Is That A Miniature In Your Goalie Bag Or Are You Just Pleased To See Me?

from www.caskstrength.net

It seems that when a distillery is looking for a new name for a bottling, lineage and heritage, with a huge spoonful of traceability thrown in, is the key to finding a title.

Obviously, the most popular method of naming a whisky is simply with an age statement. Two large digits on the front of any bottle should suffice to keep the consumer calm. Taking it up a notch from just a simple number is to use a vintage, a specific year.

Giving your whisky a year for its name is like having the coolest nickname in the school playground. You could be picked for any sports team first, no matter what your ability, if you were known as, say, ‘Striker’. We had a kid at our school with that nickname. He was rubbish at football, but got his name from his dad who wasn’t a professional footballer, but a Miner.

If a distillery wishes to expand their range of whiskies away from the normal age statements and vintages, but is still keen to show off artisanal roots and farmhouse production methods, then finding a local figure of historical importance, or a special event to name your whisky after is a must.

Most famous for this approach is surely Bruichladdich. Left with a whole heap of stock when the current owners took over the distillery, the obvious way to release some of their liquid investment was in unique and inventive bottlings such as the Weapons Of Mass Destruction bottling (due to them being spied on by the CIA), the Mayor Of Islay bottling (for the Mayor of Islay, a place in Peru) and the Drambusters, an acrobatic aeronautical team who clearly like their whisky. One hopes their exploits are as a result of their thirst and not a result of pre-flying boozing...

Fair play to Bruichladdich for their creative efforts, even if (like a late 20’s man who has been a little wild over the past few years) they’ve now started to settle down a bit with the launch of the their new 10 Year Old. I’m sure some of their releases have meant a great deal to a lot of people (the Links series I’m sure is very popular with golfers) yet none have managed to find an association with anything I’m that interested in. In fact, I’ve not yet managed to find an unusually named whisky bottle that I could say reflects my hobbies, until now!

Browsing through twitter the other day, I saw a shop announcing a sale on a miniature of whisky called Goal Keeper Whisky. As a custodian of the sticks, a fully paid up member of the goalkeepers union, I eagerly clicked on the link to find this:

Someone has taken the time to bottle up a mini under the title of Goal Keepers whisky. Right up my street! But this got me thinking;

“Why a miniature?”

The only explanation I can think of is that in this modern era of technology, goalkeepers tend to carry a small clutch, or man-bag with them on to the pitch. The contents are often as simple as a spare pair of goalkeeping gloves and a cap for when it gets sunny. That’s about it really.

Maybe carrying a tiny bottle of booze in the bag is the start of a series of accessories for the goalkeeping clutch. Whatever can we expect next? A goalie branded hanky, perhaps? Maybe a set of business cards with the job title “guardian of the goal” underneath to hand out during corners. Or some sort of alarm for when the big opposition striker penetrates the ‘keepers defence and enters his box...

Either way, I’ve found my blend. This shall become the staple bottling in my household, at least for display purposes, and if not for my house, then for my goalie bag.

All this brings me on to a whisky which has been out for a while, yet I have only just encountered in the last few weeks, the Dalmore 1263 King Alexander III.

The name, like all good whisky monikers is of course steeped in tradition and history. King Alexander III was saved from certain death from an attack by a vicious stag, by a member of the clan Mackenzie. As a result, the monarch granted the clan the 12 point royal stag emblem which can be found on every bottle of Dalmore. The scene was depicted in a painting called ‘Fury of the Stag’ by Benjamin West, a print of which was included in a limited edition bottling from last year, our review of which you can read here.

So that’s the name sorted. Not quite Goal Keeper whisky, but there you go... But what about the important bit, the juice inside the bottle? Well, this whisky is a real feat of blending, as it brings together whiskies from six different types of casks. You heard correctly, SIX. In the bottle you’ll find Scotch matured in Bourbon casks, Port pipes, Marsala barrels, Sherry butts and Madeira drums as well as a portion of whisky matured in French wine casks.

Phew!

That’s quite an effort in one bottle. But does this massive mega-mix work? Will it be a case of Too Many DJ’s or Jive Bunny?

Dalmore - 1263 King Alexander III – NAS – 40% abv

Nose: the nose gives notes of orange blossom, some hard toffee fresh from the fridge, a little spiced marmalade. Then a big hit of sweet cure bacon fresh from the packet and finally a note I’ve not used before: ‘distillery warehouse’. By this I mean a mix of slightly damp earthen floor, but then that rich air full of a melange of maturing spirit. It’s inviting and pleasing.

Palate: the thick cut sweet cure bacon, possibly cured with maple syrup is the first thing that hits though. A heavy spirit with a good oiliness, this carries flavour well across the mouth. The meaty weighted tones drop as you hold it in the mouth to leave the sweetness of the maple syrup and then some orange dipped in dark chocolate. Slightly drying towards the end.

Finish: The drying nature continues in the palate on the finish like high coco chocolate powder (maybe Green and Blacks Dark Hot Chocolate Powder) a hint of coffee and dried apricots.

Overall: My cabinet contains an open bottle of the Gran Reserva, but this trumps that to the medal for the Dalmore I’d most like to drink. It’s not cheap at over £100 a bottle (over twice the price of the GR) but it is a complex and characterful whisky which I’d be proud to pour at home after dinner. A bit like my goalkeeping ‘skills’, this goes down a little too easily.

Having now looked around to find any other amusingly named whisky products which may reflect the man that I am, I’m pleased to report that this next Dalmore, discovered on the same website as the Goal Keeper whisky, in no way reflects any aspect of my person:

Having had one great mix with the Dalmore, let's leave you with our favourite mix of the year so far:

The Nudes At Ten

You really have to have your cultural barometer adjusted when travelling abroad. On my recent trip to the South of France, I took some time out to find some nice beaches dotted along the coastline.

Many stretches of beach in the main towns and cities feature municipal areas at their extremes, with the sections in between often privately owned by the huge sea-front hotels. These feature bars or restaurants which seamlessly bleed into sun loungers, the Mediterranean Sea lapping at the golden sand just a few yards in front of that. Signs along the promenade inform visitors of what awaits on each part of the beach.

One afternoon, I decided to hit the sand with a bunch of samples I had siphoned off back in England to 5cl bottles. I packed my bag and headed off to find a beach appropriate to the samples I had with me and the dram of the day, the whisky I’d chosen to sip in the sun, was The Naked Grouse. This, therefore could mean only one thing. I must find a nudist beach to really put this dram in to context. A quick look in my guide book tells me the loose translation which I should seek out is ‘a la plage nudiste’... so off I wander in the direction of the local beaches.

“Huzzah!” I cry as I find exactly what I’m looking for. Fortunately for me, I had found Plage de Tahiti near St.-Tropez. Apparently one of the best beaches in France for spotting celebrities topless, it was made famous with some rather revealing shots of Brigitte Bardot and now these celebrities were going to get to see me, sans vêtements. Those lucky, lucky people...

As I made my way down the steps towards the white sand my sack, full of liquid goodness, swinging in the midday heat, I felt proud to be a part of the local scene. As the sun’s rays pounded down on my sunburnt head, disaster struck. My bulging sack suddenly split open, revealing my miniatures to shocked onlookers. Children ran screaming to their parents, husbands shielded their wives eyes from the view and seagulls scattered as if Armageddon had arrived.

Embarrassed, I scrabbled around in the sand to recover my smalls, dusting off the sand with a cotton handkerchief and cupping them in my palm for safe-keeping. Trying to front out the situation, I maintained my British dignity, found my stiff-upper-lip and strode off toward a slightly sheltered area of sand. With a combination of sunburn and embarrassment, my head was as redder than Ron Jeremy’s after a hard day in the office. Settling down, I cleaned off my sample of The Naked Grouse and poured it in to my glass which had survived the ordeal.

The Naked Grouse - Blended Scotch Whisky - 40%

Nose: There's no mistaking the huge sherry influence here- slightly rubbery, but moist raisins, plump damsons and a dusting of all-spice hit the nose first, followed by candied citrus peel, Glace cherries, fresh green apple peel, cinnamon bark and cola syrup. Bold and hugely impressive.

Palate: Sweet dried fruits, lead into rich buttery malt, with bonfire toffee notes, dark licorice sticks, cinnamon buns, sweetened Arabica coffee and barley sugar. Superbly balanced.

Finish: The spiced notes linger, fading into a tangy apple peel note and more of the licorice.

Overall: If you like your blends big, bold and jam-packed full of moist, juicy flavour, you need to get your lips around thi...

APOLOGIES, THE WRITER OF THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN DETAINED UNDER THE CRUDE AND BAWDY PUBLICATIONS ACT 1972. ORDER WILL BE RESUMED SHORTLY.

The (Pot) Still 'O The Morning

I love Indian Summers. Here we are a few days away from October and the sun is blasting through the the shutters at Caskstrength Cottage, my beaten up old writing desk bathed in a wonderfully warming glow as well as the promise of another excellent day ahead. It is 8.54am, I am about to review the first whisky of the day and I have finally managed to connect up my computer to a remarkable piece of technology called a Squeezebox.

(no, not this type)

this is more like it.

It effectively allows me to stream all my music to the stereo wirelessly from anywhere in the house, as well as access the impossibly large library of songs contained on Spotify. As much as it pains me to say it, there really is no point in ever visiting a mainstream record shop again. Thank you HMV, but your services are no longer required.

Having said that, if anything, it makes the experience of actually buying a record exciting again. There will always be gaps in your music collection that can't be fulfilled by online providers so with any luck, the independent retailer and second hand vinyl shops will thrive again- so long as people can be arsed to find them.

My first whisk(e)y of the day is also designed to fill a gap, this time in the cask strength Irish whiskey category. Off the top of my head I can think of very few standard release Irish whiskies, bottled at cask strength - Connemara... anything else? So the release of Red Breast 12 year old Cask Strength edition is something of a new venture, especially for Irish Distillers.

Glancing into my cabinet I can see a bottle of Red Breast 15 yo; an exceptional whiskey bottled at 46% but probably an unfair comparison point. As soon as we can grab a dram of the regular strength 12 yo, we'll bring you an addendum side-by-side tasting. But with the sun on my back and Beck's Sea Change seamlessly transported from my lap top to my stereo, it's time to dive in and see whether this dram will ultimately add to what promises to be an exceptional day.

Red Breast - 12 Years Old - Cask Strength Edition - 57.7% - Batch B1/11- 70cl

Nose: Wow, the additional strength spirit 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, desiccated coconut and a lingering creaminess, akin to dairy fudge. Very pleasant indeed.

Palate: For the first whisky of the day, pre 9am, this is certainly a mouthful! 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. Despite the power, this is a brilliantly developed dram, with the sweetness lingering on the palate, slowly unveiling layers of fruit, cream and on the very back, a little spice. A drop of water certainly broadens the softness out, but it doesn't really need it. One suspects that you're probably going to choose this to drink undiluted - otherwise you might as well get the 40% version.

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

Overall: A hugely welcome addition to the Red Breast family. As we've written on here before, along with Green Spot, Red Breast 12 year old is one of those solid, dependable Irish whiskies that oozes character, as well as class. Given the the higher abv, this bottling carries on the character, albeit with a bit more intensity.

For some bizarre reason, we've never actually reviewed the 15 yo on this site, so if the day carries on like this, i'll be cueing up another glass and probably writing off my planned morning gardening.

The Indian Summer, eh. Today, I think the phrase 'Irish Summer' is probably more appropriate.

***Addendum*** after checking the cabinet more throughly I realised a small bottle of regular strength Red Breast 12yo was hiding at the back. As a side-by-side the new Cask Strength release is clearly a more dynamic whiskey, with elegant top notes of fresh fruit and Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

On reducing the Cask Strength version down (to roughly 40% ) the difference is quite distinct, with the original exhibiting more butterscotch & soft toffee notes and the Cask Strength exploding with fruit above and beyond notes of soft caramel and vanilla. In short they are 2 very different whiskies. And we salute that.

Cornish Folly

Imagine the scene, some 25 years ago and the humble Japanese whisky salesman on their way up to Glasgow in search of a sale, in one of the many city pubs, bars and off-licences.

"What is it you're selling again?" asks a slightly bemused bar/shop manager.

"Japanese Whisky. We've been making this since 1923," retorts the salesman, in a confident, yet vaguely misplaced fashion.

"You're having a laugh aren't you," splutters the bar manager, mouth full of firey spirit. "Why the **** would we sell this?! You're in Scotland, the HOME of whisky, you crazy man!!"

So another failed sale, another disappointing trip back down the M74. But the salesman isn't beaten that easily. Given time, (ok, quite a lot) some incredible whisky making and a whole host of awards, the salesman confidently strides back into the same bar/shop, this time the manager buying up the car-load of stock for an eager audience to get stuck into.

And so it came to pass- World Whisky as a category was born. Today, Indian, Tasmanian, Welsh, Belgian, German, French, Taiwanese, Spanish, as well as a whole host of other world whiskies are beginning to stick out on the whisky drinker's radar, which is an exceptionally refreshing proposition. New ways to enjoy whisky are emerging from the Far East. Great whisky cocktails are becoming easier to make at home and as we mentioned recently, thanks to a world of sophisticated TV programmes (like Mad Men) drinking whisky is, to be frank, cool again.

All this brings us to England. The spiritual home of London dry gin, cask-conditioned ale, cider, mead and the mother of 'Booze Britannia', Pimm's No. 1 Cup.

We can now add whisky to the growing pantheon of English libations. Much has been made of the new(ish) whisky being produced over at Norfolk's St George's Distillery. Nearby, at the Adnams Brewery new spirit is currently maturing in a range of different casks with the North Cove Oak-Aged Vodka the first commercially available spirit of real interest.

So it is with avid interest that last week, news reached us concerning the release of the first Cornish whiskey in 300 years.

Hicks & Healey Cornish single malt whiskey (note the 'e') is a collaboration between the St Austell Brewery and Healey's Cornish Cyder Farm, famous for turning out the intriguingly titled Rattler Cider.

Matured for 7 years, using barley from South East Cornwall, the whiskey is double distilled in the small still owned by Healey's farm, which is also used to make cider brandy.

According to an article in the Daily Telegraph last Thursday whisky writer Jim Murray described the spirit as 'among the best debut bottlings of the last decade.' Further reading also revealed that the whiskey apparently has 'notes of spice, honey and barley, combined with delicate fruits and hints of cocoa and caramel before a late vanilla finish, which make it faultless and almost beautiful beyond words.'

Bloody hell. High praise indeed. Better try to grab a sample of this to try. Then we discover the price of this brand new 7 year-old wonder whiskey... £150 for a 50cl bottle.

Now we're really coughing up our breakfast. How the folk can a 7 year-old whisk(e)y be worth anywhere near this price?

So we head over to visit a friend, who had that very day contacted us eagerly with the news that he had been sent a small sample of the whiskey.

Here's our thoughts on the newest pretender to the English whisk(e)y throne. Buckle up.

Hicks & Healey - Cornish single malt whiskey - 7yo - matured in ex bourbon casks - Cask 29 - 61.3%

Nose: Very spirity on the first nosing, with pine notes, a waft of coconut, wine corks, a slightly musty note, followed by cider vinegar, cinnamon and apple pie. Given approximately 45 minutes in the glass with a dash of water, the whiskey begins to open up, becoming more pleasant- the spicy, fruity apple pie notes loosely resembling a recent (and pretty brilliant) SMWS bottling of 7yo Glen Grant we tried - ironically titled Mom's Apple Pie. Just not a patch on it.

Palate: HOT. Spirity, with some initial spiced notes evaporating on the tongue almost instantly. More cinnamon/clove and apple pie notes develop, but alongside these, an underlying thin, brittle and ultimately bitter mouthfeel dominates. Water unfortunately doesn't help.

Finish: Short, biting and vaguely fruity.

Overall: Extremely disappointing. Then you consider the price. This whisky costs £150 for a half litre. Absolutely ridiculous. And as for the 'among the best debut bottlings of the decade' and 'beautiful beyond words' ? Well, we'll let you draw your own conclusions concerning our thoughts here...

So rather like the chap we mentioned at the start of this post, we feel for the would-be English whisky salesman, as they head off with a boot-full of Albion's finest, precariously rattling around on the M74.

Time will indeed tell on whether the story will play out favourably like the successes we've witnessed with Japanese whisky. Unfortunately, this new Cornish whiskey does little to help the cause. The Jury is still out on how St George's whisky will continue to mature, but given the 'Chapters' currently available, there is a lot of promise. And so, to anyone from Adnams reading this...

Nice

One of the joys of living in London, is leaving. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fantastic city, crammed with culture, sport and beauty. But the pace of life here is fast. And hard.

If you ever join a gym, one of the first pieces of information you are told is that rest days are more important than your work-out sessions. The interim period when you are not putting your body under stress, is when it grows, when it develops; the benefits of which are seen in your next gym visit.

The same is true for the bear pit that is London. It isn’t until you leave that you realise how tired you are and, in returning, you feel the benefit of a well deserved break.

Last years break was a trip down to Cornwall. A true Staycation where I was able to sit with a glass of Port Ellen and enjoy the traditional British summertime weather... well, they do say that today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky... *sigh*

This year, I opted for an altogether more continental holiday. Sunshine was required in bucket-loads and I was not prepared to risk the wrath of a British Thor. A quick scout around on the ‘net at cheap flights showed up Nice as a go-to destination, especially once the school holidays were out of the way.

A prime destination with vineyards, lovely beaches, beautiful people and sunshine, this part of France seemed the polar opposite to riot-torn South London, so flights and hotels were duly booked and off I hopped for some r ‘n r.

But there was also a secondary reason for this chosen destination, the TFWA (Tax Free World Association) Expo 2011.

“What on earth is that?” I hear you cry...

Well, every year a large swathe of the luxury goods industry descended to the Cote d’Azur resort of Cannes, usually famed for its yachts and yearly film festival, for a business expo on Travel Retail (Duty Free to you and me). As Travel Retail is such an important market place for booze (one only has to look at the new whisky-specific area in Delhi airport, cunningly named Uisce Beatha, or the investment by BAA in Heathrow Terminal 5 to see how important Travel Retail is), not just for shifting large quantities of standard releases, but also for experimenting with new and unusual releases (see here, here and here for some Travel Retail goodies we’ve reviewed in the past) which, if taken to the hearts of the travelling public, may end up in an off licence near you soon, the industry feels it is good to showcase some of these products once a year, and the TFWA Expo provides the perfect platform to do this.

Travel Retail also provides an opportunity for the super-rich to buy products without paying quite so much tax on them, so if you can pick up a £100k bottle of whisky in an airport, you may (as crazy as this seem to humble people such as you or I) actually be landing yourself a pre-tax bargain. Take the fella who recently purchased a bottle of Dalmore 64 in Singapore airport for £125,000. That was without any duty on it. My main question is, did he leave it in the compartment above his seat, or underneath the seat in front of him during his flight? Either way, the miniature of Johnnie Walker Red Label he’d have had from the little trolley on the flight back is going to seem even more disappointing if you’ve just concluded that sort of transaction...

So, a beach holiday and the chance to try some exciting new whisky. Er, yes please...

After the obligatory time spent on various beaches across the South of France, doing my best impression of Ray Winstone’s excellent character Garry ‘Gal’ Dove from Sexy Beast (“It’s hot. It’s too ****ing hot.”), I popped over to Cannes for the TFWA to see what I could find and it turned out to be a tale of three, all Speyside, whiskies:

First up was the new Glenfiddich Travel Retail offering; a 19 Year Old matured in Bourbon Casks. This will expand their range in Travel Retail from just one of the Age of Discovery edition, to two (both at 19 Years Old). We reviewed the original here and this newer release should come out at the same price point (around £80) in early 2012 and is really quite delicious. No picture as yet, but it’s pretty much the same as the one reviewed in the previous piece, only with a royal blue box...

Glenfiddich – Explorer Bourbon Cask – 19 Years Old – Travel Retail Only - 40% ABV

Nose: Butterscotch, wisps of heather and honey with an over-riding maltiness. Very appealing.

Palate: Malt and hot buttered crumpets hits with a robust vanilla-wood flavour. There is no hiding which type of cask this has come from. It’s bourbon matured Scotch and doesn’t hide the fact, being very easy on the palate

Finish: Slight spices, medium in length.

Overall: A very pleasant dram which maybe lacks a little in personality, but will appeal to Travel Retail goers looking to gift the people they’re staying with, without offending them with a risk-taking choice.

Aside from trying this new 19 Year Old, another real treat at the William Grant stand, owners of Glenfiddich, was a display where one could nose all 25 whiskies that make up Grant's 25 Year Old Blended Scotch, really throwing the gauntlet down to other expensive, no age statement premium blends, effectively goading, “Come on, what are you hiding?!” to those (that?) brand. Currently a Duty Free exclusive, you’ll soon be able to buy the Grants 25 in a shop near you. If you have in excess of £100 to do so, that is.

Another new Travel Retail exclusive release comes from across the way in Speyside, courtesy of The Glenlivet and their new Masters Distillers Reserve. A celebration of the fact that The Glenlivet has only ever had three Master Distillers, this release has been specially created Alan Winchester, the current incumbent of the role (and one of the nicest people in the drinks business, we kid you not).

This release is a three wood maturation process of European Oak butts, first-fill American hogsheads and finally re-fill hoggies and comes at the bargain price of £34.99...

The Glenlivet – Master Distillers Reserve – NAS – 40% ABV – 1 ltr

Nose: Rich tones with old oak, some tobacco (sweet cigarette, not cigar), a hint of plum jam and some wet, fallen leaves. Strong and robust on the nose.

Palate: A bigger palate than expected from a 40% abv, no age statement product. This gives off an excellently robust palate with the same flavours from the nose translated to the tongue, with an increased nutty nature appearing over time.

Finish: Additional spices add to a long and lingering finish which coats the mouth with a lovely oily, but slightly drying sense.

Overall: There should be no surprise that this whisky sold 581 bottles on its first day of release in Heathrow Airport. And it should be no surprise that I bought a bottle on my way through Heathrow, either. I don’t think I need to say much more than that...

And so we come to the final expression tried on my break away from the UK. Well... actually, that’s a lie. There are two expressions from the final distillery I’m going to cover. One is a true Travel Retail Only expression. The other, well, isn’t. In fact, the other whisky is one of those over-the-top, mentalist ideas of a whisky which I’ll certainly never be able to afford and really didn’t want to review on here. Why? Because at $20,000 a bottle, I won’t ever be able to afford it and I can’t imagine that (no offence to any of our readers out there) none of you will be able to either. But there is a reason why I have chosen to cover it. And that will become apparent in moment. But first, something a little more affordable and only available at an airport near you, for £69.99:

The Macallan – Whisky Makers Edition – NAS – 42.8% ABV – 1 ltr

Note: A 42.8% abv Macallan... it’s already very strange!

Nose: As you would expect from a Macallan, this is a rich and sweet nose with hints of toffee popcorn, over ripe strawberry and some subtle coffee tones. Not majorly exiting, but certainly inviting.

Palate: Full of flavour, the balance is good with vanilla and sweet red berry flavours mixing well in the mouth. It’s a little flat, but as you give it time it comes to life with some notes of forest fruits and, oddly, twigs (but in a nice way).

Finish: The finish gives a lingering oak tone with some liquorice and fruits of the forest gateaux.

Overall: Yeah, it’s good. Like a Coldplay album track, you kinda know what you’re gonna get with a Macallan at this price. It’ll be downed in places like France and Spain like water...

And finally... The Macallan have a new release out. It isn’t strictly available in Duty Free only, but it seemed that Cannes was the place to launch it. Well, people there own yachts, don’t they. They’ve got oodles of money.

This is another Lalique decanter, this time containing Macallan distilled on the 9^th and 10^th of November 1950. So that’d make it 60 years old, then. Just 400 bottles of this whisky have been released.

Previously in these pages, we’ve questioned the integrity of very high end whisky. And while this still isn’t reaching the heights of a £125,000 Dalmore or the $460,000 that someone paid last year at auction for a Macallan 64 Year Old Cire Perdue, it’s still a little more than, well, anyone I know would be willing to spend on one bottle of the water of life.

But aside from the perceived value of this bottle, with the age of the whisky (hummm... it’s funny how older whisky is more expensive, when it was actually cheaper to make back then- cheaper running costs of the distilleries, cheaper fuel, cheaper wheat, no legal dept or HR dept to fund... hell, they should be giving this stuff away! If only...) and the limited release, we should take our eyes off the price and focus on the product in side. How does the liquid actually taste?

The Macallan – 60 Years Old – ‘in Lalique’ – 53.2%

Nose: Now here is something a bit odd and certainly something I wasn’t expecting. A smoky Macallan. I’m not talking Laphroaig smoke here, but subtle wafts of smoke which David Cox, Director of Fine & Rare Whiskies for The Macallan (what a job!) says is due to the malting process of these older Macallans having some peat smoke used in the drying process. Makes sense. But it really isn’t what I expected at all. Once over the shock of delicate peat smoke, this has rich hazelnut, cocktail cherries, strawberry jam, the red / purple boiled sweets that your granddad used to give you as a child. Then red apple appears and the peat smoke resumes at the death of the nose.

Palate: A huge flavour, this is more akin to a liqueur than a whisky. Giant red fruit tones assault the palate with very heavy oak, but also with a sweetness. A real sweetness which seems to come out of nowhere and balance out the dryness of the aging in wood, perfectly.

Finish: Long, sweet lapsang souchong tea (neat, no milk), cherry jam and then the subtle smoke flavours which kick in.

Overall: I’m honestly speechless over this whisky. At the risk of eulogising, it is the best whisky I’ve ever had. There, I’ve said it. Shoot me. Please, please, please just stick this in a normal glass bottle, don’t tell anyone about it and whack it out at £50 a bottle. Please. I’ll take a case. No, two cases. At this stage I’m willing to eat my hat. This whisky is simply stunning. It’s like every whisky in Scotland in one simple dram: enough smoke to understand what flavours that brings to whisky, enough oaky dryness to show the effect of cask aging, but total balance with additional sweetness, which come out of nowhere. And a finish of delicate smoke but rich red fruits... I’m gonna stop here, as my thoughts on this could be an essay in their own right. In summary: Nice (gettit. Nice? Nice. Oh, you lot...)

With just a short period of time left on my Southern France adventure, it was time to forget the suntan lotion, hit the beach and come back with a tan that screamed at fellow tube commuters “Look! I’ve been away somewhere hot!”.

As the miniatures trolley made its way down the isle of the Airbus A320, there was only one drink that could press my ‘reset’ button, so as the plane made its way across Central France back to busy old London, I was sipping a G&T and dreaming of a lottery win before The Macallan 60 sells out...