Xmas Rated Prices - Highland Park 12 Year Old and The Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Single Malt Scotch Whiskies

Christmas is a time for... well, drinking whisky. But more than that, it is a time for buying whisky, with many shops and supermarkets discounting core range offerings.

And we aren’t going to complain with that. In fact, as much as there have been some premium purchases at Caskstrength Towers this year, there are always bargains to be had.

In a week where Chelsea footballer and Egland captain John Terry, on something mental like £150,000 per week, is spotted shopping in PoundLand, we know all too well, coming from a music business background, that a ‘bargain’ is too often associated with, erm, stock that doesn’t sell. The bargain bin is the last place you want an album or a DVD to end up. However, when it comes to whisky, we’ll always take a bargain.

This week, as the Christmas shopping began to get into full swing, I found myself in my local Waitrose.

Having developed a partnership with uber-chef Heston Blumenthal over the past few years, which included sell-out items such as a Christmas Pudding with a hidden candied orange in the middle, so popular that in their first year they ended up on eBay for up to £200, the supermarket doesn’t shirk away from playing in the premium arena.

However, despite it’s ‘#middleclass’ appeal, Waitrose is not afraid of a bargain. Both of us have picked up some excellent items over the years in Waitrose, with a Port Ellen 3^rd release at a shade over £100 and a Laphroaig 30 Years Old at around £150 as two examples of great whisky-steals!

But it doesn’t have to be all top-end whisky; no Sir. In fact, this week there was an opportunity at Waitrose to start a whisky cabinet with just two statement whiskies, for less than £60. If you don’t live in the UK, or near a Waitrose, look away now.

The first bottle is a stalwart of the whisky fraternity; one which people hail often as turning point for them in their journey to discovering peat and, once in, will graduate up to their sublime 18 year old offering. The whisky in question is Highland Park 12 Years Old, which 

Waitrose has on sale for just £24.68 for 70cl. I'll repeat that: £24.68p.

Highland Park – 12 Years Old – Single Malt Whisky – 70cl – 40% abv

Nose: a delicate waft of peat comes out of the glass, but this is not turned up to 11, but sitting comfortably at about a 6 or a 7. This allows complimentary aromas of sweet honey, crunchie bar (honey comb and milk chocolate), freshly cut grass and some menthol to sit on a bed of light peat; the opposite way around to most smoky malts.

Palate: vanilla peat is the first flavour to come through with light orange cream, dark chocolate this time and some elements of parma violets. A good slug of malted milk / maltesers  and that delicate peat again at the death.

Finish: sweet with a peaty roundness.

Overall: probably the introduction to smoky whisky which doesn’t drag you down a dark alleyway and mug your taste buds, but takes it out for dinner for an eloquent chat.

Now, if you choose to fork out twenty five of you hear earned pounds on the HP12, you’ll have one of the trinity of great Scotch expressions that you need for the foundations of a good whisky cabinet. The third and final piece of the jigsaw is a cracking blend, but we’ll come to that in another post in a few days time, with the missing link being, of course, a great non-peated whisky, from the Lowlands, Highlands or Speyside region of Scotland.

And again, Waitrose is the place to turn for a true bargain here.

It’s no secret that we have a love for The Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood and I don’t know many people who don’t love, love, love this easy drinking dram. But at the moment,  forget the 12 year old as The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old is on sale for £33 at Waitrose.

£33. 

Considering the 12 year old Doublewood is £32 and this older expression is over £10 more at other whisky-specific outlets, this really is an absolute steal.

The Balvenie – 14 Years Old – Caribbean Cask – 43% abv

Nose: So, this whisky has been ‘finished’ in rum casks, hence the name... and this fact is immediately obvious as a huge sweetness rises from the glass; but not an ordinary saccharine sweet. This is very much a darker, molasses-based sweetness that you’d find in a Navy Rum. Rich and enticing, this is about as sweet as whisky gets without being sickly or false.

Palate: the flavour delivers exactly what the nose promises: strong, malty, sweet tones that saddle strong Navy rums with a mix of the more elderly Armagnacs I’ve tried. Very bold, yet balanced, this really is a step up from the 12 Year Old Doublewood, but be warned, if you like a full-on American oak influenced heavy vanilla palate, this isn’t for you. The vanilla is there, but this is old, rich, real Madagascan vanilla sweetened with heavy brown sugar.

Finish: a wonderfully rich, smooth finish which, again, leans towards an old French brandy than a teenage Scotch.

Overall: For under £35? Are you having a laugh? Do what I did and buy, buy, buy.

So there you have it; great Scotch does not have to be expensive and if you’re one of those muttering about age statements disappearing and the price of Scotch rising, here are two great examples of single malts which will quite rightly prove you wrong!

Of course, you could always go for the best December bargain of all, and order one of the few bottles of 3D Whisky left...

The Rise Of English Whisky

Funny old business, whisky making. So steeped in tradition, proud values and time-honoured recipes and practices.  Yet on the other hand, so vibrant, challenging and bubbling with creativity. Well some of it. 

Recently we've seen a massive growth in craft distilling in the US, so much so that to a point, the whole 'craft' thing has somewhat 'Jumped the Shark', (look it up if you're not familiar with this phrase) with a new whisk(e)y seemingly being created every week by a micro distiller.  These 'whiskies' are seldom whisk(e)y but just spirit, rested in oak and fired out the door to try and nail down the spiralling costs that running a distillery presents.  

However some distillers, like the magnificent Balcones, Tuthilltown and Corsair have taken their time, experimented in the right way and diversified their businesses to offer genuinely different products that have captured the attention of a very crowded market place, now gaining international reputations and - importantly, distribution.     

But the same thing hasn't really kicked off here in the UK -  yet. 

Last week saw the very first spirit run from London's newest craft distillery, The London Distillery Company in Battersea, which has been producing a gin for the past year to supplement the business plan of actually creating a new spirit from scratch. Finally, after months of wrangling, HMRC granted LDC a license to distil the first malt spirit in the capital -  the first in over a century, since the Lea Valley Distillery closed in 1910.  

What does this all mean? Well, the precedent has now been set for other would-be distillers to follow suite and similarly create something from scratch. Rather than the dusty, leather-bound rule book being ripped up, it has just been re-published in a handy, wipe clean paperback size, which seems to be a good thing.  

In a little under three years and a day now, we'll be able to clearly see whether the LDC has achieved its objectives and made a single malt whisky as brilliant as that produced by, let's say, Kilchoman on Islay, or more appropriately, St George's in Norfolk especially after such a short time. Until then, let's applaud someone for moving things forward and boldly opening the doors on so many distilling possibilities. 

Of course, an English whisky is nothing new.  As mentioned above, St George's in Norfolk have been distilling successfully since 2006.  Then in 2010 came the Adnams Brewery, who only last week released their very first 'whisky'- two in fact.  

Adnams have taken a great position in the new emerging sphere of English whisky, by applying their brewing prowess (which spans some 140 years) and coupling it with brand new distilling technology. With stills that look like they have been lifted from the pages of a Jules Verne novel, Jonathan Adnams, Head Distiller John McCarthy and his team have already successfully built a formidable distilling reputation with several very creative recipes: Oak aged vodka matured in French oak, Spirit Of Broadside, using the classic Broadside ale and now a brace of 'actual' whiskies:  a traditional single malt matured in French oak and a triple grain, using East Anglian barley, wheat and oats, which is then matured in American oak.

Only 20 casks have been produced in this first batch (dating back to a fill date of November 2010), but the results are impressive indeed -  at least when it comes to the triple grain, which we have been lucky enough to sample.

Adnams -  Triple Grain Whisky  - Three Years Old - 43%

Nose: An initial spirit note gives way after a few seconds in the glass revealing some slightly sweet boiled vegetable notes, vanilla, golden syrup, porridge oats, gingerbread and rich dark chocolate.  It's slightly unusual at first, then the true picture of the recipe comes to life.  

Palate: The malty notes from the nose develop into malted chocolate milkshake, creamy oak, a hint of white pepper and caramelised peaches. The influence of the oats is very noticeable here and the lingering sweet cereal really shifts this up a gear. 

Finish: The malt notes deliver a slightly spicy note as the palate dries, with a return of the oak and the vanilla.  

Overall: Undeniably youthful, but cleverly delivered. This triple grain has balance, emerging complexity and a personality all of its own and we can't wait to see where it develops with more time in cask. If the single malt (which we haven't tried) can replicate this potential, then the category of 'English whisky' is very much alive, full of vitality and growing in stature by the day. The gauntlet has been thrown down to all.  Who will pick it up next? 

Look out next week for a review of The One, the UK's first 'British Whisky'... Intrigued? So are we. 

Blimey... Did That Just Happen?

Wow, the month has surely shifted on. Only a second ago, we were sitting in our office, enjoying a brace of old blended Scotch whiskies we had won in an auction, lamenting the time it had taken for us to post anything meaningful on Caskstrength. Then suddenly it was the middle of December.  

Take into account two house moves, several hundred whiskies to sell and a lot of other nonsense - and you realise that all of one's good intensions have simply vanished into thin air.

Needless to say, that we return within a month where Scotch whisky has already faced three fairly major discussion points.

The whisky elves wait for a comment from JM  

First up and we find Best PR Campaign Of The Month#1 in full swing. Yes, the vibrant, yet choice words of whisky writer Jim Murray, who this week apparently claimed that Kentucky was producing better whiskies than the ones coming from Scotland, or words to that effect.

Journalists across Fleet Street were poised over their keyboards looking for the killer headline. Was this the end of Scotland's dominance in the whisky world, its mighty crown lying tarnished amongst some mythical whiffy sherry casks? Or was it simply just a well chosen sentence from the adroit Murray, in an attempt to give some much needed Christmas spice to his latest edition of The Whisky Bible, of which one assumes he has a warehouse-full ready to ship as stocking fillers.   

Either way, people chatted, tongues clacked, keyboards rattled and Twots Twitted, all somewhat having the desired effect, we imagine.  Effortless PR at its very best. 

Seriously, most people who own a bottle of bourbon and a single malt Scotch whisky will be able to tell you that making any comparison between the two is like comparing the sound of a Tuba with that of a Xylophone. Yes, they sit near each other in the whisk(e)y orchestra, both offering wonderful layers of  texture to the symphony of spirits, but singularly, they have vastly different timbres, which is a quality to be celebrated.  We love American whiskey.  Hell, we even awarded a blisteringly youthful single malt from America our new release Whisk(e)y of the Year last year in the Best in Glass award (this year's is being hosted in January, folks)-  but that doesn't mean that all Scotch is redundant, or that the US is officially producing 'better' whisk(e)y. No, they're producing different whiskies with their own wonderful character. 

It's high time to celebrate the category as a whole, driving success forward, ever challenging boundaries and above all, bringing drinkers together in a way that other spirits can only dream - both men and women (hmm...see our final point below)  

Yes all this is probably sentimental tosh and yes, it is 'just whisky' but clearly, people care and that is good.  

A thoroughly modern Mortlach

Speaking of which, earlier this month, Diageo announced that the Mortlach distillery is to expand its range of whiskies, including two no age statement releases (Rare Old and Special Strength) an 18yo and a 25yo. Alas, the tremendous 16yo is to be discontinued, but for any new Mortlach to see the light of day is truly exciting news.  Mortlach remains a criminally underrated distillery and we're looking forward to trying the new expressions soon.  The Mort, the merrier.  

Finally this week, PR Campaign Of The Month #2... of sorts.  Dewar's, no stranger to courting controversy (earlier this year releasing the questionable Highlander Honey) unveiled its 'Meet The Baron' campaign, where a sturdy, reliable and all-round good egg can be seen selflessly helping various drinkers in perilous situations, such as being chased by rabid dogs and chatted up by a buxom lady.  

Hang On!!  what was that??  Oh yes, the Baron's skills apparently spread to effortlessly intercepting an approaching blonde assailant (a larger lady), allowing the intended 'victim' to hang out instead with a bevy of lingerie models.  

Watch the film twice and we're pretty sure you can just about make out the sound of the hand grenade pin hitting the floor of the marketing department, coupled with anguished flailing executives desperately trying to regain control of the inevitable explosion that is about to occur.  

The Baron, shortly before the 'car crash'-of-an-advert
was pulled

Sure enough, it did. After numerous complaints citing sexism, the video was (rightly) taken down from Youtube and similar online sources.  But not before nearly 300,000 people had seen the clip.  

Not only does the advert brilliantly slip on its own banana skin, but it highlights how desperate whisky companies are to try and appeal to who they perceive as 'The Drinking Man' (actually the brand's campaign slogan.) What surprises most is the fact that given the firewall levels of market research, focus grouping and other more robust legal checks most sensible companies go through, no one thought that the advert might come across as a poorly put together and totally outdated piece of 70's thigh-slapping nonsense. 

Whoops. 

Like a faint waft of Brut aftershave, the video has now disappeared into the ether, so it's unlikely you'll be able to find it.  Don't worry though -  Anchorman 2 is about to come out.  Whammy...

Back on lighter, more enjoyable grounds, we met up with the fantastic Tom Bulleit yesterday and tried his newly released, higher strength Bulleit Rye. We'll explore this later this week, but needless to say, it is excellent.  Now what was Jim Murray saying... ;-)

Hello World, We're Back! The Dalmore 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Ahhhh, it’s nice to be back in front of the computer writing for fun. Not that all the writing we do isn’t fun, but there is something liberating about writing a piece for this site which doesn’t require a word count nor a deadline!

Recently you may have noticed a slight, erm, scarcity to the level of posts we’ve been penning. Never one to shirk away from our duties, our eyes, hands, ears and, most importantly, taste buds have been kept busy in a different direction, finishing off a book (a proper physical one with paper pages and everything) due out next year and meddling with this wee beast: www.3dwhisky.com 

But here we are again, back in the game and ready to bring you some tasty wee morsels in the lead up to Christmas.

And a bloomin’ good job too as the samples are piling up on our desk here at Caskstrength HQ. So, what better way than to kick this week off with than a new release from Whyte & Mackay.

As I sat down to write this piece, my inbox pinged with news from leading drinks industry fact-mongers Just-Drinks. It informed me (and the rest of the world, too) of what Diageo, now ‘owners’ of Whyte & Mackay, were planning to do with the host of whisky brands acquired since their take over earlier in the year of then Indian-owned United Spirits.

Until everything is confirmed about who the parent company will eventually be in this liquid custody battle, refereed by the Office of Fair Trading, the folk over at W&M have been busy expanding their core range of The Dalmore, adding to the already existing 12, 15, 18, Cigar Malt Reserve and excellent King Alexander III (our personal fav) with a 25 year old offering.

We first tried this new release about two week ago when the sample arrived in our office. Dave Broom had popped in to say hello ahead of the annual IWSC dinner where he was to be bestowed with his much deserved Communicator of the Year award (well done, Dave), but we didn’t get a chance to really sit with the whisky, take notes and savour the whole experience, so we were looking forward to a quite time when we could really relax and give this new experssion our full attention.

So what of theliquid? Well, once fresh from the stills, this Dalmore was matured in American white oak casks before being divided into Palomino Fino sherry butts and first-fill bourbon casks. Once matured, the whiskies were married together once again into bourbon barrels before finally being transferred into Tawny Port pipes from Portugal.

Quite the international journey for a humble Scottish spirit! It sounds complicated, but nowhere near as complex as the King Alexander, which is a blend of Dalmore matured in French wine casks, Madeira drums, Sherry butts, Marsala barrels, Port pipes and Bourbon barrels. Over complicated? Not in the case of the King Alex, but let’s see how the 25 year old fares...

The Dalmore – 25 Years Old – 3000 bottles only – 42% abv – RRP £600 Available here or here

Nose: Toffee fudge is the first note to rise from the glass, followed by some marzipan and strong bergamot. These orange notes develop in a rich marmalade smothered on hot toast. With a hint of water tropical fruits come through.

Palate: Rich and rounded, the bergamot flavours take the driving seat with burnt sugar, toasted almonds and a hint of black pepper and cinnamon spices on top. Very rich mouthfeel With water the whisky opens up a little to give all the previous flavoured a much more rounded and sweet tone. Personal preference, at the risk of being chastised by The Dalmore’s Richard Paterson himself, is with ever such a small drop of H2O.

Finish: The spices and dried orange peel tingle away at the back, but with water this is rounded off for a more subtle, quite frankly, delicious.

Overall: A unanimous decision here in the Caskstrength office that this is, wait for it, “a really excellent whisky”. A great way to get us back in the swing of things, as we head towards the prime whisky drinking time of Christmas and the New Year.

It's Arrived!! 3D Whisky Hits The Shops... & The Cinema

Sorry for the slightly enforced silence for the past two weeks, folks. We haven't been slacking off, just beavering away on making sure that today, 11th November, is well and truly in Three Dimensions.   

That's right folks, our next instalment in the Alphabet Of Whisky has arrived and 3D is now available to order from Master Of Malt, priced at £49.99.   

http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/caskstrength/caskstrength-and-carry-on-3d-whisky/

In case you missed our ceaseless promotion for this new whisky, we think 3D is a real groundbreaker.  Daluaine, Dalwhinnie and Dufftown distilleries all bought together in one bottle -  a first in this capacity. Each bottle is individually numbered (and hand signed) and comes kitted out in a 3D label, courtesy of our great friend and designer, Dave McDougall  coming with a pair of old school 3D glasses too.

But on the back, you can scan in a QR code that takes you to 3Dwhisky.com, where you can download a unique sleeve for your bottle, that can be printed out by the marvels of a 3D printer.  If you haven't got one, then all is not lost.  Simply visit iMakr, our 3D printing partners and their 'Mini Factory' can get the job done for you!  

To get you in the mood, here's a short film we made about the whisky's creation.  Inspired by 3D masterpieces of cinematography such as Jaws 3D and the mighty Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (not in 3D but brilliant, all the same), we chart the fateful day when 3D was bought to life... 

Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid...

We hope you enjoy this as much as we did making it.  Special thanks must go to Neil Edwards, the man behind the camera and to our co-star, Sarah Brown for such a sterling effort in front of the lens.

Here's our tasting notes for 3D... let us know your thoughts!

Caskstrength & Carry On - 3D Whisky - 56.4% -504 bottles

Nose: Some candied fruit hits first, with fresh pears, ripe plums and orange peel giving the nose a layer of zestiness. Next comes a hint of white pepper, nutmeg spice, vanilla and nutty milk chocolate.

Palate: A dustiness arrives, with charred oak, leading into a very subtle floral note, more orange peel, creamy malt and lemon meringue pie. The fruits of the nose are concentrated, with plums, sour cherries and more vanilla. Water brings out floral notes of white lilies, elderflower and nectarines.

Finish: Lingering notes of orchard fruit honeysuckle, green apple and subtle oak.

Slainte... and buy 3D... ;-)