Cargo-ago-go

Howdy! Apologies for our apparent absence for the last week, but clearly B.B.F or ('Breaking Bad Fever') has taken over the Caskstrength office and we simply couldn't do anything else in the meantime in the run up to the grand finale...  

In fact, now it's all over, a light seems to have gone out in our world... Fortunately soon to be filled by the announcement of our very exciting new whisky release in the A-Z Caskstrength & Carry On series.   

Think 'D'... 

Think 3D...

Then be afraid... Be very afraid. Stay tuned to www.3DWhisky.com for more updates and announcements and remember: 

7/11/13 is 3D Day... @3DWhisky

But back to business. September has proven to be a terrific month for whisky events and new releases and fortunately, we've been hanging around a few of them (Breaking Bad permitting)

First up was the wonderful Cutty Sark Cargo event on the 12th September, held in Shoreditch, an area hipper and a Hip Hop Hippo in expensive sneakers and a chunky gold chain.   

Cutty Cargo was the first of its kind and a breakthrough moment for this highly regarded blended whisky;  Build a giant cargo crate in a cool location, fill it with very cool stuff: soulful dance artist Jessie Ware, DJ Duke Dumont, performance theatre, a secret speakeasy room guarded by a spiv, cocktails from 69 Colebrooke Row, a burlesque show and sliders, courtesy of hip London restaurant Meat Liquor.  

Oh, all this and 200 happy people, lashings of Cutty Sark over ice and mixers, shots with craft beers and suddenly, you have a blended whisky that's playing in a very different space to most others.  

Cutty has never professed to follow the pack and resort to Scottish traditions, heather and weather and a lingering walk from a lone piper. It was innovative, groundbreaking and contemporary back in 1923 and in its current guise, is still by far the best at breaking down the barriers to blended Scotch whisky that exist in the minds of younger people, which are easily pole vaulted by the white spirits category... 

Cutty Cargo was a test event and we hope to see this coming to many other cities globally in future.  The future's bright. The future's yellow and ship-shaped. 

Last week saw another pivotal moment in the rise of single potstill Irish whiskey, with the release of Redbreast 21 year old, the oldest expression in the Redbreast family and certainly the whiskey that puts aged Irish whiskey firmly in the hearts and minds of those who have criminally overlooked the spirit. 

The 21 year old is the 9th edition to the Single Pot Still range that Irish Distillers have created (which includes, Green and Yellow Spots, Powers John's Lane and Barry Crockett Legacy) and we were lucky enough to be hosted by master blender for Irish Distillers Billy Leighton, who demonstrated the considerable delights of the new whiskey next to the 12 year old and classic 15 year old. The 21 year old is again a mixture of malted and unmated barley, matured in both American oak and first fill oloroso sherry casks.  

Redbreast - 21 year Old -  46% 

Nose: Stupendously fruity on the first nosing, with notes of fresh vanilla, mango, passion fruit, kiwi, ripe bananas and coconut. Dig a little deeper and you'll find some drier spices, some subtle oak tones and a richer, darker caramel.  

Palate: The fruit and vanilla dominate here, with the tropical notes from above leading a trio of orchard fruits (plums, green apples and wine stewed conference pear)  The mouthfeel is fat and buttery, with a superb golden syrup note coating the tongue, before the woody spice of clove and cinnamon get their wicked way with you.

Finish: Lingering and dry, with lighter fruit notes on the death.

Overall: We've featured Irish whiskey a lot over the last month, with the Midleton Housewarming event, a truly terrific Teeling Silver Series 21 year old (which has more fruit than Carmen Miranda's head dress) and this just adds to the tally of greatness coming from the emerald isle.  

The Riches Of Midleton - Barry Crockett - Irish Whiskey's Superstar

As anyone who has visited a distillery before will tell you whisk(e)y making, wherever it is produced, is not just about the liquid, the processes and the location but also the people behind it.  

Visit any of the picture postcard distilleries on Islay in Scotland and the above is very much on show:  from Iain McArthur at Lagavulin, the cheeky warehouseman, whose guiding influence on the selection of the whisky has been instrumental in making Lagavulin one of the best loved distilleries in Scotland.  Iain recently celebrated his 40th year working in whisky, many of them spent at Lagavulin, every year honing his knowledge and his ability to pick a winning cask.  The same story applies to the Bowmore distillery. Manager Eddie MacAffer began his tenure at the distillery back in July 1966 and is without doubt, the most learned person on the planet when it comes to the whisky produced by this hugely popular distillery.  

In Ireland the story remains the same and last week, we were lucky enough to be part of a very special double celebration at the Midleton distillery in Cork.  For those unfamiliar with the Midleton name, the distillery, which was re-developed on the old Midleton site back in 1975 produces, Jameson Irish whiskey- available in almost every bar in every town in every country around the globe.  Such is the popularity of the brand, alongside the recently revived excellence of Green Spot and Redbreast (the 12 year old sells around 30,000 cases a year), that Irish Distillers who own the vast complex of still rooms and warehouses (to give you some idea of the scale of the brand, we counted nearly 50 aircraft hanger sized facilities, full of maturing casks) have just completed an ambitious expansion plan, taking the capacity of the distillery to somewhere in the region of 60 million litres of whiskey a year.  

Yes, they're really this big...

The Midleton 'Housewarming' was a celebration of just why Irish whiskey is currently the fastest growing dark spirit category in the world and for two days, nearly 1000 writers, journalists, bartenders and whiskey enthusiasts desended on the small town, where the distillery had transformed itself into effectively an Irish whiskey theme park - not only to celebrate the huge expansion, but also to give a fond farewell to Barry Crockett, master distiller for Irish Distillers, who retired at the event, handing the reins over to Brian Nation. 

The Midleton distillery has received a substantial facelift and in addition to the impressive construction  of the Garden Still House (with quite easily the biggest pot stills we have ever seen, with an overall capacity of 80,000 litres, typically running at up to 40k)the distillery is now catering more for consumers, with the addition of a whiskey academy, complete with old school chairs and desks, blackboards and some seriously impressive working glass stills at the back of the room, that brilliantly highlight the potstill distillation process.  The academy is intended to be as detailed or as light on knowledge as needed, for instance catering for groups of bartenders, keen to know more about Irish whiskey and its DNA compared to other whiskies, or simply for visitors to the Midleton site to get a feel for what is to come when they visit the full sized stills on their tour. We like... A lot. 

Barry & his newly named Stillhouse

And as to the whiskeys themselves.  Well, here at Caskstrength we'd heard quite few rumours concerning a brace of new Redbreast releases (steady on, not those sort of rumours) so were keen to see if there was any new liquid on offer during our trip. Alas not, but we hear there is to be some substance to the rumours shortly -  watch this space. What we did get to try again was the range of single potstill whiskeys, which Midleton have been steadily building into a strong category of its own (see our previous feature here for more information) 

Seeing as it was Barry Crockett's final day at the site, a healthy dram of his legacy whiskey seemed the most fitting send off -  and without a doubt, the Crockett, totally rocked it... 

Barry Crocket Legacy -  46% - 70cl

Nose: A sensational balancing act of fresh orchard fruit, vanilla, some tropical notes (mango and passion fruit) whipped cream with a drizzle of honey and del seasoned, spicy oak.  As Irish whiskeys go, this has everything -  depth of character, a spicy backbone, delicate notes and a very fruity personality -  much like the real life Barry Crockett.  Triumphant just about sums this up.

Palate: The tropical fruits of the nose develop further on the palate, with the seasoned oak starting to develop a presence. The taste is full on and zesty initially, but with a little water the calmer vanillas develop alongside soft ripe plums, some peppery notes and a creamy oakiness.  

Finish: Lingering notes of the soft fruit, with a little touch of spicier, dried fruits and a delicious creaminess which fades with time. 

Overall: Whilst it's sad to see Barry Crockett retire, he has passed the tasting glass on to a more than capable distiller in the shape of Brian Nation.  Not only that, but he has left a truly great legacy behind in this wonderful whiskey.  Alongside Redbreast 15 year old, this is easily our favourite Irish whiskey and that is saying something.  Enjoy your spare time, Barry -  and make sure you leave with a few cases of this in your car...

You can learn more about the Midleton distillery by visiting: www.singlepotstill.com

Emerald Gold - The Whisky Exchange's Midleton Single Cask

With the weather turning a little colder this week, I've opted to stay in, reorganise a few things in our office drinks cabinet and nail down a few of the excellent samples that have recently turned up here.

And what better way than to shift any persistent chills than with a brace of new Port Askaigs from our friends at Speciality Drinks.

We first featured this bespoke Islay brand a few years back and the 17yo really got our clappers rattling. Classic blasts of salty, sooty peat smoke and a sweet creamy undertone seem to characterise where these bottlings are heading, despite the absence of any mention of the actual contents (we'd hazard a guess at Caol Ila, but could be wildly out)

But before these, (stay tuned for later this week) a special treat is in order. The chaps also included a sample of a very special Irish whiskey, exclusive to Speciality Drinks...and it's an absolute triumph.

The Midleton distillery is perhaps the largest distillery i've ever seen, providing whiskey for not only Jameson, but Red Breast, Green Spot, Powers and a plethora of other well known Irish whiskey brands - as well as a fine line in exclusive bottlings under the Midleton banner.  Speciality have secured a single cask, distilled in 1991 and are releasing it a 54.1%.  Are we excited by what we've just poured into the glass? Tobesuretobesuretobesure!!!

Speciality Drinks - Midleton  - Single Cask Irish Whiskey - Distilled November 1991 - Bottled October 2012 -  54.1% 

Nose: Quite simply, an absolute symphony of tropical aromas: Fresh mango, passion fruit, white peach, papaya, kiwi fruit and dried apricot lead first, then it's off into white chocolate, freshly picked mint leaves, swathes of vanilla, a hint of redcurrant and some woody, cedar/cigarbox notes.  About as perfect a nose as i've ever experienced in an Irish whiskey. 

Palate: The strength is there at first, but it doesn't get in the way of a continuation of the fresh fruit:  more ripe peaches, a touch of pineapple, creamy vanilla, stewed apple with a dusting of anise and cinnamon.  The flavours hit in waves; first very fresh, then juicy, then creamy. One criticism unfairly levelled at Irish whiskey is that it perhaps lacks a certain amount of complexity or richness when compared to a similarly aged single malt from Scotland. After a few sips of this all I can say is bollocks to that.  It's simply sensational. 

Finish: As the fruits die away, a distinct pepperiness develops, alongside the creamy notes and perhaps even a touch of dried ginger.  

Overall:  Contender for the best Irish whiskey i've ever tasted?  Without a doubt.  The slight downside here is that it costs a considerable sum - £235. But for a 20 year old whisk(e)y of this calibre, I can think of a number of similarly priced alternatives (Scotch, Japanese or American) that wouldn't even start to scrape the surface of how unique this is.  

If this is too rich for you, fret not.  Midleton's Barry Crockett Legacy will set you back £100 less than this and a bottle of RedBreast 15 year old delivers similar flavours in spades and will cost you £67. 

According to the bean counters and statisticians, Irish whiskey is the fastest growing dark spirit in the world right now.  Hard to argue with that when you have flavours as triumphant as these. 

The Twelve Drams Of Christmas - Part Seven

After Olly Smith's brace of liquid beauties, we bring you three cracking suggestions from arguably the most respected whisky writer on the planet and all-round raconteur, sartorial sage and friend of this website, Mr Dave Broom.

Dave has been busy working on a brand new whisky education concept - the World Masterclass. Consisting of a number of online lessons and DVDs, the comprehensive training programme aims to enrich users with a new level of knowledge about whisky production. Sounds like a cracking idea to us. You can get more info about the World Masterclass by visiting:

www.theworldmasterclass.com

Now, Dave has more pressing this to tell you about - namely his choice of festive drams!!

"I've mulled this over along with some suitably seasonal spices (for the annual Christmas Confusion Dram). This is a season of pickled walnuts and walks on the seashore, nose being nipped by the frost, head being nipped by the previous night's festivities. Outdoors, I'd go smoky for the hip flask - Bowmore Tempest or Ardbeg Alligator - but when safely ensconsed once more in Broom Towers it is something richer, fruitier, thicker, I'd reach for. Bring me something to warm the toes, to bring a Claus-like ruddiness to the cheeks, bring me Redbreast 12yo cask strength say I and make it a large one!'

Splendiferous choices, I think you'll agree.

Ardbeg Alligator – Committee release – 51.2%

Nose: Immediate spicy/ fruity notes, with rolled oak shavings, BBQ charcoal, stewed apples, white pepper and hints of strong tea and fresh bourbon. With a dash of water the whisky really comes alive with wonderful rich vanilla tones, chocolate orange notes and hints of copper.

Palate: Big, resonant and dry, leading into more of the chocolate orange notes, sweet vanilla, hints of Five Spice and more stewed apple. Then the smoke arrives, soft, aromatic and gentle at first, giving this a superb complexity.

Finish: The sweet vanilla develops alongside the soft smoke for a very lengthy and pleasing finish.

Red Breast - 12 Years Old - Cask Strength Edition - 57.7%

Nose: This high strength dram makes its presence known immediately. It has a firey top note, which dies away quickly to reveal notes of fresh plums, a little dustiness, some clean linen, dessicated coconut and a lingering creaminess, akin to dairy fudge.

Palate: Powerful and coating, the tongue gets the first blast of wonderful sweetness, more of the dairy fudge, followed by some cornflake notes, creamy vanilla, golden syrup, a deft hint of floral apple peel (Pink Lady?) and some black cherries.

Finish: Lengthy and creamy, with the emergence of the apple again on the death.

Join us soon for part eight and some wonderful choices of dram from a very aptly named band!!