It's Not About The Speed...It's About The Tweed

2010. A year of reflection and challenge. So many new things to be tried, mastered and achievements to be...well... achieved.

One of my personal goals this year was cycling a lot more than I have done before. I was hampered by the fact that I didn't own a bicycle until late last year, so my previous experience was at the age of 12, on an over-sized racing bike, with 12 gears. I loved that bike and I was very sorry when my parents sold it (due to its lack of use) long after I had left home at the age of 17.

I wanted to come back with a bang this year and therefore looked for the most practical and easy- to-ride bike I could find...perfect for hazardous city centre trips and hills (Caskstrength towers is near Crystal Palace, which has a monster hill standing in between it and central London.

So I purchased a Penny Farthing. Well... a miniature version of one.

Many of you will probably point out at this juncture that the Penny Farthing does little to fall in line with my previous goals of cycle ownership. They are frightfully difficult to ride, weave uncontrollably in traffic and lack any kind of breaking mechanism. One benefit is that they considerably easier to ride up hill than down hill. One can simply jump off and saunter up any gradient, taking in the surroundings by foot. Down hill they can become deadly- (more of this later)

My first outing (which you can read about here) didn't really go to plan, but I vowed to get to grips with the runaway beast, by any means necessary. After a couple of local runs around the park I felt like I was getting somewhere, but only in the same way that a child feels temporary satisfaction from climbing to the first branch of a really tall tree. In the grand scheme of things I was still a pathetic rider, lacking in courage and seeking the gratification of the high branches.

Then an opportunity presented itself. I was mistakenly entered into an event called The Tweed Run- A 14-mile ride through central London on a Saturday afternoon, in the name of the Bikes4Africa charity with 400 other crazy, tweed clad, fixed-wheel cyclists.

"Sounds great" I said to my local chums, who had seen me swerving around the park. "I'll ace this in a couple of hours."

Then it hit me. Speed/traffic/pedestrians/OAPs/other riders/potholes/irrate taxi drivers and no doubt, twattish and poorly dressed cityboy Porsche owners would all be out to get me. Not to mention the stamina needed to carry me 14 miles.

Oh cock.

Undeterred, last Saturday I took part in the Tweed Run. And completed it.
Aided by some healthy medicinal doses of Kings Ginger Liqueur and a wonderful Berry Bros Glen Grant from 1972, my apprehension lifted and I was spurred on by my fellow riders (notably my friends Jon, Fleur and Will)


Jon and I... enjoying a pre-race
Kings Ginger Liqueur


My little bike and I negotiated the ride with only one hair-raising moment around Piccadilly Circus, when my feet came off the pedals and I careered down Haymarket out of control.

The sturdy brogues I was wearing came to the rescue and I furiously dragged my right foot, thankfully managing to slow the bike down before I illegally gatecrashed the doors of the New Zealand High Commission, situated at the bottom.

Me with severe 'Penny Envy'

My very first ride in central London had been a success and has now given me the confidence to take my little bike on more exotic trips. Apparently, there is a 24 hour endurance ride in Tazmania later this year, specifically for Penny Farthings. Maybe?? How about 'Never Say Never'!!

Well done to everyone who supported the event and took part. More pictures can be seen here.

Granted, it's Ultra Premium.

The new Grants 25 Year Old Ultra Premium Blend is soon to be launched (June 2010) with “just over 2,000” bottles available in the “world’s most prestigious airports” before hitting selected specialist retailers in 2011. We’ve no idea where these prestigious aerodromes are but we’re guessing Ryanair doesn’t fly there. That, along with the list price (£145 a bottle) very much rules us out, here at Caskstrength.net HQ from buying a bottle. No worries however as a wee sample has popped through our letter box, saving us having to buy that return flight to Narnia or Hogwarts or Wherever and risk shoplifting a bottle from World Of Whiskies...

We’ve only reviewed one Grants blend before, their awful Ale Cask bottling but this is a whole different beast; an Ultra! Premium! Blend!

Whoop-de-do!

Now, when I hear a phrase such as Ultra! Premium! Blend!, I ponder this old proverb:

“If you’re drinking a blend in the forest and no marketing person is there to tell you it’s an Ultra! Premium! Blend!, is it still an Ultra! Premium! Blend! ?”

With no guidelines I can find on the subject (unlike that for Pure Malt or Single Malt or Blended Malt), I’m always intrigued as to what the difference is between a Blend, a Premium Blend and an Ultra Premium Blend. According to Grant’s, this 25 Year Old Ultra Premium Blend contains 25 whiskies from every single region of Scotland including some of the first ever grain whisky distilled at Girvan in 1963. Not a bad start...

The placing of this product is deliberate; Ultra Premium Blend, rare whiskies, price point in excess of a hundred and twenty quid... remind you of anything? Even the packaging: heavyweight, dark navy blue card and gold embossed logos... there seems to be a certain amount of “inspiration” drawn from the Johnnie Walker Blue Label, here!

It kinda reminds me of the same level of “inspiration” that White Lies took from Editors who took from Joy Division, for their album covers:

Luckily, hidden somewhere at the back of the caskstrength.net cabinet is bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label with about an inch left in the bottom, nabbed from a wealthy but slightly misguided friend’s party earlier in the year. These two blends may contain rare and unusual whiskies, but what is certainly true is that they are backed by some Ultra Premium marketing. Time to strip that all away, as I feel a blind taste test coming on....:

Nose:

Glass A (tall glass): Grapefruit, grass and grist. There is some lemon and lime, unripe Kiwi fruit and hint of smoke. Peanut oil. Over time, the smoke develops greater prominence.

Glass B (short glass): Cereal (digestive biscuit), the same grass and grist but with some addition of fruits (melon and mango). A lot less smoke, virtually none, but heather and vanillas come through instead. With time, the mango notes increase.

Palate:

Glass A: Cereal, bitter liquorice, salt and brown bread toast (unbuttered). There are some flavours that are struggling to get though: Orange wants to appear, but is smothered by the liquorice. Strong and spicy; hints of cinnamon and fennel seeds. This isn’t at all subtle.

Glass B: There seems to be a greater energy to this, something I would equate to having a fairly decent slug of grain over malt, but that serves to enhance a palate with lemons and limes (oddly, as in the nose from Glass A) and some lovely fiery ginger (think Old Jamaica Ginger Beer). Mint and sugar (like a strong mojito made with dark rum). Sweet, well balanced and fruity.

Finish:

Glass A: A good length with nice hints of warming spice, oak and cinnamon. But the fennel seed notes overpower these soft spices to leave a sharp bitterness which lets the whole structure down.

Glass B: A real fizzle which dies down pretty quickly and leaves lovely fruit notes of the initial mango, that ginger again but now some passion fruit and strawberry. Any sherry casking in this blend has really held back until the depths of the finish where it becomes quite plumy and really lip-smacking. The ginger really keeps sailing into the distance.

Overall:

Well! For me the two start neck and neck on the nose but with some time in glass, A becomes much smokier while B develops some exotic fruits. A is all spice and smoke and B is all grass and fruit. On the palate we see Glass B really start to pull away. Glass A feels slightly tired- I bought a Chelsea bun last week and while the individual flavours were all there (spices and sugars), it was a touch dry and became a chore to finish. Glass A had some of these aspect to it. Glass B had a greater energy (possibly from a higher grain content?) and the ginger sweetness appeals to me more than the slightly tired spices of Glass A. But it’s the finish that sees Glass B really hammer nails into the coffin of Glass A. Yes, with A there are some warming, soft spices but there is an overriding bitterness that really lets it down, where as Glass B develops even further into over-ripe, squashy red fruits, mango and the ginger.

In summary, I’d hesitate to call a winner as I wouldn’t spend, give or take £145 on either of these blends. I’d much rather buy a single malt of some description. However there is a clear winner for me and that’s the enhanced fruity nature of Glass B. More energy, more life and more complexity.

Time to find out which is which:

Glass A: Johnnie Walker Blue Label

Glass B: Grants 25 Year Old Ultra Premium Blend

Turning Japanese

Last Friday, Caskstrength.net was asked by the lovely folks at The Japan Society to put together a little tasting for a group of keen whisky drinkers. The event was to coincide with the opening of a brand new restaurant in Bishopsgate called Tsuru, which specialises in excellent, modern Japanese cuisine. Both Joel and I had to get our thinking caps on and pair up a whisky menu, which would hopefully compliment the wonderful range of dishes restaurant owner Emma and her head chef had dreamed up, whilst not undermining or overpowering the subtle flavours that Japanese food is famous for.

Across the 5 courses which were served we went with the following:

Vegetable Tempura (Aubegine and Asparagus)
(Paired with Yamazaki 12 yo)

Chicken Yakitori (Marinated chicken, served on skewers with a sweet and spicy sauce)
(Paired with Yoichi 12 yo)

Cornish Crab California Roll Sushi
(Paired with Miyagikyou 10 yo)

Japanese pickle Maki- inari tofu and sweetened Shiitake
(Paired with Hibiki blended 12 yo)

Toasted Seame Mochi Ice
(Paired with Yamazaki 18yo)

The fascinating thing about Japanese whisky is the incredibly unique flavour profile- no matter what age, type of maturation or indeed the inherent style (either peated or non-peated) it always has that 'quintessential' taste of Japan. There are Scotch whiskies that when tasted blind, could lead you to believe they're from another continent entirely, but you really know you're in for something different altogether with Japanese whisky.

After apologising for some of our pronunciation errors, the pairing went down a storm, with the sweet vegetable and creamy batter of the tempura going very well with the light, sharp and fruity Yamazaki 12 and the subtle smokiness of the Yoichi bringing out the lightly grilled style of the chicken dish.

However... our favourite (and I think we can speak for many of the guests in attendance...) was the pairing of Yamazaki 18yo and the Mochi. If, like us, you'd never come across this intriguing dessert before, try nipping down to your nearest Japanese food store- they are a taste sensation!! The dry, but rich fruity flavour of the Yamazaki 18 complimented this sweet (and vaguely rice pudding flavoured) ice cream dish perfectly and we were soon down to our last drop of whisky and Mochi's in no time at all!!


One of the guests menu's with scores

All in all, a superb night. For those of you who have in their collections a Japanese whisky, be it a light and summery Yamazaki, Miyagikyou or Hibiki, a peated Hakushu or Yoichi or even a flavour bomb like Karuizawa - give 'em a try with some food- you'll find the combination of flavours absolutely irresistable!

For more info on the Japan Society click here:

For more info on the excellent Tsuru restaurant click here:

Highland Lark... part 2

A couple of months ago, we ran a piece on 4 new Highland Park bottlings, which were going to be released exclusively to travel retail.  You can read the main post here, but we were shy of tasting notes for the oldest and most anticipated of the 4- the 1973 Vintage...until now that is. 

Whereas the younger vintages were all bottled at 40% abv, the 1973 vintage takes on a higher 50.6% abv, which serves to remind just how characterful Highland Park can be.  Taking its inspiration from the Norse influences, which Orkney is renowned for (including the Oseberg ship, a ninth century sailing vessel) this dram completes the well thought out quartet of bottlings. 

We made the assumption that if the other 3 were like travelling by luxury class flights, this one must be like owning your own private jet. Let's find out...

Highland Park - 1973 Vintage - 50.6% - Exclusively bottled for travel retail-

Nose: Immediate notes of cedar and citrus give this a very youthful bouquet, which is most surprising.  Dig deeper and some lovely perfumed elements start to show through, lavender, rose scented talc and a slightly earthy, woody tone.  With the addition of water, a minute hint of wood smoke enters the fray. A great balance indeed.

Palate:  Unmistakable Highland park in the mouth- with sweet milky coffee, some white chocolate covered raisins, vanilla ice cream and lemon/orange sherbets thrown in for good measure.  The added water brings out a little pronounced pepper, but does little to dent the overall sweetness of this excellent dram.

Finish: The fruity notes remain the most prominent, with a touch of drying wood creeping in as the palate dries.  Lovely, lengthy and highly drinkable.

Overall:  Highland Park have such an inimitable style and this vintage sits comfortably amongst the most enjoyable ones.  Of the 4 new retail vintages, I would plump for the 1990, which I think edges this one into 2nd place by virtue of the wonderfully blackcurrant notes on the nose, but should you find yourself on a long flight from Terminal 5, you could do a lot worse than seek out a bottle of any of these.

Read All About It! A new Caskstrength.net Feature

We've started a new feature here on Caskstrength.net. As you may have guessed, we tend to write tasting notes; our raison d'être is to try whisky, write up some notes and wrap them in some irreverent rambling and then get on with life. The "Three P's" we call it: No politics. No promotion. No press releases.

However, we've decided that there is so much interesting news going on in the world on whisky, outside tasting note alone, that we are going to start up a monthly round up of interesting whisky-related news. Choosing the finest press releases and stories from across the globe we start our round-up on April 1st:

Whisky Nose Best

Imagine if you will, the scene from a popular TV advert below:

We open the scene on a romantic restaurant- candles and a bottle of chilled Bollinger '78 are on the table, the lights are dimmed.

In walks a handsome, dashing fellow. He is well-dressed, well-groomed and has a suave sensibility about him. He turns heads where ever he goes and is clearly at the top of his game.

Sitting at the table, a glamorous Brunette in a long flowing dress. Tonight, she has hungry eyes, as well as an appetite for the gourmet meal they are about to enjoy together.



As she stands to kiss him on the cheek, a wave of delight resonates through her body.

"Darling...you smell divine tonight, what is it??"

"It's my new aftershave. I chose it especially for you."

"You know me sooooo well..." she purrs, "Tonight's going to be very special indeed."

They embrace and the camera zooms in to a close up on the man's face- he whispers gently....

"Eau de Port Ellen... for those, intimate moments"

Of course, no actual adverts like this exist, but from what we recently discovered, it may not be long until men and women all over the world are having this very conversation before sharing an 'intimate' moment together.

Water Of Life Scents is a new company that have turned the frankly ridiculous into something pretty spectacular. They claim (despite recent aborted attempts by a few others) to be the first fragrance company to actually take the aromas from some of our classic single malts and produce bespoke, heady and aromatic fragrances for the male and female whisky lovers out there.

It has long since been acknowledged that the wonderful Vanillins, Tannins and fruity aromas found in single malt can cause endorphin levels to rise as the nose detects them. It was only a matter of time until someone found a way to extract them in great concentration and produce a 'ready-to-wear' fragrance.

As well as the bespoke range, Water Of Life produce a 'light, grassy and fruity' fragrance (citing the Lowland distilleries as influences) and also a much heavier, 'spicy and aromatic' Speyside collection - no doubt exhibiting slightly more sherried notes. However, no heavily peated variety exists...yet.



Company Directors and former chemists Trevor and Georgette Fanning have been lifelong single malt fans and actually met over a few drams.

"It seems absurd to those who don't like the smell of whisky” explains Trevor “to wear it as a aftershave or perfume. But when you extract the various aromas and combine them in the right quantities, the result is quite spectacular."

The company is also discussing a limited edition range fragrances based on rare malts and closed distilleries, which should see huge international interest in the collectors markets.

Anyone interested in having their very own unique fragrance can send in a small measure of their whisky of choice for Water Of Life to develop into a powerful 30ml cologne or slightly more economic 50ml 'Eau de toilette'.

See www.wateroflifescents.com for more details

Mind The Gap!

One of the most useful development in the world of whisky over the past few years has been Diageo's flavour map. When I have newbie whisky drinkers over for dinner, I often look it up on the 'net to show them how peated whisky sits against sherried casks and these against a delicate lowland malt matured in ex-American oak. If you're new to these flavour profiles, it can provide a birds-eye view of how these different single malt whiskies relate to one another.

But hot on the heels of the Flavour Map comes the new Flavour Gap. Taking their inspiration from Yahoo's translation website Babelfish, the Flavour Gap has been developed by some of Scotland's most experienced professionals. The press release states that:

"a new website demonstrates that, when it comes to flavour in a glass of whisky everyone has their own interpretations of "flavour". Created by the renowned whisky experts Chris Peacock and Justin Hale (pictured) it’s an innovative way of comparing and assessing single malt tasting notes from distillery marketing departments, compared to ones you may actually get; to plug the gap between our flavour notes and your own.".

A big claim! So Neil and I headed over to www.flavourgap.com to see what all the fuss is about. Our results proved so good, we had to write about them on here

At first, I picked up a bottle of Islay Single Malt whisky. The notes on the back label read "heavily peated". So what does this mean to the average punter in the street? Entering the words into the Flavour Gap, we got this translation: "Like snogging a 98 year old chain smoking granny".

Wow! Thing really works!

Next up was a classic: "Light and Delicate". The result: "flavourless".

This thing is awesome!

One final go: "Salty / Maritime". Sadly, we can't publish the result of that; it wouldn't make it through your fire wall...

I hope you enjoyed our round up of news this April.

Neil & Joel