Month: April 2018

Whisky #527: Nomad Outland Blended Whisky

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Nomad Outland Blended Whisky. Scotland/Spain. ABV: 41.3%. Tasted at Balcon by Tapavino, $13.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition…and not many people expect a Spanish whisky. Or is it a Spanish whisky? Let’s find out!

Colour: Topaz.

Nose: Light; caramel melting on the stovetop.

Palate: Moscatels, quince paste, blueberries. Dry and short on the palate.

Finish: Dry with a sultana & chocolate orange finish.

Comments: So it’s not a Scottish whisky as it was not fully matured in Scotland. It wasn’t distilled in Spain, so you couldn’t really call it a Spanish whisky either. So what the hell is it?!

The marketing blurb tells us it is a blend of over 30 different malt and grain whiskies from Scottish distilleries in the Speyside and Highlands regions. The blend was matured in Scotland in sherry casks for 3 years – so far nothing extraordinary. However it was then transported to Jerez in Spain where it was “finished” in fresh Pedro Ximinez casks. Different casks, but also a vastly different climate which will affect the way in which the whisky matured and “breathes” through the cask.

Verdict? It’s a pleasant enough curiosity without reaching any great heights.

It’s encouraging to see producers pushing the envelope in terms of established norms. It’s not claiming to be a Scottish whisky (and would be in breach of Scottish Whisky Regulations if they tried to label, package or advertise it as such). But it’s not really a Spanish whisky either. Let’s just call it “whisky” and get on with enjoying it.

Wagyu & Whisky…Whisky #526: Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Wagyu & Whisky…Whisky #526: Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

A chilled out Sunday, a juicy wagyu striploin sitting in the fridge and a new bottle of whisky on the shelf. Time to get creative and whip up something delicious…waygu with a whisky and mushroom sauce.

I decided to use some wild mushrooms soaked in Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt, along with some fresh mushrooms, onion, garlic, butter, beef stock, double cream and some thyme. Just before serving, a splash of balsamic was added to sweeten up the mushroom sauce a little, as the intensity of the wild mushrooms and whisky had made it a little sharp.

Whisky #526: Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey. Ireland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $135 (bottle).

Colour: Golden toffee.

Nose: Fresh, sweet, floral and a bit damp. Like snapping a stem of a flower that’s been in a vase of water.

Palate: The earthiness of the mushrooms seems to make the sweeter floral notes of the whisky just “pop”. Tasting the whisky after dinner allowed time for my palate to recover from the bombardment of creamy fats from the sauce and the wagyu, letting floral and apricot danish notes come to the fore.

Finish: Juicy pineapple jubes and the fizziness of passionfruit mineral water. Zesty oak notes too.

Comments: It’s not until I finish eating that my palate can really come to grips with the whisky. It’s been nice, but the whisky was overshadowed by the richness of the wagyu and mushrooms. In fact, soaking the wild mushrooms in whisky seemed to have made their flavour more intense. My intent was to cook something that would complement the whisky; but the result tonight was that the whisky served to enhance the food. Wagyu and whisk(e)y are each fantastic in their own right, but together it feels like they’re both fighting for the attention of your tastebuds.

Whisky #525: Bowmore Straight From The Cask 2002 Signatory Vintage 12 Year Old Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Bowmore Straight From The Cask 2002 Signatory Vintage 12 Year Old Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 57.4%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $225 (500mL bottle).

Straight from a single cask of Bowmore whisky distilled on 2nd October 2002 and bottled 12 years later on 25th August 2015. Matured in an ex Sherry cask, it yielded an outturn of only 342 bottles at a natural cask strength of 57.4% ABV.

Colour: Bright golden caramel.

Nose: Golden syrup and soft sultanas, soft oak and a gentle dustiness and light smoke. My trusted whisky tasting lieutenant Kiwi also picked up hazelnuts.

Palate: Rich flavours of sticky date pudding, smokey treacle, raisins and dried cranberries.

Finish: Smoky; salted liquorice and oak, with a long salty fade.

Comments: Sometimes you feel like lashing out on a special whisky to commemorate a special event or to reflect on something significant in your life. Today was Day 1 of a big promotion at work, an opportunity to take a step up to an exciting new role. This Bowmore Straight From The Cask was the bottle I chose to mark the occasion.

This is the whisky you reach for when you’re in a reflective mood. When you’re deep in thought about something important in your life and you just lean back to have a quiet moment to reflect. The celebration of a significant accomplishment; the anguish of disappointing someone you love – or anything on the spectrum in between.

And when reach to take another sip and your thoughts drift back to the whisky at hand, you realise there’s so much to appreciate in this drop. This is a real thinker’s whisky.

Whisky #524: Ardmore Legacy Lightly Peated Single Malt

1 Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Ardmore Legacy Lightly Peated Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40%. $13 (50mL bottle).

When the new girls at sailing insist on pouring your whisky…

Colour: Bright gold.

Nose: Fresh lemons, straw and some peat. The smokiness quickly fades with some time in the glass, leaving sweet lemon notes.

Palate: Cool smoke, not as intense as the nose suggested. Creamy, yet thin on the palate.

Finish: Smokey charcoal, liquorice and lemon meringue. Medium length, with the smokiness the last to fade.

Comments: After a day sailing on Sydney Harbour with good friends old and new, a whisky was in order. The Ardmore Legacy was light and delicate, but ultimately not as approachable as the two delightful ladies who came sailing with us and generously offered to pour the whisky.