Whisky #566: 2006 Berry Bros. & Rudd Girvan 11 Year Old Cask Strength Single Grain Whisky

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2006 Berry Bros. & Rudd Girvan 11 Year Old Cask Strength Single Grain Whisky. ABV: 56.6%. Lowlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $152 (bottle).

Well. This coronavirus fuckery has really disrupted life as we know it. Jobs and lives have been lost; as has a sense of purpose and structure of what we each previously knew as “normal”.

Whisky a Day has taken a recent hiatus to deal with some momentous personal events. Apologies.

For many during this time, whisky has been a rock and go-to as we seek to unwind and drift off and forget about things for a moment. I hope you’re all holding up ok through the corona chaos.

But enough of this heavy stuff, let’s bring some positivity back. Bring on the whisky!

Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Whoa, a puff of smoke surprises. Most grain whiskies are silky and rarely smokey; this is certainly a different beast. Some faint biscuity notes too.

Palate: Dark chocolate with a super high cocoa percentage. It’s dusty and slightly bitter – like biting into a square of Lindt 90% Dark Chocolate. After you’ve had a shot of strong espresso. A smokey warmth and tingle on the front of the tongue, with creamier notes at the back of the palate.

Finish: Earthy notes and salty overcooked vegetables in the fade – think cabbages, leeks and roasted onion.

Comments: This Berry Bros. & Rudd Girvan was finished in an ex Laphroaig ex bourbon cask. This is not a peated whisky, but the dominance of the cask has really imparted soft smokey notes right through the nose, palate and finish.

Lowland whiskies, and many grain whiskies, are rarely peated…so it’s a whisky that certainly aims to surprise. It’s different – perhaps it could be a gateway whisky for those who are taking their first tentative steps into the whisky realm of smoke and peat? Ultimately for me though it’s not overly fulfilling, but I can see why others may get more enthused.

Whisky #565: Just Derek…Single Cask Independent Bottling from Craft Works Distillery

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Just Derek…Single Cask Independent Bottling from Craft Works Distillery (bottle 047 of 155). ABV: 65.8%. New South Wales, Australia. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $220 (500mL bottle).

Happy Australia Day! It’s only appropriate that we continue our Whisky a Day Bottle Kill Week by chucking another shrimp on the barbie (hint: we never say that) and polishing off another bottle of booze (hint: Aussies have definitely been known to say that).

Tonight, we polish off a special whisky. It’s called Just Derek…and it’s the very first release from Craft Works Distillery. Hand produced by Craig “Crafty” Field, Craft Works is a small artisan whisky distillery based up in the Blue Mountains a few hours west of Sydney. From a single cask, we’re finishing off one of only 155 bottles that were made. 

Colour: Deep luscious caramel.

Nose: Sweets in a workshop. Fresh liquorice, brown sugar and melted butter that’s just started to separate in the saucepan. Along with old leather and the smell of walking through a mechanic’s workshop where the smells of old engines abound. 

Palate: It’s a contemplative dram, there’s so much going on here flavour-wise.  Chinese BBQ pork, caramelised pork hock, crème brûlée, salted caramel, just a hint of sweet smoke. Very “food driven”…or maybe I’m just hungry? Either way, it’s delicious juice.

A long warm tingle buzzing the front of the tongue, reminding you that as a whisky with an ABV of 65.8% (in that most Aussie of phrases)…it’s not here to f*^# spiders.

Finish: A soft, sweet crème caramel flavour coats the mouth, and a slight saltiness as you lick your lips.

Comments: This is definitely a drop that benefits from time in the glass, as well as some time after first opening the bottle. It was a little sharp when I first cracked open the bottle last year, but it has softened slightly and was absolutely fantastic to drink right now.

As for the unusual name “Just Derek…”? You can read more about Crafty’s touching backstory and tribute to his late mate Derek here. 

A small craft producer in all senses, this is one to look out for. If Just Derek is the starting point, then with Crafty’s infectious passion and humble desire to keep striving to be better and better every step of the way, Craft Works Distillery has a bright future indeed.

Whisky #564: The Arran Sauternes Cask Finish Single Malt

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The Arran Sauternes Cask Finish Single Malt. ABV: 50%. Isle of Arran, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $100 (bottle).

Stop the deadly spread of Coronavirus…don’t drink Corona, drink whisky instead! And tonight it’s an absolute banger, an Arran malt finished in ex Sauternes casks.

Bottle kill week continues unabated here at Whisky a Day, there has been much whisky spilt. Time to quarantine another bottle.

Colour: Rich shiny gold.

Nose: There’s some dry cocoa or hot chocolate dustiness that lays over the usual Arran house style of tropical fruits. Smoked caramel on hot banana bread.

Palate: Toasted malt, dried mandarin peel and a salty/sweet balance that is like sucking on an orange Fruit Tingle lolly.

Finish: A long warm tingle on the front of the tongue and lips. The sweet tanginess of boiled lemon sherbet sweets lingers long.

Comments: It’s Arran, but not as you know it. Arran are one of my favourite distilleries as long time followers may recall, but this is a different yet still comfortable beast. A fantastic drop.

Whisky #563: Teeling Revival 15 Year Old Irish Single Malt

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Teeling Revival 15 Year Old Irish Single Malt (Vol. IV). ABV: 46%. Dublin, Ireland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $170 (bottle).

Victim #4 of bottle kill week here at Whisky a Day…tonight we’re heading across to Ireland to finish off the last drops of the Teeling Revival 15 Year Old Irish Single Malt.

Colour: Shimmering gold.

Nose: Fruity and a faint hint of sawdust or freshly snapped branches off a tree. Like taking the cardboard lid off a fresh tray of mangoes.

Palate: Fresh white toast with honey and lots of butter. Creamy, cool mouthfeel with a syrupy coating of the tongue. Fruit salad with lots of passionfruit.

Finish: Dark chocolate and pineapple chunks, but it’s very soft and subtle. Medium length, fades to a taste like sucking on the stick of a banana Paddle Pop – woody but with a fading fruity sweetness. 

Comments: This Teeling Revival 15 Year Old had its initial maturation in ex bourbon barrels, then jumped into some Muscat barrels to finish for over 12 months. It’s all tropical fruits and cream, absolutely delightful and dangerously easy to drink. 

The first 95% of this bottle disappeared rather quickly…the final 5% I hung onto in a vain attempt to stretch out the enjoyment. A pointless exercise; enjoy whisky in the moment and if it runs out…buy another one!

Whisky #562: Edradour Straight From The Cask 10 Year Old Single Malt

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Edradour Straight From The Cask 10 Year Old Single Malt (Cask #160). ABV: 57.7%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $143 (500mL bottle).

The carnage continues during Whisky a Day bottle kill week, tonight it’s a cask strength Edradour that bites the dust!

Colour: Deep amber.

Nose: A slight prickle, sweetness and zing initially, like opening a packet of ground cinnamon. Slightly overripe strawberries and raspberries too.

Palate: Like biting into your grandma’s Christmas cake – glacé cherries, dried sultanas and raisins, rich and moist spongecake…delicious.

Finish: Sweet then a fade to a drying saltiness. The sherry tannins come through as the finish dries.

Comments: It’s a rich, robust and full mouthfeel, but without being too overpowering. It drinks a lot softer than you might expect for a 57.7%ABV cask strength whisky.

Drinking this is like having Christmas all year round. Fantastic balance for a cask strength whisky and a wall of flavour that sits perfectly on the palate. Outstanding.

Whisky #561: 2009 Inchmurrin Manzanilla Finish Single Cask Single Malt

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2009 Inchmurrin Manzanilla Finish Single Cask Single Malt. ABV: 46%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $110 (bottle).

Bottle kill week continues here at Whisky a Day, all bottles must go!

Colour: Dull brass.

Nose: Worn leather. Creme brûlée and freshly baked muffins that are just slightly overcooked and are a few too many shades of brown, but you rip off that warm muffin top and…clearly I’m hungry and have a sudden hankering for muffins!

Palate: Blackcurrant Soothers lollies initially, but minus the menthol. Then the dominant flavours come forward: brown sugar, salted caramel and dried muscatels.

Finish: Slightly sour initially then it gives way to a salty sweetness.

Comments: A real “food” whisky, in that it evokes lots of food flavour memories. A cracking dram, shame it’s all finished now!

Whisky #560: North Star Glentauchers 11 Year Old Single Malt

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North Star Glentauchers 11 Year Old Single Malt. ABV: 58.9%. Speyside, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $167 (bottle).

It’s bottle kill week here at Whisky a Day! Do you find yourself hanging on to the last dram or two in a bottle you’ve really enjoyed, trying to stretch out the enjoyment? It’s a trap I sometimes fall into, though maybe there’s also an element of opening a bunch of new shinier whiskies and some bottles get a little lonely and forgotten at the back of the whisky shelf. 

With an impending move to a new house, it’s time to do some spring cleaning and polish off those pesky bottles with only a drop or two left. I’ll be killing off a different bottle every night this week!

Colour: Candlelight.

Nose: Soft hay, vanilla sponge cake and freshly cut juicy oranges. Though I’ve left this one on the shelf a little too long, the nose has started to lose some intensity compared to how I remember when I first cracked the bottle.

Palate: Toastier than a marshmallow. Honey on buttered toast, malty, roasted almonds.

Finish: A drying new oak finish with a slightly tannic aftertaste.

Comments: Bottled in 2018 and from a cask that yielded only 288 bottles, this North Star Glentauchers was from Series 005 of North Star’s stable of increasingly impressive releases. A good dram, but one in hindsight I’d finished off a little earlier rather than leaving it around on the shelf.

Whisky #559: SMWS 68.18 Triple berry Lamington cake

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SMWS 68.18 Triple berry Lamington cake. 7 year old single cask, cask strength SMWS exclusive bottling of Blair Athol Distillery for Whisky & Alement, Melbourne. ABV: 58.3%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $169 (bottle).

After an extended break, Whisky a Day is back! Life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes…new job, new apartment, trying to buy a new house, new girlfriend, competing in powerlifting and sailing events…it’s been a busy time recently! But whisky got me through 😉 

Let’s get back into the swing of things with a stunning whisky from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), one that was an exclusive bottling for one of Australia’s top whisky bars, Whisky & Alement in Melbourne.

Colour: Pinkish bronze.

Nose: Sweet and savoury all at once…fresh muffins and cakes baking in the oven, followed by a balsamic glaze drizzled over roasted beef. And then the heat and smell of walking into a woodwork shop – sawdust and wood shavings.

Palate: It really is jammy; tart raspberry at first, then it softens and sweetens into more of a strawberry jam on buttered white toast.

Finish: Long satisfying goosebumps on the tip of your tongue, like you’ve just kissed someone for the first time that you’ve fancied for a long time.

Comments: Maybe I’m just hungry, but this one is very food-like. I deliberately did not look at the SMWS tasting notes for this one, but the name made it hard not to let your mind be drawn to food. Lamingtons and jam are most definitely in liquid form here, a stunning drop.

Whisky #558: Loch Lomond 18 Year Old Single Malt

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Loch Lomond 18 Year Old Single Malt. ABV: 46%. Highlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $99 (bottle).

Colour: Deep gold.

Nose: Like Ron Burgundy’s office – full of leather-bound books and rich mahogany.

Palate: Soft smokiness, with some juicy blueberry, salty notes and a hint of caramel.

Finish: Smoky umami meatiness, with a caramelised onion glaze.

Comments: In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, 60% of the time it works every time. Exceedingly easy to sip as a pre and/or post dinner dram. A fantastic all-rounder that would appeal to most palates.

Whisky #557: Bladnoch Samsara Single Malt

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Bladnoch Samsara Single Malt. ABV: 46.7%. Lowlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $98 (bottle).

Aaaaand we’re back! After a bit of a break, Whisky a Day is back and kicking the feet up this Friday afternoon with a delicious Bladnoch Samsara to start the weekend.

Colour: Polished gold.

Nose: Creamy; fresh baked lemon cakes or pastries, like you’ve just walked into a patisserie.

Palate: Honey, lavender and bubblegum. Soft oak and a touch of pepper.

Finish: Sweetness of stewed strawberries and raspberry-flavoured boiled lollies; balanced out by a savouriness of oak, juicy beef jerky and a hint of leather.

Comments: A beautifully balanced dram; a perfect opener for the weekend and/or an evening of making a serious dent into the whisky collection.

Whisky #556: SMWS 93.92 Fruit Pie in a Cleaning Cupboard

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SMWS 93.92 Fruit Pie in a Cleaning Cupboard. 12 year old single cask, cask strength SMWS bottling from Glen Scotia Distillery. Campbeltown, Scotland. ABV: 57.7%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $195 (bottle).

Colour: Polished gold.

Nose: Hessian sacks, sea salt and that smell of snapping half dead twigs from a tree.

Palate: Salty flavours front the band here, ably supported by backup singers creme brûlée, overcooked toast, dark chocolate and espresso crema.

Finish: Like a salted Werther’s Original caramel candy. I don’t even think Werther’s make a salted caramel candy, but if they did this would be what it tasted like as the last piece melts on your tongue.

Comments: I’ve never tasted a fruit pie in a cleaning cupboard, but if I had I would have expected something sweeter on the palate along with a more pungent ammonia-like hit on the nose. This dram has neither of those things, which is absolutely fine with me.

Whisky #555: Mackmyra 10 Year Old Swedish Single Malt

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Mackmyra 10 Year Old Swedish Single Malt. Valbo, Sweden. ABV: 46.1%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ.

My good mate Andy donated this dram and asked me to kill the bottle for him. He’s a huge fan of Mackmyra, in no small part due to his lovely wife Amanda also being from Sweden and a few bottles seem to make their way into his luggage after each trip back to visit the family. Andy & Amanda recently welcomed their first bub into the world, so it is only fitting that I raise a glass to toast their own expanded family!

Colour: Deep gold.

Nose: Pine needles and fresh dew in the morning as you walk through a forest. Time in the glass revealed some richer malt and buttery notes.

Palate: Hay-like herbaceous flavours, a peppery zing and a cool lemon tanginess that coats the mouth.

Finish: Drying, fresh oak and a salt & pepper tingle on that lingers on the front of the palate, but softly.

Comments: Simple, crisp clean lines and an elegant minimalist touch. No, that’s not the description from an IKEA catalogue or a Scandinavian architecture magazine, but it’s an equally apt description of this Mackmyra 10 Year Old. Those Swedes sure know how to craft something special, yet understated.

Whisky #554: GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 7 Single Malt

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GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 7 Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 57.9%. Tasted at Whisky a Dy HQ, $134 (bottle).

After a brief hiatus, it’s time we got back into some serious whisky tasting. And what better way to kick in the front door on your tastebuds than with a GlenDronach Cask Strength Single Malt!

Colour: Deep fried golden batter.

Nose: Sweet strawberries and cream. Like ripping open a fresh bag of the lollies, not the fresh stuff.

Palate: Like some warm salted caramel sauce that oozes across your tastebuds and then down your throat to warm your chest. A touch of oak and spices – think soft flavours of cloves, cinnamon & black pepper overlaid the caramel notes.

Finish: Brown sugar and a spicy tingle on the front half of the tongue that lingers tantalisingly long after the flavours fade away.

Comments: The perfect dram for a cold winter’s afternoon.

Whisky #553: Blend 285 Thai Whisky

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FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby featherBlend 285 Thai Whisky. Bangkok, Thailand. ABV: 35%. Tasted poolside at the Hyatt Regency Phuket, ฿140 (approx. $6.25AUD) from a 7-Eleven for a 345mL bottle.

Whisky a Day is on tour in Thailand for a short holiday, so it behooves me to try some of the local whisky. There isn’t much of a selection of genuine whisky, with many of the spirits being marketed as Thai “whisky” originating from molasses rather than grain (making them more like spiced rums).

Blend 285 Thai Whisky though is from the Red Bull Distillery (1988) Co., Ltd in Bangkok. It claims to be made through some “traditional blended Scotch whisky process”…presumably right up to the point where they’ve used spirit from outside of Scotland! According to their website, Blend 285 is a blend of malt whiskies from Scotland and “grain spirits”…origin unknown, but presumably distilled and/or bottled at the Red Bull Distillery here in Thailand. Another website described the blend also having “quality neutral spirits”.

Hmmm, initial impressions are not overly positive, but let’s not judge a leopard by its spotted cover. Brace yourself…there’s cheap Thai whisky to be tasted!

Colour: Bright amber.

Nose: Some pungent chemically alcohol fumes initially, slowly dissipating after a few minutes in the glass but always there. Underneath that layer there are some faint sawdust and freshly baked bread notes. Even after a while I find myself holding my breath a little as I take each sip.

Palate: Thin watery mouthfeel, a light honeyed notes that fade quickly to toasted cereals, woody flavours and tobacco leaves. Like chewing on an unlit cigar.

Finish: Somewhere halfway between salty and sour. Oak is the dominant flavour, medium length.

Comments: Blend 285 is best summed up by the classic quote from Blackadder – “it started badly, it tailed off a little in the middle and the less said about the end the better — but apart from that it was excellent.”

You can’t expect too much from a bottle picked up at a 7-Eleven store for only ฿140, but sadly it falls into the Whisky a Day “truly awful” category. The stunning sunset where I’m drinking it is the only redeeming feature of this dram.

At 35% ABV, some purists would argue that it isn’t really whisky given it has been bottled below 40%. In a hot climate like Thailand though it feels ok if you’re drinking it neat; however I’d recommend grabbing a beer instead if you want refreshment on a hot and humid day.

If it’s whisky you’re after, I suggest lashing out a bit more and picking up something from a more recognised whisky producer.

Whisky #552: White Walker By Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky

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FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby featherWhite Walker By Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky. Scotland. ABV: 41.7%. Tasted in a very non-wintery locale poolside in the sweltering heat of Phuket, ฿1700 (approx. $75AUD) for a 750mL bottle.

Winter is here…

Coinciding with the final season of the wildly popular Game of Thrones TV show comes this unashamed marketing claptrap from Johnnie Walker and Diageo. But how does it stand up as a whisky?

Yet again the burden falls upon Whisky a Day’s shoulders to step forth beyond the wall, taste another whisky and pass on my musings. In the words of Tyrion Lannister, “that’s what I do – I drink and I know things”.

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Soft lemon sponge cake and creamed honey.

Palate: Grassy hay-like notes bouncing off melted butter and soft caramel flavours. Honey and black pepper. A surprisingly fuller body than other Johnnie Walker whiskies or other blended whiskies.

Finish: A pleasing but unusually long finish for your average Johnnie Walker. A sweet, creamy and oaky tang lingers, like you’ve been sucking on the stick of a banana flavoured Paddle Pop ice cream for just a bit too long.

Comments: A clever play on words as a marketing gimmick to capitalise on the Game of Thrones phenomenon? Absolutely. As a whisky though? Surprisingly decent and much bolder in flavour and body than your typical Johnnie Walkers.

The label declares the heart of the White Walker to be single malts from Cardhu and Clynelish. Without knowing the rest of the vatting, I suspect that there might be a lower proportion of grain whisky that’s gone into this blend as it has plenty of oomph flavour-wise, especially at only 41.7% ABV.

When so many other whiskies proudly proclaim to be non-chill filtered, some might say it’s a bold move for a whisky to declare on the back of the bottle that not only is it chill filtered, but “best served cold directly from the freezer”. It’s like the marketing department at Diageo have decided “bugger it, no use hiding the fact our juice is chill filtered, so given the White Walker connotations let’s really own that label!”

The label on the bottle even reveals the surprise text “WINTER IS HERE” when the bottle is put in the freezer.

With the White Walker, there’s no “red wedding” sense of betrayal at a behemoth of a commercial brand like Johnnie Walker having sold out and compromised their product by slapping a Game of Thrones marketing badge on the bottle. It’s a genuinely decent drop, though for flavour reasons I preferred to drink mine at room temperature.

Whisky #551: Ballantine’s Finest Blended Scotch Whisky

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Ballantine’s Finest Blended Scotch Whisky. Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted at Sun Shine Bar, Phi Phi Island, Thailand. ฿230 (approx. $10AUD). 

Whisky a Day is on tour for a couple of weeks away…Thailand is an amazing country, but not if you’re searching for a decent whisky.

Overpriced blends seem to dominate the limited selection at most bars. But if the whisky list is your biggest gripe when you’re sitting at a beachside bar on a tropical island with the water lapping at your feet, then life really isn’t too bad!

Colour: Dull gold. 

Nose: Honey flavoured boiled lollies with a few malty, almost Weet-Bix notes. And a surprising nose prickle for a whisky at only 40% ABV.

Palate: A thin mouthfeel. There’s a hint of honey and vanilla at the start, that quickly fades to the disappointment of boiled over-cooked vegetables (think carrots and cauliflower) and some generic oaky notes.

Finish: Slight salty tang and lemony straw flavours, but it’s a short and ultimately unsatisfying finish.

Comments: This is not a whisky made for drinking neat, but in the name of whisky research we must persevere! Like walking through a South-East Asian night market, you know before you start that it’s ultimately going to be an underwhelming experience sipping this without a mixer. 

Drinking a whisky like Ballantine’s Finest on a hot beach makes you feel like you need to add a dash of soda water and slowly fan yourself with a hat and say “Oooh the heat, the heat” while you watch the sunset.