As Good As Gold?

Recently news reached us concerning a new Johnnie Walker expression darting out of the starting blocks very soon, coupled with the launch of a newly formulated Johnnie Walker Gold Label. Question is, were we excited?  The answer was of course a resounding yes.

No matter what people may have to say about this universally available brand, it has changed the landscape of blended whisky forever and in new emerging markets JW is currently blazing a trail as an upwardly mobile drink for new palates to enjoy. Johnnie Walker Gold Label (the 18yo) has pretty much been my house blend since I chanced upon a bottle about six years ago and despite its age, is a superbly versatile whisky, which works in a variety of ways - from sipping neat from a nosing glass to  enjoying with a block of ice in front of the TV.

 Johnnie Walker's growing ambitions

When I heard that the 18yo edition of Gold Label was being phased out, my heart skipped a beat. Surely some mistake I thought, but the writing was on the wall for this undoubtedly premium blend and I was hugely disappointed at its loss.

However, the good news is that it hasn't gone completely, just had a facelift - and grown a twin brother made out of an even more precious metal - Platinum.

JW Master Blender Jim Beveridge has reformulated Gold Label, removing the age statement in the process - dropping its price down to around £40. Good news indeed. But what's wrong with it being 18 years old, I hear you say? Well, in Jim's own words: "age statements can be quite constraining - with a no age statement whisky it gives me a much wider scope to work with."

The newly formulated Gold Label Reserve has, according to Jim, around 20-25 different malts and 2-3 grain whiskies in its creation and took about 4 months to develop. The 'Reserve' aspect apparently refers to a proportion of casks earmarked for greatness, held in Diageo's vast warehousing complexes.

The question is whether the new Gold Label will maintain the original's zeal- and appeal.  Or, will it take it to somewhere altogether different?

Johnnie Walker - Gold Label Reserve - Blended Whisky - 40%

Nose: Fudge notes, drying sherry, dried prunes, vanilla and heather honey. Water brings notes of classic light Walker smoke and candied fruit. So far, so good.

Palate: Initially very light, with vanilla and waxy honey (the influence of Clynelish is still really apparent.) Given time, the blend really begins to open up with a distinct smokiness and a slightly thin grainy note. With water, the grains show themselves a little more, followed by sliced apple and more of the Clynelish waxiness.

Finish: Lingering smokiness and a touch of dried fruit.

Overall: Ok, let's get this straight: it isn't the same blend as the 18 year old Centenary Edition. Part of me feels like this is less of a whisky, but then again, I feel i'd drink this version of Gold Label in a different way. It screams out for slamming a bottle in the freezer, making high-balls, mixing with ginger wine and everything in between. It won't happen overnight, but i'm going to re-visit this as a whisky to crack out at parties, rather than just hoarding for my greedy ol' self.  

Next up- Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 years old. I have been wanting to try this since discovering Diageo were developing it some months back. Looking at the pricing structure of the JW blends, there always seemed to be a bit of a hole in the range, especially given the fact that Gold Label was approximately a third of the price of Blue Label. I had assumed that this would be priced accordingly, at around the £80 mark, but was surprised to hear it will come in at £69. The cynic would say that it has taken the place of old Gold label 18yo, with an additional £15 price tag, but as we have seen with the Gold Label Reserve, appearances can be deceiving. 

Johnnie Walker - Platinum - Blended Whisky - 18 years old - 40% 

Nose: Streuth. This is really good, straight off the bat. Rich spiced notes, mix with plum pudding, stewed rhubarb, cherry compote and aromatic cedar wood smoke. Superbly balanced. The vanillas start to creep in on the fruit given a little time in the glass and notes of orange oil grab your attention.  

Palate: Very oily and thick on the palate. heavily fragranced, with baked oranges, subtle notes of caramel shortcake, orange sherbet and gentle smoke. With water, cereal notes develop, with cherry jam and fudge. 

Finish: More stewed fruit, with a lingering note of the the wonderfully aromatic smoke. 

Overall:  There's no flannel here -  this really is a masterpiece of blending. The balance between rich malts (apparently 30-odd), plus several differently aged grains is exquisite. This doesn't really need water as such, but a small splash helps lift the aromas to new heights.  

Despite feeling like I'll really miss the 18yo Gold Label, with the Platinum becoming available I won't feel too upset for long. Yes, it's more expensive, but like the new Gold (which is considerably cheaper), it's a totally different - but in many ways, a far superior blend. The Gold Reserve is now a more affordable 'upsell' (god, I hate that phrase) to Black Label and will work wonderfully in convivial situations - but if you are a fan of the 18yo version- don't expect this to be the same whisky- it isn't. Stock up now before it disappears from the shelves. Then when it's run out, you have a choice to make -  thankfully, there is likely to be a happy ending whatever you decide to buy next. 

Singleton of Dufftown 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

We are surrounded  in life by things which are hugely successful but lack any real personality, managing to court the mainstream by being utterly bland and providing absolutely no challenge to the consumer whatsoever: 

Emma Bridgewater, Cath Kidston, Coldplay, Dan Brown, Nick Clegg, Pizza Express, The Hunger Games, the entire nation of Switzerland, every Nissan car ever made, Arsenal Football Club, Roger Federer, Kelloggs Cornflakes, Wednesdays, Starbucks, Dell computers, Fanta, the game of golf, the internet...

The Singleton of Dufftown - 18 Years Old  - 40% abv - 70cl 

Nose: Butterscotch, some runny honey, toasted rye bread, Manzanilla sherry

Palate: Pretty much the same as the nose with the addition of some nutty tones.

Finish: Pretty much the same as the palate with the nutty tones developing in to toasted brown bread with melting, unsalted butter.

Overall:

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....

A Stellar Whisky Tasting: The Dalmore Constellation Collection

Hot on the heels of new releases in to travel retail from Glenfiddich, Auchentoshan and Laphroaig, to name but a few, is a brand playing on a whole different level altogether.

In our last post, I wrote about Auchentoshan releasing five new expressions in to travel retail, ranging from around thirty five quid to around a hundred and thirty pounds. However, Richard Paterson and the good people at The Dalmore distillery have only gone and, as they say in South London, ‘dropped da bomb’ when it comes to Global Travel Retail as today saw the launch of the new collection of whiskies from The Dalmore distillery. All 21 of them.

Yes, that’s right- I said 21.

No, really. TWENTY ONE.

Twenty one single casks are being released under the banner ‘The Constellation Collection’ in partnership with airport owners BAA. These limited edition offerings will be available for one month exclusively from BAA's main Duty Free store in Heathrow’s Terminal 5, with prices ranging from £20,000 for a bottle of the Vintage 1964 to £2,000 for a bottle of Vintage 1992.

If you're feeling flush, then the entire collection will be available for £158,000.  Interested? Well, if you’re quick (as well as flush) then World Duty Free has been allocated two complete collections; all the number 1 bottles from each year and all the number 8 bottles from each year. No 1’s for the goalkeeper in you and No. 8 for the Chinese in you. What a dilemma if you’re the ‘keeper for the Chinese National Football Team...

So, what are these 21 different bottles and how much are they? 

A good question and one of the things that Richard Paterson and The Dalmore should be applauded for, is their level of detail of information on each of the whiskies released. It shows the care and attention to detail that has gone in to the maturation of each whisky as well as highlighting that the whisky has nothing to hide.

Applause all round from me, a hardened whisky geek, on this level of info.

So, here are the answers:

1964 American White Oak moved in 2008 to an Oloroso Sherry Butt - £20,000

1966 American White Oak, Bourbon Cask, moved in 2002 to a ‘Matusalem’ Oloroso Sherry Butt and finished in 2008 in a  ‘Distillery Run’ Bourbon barrel - £17,500

1969 American White Oak, ‘Quercus Alba’ finished in 2009 in a ‘Small Batch’ Bourbon Barrel - £15,000

1969 American White Oak, ‘Quercus Alba’, moved in 2005 to a ‘Matusalem’ Oloroso Sherry Butt and finally finished in 2009 in a Bourbon Barrel - £15,000

1971 Wood from the Ozark Range of Missouri, ‘Distillery Run’ Kentucky Bourbon Barrel - £13,000

1972 Gonzalez Byass ‘Apostoles’ Oloroso Sherry Butt finished in 2008 in a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel - £12,000

1973 American White Oak, followed in 2005 by French Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon Cask and finally into ‘Small Batch’ Kentucky Bourbon Barrel in 2008 - £11,000

1976 American White Oak, Freshly Filled Bourbon Barrel - £8,000

1978 American White Oak, ‘Quercus Alba’ moved  in 2007 to a ‘Matusalem’ Oloroso Sherry butt - £6,000

1979 American White Oak, ‘Quercus Alba’ - £5,000

1979 European Oak ‘Quercus Bobur’ Gonzalez Byass Sherry Butt - £5,000

1980 American White Oak - £4,000

1980 Gonzalez Byass ‘Apostoles’ Oloroso Sherry Butt - £4,000

1981 American White Oak finished in 2006 in ‘Amoroso’ Oloroso Sherry Butt - £3,750

1981 Gonzalez Byass ‘Apostoles’ Oloroso Sherry Butt - £3,750

1983 Gonzalez Bypass ‘Apostoles’ Oloroso Sherry Butt finished in 2008 in ‘Distillery Run’ Bourbon Barrel - £3,250

1989 Freshly Emptied Bourbon Barrel and then in 2006 in ‘Matusalem’ Oloroso Sherry Butt - £2,750

1990 American White Oak and then in 2009 in ‘Matusalem’ Oloroso Sherry Butt - £2,500

1991 American White Oak, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel finished in 2008 in ‘Amoroso’ Oloroso Sherry Butt - £2,250

1991 American White Oak, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel / 2002 Gonzalez Byass ‘Lepanto’ 15 Years Old Brandy Cask / 2008 ‘Distillery Run’ Bourbon Barrel - £2,250

1992 American White Oak ‘Quercus Alba’ / First Fill Kentucky Bourbon barrel / 2002 European Oak ‘Quercus Robur’ Port Pipe - £2,000

Quite the range, huh. And it doesn’t stop there. The plan is to replicate this series annually until 2016, dropping around 4,000 bottles a year over the next four years. That’s an additional 20,000 bottles of limited edition Dalmore in the market place by the end of 2016. For those of you who like to collect whisky, it is going to be interesting to see what effect this has on the residual price of your bottles. I was always taught that ‘less is more’ and scarcity drives prices,so I’ll leave you to do the maths on that one.

One of the areas of focus for The Dalmore on this collection has been to standardise the packaging across the range, so it is the liquid that gets the attention, not the box or the bottle. Having said that, they have done a fantastic job with the bottles which, as you can see from the pictures, look fantastic.

But what about that liquid? Well, I was lucky enough to try four different drams from the range this afternoon at Heathrow; the 1992, 1973, 1969 and the 1964. My pick of the bunch was the following:

The Dalmore – 1973 – Constellation Collection – 48.1% abv

Nose: Rich tea biscuits, blackcurrant cordial (neat), black forest gateaux, rum and raisen chocolate, plums.

Palate: All the classic fruits you’d expect: blackcurrants, plums, prunes and fresh figs. Black cherries dripped in nutella.

Finish: Very strong and long, this really lasted well with good balance and power.

Overall: Obviously, a stunning whisky. Of the four we had, the two younger ones were the stand outs for me. The whiskies from the 1960’s were good, with excellent aged wood on the palate but the personality was not as strong as in the slightly younger drams we tried, which were more to my taste.

So, if you've got a few quid spare in the bank and you’re passing through Heathrow Terminal 5 sometime in the next four weeks, do stop and have a look at the collection and, if you’re feeling particularly generous, there are two offerings from my birth year (1979) and either will do as a gift....!

The Heart(wood) of the Matter: Auchentoshan Travel Retail Whisky

Auchentoshan Samples at Caskstrength HQ

It’s been a while since we last reviewed an Auchentoshan. One of our top visits when in the southern-half of Scotland, the triple-distilled spirit is made just outside Glasgow and their visitors experience really is excellent as is their Three Wood, which is fast becoming a standard behind bars and a fantastic flavour in a good whisky sour.

Later today I’m off to Heathrow to sample a new range of Duty Free Only Dalmore bottlings, as it seems the whisky world has gone Travel Retail mad over the last few months and Auchentoshan have embraced this world with gusto, by introducing five (yes, 5!) new releases in to the sector.

With such packed shelves in World Duty Free, it must be difficult to make your product stand out or come alive to the international traveller and the angle which Auchentoshan is taking is to use names from either tree growth or wood maturation, to go some way to explain how the liquid is matured. As a result, there will be whiskies called ‘Heartwood’, ‘Springwood’, ‘14 YO Cooper’s Reserve’, ‘Silveroak’ and ‘Solera’ all ranging in price from £34.99 - £130.00.

I must admit that, even as an ardent whisky drinker, these names don’t fill me with any sense of excitement. If I see another bottle of whisky with the word ‘cooper’ on the label, I think I might borrow some of their vicious looking tools and use them to help 'inspire' these marketing departments to have a go at thinking outside the box a little...

..but let’s ignore that and get to the heart(wood) of the matter: the liquid, by trying a couple of samples which arrived in the post recently.

Auchentoshan – Springwood - NAS – 40% abv - £34.99 for 1 litre

Springwood: the time of most fresh growth for the tree. 100% bourbon matured.

Nose: Initial hit of grapefruit, citricidal, lemon and lime zest, green apple sours, some musty oak, coconut milk. Official tasting notes says ‘poached pears’ which I’d agree with. Develops over time to lose the zest and settle down more into malted milk.

Palate: Very fresh and light, this gives off pear juice, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, kiwi and gooseberry and some light honey. A classic lowlander. A drizzle of water adds an element of rose water to the overall palate.

Finish: Short and clean with a hint of citus zest.

Overall: Much better than I was expect on the palate. Very light, easy to drink. I’d like to see what happens to a bottle when chilled down in the freezer; could be a real summer drinker in a frozen glass with a sprig of mint and some ice. In fact, I bet it makes a great highball.

Auchentoshan – Heartwood – NAS - 43% abv - £41.99 for 1 litre

Heartwood: the rich core heart of the tree. Bourbon & Oloroso matured.

Nose: A hint of BBQ chippings, rain on dry wood, all-spice and freshly cooked hot dog. Cinnamon and apple doughnuts warmed in the oven. Quite a lot going on. It’s got a wonderfully complex nose and is meaty for a triple distilled whisky.

Palate: In the mouth, the flavours give strong oak, with the meaty natures throwing roast lamb and thyme at you followed by Satsuma and some light citrus notes. May roast duck with plums. With water, the whole thing dampens down a bit. Drink this one neat.

Finish: Blood orange with some lemon drizzle and dark chocolate.

Overall: This whisky is packed full of flavour and can be a bit of a moving target on the palate, but the nose and finish are excellent, leaving a juicy, full flavour behind.

So it seems that those of you lucky enough to travel regularly will soon be spoilt for even more choice when passing through your favourite airport. Stay tuned for some more Travel Retail Only new releases over the next few days. At this rate, with all these new releases, it makes it almost pleasurable to book a flight on Ryanair... or maybe not!