Glenrothes visit part 2- 'The Breakfast Club'

As we left you in part one of this epic thriller, Caskstrength were heading off to bed, full of roast dinner and the excellent 1978 Glenrothes, safe in the knowledge that Obama was about to wrestle away all the previously red states on the election map from McCain.
One thing I didn't mention however was the house rules concerning breakfast at Rothes House. For the uninitiated, it is customary for the guests to cook an impeccable breakfast for the hosts, on this occasion Mr Ronnie Cox and Mr Marcin Miller.

Now this isn't something to be taken lying down, which I was planning to do (in the shape of a lovely lie-in) that is, until I saw the 'Breakfast Book'- a tome full of reviews for the triumphant and the fallen. It contained a detailed critique from both Ronnie and Marcin on every aspect of breakfast- from the laying of the table, crispness of bacon, seasoning of tomatoes and most critically of all- timing!
Yikes- 'we need a plan' I thought and decided to hit the kitchen at 7.30am with my two fellow breakfast crusaders, Miss Malt and Miss Juniper. The Breakfast Book rules were going to be re-written that day and our names etched into the annals of Rothes House history!!...
well, something like that...
Our timing was crack on - and with a table fit for a Scottish Monarch, complete with Miss Malt's place names, came our starter; Bucks Fizz and a fruit salad, steeped in Berry Bros & Rudd's King's Ginger liqueur
So far, so good. Next, a full cooked breakfast, complete with last nights leftover roast veg re- cooked as bubble & squeak, which hopefully caught the eye of our discerning judges- a few points at least for ingenuity??

With our breakfast (hopefully) well received, it was time to head to the distillery for the serious business of a tour of the facilities and tasting.

The Glenrothes is an impressive site developed around 1879. It now houses 5 pairs of wash/spirit stills, producing nearly 4.5 million litres of spirit annually. Glenrothes house style gives a very light, fresh and clean new make spirit with an abundance of vanilla, hints of spice, citrus notes, dried fruit and ginger.
Ronnie recounted a notable incident in the history of the distillery when in 1922, fire broke out and casks were bursting open right left and centre. It is reported that a river of whisky ran down the nearby streets and people were chaotically trying to bottle what they could before it made its way to the fields and streams. It was later reported that cows were seen swaying and that the local fish were much easier to catch...

We later entered the Inner Sanctum, Glenrothes dedicated tasting room and our home for an extremely pleasant couple of hours, sampling a selection of the distillery's core range and a couple of very special drams. Here are the findings:

The Glenrothes 1967 - single cask - American oak (ex sherry) - 47% -

Nose: Seville oranges, minty/Polo hints, golden syrup, aromas of cereal and slightly waxy, polished furniture notes. Excellent and well constructed.
With the addition of a little water, you find more of the orange zestiness.

Palate: A dry start, but leading into fruity sweetness, more cereal, then hints of hard fruit gums and spice.

Finish: Lovely, lengthy and warming. This was an incredibly comforting dram, like sitting in front of a roaring fire.


The Glenrothes 1966 - single cask - european oak (ex-sherry) - 47%
the tasting of this pair of whiskies gives a clear example of how the type of oak ultimately affects the maturity of the spirit- especially the colour, with the 1966 vintage taking on a much darker hue.

Nose: Lots of dried figs and vine fruit, something slightly musty and oily, (old garages with vintage cars!), hints of drying oak and cracked leather. The age has really made a huge statement on this whisky.

Palate: Spice!! Lots of it. Hints of fudge, vanilla and a glorious sweetness. Delicious.

Finish: Again, long, fruity and sensational. We had a break until this had diminished!

Overall: Two very old but very different aged Glenrothes expressions that set us up nicely for the rest of the range.

The Glenrothes 1985- 43%

Nose: Very clean, with estery notes and a creaminess, reminiscent of Werthers Originals, slight waxiness, but then into fruit- plums and dried vine fruits. Excellent.

Palate: Amazing mouth feel, sweet oily and rich, with more of that Werthers butterscotch flavour combined with cereal, toffee, hazelnuts and sultanas. Sounds like a damn good granola doesn't it!

Finish: Warm and autumnal, with more hazelnuts on the death.

The Glenrothes 1994 - 43%

Nose: Esters, hints of ginger, floral notes, toffee notes and hints of fresh berry.

Palate: Cereal then into a sweetness of demerara sugar and drying spices, perhaps even hot peppers before the mouth is enveloped with sherry and licorice notes.

Finish: More summery, lighter and shorter but echoes of an excellent fruity dram. This would be an great pre-barbeque aperitif.

Overall: Both these expressions sit brilliantly among the others from the range of Glenrothes, all have their own distinct characteristics but offer an individual take on a great Speyside distillery, which we urge you to check out!

Special thanks to Ronnie Cox, Caroline Hendry and the team at Glenrothes Distillery/ Rothes House for their wonderful hospitality, knowledge and time, also to Marcin for his excellent hosting, witty banter and James Lock & Co eight-piece flat cap...

The long and winding road to perfection....

As we assembled our short list for this years BiG Awards, there was a slight element of reminiscence when going back to certain whiskies we felt demanded inclusion. The Longrow 18 year old is no exception. Our first chance encounter with this absolute gem was after dinner, in a very remote farmhouse on the north east side of Islay, near Loch Gruinart.

Our very good friends Joanne and Derek Middleton had been kind enough to put Caskstrength up for this year's Feis Ile and we'd decided to cook a mammoth pasta meal, complete with Derek's freshly harvested Mussels (from sea to plate in only one hour!!)
Another whisky chum, Angus popped over and bought a rather fine looking purple box to the table, where on opening, its succulent contents were duly corked and shared around.
We never looked back...phone calls were made, emails fired off and shops tipped off that we simply must get hold of another bottle... Alas, it seemed Islay had sold its last bottle of Longrow 18 to a Scandinavian chap and we felt quite deflated, thinking that London would also be a similarly barren environment.

Then about 2 weeks later, we were musing around a well known spirit emporium in Soho and struck gold- 2 bottles, amazingly left in the store room un-loved and un-noticed, which lit up our eyes and started our mouths drooling in anticipation.

Tasting the Longrow 18 again recently alongside the other nominees was no less of an occasion, but where will it figure in the overall rankings?

Longrow 18 year old - 46% - 70cl - 2100 bottles available.

Nose: Very unique- an odd mixture of rich fudge, licorice, freshly turned earth, leather, orange zest and slight summer fruits. It really shouldn't work, but it all sits together magnificently. Left to sit a little while and more sherbet notes come through, coupled with creamy butterscotch and orange blossom. A real treat to the senses.

Palate: The treats don't stop with the nose... very light and floral, but mixed with a rich oily mouth feel, you uncover a summery zestiness, perhaps hints of juniper, more fizzing sherbets and sweet fruit gums.

Finish: At this point, my notes seem to be become invaded by Joel's hand written plea of "get me a peshwari naan", as I happened to be on the phone, ordering our takeaway for the evening. I was still tasting the fresh zestiness and elegance five minutes after the call had ended and our Indian feast was being rustled up in a nearby kitchen. Needless to say the glass was well and truly empty by the time it had arrived.

Overall: Wholly deserving of its place on this years BiG nominee list, this is a stupendous whisky and we urge you to locate one... hopefully the luck we were fortunate enough to encounter will be with you too!!

Highland Fling

In keeping with our last post, we have 3 new reviews to give you- all nominees for our prestigious Best in Glass awards, the overall winner to be announced early next month. First up, the oldest chap on Orkney- the stately Highland Park 40 year old.

Highland Park 40 year old - 48.3% abv - 70cl-

Nose: Rich, intense fruity and zesty aroma, hints of vanilla tobacco, fresh mint, white chocolate and soft chamois leather.

Palate: Really smooth mouth feel, silky and coating, with floral notes, cedar, chopped hazel nuts, dark chocolate covered vanilla fudge and a hint of waxy, unprocessed honey all swirl around the palate. Very heady stuff.

Finish: The depth of this finish is exceptional, warming, soft, hints of spicy fruit and more vanilla, lead into a sherbety sweetness, then tobacco and leather as it slowly fades.

Overall: No surprises that this is an incredibly well drinking Highland Park. Its floral lightness, matched with the hints of sweet vanilla are a surprise- sharing some of the 18 year old's refinement, but taking it into a different league. But is it enough to take it into the Pantheon of the Best in Glass supreme champion?? We shall see soon enough!!

They're here!!! The 2008 BiG Award Nominees!!

We've cogitated, conversed and consulted for...oh, at least a week now and it gives us great pleasure to finally announce the inaugural 'Best In Glass' award nominees- and what a cracking line up it is. As mentioned in one of our previous posts, the main criteria for this prestigious award (we like to big things up a little!) is that the whisky must have been commercially released this year and is not a 'restricted bottling'- ie, a club, festival or society bottling. We shall be announcing the overall winner in the first week of December, but one thing is for sure; they all represent the pinnacle of fantastic whisky making. For the rest of this month we shall be re-reviewing all ten whiskies (with new postings of the Karuizawa, Lavavulin, Longrow & Highland Park) to look for those minuscule pointers that will lead to the eventual overall winner.

Whilst clearly ranging in price, we felt that this list balances age, refinement and value for money very well indeed- please feel free to add your comments on the nominees and let us know if there's anything you feel we've missed off, or was more deserving of a nomination:

Ardbeg Renaissance

Berry Bros & Rudd Port Ellen 1982

Bruichladdich 'Peat'

Glenmorangie Astar

Highland Park 40 year old

Karuizawa cask 6878 distilled in 1971

Lagavulin 12 year old 2008 release
Longrow 18 year old
Single Malts of Scotland Rosebank 16 year old
Springbank Vintage 1997 Oddbins cask no. 789

Stay tuned for the result and the winners tearful acceptance speech!!

from Gauger to Geisha.... without any underwear!

So... election night has come and gone and we now face the prospect of real change in the 'Land of the Free', by way of a crushing landslide victory. Doesn't it feel nice to read some positive words on the front cover of every daily paper at long last? Well done to Mr Obama for seizing the reins and good luck in steering a clear path to prosperity.

Anyway, this post is not about political high-fives, so back to the whisky, that is, unless the President is a secret malt maniac and fancies an interview on our favourite subject.

Caskstrength recently had the marvellous opportunity to travel up to the heart of Speyside and to The Glenrothes, as guests of the distillery. Flights were booked and noses honed for what shaped up to be a wonderful experience- but as you will see, it is always better to follow the instructions, to avoid total embarrassment.

Arriving at Gatwick airport on a cold and frosty Tuesday morning in ones fine, but slightly tight fawn tweed trousers is a good way to get a few smiles from the assembled air hostesses, especially when surrounded by hundreds of unremarkable businessmen with 'bright brown' ties and impending Powerpoint presentations.

After scooting through security, I settled down with some light refreshment- in this instance, a quick dram of the excellent Glenlivet Nadurra, noting how well my trip was going so far- no travel hitches, delays or catastrophes.
So on my arrival into Aberdeen, still on time and in a chipper mood, I met the even more chipper Marcin Miller and immaculately chappish Ronnie Cox, my hosts for the trip. All good so far, until I noticed Marcin's slight double-take when I said I wasn't travelling with ANY luggage. 'Oh, you do travel light!' he joked, as we went through the plans for the trip. It was at this point that the mention of an 'overnight stay' hit me like a mouthful of new-make-spirit going down the wrong pipe. In my excitement, I had neglected to read the full itinerary beforehand and assumed the trip was a simple one-day tasting event.

Oh dear. No clean undergarments, toothbrush, alternative tweed trousering, or moustache wax.

All this left me with a slight 'gents quandary';
1. Go 'commando' on the 2nd day or,

2. Make an emergency stop somewhere for overnight supplies.

Wisely, for the sake of the other guests, we opted for the latter and about 20 miles out of Aberdeen I was kitted out with new Asda under-breeches and grooming apparel.

My fellow companions for the visit were Miss Malt, aka Helen Arthur, author of the world's best-selling whisky book and Miss Juniper, aka Geraldine Coates, leading authority in the world of all things gin related. Once the ridicule regarding my emergency pants was over, we got down to discussing the wonderful scenery as the miles passed by towards Glenrothes: The stories of the hidden, illicit pot stills and of the gaugers futile attempts to locate them. Also Marcin's experiences of a Geisha, but that is clearly a story not to be discussed here...

Rothes House was to be our home for the next 2 days. A wonderfully appointed old Manse with great views over Speyside, it is a short walk over to the distillery, past a small graveyard. After a hearty lunch of warming fish pie, we headed off for a bracing afternoon of activity, where Miss Malt discovered she was a crack shot and I discovered I was dire at driving blind...

Our evening consisted of sensational supper of fillet of beef and Scottish Toffee cake matched with 2 excellent Glenrothes expressions:

The Glenrothes 1991 - bottled in 2007- 43% - 70cl

Nose: Sweet candifloss, but dig deeper- slight hints of root vegetable and Baklava- honey and pastry, pistachio, musk?


Palate: More vegetables, but sweet and spicy, like sweet potato. A slight aroma of Earl Grey /bergamot notes. This leads into cereal flavours but then gives way dry sherry.

Finish: More spice, sherry notes and green leaves on the death.

Overall: A damn good dram. Ronnie Cox's ethos here is refinement and maturity over age, which clearly wins through on this expression.

The Glenrothes 1978 - bottled in 2008- 43% - 70cl

Nose: Vanilla custard, melon, summer pudding, ginger, slight tobacco, nutmeg, diced apple, cloves and citrus notes (seville oranges) phew!!! a mammoth in the world of sensuous aromas.

Palate: Sherbet, slight orange zest, caramel, cherries, dark chocolate - perhaps kirsh?

Finish: Sweet, spice, fudge - really refined- mature and lengthy...

Overall: A superb after dinner dram, highly complex in aroma but subtle and beautifully refined. A whisky of real class.

As we settle in the drawing room with a cigar or two, waiting for the first US election results to arrive on BBC2, I imagine it to be the sort of evening that one would reminisce about in 30 years time, vividly remembering 'what we were doing' when President Obama bought change to the White House. One thing's for certain; my memories will go hand in hand with the good company, wonderful hospitality and sensational whisky shared and enjoyed that evening. Slainte!!

Part 2 of Caskstrength's Glenrothes adventure will follow shortly....