Month: April 2016

Whisky #407: Glenfarclas 30 Year Old Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

img_6710.jpgGlenfarclas 30 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at home, $70 (100mL bottle split from Copper & Oak in Perth).

Thought I’d review the Glenfarclas 30 in honour of my old mate Peakey who is soon to be married. Given we’ve known each other for almost 30 years and he’s known to say “thirty” more like “firrrrty”, I thought it appropriate to bust out the Glenfarclas 30 Year Old. Here’s to you Peakey, wishing you & Roxy a happy future together mate!

Colour: Deep copper.

Nose: A smooth, sweet nose – dried fruits and toffee. Honey on hot buttered toast. Sweet lemon sherbet. Every time I take a new sniff it reveals different flavours.  Amazing.

Palate: A smooth entry; an oily mouthfeel with flavours that slowly build. The initial mouthful surprises – maybe a burst of blueberries and syrupy charcoal. That might sound a little weird, but it’s actually great. Subsequent mouthfuls have a velvety sweetness with a bold undertone, like some bush honey.

Finish: Buttery toffee, grassy cheesy notes – think honey smothered on grilled haloumi cheese with some fresh herbs. It’s a medium to long finish, such a gradual fade of flavours.

Comments: I really wanted to review this whisky very tongue in cheek, making subtle references to all the crazy “fings” all our mates have gotten up to with Peakey over the past “firrrrty” years or so. But when it came down to it, this is a fantastic whisky that makes you feel relaxed and comfortable, one that could be enjoyed in any situation – a damn fine companion to have by your side for a great night full of good times.

Much like our mate Peakey really.

Whisky #406: Balcones Brimstone Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Corn Whiskey

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Balcones Brimstone Texas ScrubBalcones Brimstone Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Corn Whiskey (batch BRM14.4). Waco, Texas, United States. ABV: 53%. Tasted at home, $165 (bottle).

A Texas whiskey review in honour of my Texan friend Casey who once worked in Sydney at my local, The Point Hotel. Your Pyrmont Point family miss you Slats, come back for a visit already!

Colour: A deep flame.

Nose: Fresh sweet smoke, like you’ve placed some wet green branches on a campfire. With time in the glass there’s hints of molasses, leather and char-grilled meat too.

Palate: Bam! The smokiness really kicks you in the teeth. After the initial hit, there’s a taste of black jelly beans, treacle and slow cooked pork ribs. Maybe I feel like some ribs tonight…

Finish: The flavours hang around longer than that weird guy at a music festival who crashes your campsite on the first night and is still wanting to party with you two days later. Stop dancing around the campfire buddy, it’s time to go home! There’s a gentle heat that tingles on the tongue and front half of the mouth, like you’ve eaten a fresh yet somewhat sweet chilli. Some subtle smoked trout and salted caramel flavours in the fade.

Comments: This was another one of the whiskies from my “Rebuilding a Whisky Collection – The $1000 Challenge” a little while back. It is incredibly smokey, but not peaty like many Scottish Islay malts for example. In fact it’s a very unusual wood smoked whiskey made using sun-baked Texas scrub oak. I chose it as it promised to be a unique drop whilst also ticking the American and smokey whisk(e)y boxes for my challenge.

I loved the Balcones True Blue 100 Proof Corn Whisky, however their Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Corn Whiskey couldn’t quite live up to those lofty expectations. There’s some savoury and sweet subtleties on show here, but these are overshadowed by the smokiness. Time in the glass reveals some more aromas and allows the palate to get accustomed to the whiskey, but if the smokiness was able to be dialled back a notch or two this would be a really good drop. A very unique and interesting proposition nonetheless.

Whisky #405: Suntory Crest 12 Year Old Blended Whisky

2 Comments
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

img_6570.jpgSuntory Crest 12 Year Old Blended Whisky. Osaka, Japan. ABV: 43%. Tasted at Tokyo Bird, $22.

Colour: My good mate Damo (his dram with the ball of ice) described it as topaz. When asked if he would say a lustrous, sparkling topaz, his response was “Only if you blow bubbles in it.”

Nose: Buttery; caramelised figs, some creamy sherry notes. Very soft and velvety.

Palate: Burnt caramel, quite meaty. Savoury almost but counterbalanced with sweetness, like caramelised onions cooked on the BBQ with balsamic. Smooth entry, medium bodied.

Finish: A drying finish with gentle spice and cinnamon sugar; a long, slow gradual fade.

Comments: It’s Suntory time, and I like it! A lot more depth of character than other blends, particularly some Japanese blends. I’d be keen to get my hands on a bottle of this to add to the collection. It was my first time checking out Tokyo Bird in Surry Hills, very impressed with their range of Japanese whisky.

I’ll leave you with this gem, a Suntory Crest ad from 1992. If a whisky gets Sean Connery’s tick of approval, it must be decent…or perhaps the marketing budget had deep pockets. He doesn’t say a word, just a cock of the left eyebrow and a knowing head nod to your Doberman are all that’s required to indicate your enjoyment apparently. Gold.