educated palate.  In short, it’s the ‘Con Vivant’ to the ‘Bon Vivant’.  

Looking at many historical views on future culture (take Anthony Burgess’ ‘A Clockwork Orange’ for instance) and we see a grim outlook of what might occur if our drinking habits deteriorate too far into the land of Sci-Fi and are taken purely for kicks, rather than pleasure. Chemically enhanced milk is not only consumed by Alex and his gang of Droogs, but the ‘Sophistos’ dressed in dinner jackets too, suggesting that every layer of society had succumbed to such a dumbing down of standards.   

But every once in a while, something comes along which reassures me that all will be well with our future drinking habits - so long as we maintain our respect for the artisan, the traditionalist and the mantra of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

One spirit, which exemplifies such traditions is the brandy produced in the small region of Armagnac to the South West of France. As a spirit, it is so often over shadowed by its more well-known sibling, Cognac. But any similarities are (grape) skin deep and making a comparison between the two would be like comparing Irish whiskey to Scotch. Indeed, Armagnac is actually the oldest brandy to be produced in France and although both spirits are derived from similar grape varieties (with Armagnac principally favouring a strain unique to the region called Baco) the production processes are markedly different. It is here where Armagnac comes into its own as a brandy of exceptional complexity, quality and balance.

Tracing its roots back to the 14^th century, it is fabled that Armagnac had medicinal properties and a document written in 1310 (now a highly prized literary treasure in the Vatican) by Prior Vital Du Four claimed it had forty virtues, including rendering ‘men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits.’

The Armagnac region is divided into three sub regions:  Bas-Armagnac being the most highly regarded, covering over half the spirit’s production, alongside Armagnac-Tenareze, famed for its more chalky soil and Haut-Armagnac, which represents only a small amount of production in the region.  Alongside the aforementioned Baco grape (which was introduced in 1898) Armagnac production relies heavily on the Ugni Blanc variety, alongside Folle Blanche and Colombard to give the briefly fermented wines distinctly different characteristics before they are distilled.  Armagnac Producers favour Baco for its robust qualities and for the fact that it tends to age extremely well, with the Folle Blanche nicknamed the ‘ballet dancer of grapes’ for its temperamental traits during the growth period and the floral character it gives the finished Armagnac.  

The Armagnac Express rolls into town...

Traditionally the distillation of the wines happens in early November and by law must finish by no later than the end of March and it is this stage, which really characterises Armagnac as a fundamentally artisanal spirit.  The stills used are radically different from the alembic pot stills used in Cognac and their design is unique to the production of Armagnac. With a Serpentine condenser (resembling a coiled snake, used to turn alcohol vapour back into a liquid) their column still design is as ingenious as it is archaic looking and until recently, Armagnac producers would tow them on the back of tractors (or in some cases by horse and cart) directly to the vineyards to distil on site. By only needing to distil once, the distiller obtains a very flavoursome and complex spirit at around 52% ABV, Cognac needing to be distilled twice to reach the same alcohol strength. 

After a lengthy maturation in French oak primarily from the Monlezun forest the spirit develops its rich colour, with aromas of aged leather, dried fruit, spices and vanilla, which develop from deep within the casks.   Younger Armagnacs share similarities in flavour to Cognac, but older expressions mature amazingly well, developing similar character to aged Scotch whiskies. In fact, in certain cases, particularly vintages from the late 1940s and 50’s, the Armagnac takes on a distinct rancio-like quality (a highly prized musty/savoury note, often found in very complex single malt whiskies matured in sherry casks) which pairs extremely well with robust Cuban cigars and equally so with the region’s other gastronomic delights, notably foie gras and Agen prunes.

Bespoke bottling at its best

Perhaps one of the most striking things about Armagnac is that, compared to other oak aged spirits, it remains a mystery to many drinkers, partly due to the ubiquity of its big French rival, Cognac.  But when you consider that a bottle of vintage Armagnac from the late 1930’s (undoubtedly one of the finest spirits I have ever encountered) will cost you a fraction of the price of a comparable Cognac or single malt whisky, you begin to realise what a treasure trove there is to be discovered. One thing’s for sure, given the astronomical prices and increasingly high demand for the likes of premium single malt and Cognac globally, spirits enthusiasts could do far worse than occasionally considering turning their affections towards Armagnac, arguably one of the last great untapped, independent, artisanal drinking pleasures - before we’re all doomed to a diet of our favourite drinks in affordable pill form and a future controlled solely by multinational drinks companies. 

  

Here are a number of perhaps the finest examples of Armagnacs currently worth seeking out: Again, when you consider the relative (rapidly escalating) prices of super premium single malts, you'd be a fool not to given them a cursory look...

 

Armagnac Delord - Hors d’ Age - 15 Year Old - 40% - around £43

Pass through the sleepy market town of Lannepax in the Bas-Armagnac region and you’ll probably miss this tiny Armagnac house in the blink of an eye.  But surprisingly the company produces around 100,000 bottles a year. What’s remarkable is that the bottling process, labelling and finishing touches (wax sealing and gold embossing) are all done by hand by a team of two or three workers.  Artisanal production at its best.

Nose: Elderflower notes, tangerine, sweet country fudge, a hint of milk chocolate and a touch of cinnamon, cedar and dried fruit.

Palate: The spicy/fruity note extends to the palate, with apricots, maple syrup, candied orange and a touch of tinned peach. 

Finish: Vanilla, liquorice and a distinct spicy wood note.  

Overall: At this price, any curious-but-not-totally-sold spirits drinkers can afford to take a punt.  If you don't like it, send the rest to us and we'll swap it with you for something!

Darroze Armagnac - 40 Year Old - 43% - around £126

Darroze can rightfully be called one of the true pioneers of Armagnac, partly as the company has helped to make the spirit much more accessible outside of France. Under the tenure of the current custodian, Marc Darroze, a huge selection of vintages has been assembled, each one coming from grapes produced by specific farmers, alongside bottlings ranging from 10-60 years old.

Nose: Orange and lemon zest, cigar box notes, fresh cherries, almonds, marzipan and a wonderful sweet strawberry note.

Palate: Powerful and complex, with a strong rancio note, alongside dried fruit, liquorice spiciness and toasted orange peel.

Finish: Dark caramel notes and a dry oakiness give this some extreme length.

Overall:  40 year old liquid for under £130.  Think about that for a second, then ignore the price, open it and invite your regular spirits pals around.  They'll thank you for this introduction... 

Armagnac Castarède - 1939 Vintage - 40% - around £750 

Castarède is one of the oldest Chateaus still producing Armagnac and the company is still proudly family-owned, today by the formidable Florence Castarède.  Alongside some sensational younger spirits, notably the 10 year old VSOP and 20 year old Hors ‘d Age (‘Beyond Age’) Castarède pride themselves on producing some exceptionally old vintage bottlings.  

Nose: Blackberry leaf, effortless dried fruits, hints of butterscotch, some light charred notes and cherries in muscovado sugar.

Palate: An intoxicating explosion of passion fruit, blackberry, a little spicy liquorice and an oaky, tannic coffee backing.  Absolutely peerless.

Finish: Lingering notes of rich vanilla, dried fruit and woody spice.

Overall: An astonishing spirit, full of wisdom, complexity and personality, with stories to tell as long as you have time to sit there and enjoy them.  I was lucky enough to have a small measure of this and it will rank as one of the most enjoyable and enlightening drinking experiences I think i've ever encountered.  

A Royal Flush

Is it me, or has everyone jumped on the 'Jubilympics' bandwagon?

To be honest, with the Olympics, the Mayoral elections and the Queen's celebrations (god bless her)  living in London is a little like living in Disneyland.  It feels surreal to think that around the world, images of fairytale royal carriages, flotillas, Olympic torches and of course, Boris Johnson's ludicrous mop top are becoming potent symbols of the city in the 21st Century.  Practically every whisky company has released some sort of extortionate lovingly authentic, celebratory bottling - we reviewed the Johnnie Walker bottling, (which to be fair, was excellent) but frankly gave up counting the number of press releases from other companies showboating their liquid tributes to Her Majesty.

Anyway, not wanting to sound like i'm bandwagoneering or indeed, a miserable sod, but about eight months ago after failing to obtain any Olympic tickets whatsoever (who'd have thought that female weightlifting, tennis and basque pelota - (ok I made the last one up, but it did feature in the 1900 Olympics)) would prove to be so popular, I decided to put Caskstrength Towers up for rental for a two-week period and get the hell out of 'Dodge for the whole thing.  I now have a kindly family utilising the stunning location of the property, which is ideally located to access the Olympic site (being that it is South East London.)  Previously the family had booked into a 'family room' at a Travelodge on the outskirts of London and were being charged - get this - the best part of £2000 for the privilege of five days accommodation.  Feeling like a good Samaritan, I drastically undercut the budget hotel chain and everyone has ended up happy.

Or so I thought.  Realising that timing has never my strong point, Mrs Caskstrength duly reminded me after the deal was done that we will have a six-week old baby to look after - and now, no where to live for a while. Oops.  Timing Ridley, timing.

So while finding temporary digs for my family is clearly a priority, I can't help but thinking how pleased I am that we won't have to suffer sweltering conditions on London's creaking tube network, or endure the frustration of having to suddenly cough up £5 extra for a cup of coffee/tea/pint/apple/loaf of bread (insert every day item here) simply because we have Jacques Rogge's circus in town for a few weeks.

All this brings me to a whisky.  As said above, I don't much care for anything with Royal in its name at the moment (though Royal Leamington Spa is delightful) but I just received a sample of a rather unusual, but, I suppose, timely single malt release from Glenury Royal.  

For those who haven't come across the distillery before- it is a long since demolished site, which gained its royal approval from King William IV back in 1835.  Sadly, this patronage was never enough to stop the distillery suffering long periods of silence and in 1992, the axe finally fell on the distillery for good.

Diageo own the remaining stocks of whisky and it has matured into a barnstormer.   We first reviewed a fabulous 36 year old 1968 Glenury Royal back in 2009 and now, we have the pleasure of trying its 40 year old cousin, distilled in 1970 and filled into American oak refill casks.

Whilst Diageo's timing might be a little off with this royal release, next to the numerous others bearing the word royal,  it can't be any worse than mine...

Glenury Royal - 40 Year Old - 59.4% 

Nose: Initially, quite wine'y, with muted dry cask notes, some pasteurised apple juice, a little touch of woody spice and brown sugar.  With water, toffee apple notes, white chocolate and a hint of lemon sherbet round out a very pleasing balance of aromas.

Palate:  Wow, a terrific mouthfeel. Oily, fat and rich off the bat - and a little hot too.  Pepper and charcoal notes mix with fragrant fresh fruits, vanilla pods and tannic red wine. Big, bold and quite lively for its age. Water delivers a touch of Manuka honey, some honey charred ribs and green apple skins.  Very unusual flavours to find in one sip, but all the better for it.

Finish: Dry, with touches of spice, vanilla, a shake of pepper and the green apple skin.

Overall:  This sits perfectly alongside the 36 year old and perhaps has a little edge in the spice department.  It is certainly an elder statesman, but don't let that put you off.  It also comes in a damn sight cheaper than most of the other 'Royal' releases currently competing with each other -  the RRP is £525, which for a 40 year old whisky in this day and age, is not as butt-clenchingly terrifying as you'd have probably expected. 

Now, about that rental money....

More Christmas Madness

After our last post it seems that quite a few folks are getting in on the act in the run up to Christmas with liquids and potions galore. And yes, that kind of shamefully means us too.

Firstly we heard the quite bizarre story that super-budget supermarket chain, Aldi were releasing a 40 year old single malt. Once we'd stopped blinking in quiet amazement, assuming it must be a huge wind up, we started to wonder exactly who this might be aimed at, (surely not the man who buys 20 bags of Monster Munch for 99p) which distillery is behind it and more importantly, how much the thing would cost and whether it is any good. Hopefully these things will be revealed over the next few days, but it is certainly a very intriguing release. Imagine the shock on the wife's face when you return with a 50 pack of fish fingers, two dozen toilet rolls, a cheap cordless drill and a bottle of 40yo single malt!!

Secondly, we've been up to mischief with our chums at Master Of Malt again.

This time, it involves an idea that steadily grew one afternoon after a few pints and quickly descended into something chaotic and quite frankly absurd, but with bags of good clean Christmas fun thrown in for good measure. Today, we can proudly say that the very first batch of newly formulated Christmas Bitters go on sale and they certainly do what they say on the label.

As we finished our final round of ales and rather unwisely asked the pub landlord to whip up some Manhattans a thought crossed our slightly befuddled minds. What if you could capture all the great flavours and aromas of Christmas in one bottle, which you could then make some superlative festive cocktails with....

And lo, after much experimentation, we settled on a recipe that features roasted chestnuts, cocoa, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, mixed nuts, some all important dates, pine extract, nutmeg, cranberries and smoky Lapsang Souchong tea. We drew the line at roast turkey, wrapping paper and the almighty Christmas family row, but think we got all the major players in there.

And then.... a sign!!

A bearded man in the pub knocked his pint over and uttered the immortal words 'Sweet Jesus Christ!'

Suddenly, in a flash we knew we had yet to add the most important ingredients of all: 23 Carat Gold dust, Frankincense and Myrrh. We even managed to find something called Star Of Bethlehem extract, so threw that in too.

Then the fun really started. Once the mixture was secured in the MOM marrying cask, we thought, why not gently agitate the sleeping liquid by continuously piping the sounds of Phil Spector's Christmas Album through the ends of the cask, with mini speakers?

So apologies to all at the Master Of Malt offices, for having to endure what can only be described as festive sonic torture. At one point, apparently a member of the MOM staff, driven stark raving mad by 'Frosty The Snowman' tried to attack the cask with an axe in a frenzied assault, akin to a crazed Mandrill.

But the good news is that the bitters remained in fine form and you can now see if we've we've gone totally bananas, or whether the idea has actually worked!

Master Of Malt & Caskstrength Present: Christmas Bitters - 58.83% - 100ml

Nose: As Christmas'y as the smell of one of Noel Edmonds' festive jumpers or Cliff Richard's Mistletoe and Wine. Rich spice, a hint of smoke, some aromatic notes and lots of dried fruit.

This man LOVES Christmas

Palate: The spices come to the fore, alongside some sour citrus notes, more dried fruit and some lingering bitter liquorice notes.

We'd recommend pimping up a traditional whisk(e)y based cocktail or trying one of the following:

Festive Whisky Sour:

2 measures The Glenrothes 1985 or Glenfarclas 15yo, alternatively you could try Ballantine's Christmas Reserve blended whisky.

1 measure freshly squeezed lemon Juice

1/2 measure of dark orange marmalade syrup (home made)

1/2 fresh egg white

4 dashes of Christmas Bitters (this can be 'dripped through' the froth on the top of the drink, once it's served, so you can see the addition of the gold, in all its glory!!)

Baked Winter Apple:

50ml Clynelish 14 yo, infused with butter. (basically, heat the whisky gently in a pan, adding a small nob of butter) Chill and then filter off the extra fatty bits with a mini sieve when making the cocktail.

30ml pressed apple juice (cloudy style)

25ml quality English cider

15ml maple syrup (for an extra-sweet treat, try making a rich Muscovado sugar
syrup to use instead!)

15ml fresh lemon Juice

4 dashes of Christmas Bitters.

2 Bar spoons of egg white (to give you a lovely froth)

Shake with ice, until extra frothy.

The specially formulated Christmas Bitters cost £12.95 - for more information - visit:

Master Of Malt

A Venerable 'Venie

This Wednesday, the burst of pre-Christmas whisky releases got a whole lot more interesting, with the launch of The Balvenie Forty, held at London's V+A Museum in Kensington.

The venue had been chosen rather poignantly, in that its current star attraction, 'The Power Of Making' is an eclectic collection of exhibits from incredibly talented craftsmen and women around the world. The Balvenie have of late highlighted the link between classic crafts and the craftsmanship of their own whisky, by developing the Masters Of Craft Awards; celebrating craftspeople as diverse as violin makers, glassblowers and shoemakers. And with the addition of the British Craft Council's 40th Anniversary, the night was one big mashup of serious hand-crafted talent.

The Balvenie's Dr Andrew Forrester led the assembled guests through a nosing and tasting of the brand new whisky, which is put together using the process of what he described as 'micro-vatting'. The Balvenie Forty brings together a proportion of 6 different casks; 3 sherry butts and 3 refill hogsheads, which is, (like the Tun 1401) married for a short time in one of the distillery's vats. The whisky is presented in a hand-crafted wooden box, built by Scottish craftsman Sam Chinnery. Each bottle is also engraved by Sam's father.

As we like to bang on about, it is of course the liquid inside that counts, but the whole package does look pretty exquisite.

So with a dram in hand, we venture into the craftsmanship of Malt Master David Stewart...

The Balvenie - Forty - Batch 2 - 48.5% - 150 bottles

Nose: Immediate notes of victoria sponge cake, followed by dried cherries, coconut and floral wax. It is quite light and open for a 40yo whisky, with toffee apple notes developing as the dram develops.

Palate: Big hit of vanilla fudge, malted milk biscuits, some more perfumed notes (nectarine and peach) soft fruit crumble and prominent bourbon notes. Given time, a distinctly dark rich honey flavour develops, alongside tart fresh lemon juice and cherry sherbet.

Finish: Surprisingly dry, with some lingering spiced fruit notes and more cherry.

Overall: Unmistakably The Balvenie, this dram adds to the vast range of cracking whiskies expertly bought to life by David Stewart and his team. Whilst at a push, we would say the recent Tun 1401 release tips the scales in terms of excellence, this isn't far behind. At £2,500, it isn't a cheap whisky, but then again, when did you last see a cheap Stradivarius, Purdey shotgun or pair of John Lobb shoes?

Unfettered At Last

So far, it's been a busy week for new whisky launches. (and, it seems, for twitter rumours... yawn) Bowmore's 40 yo, Dalmore's 45 yo Aurora (see tomorrow's post) were officially launched and on Wednesday, a distillery, which has yet to feature on Caskstrength decided to open its doors to a few guests. Fettercairn, named after the gaelic for 'wooded copse' was shrouded in darkness and a hint of rain, as we pulled up on Wednesday evening. But that didn't dampen our anticipation- tonight we were promised an insight into the re-birth of an oft-maligned brand... and a hearty dinner in some unusual distillery locations.

Our starting point was Fettercairn's 24yo, which was heartily thrust into our hands as Distillery Manager David Doig regaled the assembled guests with some history about the distillery. We were surprised to find out that William Gladstone, erstwhile Prime Minister of the UK once owned it and, being the good soul that he was, abolished the tax which used to be levied on the angel's share....
Truth be told, the 24yo really didn't sit that well on our palate- quite hot & rubbery, with a oaky/bitter note, which left us feeling slightly ill-at-ease about what was to come, but we needn't have worried- the whisky we were about to try was brand new in its inception, the handiwork of Richard Patterson, AKA The Nose...



Fettercairn's Fior (meaning 'Pure') is the distillery's re-birth bottling. Limited to 1,500 cases, it is essentially a NAS vatting of 3 styles of Fettercairn; A large proportion (60%) comes from 15yo casks, 25% from 14yo casks (both sherry and first fill bourbon hoggies) and 15% - and rather importantly, the most interesting note comes from a 5yo heavily peated whisky.
Fior was to provide the pairing to our starter course, (distillery 'Come Dine With Me' perhaps??) smoked salmon served in one of the warehouses (possibly the where the cask filling takes place)

Fettercairn - Fior - 42% - Limited Edition - 1,500 cases

Nose: Treacle toffee, dark orange peel, smoked ham and some very fresh fruity bourbon/vanilla notes. Then more peat smoke, gentle but enveloping. A really delightful balance.

Palate: Tropical fruits, sweet cereals, cherry sherbet and Hubba Bubba bubble gum (the original, fruity pink version)

Finish: More sweetness, leading into a nice orange citrus note.

Overall: Robust, but wonderfully light in places, backed up with the peated notes. Fettercairn has most defintely come alive with this brand new bottling. With any luck it'll be introduced as a regular bottling.

Next up and we were whisked away from the filling warehouse to our next culinary destination. David explained that we might want to remove our coats at this point... as we mounted the stairs to the stillroom!!

Yes, that's right- a fully set dining table had been laid out within the stillroom, which was in operation as we took our seats. Extraordinary stuff!



Anyone who has visited Fettercairn will notice something unique about their stills. Around the neck of each, lies an irrigation ring, which gives a continuous cascade of water (heated to 93 Centigrade) running down the outside of the neck, aiding reflux. In essence, it's like a little waterfall for the still and Fettercairn are the only distillery in Scotland to use such a technique- dating back since their inception.

A pile of wholesome meat pie was our next course, washed down with the next dram- Fettercairn 30 yo. Sleeves rolled up and with a slightly fevered brow, we got stuck in...

Fettercairn - 30 yo - 43.3 %- 70cl

Nose: Immediate tropical fruit notes, giving an almost irish whiskey aroma. Licorice, some slightly waxy oiliness, fruit pie and cream, fudge and then a little Demerara sugar. Absolutely cracking.

Palate: More fruit (Passion fruit) tropical sherbet, classic lemon sour sweets, menthol and that licorice from the nose all unite for a very complex palate indeed. With a little water, a mandarin orange note emerges.

Finish: The tropical fruit lingers, with a slightly soapy back flavour (reminiscent of older Bowmores)

Overall: This really is a very impressive dram - incredibly fruity and lingering. Highly recommended.



Once again, we were whisked off to another location (but not before we'd managed to finish our generous dram of the 30yo!) to enjoy dessert and the final drams of the night. The dunnage warehouse was considerably cooler than the stunning backdrop of the stillroom, but nonetheless thrilling.



The room was thick with the classic aromas of maturing whisky- musty oak, dry sherry and a fruity topnote of bourbon, all of which combined beautifully with our pud (a slab of chocolate mousse) and the Pièce de résistance - Fettercairn 40yo. Aged in Apostoles palo cortado sherry casks, 463 bottles have been produced of this malt from 1969, highlighting the huge ambitions that Fettercairn clearly have.

Fettercairn 4o yo - 40% - 463 bottles - 70cl

Nose: Highly polished mahogany surfaces, Playdoh, some very malty cereal, honeycomb, leading into tannic oak, and some freshly laundered linen. Mightily complex- perhaps not as exciting as the 30yo but still very beguiling indeed.

Palate: Similar tropical fruits (clearly something of a distillery character) big oak influence (dry, but not bitter) hints of bourbon vanilla/citrus, sweet milk chocolate and caramel.

Finish: Although this is bottled at 40% a few drops of water really did broaden the palate out, with the fruit firmly taking the lead.

Overall: Perhaps not as impressive as the 30yo, (which really oozed absolute class) this bottling is an indication that the distillery has produced some fabulous casks in the past. Long may that continue.

With a postprandial drop of Fior to help us on our merry way, We can report that Fettercairn is most definitely a distillery in the frame for further greatness. We can only hope that Whyte & Mackay's investment will continue to be healthy. Many thanks to David and his team for a most entertaining and highly insightful evening!!

The 40 Year Old 'Farclas...

No, this isn't another one of those appalling American 'Rom-Coms', starring Ben Stiller or Steve Carrell, but something we've been excited about for a little while now. A couple of weeks ago, we met up in London with Mr Glenfarclas himself, George Grant for a few drams and a little sneaky peek at this new release.

The distillery, which has been going from strength to strength in the past several years has had a superb range of bottlings, from the powerful and robust 105, to the genius idea of the Family Cask Series, which gives the consumer the best possible suggestion for a landmark birthday present, if ever there was one.



This 40 yo expression is the newest addition to the range, drawn from the plentiful stocks of casks that were filled in the 1960's.

One difference that you will notice about this bottling to similar ages from other distilleries is the simplicity in which it is packaged- slim steel tube and standard bottle- no Lalique crystal, no Swarovski gems, no trimmings from the Beard of Zeus etc.

Of course there is a collectors market out there (Glenfarclas also released a premium and very expensive 50 yo a while back) and these 'trinkets and trappings' supposedly make a big difference, but surely the liquid inside is really all that truly matters?

Well hats off to George and Co. Not only is this whisky simple in its approach, but it really does come at an unbelievable price for something so aged- the RRP is £350. That will predictably ruffle a few feathers with other distilleries...



Imagine if whisky had its own price comparison website like Compare The Meerkat/Market or that most irritating of adverts on UK TV 'GO COMPARRREE!' This whisky would absolutely clean up. One thing that we discussed with George is that whisky is for opening and drinking, not coveting and dusting off now and again to show your mates at the golfclub. What Glenfarclas have done is make a great, aged liquid available to an audience who could only previously read about it in magazines, or take pictures of it at whisky shows.

Glenfarclas - 40 Year Old- 46%

Nose: An initial sweetness, with no real hints of dryness, some dark chocloate, spices (nutmeg) leather and walnuts. There is a wonderful balance about this- it has all the hallmarks of an old whisky, but still has some 'get up and go' about it... top draw stuff.

Palate: Slightly dry initially, with some dark brittle caramel taking the lead, but this is quickly followed by a cracking citrus note, like a juicy blood orange, into more dark chocolate, dried figs and then some sweeter chopped hazelnuts. Again, such balance for an old whisky. With water, the tannic dryness gives way into more of the citrus/orange flavour and you're into a highly drinkable and moreish whisky indeed.

Finish: The drying palate is left with lots of the richer, darker flavours, including the slightly bitter chocolate and dried fruits, which linger for a very long time indeed.

Overall: Why, oh why would anyone buy this and just stick it on the shelf?? This is pull-the -cork-out-with-your-teeth stuff to share out hearty measures for your friends, loved ones and anyone looking to sample a little piece of aged whisky making at its best.

Perhaps the business is fast becoming a 2-tiered system... There are those who can afford to be showy and buy things, simply because they are expensive, not because they are any good... and those who just like great, reasonably priced whisky. This bottling just bucked the trend considerably.