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LATEST
GREAT FINDING
Black Bull 40 yo
(40.2%, Duncan Taylor, blend, 2010)
SGP:561– 91 points |
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2009
December 1 - 2
November 1 - 2
October 1 - 2
September 1 - 2
August 1 - 2
July 1 - 2
June 1 - 2
May 1 - 2
April 1 - 2
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2004
December
1
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2
November
1
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October
1
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September
1
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June
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The
Malt Maniacs Monitor
(PDF,
printable, 3.5MB, sorted alphabetically, updated June 7, 2009)
The file
contains 281 pages.
At the moment, we have collected 37,085
ratings on 12,107 different single malts and whiskies.
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Serge's
Statistics
Shack
The
data on the MMMonitor allows us Malt Maniacs to play around
with the numbers for our own amusement. Please note that only
the results and conclusions published on Malt Maniacs are
'official'. However, these statistics are often used as the
foundation for our 'official' opinions.
Top
Maniacal Malts
Recent bottlings
version
Old
bottlings version
( updated 06/08/2009)
We've
taken all the malts that have been sampled by at least six
different certified malt maniacs and simply ranked them from
'best' to 'worst'. Please note that these results can be very
different than our Awards', the latter addressing only malts
that have been submitted by the industry, whereas most of
the malts on the monitor have been, yes... bought by us!
Strange
Bits on Bottlers
(updated
06/08/2009)
As
we already came up with around 32,000 ratings in June 2009,
we felt we could try to come up with a ranking of the various
bottlers. Nothing really official or too serious, though,
especially because the bottles' prices have not been taken
into account and because a bottler that specializes in rare
and expensive whiskies will be 'advantaged' anyway. But if
you're a number crusher, please go ahead and browse the list!
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The Magical History
of the Great
Brora Distillery
1969 - 1983
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All the linked files (mp3, video, html) are
located on free commercial or non-commercial third party websites.
Some pictures are taken from these websites, and are believed
to be free of rights, as long as no commercial use is intended.
I
always try to write about artists who, I believe, deserve
wider recognition, and all links to mp3 files are here to
show you evidence of that. Please encourage the artists you
like, by buying either their CDs or their downloadable 'legal'
tracks.
I
always add links to the artists' websites - if any - which
should help you know more about their works. I also try to
add a new link to any hosting website or weblog which helped
me discover new music - check the column on the right.
I
almost never upload any mp3 file on my own server, except
when dealing with artists I personally know, and who gave
me due authorizations, or sometimes when I feel a 'national'
artist deserves wider recognition. In that case, the files
will remain on-line only for a few days.
I
do not encourage heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages,
nor dangerous motorbike riding. But life is short anyway...
As
they say here: 'L'abus d'alcool est dangeureux pour la santé
- à consommer avec modération' |
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Copyright
Serge Valentin
2002-2010
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February 9, 2010 |
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TASTING YOUNG LAPHROAIG: 2000 OR 2001?
Or worrying about the meaning of life… |
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Laphroaig 8 yo 2001/2009 (59%, The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, bourbon)  Colour: white wine. Nose: powerful of course, peaty of course, coastal or course, a little medicinal of course, not too complex of course, but darn nice of course. An extremely clean and zesty ‘expression’ of young Laphroaig. With water: as often (always?) it’s the organic/wild part that gets louder. Barnyard, ‘wet sheep on Islay’ (well) and quite some menthol. Wet rocks. Oh, and gentian, which is pretty cool! Mouth (neat): sure it’s extremely punchy but sometimes Laphroaig can be quite smooth at very high strength, and that’s the case here. Very beautiful combination of citrus fruits and smoke/tar. With water: more mineral and almondy. Finish: long, ultra-clean. Comments: it’s no secret that Laphroaig is one of, or maybe the Scottish malt that’s the most thrilling when very young, but let’s not forget that peat can mask any young spirit’s flaws. Anyway, this one is a fine example of a very young malt that’s already wonderful without any obvious wood technology (no big creamy vanilla). SGP:348 - 88 points. |
| Laphroaig 8 yo 2001/2009 (59.1%, The Whisky Cask) Colour: white wine. Nose: more or less the same as the Perfect Dram. Trying to detect any differences would be nothing but another kind of nasal masturbation. With water: diverges just a bit, slightly more vanilled and a tad less mentholated than the PD, otherwise similar. Mouth (neat): once again, more or less the same as the Perfect Dram. Smoked tangerines and lemons. With water: same. Finish: same. Comments: same, more or less. These young Laphroaigs offer one of the best quality/age ratio in the market, I’m not sure Ardbeg or even Lagavulin can compete with it at this kind of age. SGP:348 – 88 points. |
| Laphroaig 8 yo 2000/2009 (58.8%, The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, bourbon) Colour: white wine. Nose: this one seems to be a tad rounder and fruitier than the 2001s, a tad smokier as well. More complex as well, it seems, but let’s see what happens with water. With water: nope, in fact it’s pretty similar, maybe just a wee tad rounder and more polished. Less mineral, a little less fresh. Mouth (neat): much closer to the 2001s now, maybe a wee tad more peppery. Classy anyway. With water: indeed, rather creamier and more almondy than the 2001s. As for the rest, we’re quite close indeed. Finish: very long, with some green tea and salt on the tongue. Even hints of black olives. Comments: really great. Bottle to stash away for later enjoyment around 2025, when it’ll be more mature but not any oakier or vanilla-ridden. Think of an official 10yo CS that you would have bought around 1995… SGP:348 - 89 points. |
Laphroaig 9 yo 2000/2009 (58%, The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, refill sherry)  Colour: straw. Nose: superb! It’s a little tricky to nose this deeply at full strength but I get some huge yet wonderful notes of freshly cut green apples. With water: hmm, it gets a tad stranger, hard to say if it’s nice or not, or rather if I like this or not. Faint cheesiness appearing, dairy cream, sour apples… Oh well, let’s wait for the palate! Mouth (neat): ho-ho, same notes of fresh green apples plus some camphory and minty notes, cough drops, something ‘freshly herbal’ (sorrel?)… Unusual. Also a little coffee and almond pie. With water: water works much better than on the nose in my opinion, it brings out quite some peppermint. Finish: long, rather herbal. Maybe some Bénédictine? (which just celebrated its 500th anniversary, by the way.) Comments: again, not an usual versions. I absolutely adore some parts of it (the menthol) but some other parts leave me colder. Oh well, you should really try it by yourself. SGP:467 - 84 points. |
| General conclusion and as Corneille wrote, “aux âmes bien nées, la valeur n’attend point le nombre des années” (in souls nobly born, valour does not depend upon age.) Anyway, well done Germany, once again, and may your Mannschaft be much weaker than your whisky bottlers in South Africa in a few months’ time! ;-). |
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February 8, 2010 |
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| TASTING FOUR PEATED 1997 BUNNAHABHAIN |
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| Let’s try more of these famous peated Bunnahabhain (aka Moines) that were distilled in 1997 ‘exclusively for the peatophiles’ as the excellent distillery manager John McLellan used to say, maybe a tad derisively. |
Bunnahabhain 1997/2009 (55.3%, Malts of Scotland, cask #3172, 279 bottles)  Colour: dark gold. Nose: punchy, with these notes of walnut liqueur that a second fill sherry + peat combination sometimes create, and a lot of peat there is! Some leather too, bitter oranges, cinchona/Campari, quite some tar, cocoa powder… With water: it’s as if water had killed the sherry dimension. Much more seaweed, clams, seawater, smoked fish and lemon. Sea fruit salad? Mouth (neat): excellent attack, punchy and kind of mineral, the sherry being rather dry and certainly not dominating (think light seasoning). Also some walnut liqueur again, plain walnuts, marzipan, lemon marmalade… A little wax as well, salty liquorice… The whole is quite concentrated. With water: changes directions a bit, very nicely, just as peaty, but kind of earthier. Fresh mushrooms. Some toffee in the background. Finish: long, leafy and leathery now. Bitter almonds and a little chocolate. Salty aftertaste. Comments: excellent, perfect maturation. Twelve years in a rather active cask worked very well with this ‘Moine’. SGP:357 - 87 points. |
| Bunnahabhain 11 yo 1997/2009 (58.6%, Adelphi, cask #5368, 610 bottles) Colour: full gold. Nose: rather less explosive than cask #3172 but also a tad straighter and fresher, with a peatiness that’s cleaner and a tad more ‘coastal’ whereas the whole is a little less complex, with much less sherry influence. Kippers and custard plus a little antiseptic, mercurochrome. A tad ‘southshore-ish’. With water: straight zesty peat, a tad mono-dimensional now. Close to raw malted barley, a little paraffin. Mouth (neat): more or less the same differences as on the nose. Very powerful, big peat, quite some salt, lemon and vanilla cake, just a little ginger… Very little sherry now, if any. With water: it’s best part. Clean zesty almondy kippery and salty peat. No sherry (did I really find sherry on the nose?) Finish: long, clean, good oomph, lemon, salt, peat. Comments: quite superb on the palate, but needs water. Quite a ‘peat monster’. SGP:257 - 85 points. |
Bunnahabhain 11 yo 1997/2009 (59.0%, Acorn, cask #5433)  Colour: white wine. Nose: this one seems to come from a bourbon cask, with these big vanilla notes that even manage to dominate the big peatiness for a while. The combo isn’t unpleasant at all I must say, as the whole develops on whiffs of almond oil, fresh putty and marzipan, getting then rather coastal (seaweed) but rather less kippery than the Adelphi. And wet dogs! (sorry, dogs) With water: just like the Adelphi, it got rather simpler and mono-dimensional. Straight peat. Mouth (neat): young peat, big strength! The closest of them all to the official Moine/Toiteach, with faint notes of wet paper and then a lot of lemon and raw peat. Much less vanilla than on the nose. Maybe a little simple… With water: dry peat and dry lemon, with a big saltiness but also a few cardboardy notes. Finish: long, peaty, very salty. Comments: straight peat monster, no subtleties on the palate. Having said that, it’s very good whisky ‘of course’. SGP:267 - 80 points. |
| Bunnahabhain 10 yo 1997/2008 (59.2%, Signatory, Heavily Peated, Refill Sherry, cask #5362, 568 bottles) We already had three of these casks by Signatory, all very good: #5272 (WF 88), #5274 (46% - WF 84) and #5354 (WF 88). Colour: dark gold. Nose: we’re extremely close to the ‘Malts of Scotland’ now, only with a little more leafy/grassy notes. Also a tad more spirity but that’s probably the higher alcohol. With water: not quite the same this time, this one is clearly more mineral and maybe even a tad metallic. Also whiffs of shoe polish. Mouth (neat): once again, same whisky as cask #3172, only more powerful and even more concentrated. Really big! With water: ditto. Maybe a tad drier actually. Lemon pie, peat, pepper, marzipan, walnuts and salt. Finish: long, big, lingering, a tad grassier now. Comments: excellent, extremely punchy but not ‘binary’ like some young peat monster can be. ‘Not for the fainthearted’, as they say. SGP:367 - 87 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: the great William Emanuel Huddleston aka Yusef Lateef has done all sorts of musics, from free jazz to more 'commercial' soul. Today let's have some of his funkiest works with Communication (from his Autophysiopsychic album) and then buy his music. |
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February 5, 2010 |
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TASTING TWO YOUNG GLENBURGIE + ONE OLD ONE |
| Glenburgie 1999/2008 (43%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills) This very nice series by French bottler Jean Boyer usually displays a lot of freshness and cleanliness, ‘close to the spirit’. Colour: white wine. Nose: ho-ho, it’s a big, flinty, waxy and fruity spirit, with a lot of fresh apples (various kinds, both sweet and ‘green’) plus whiffs of hot paraffin and linseed oil. Big malty notes as well, close to the barley, as well as just a little sugar cane as can be found in the best white rhums agricoles. Really curious about the palate… Mouth: sweet, clean but not dull at all, starting on notes of young calvados, grenadine syrup, apple juice and just a little white pepper. Very big for 43%. Goes on more on toasted bread and cornflakes, with also a little cake and just hints of pineapple and pear drops (signs of youth). Very good. Finish: long, very compact, clean, fruity and roasted, with these waxy notes always there in the background. Oranges in the aftertaste. Comments: a potent young Speysider with a perfect structure. SGP:552 - 84 points. |
| Glenburgie 5 yo 1965 (43%, OB, 75cl) We’re making a big jump to the past here, this young baby was distilled thirty-five years before the Jean Boyer. Colour: straw. Nose: this is amazing, we’re extremely close to the 1999 in style, with the same kind of flinty/grassy notes, linseed oil, apple peelings and maybe just hints of cardamom and coriander. Gloablly a tad less fruity and a tad grassier and spicier. Very little old bottle effect despite the fact that this one spent six times more time in glass than in wood. Classy young spirit once again. Correction: OBE appears after fifteen minutes, with quite some shoe polish and coal. Mouth: OBE right away, it’s rather different from the 1999 now. Big marzipan and liquorice, some tar (old style cough drops), smoked tea, maybe even some kind of peat… Also a little pine resin. Finish: long, smoky and resinous. Cider in the aftertaste. Comments: I’d have never said this was an old young Speysider. It’s really full and big – people who do not believe in glass maturation should really try to taste it. SGP:363 - 86 points. (and many thanks Luc). |
| And also Glenburgie 25 yo 1983/2009 (54.7%, Signatory, hogshead, cask #9815, 180 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: this is rather different from the two youngsters, even if these notes of paraffin and linseed oil are well here. There’s much more bitter chocolate, cinnamon, leather and all sorts of ‘old stuff’ that usually lie in attics, such as old clothes, old books, old wood and, obviously, a lit dust. Also notes of fino sherry, vin jaune, old walnuts… With water: mint, mint and even more mint. Also wet hay, wet grass, fresh mushrooms… Quite foresty, this one! Mouth (neat): hot and punchy, much more ‘middle-aged Speysider’ at the attack (but does that make any sense? Does such a ‘middle-aged Speysider’ style really exist?) Ripe apples, pears, then green bananas, butter cream, green tea and liquorice wood. A lot of cloves and even junipers coming through. It’s a very nervous dram! With water: more of the same, more or less. Finish: long, malty, mildly oaky, grassy. Main descriptor: apple peelings. Comments: a little rough at times but very ‘natural’ and most enjoyable. Swims very well. SGP:361 - 87 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: let's go straight to the point, I love the way Wanda Johnson sings the blues. Listen to The pane. Listen to Dropping names. Buy Wanda Johnson's music. |
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February 4, 2010 |
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HIGHLAND PARK: TASTING SOME BLACK LABELS |
Highland Park 18 yo 1958/1976 (43%, OB, James Grant, Green dumpy, black label, 75cl)  A 17yo 1958 version bottled in 1975 was superb but maybe a tad less entrancing than other HPs in these celebrated ‘dumpies black labels’ (WF 91). My favourite so far in this series were the non-vintage 17yo (WF 95) and the 21yo 1959 (WF 95). Colour: gold – it’s not one of these dark sherry versions. Nose: extremely distinctive and very ‘old middle-aged HP’, starting on quite some linseed oil, a little linoleum, a good deal of cough syrup and a rather dry form of honeyness, going on with notes of dates and an obvious peatiness, as well as quite some sea breeze and some faint tarry notes. A little marzipan as well, bitter oranges and just hints of fatty cured ham (jamón ibérico de bellota? Whatever…) Superb but that’s hardly a surprise. Great elegance. Mouth: exceptional attack, complex, spicy and honeyed as HP can be, with a good deal of peat and salt on top of many dried fruits (pineapples, figs, bananas) and an obvious leather as well as tiny-wee notes of cardboard or flour. Some oranges too, lemon-flavoured toffees… Wow. Finish: quite long, on a fab combination of honey, fresh oranges and a very elegant sweet and soft spiciness. A faint bitterness in the aftertaste (strong liquorice). Comments: just stellar. Only the wee cardboardy notes on the palate will prevent me from going higher (buggers!) SGP:564 - 93 points. |
| Highland Park 20 yo 1959/1979 (43%, OB, James Grant, Green dumpy, black label, 75cl) Again, I adored the 21yo 1959, let’s see if this slightly younger version is on the same planet. Colour: amber, much darker than the 1958. Nose: there is, indeed, rather more sherry than in the 1958 (chocolate, ganache) but also some fab hints of olive oil and, most of all, litres of orange blossom water and tons of heather. Gets then more and more chocolaty, with also notes of glazed chestnuts (marrons glacés), precious leather (not a Hell’s Angel’s perfecto) and just hints of old wood, maybe thuja wood (slightly resinous). Outta this world. Mouth: well, this is more or less the same whisky as the 1958, only with an added and perfectly integrated layer of great sweet sherry. That is to say more chocolate and more prunes. Changes direction a bit in the middle, going for more medicinal notes, pine resin and, strangely after all these years, quite some orange squash. A tad unusual but rather magnificent. Finish: long, maybe a tad ‘dirtier’ than the 1958 but also jammier, with quite some salt in the aftertaste, but also les peat than in the 1958. Comments: maybe a wee bit less elegant than the 1958 but it has more oomph and drive and not the tiniest flaw in my opinion. Okay, one point higher. SGP:652 - 94 points. |
| Highland Park 45 yo 1964/2009 (42.2%, OB, Orcadian Vintage Series, 290 bottles) From two hogsheads, retail price £3,750. Colour: gold. Nose: exceptional! Of course, putting the two great old dumpies before this new slightly GlenWonka-ish 1964 could have been like setting a trap for this one, but it doesn’t fall into it, not at all. Vibrant and nervous, absolutely not sluggish, starting very ‘widely’, with many aromas arising right at first nosing. We get quite some camphor, old waxed paper, hints of burnt wood, rather big notes of sandalwood and church incense (I mean, really big, did they mature these casks in Kirkwall’s cathedral?), quite some honey, orange blossom water, mint liqueurs, dry herbal liqueurs, spearmint, apricots and many other things. Also some unexpected whiffs of jasmine coming through after a while, fantastic! Actually, it’s got something ‘Chinese’, really. Hugely complex. Just hints of old wood, old empty wine barrel after twenty minutes. Mouth: it’s now that it should get tricky… You bet! Sure it’s drier and pretty woodier than the dumpies, but it’s also got these majestic notes that only very old malts that aged perfectly well can display. Let’s cherish these notes, because no super-dopey quickly aged modern whiskies will ever display them, however good they are. Let’s not list them all, that would be much too long, but there are notes of ancient oranges, Szechuan pepper, barley sugar (right, that can be found in young whiskies as well), natural vanilla, bitter cocoa, many many spices (let’s call that the old-whisky spice mix, with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices). And many other notes… Finish: medium long, with the oak starting to appear more clearly, but always in an elegant manner. Some mint and pine resin like often in very, very old casks. Comments: I’m sure some taster have or will think that this old one is a tad too woody and drying in the finish, but I do not quite agree. There is some oak but it’s perfectly integrated and I cannot see how a 45yo whisky would not display a little wood and quite a tannicity. So, I think this one is fantastic but I agree it’d better be, at this price. SGP:461 – 94 points. |
PS: the vatting of all three is as glorious and complex as a Breugel. Err…
(with thanks to Konstantin) |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: I just realised I haven't been posting some Eric Dolphy since six years. Shame on me! Let's listen to the sheer brilliance of the man at the alto on Les (from 1960's Outward Bound, but what a first record!) Please buy Eric Dolphy's music! |
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February 3, 2010 |
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CONCERT REVIEW by Nick Morgan
ROBYN HITCHCOCK PRESENTS A MARITIME EVENING
with Graham Coxon, KT Tunstall and Kathryn Williams
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, January 30th 2010 |
| I think, Serge, that this is what the Sports TV channel would call a Super Saturday. Mind you, I began to wonder whether Saturday would ever happen as I sat on a plane for almost three hours at Aberdeen the previous evening in a snowstorm waiting for the runway to be cleared and the plane’s wings to be de-iced. But London’s a different country, it’s sunny and not quite freezing, so a perfect afternoon to be at Craven Cottage to watch the Villa record a strangely unconvincing 0-2 win over injury-hit Fulham. It’s a pretty and old-fashioned little ground next to the mighty River Thames, and what it lacks in atmosphere (West Londoners only shout at parking wardens, and, occasionally, at their nannies), it makes up for in friendliness. |
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So we enjoyed a hearty and largely consensual debate with some Fulham fans, some Villa diehards, a group of Irish Liverpool supporters (obviously lost) and a pair of bewildered Finns with very little English, on the futility of Emile Heskey, a subject which might merit a degree course in its own right. But not here. Many layers of thermal clothing were discarded as we hotfooted it from the Cottage to an untried pizza joint (too much onion, soggy cheese, nice Primitivo) on the South Bank, thence to the Queen Elizabeth Hall. |
| A couple of years ago, Robyn Hitchcock went on an Arctic expedition, courtesy of Cape Farewell, a charity dedicated to engineering “a cultural response to climate change”. He sailed in good company, including from the musical world Jarvis Cocker, K T Tunstall (she was on her honeymoon with husband Luke Bullen) Laurie Anderson and Martha Wainwright. |
| Why? Well, according to Hitchcock’s blog, “as the scientists aboard research the effects of ice-melt on the ocean bed, and trace the possible mutation of the Gulf stream through salination tests, we artists are being exposed to a landscape that cannot fail to affect our work …we will take the story back with us and spread it like butter on the toast of our item-rich society”. And tonight, a ‘Maritime Evening’ presented by Hitchcock as part of the Shift Festival, (Artists’ take on Climate Change) is part of the spreading. |
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| For an evening in support of such a hot topic, there was a strange absence of propaganda or proselytizing; perhaps Hitchcock was leaving the music to speak for itself, aided of course by some of his occasional outbursts (“Humanity is doomed, but it’ll make no difference in the long run”). He began with a jaunty rock and roll sea shanty (something about a ghost ship as I recall), followed by a version of Martin Carthy’s ‘Polly on the shore’ (“but not with his ridiculously complicated tunings”), when he was joined by cellist Jenny Adejayan, whose playing added a very distinctive and haunting character to several songs. |
| This was followed by Hitchcock’s ‘Raining twilight coast’, and the subversive ‘Wreck of the Arthur Lee’ (a tribute to the great, if not unpredictably late Mr Lee, whose response was also unpredictable: “"I'll wreck HIM!" and "I'm gonna kick his *#!& ass!". Then, "I don't care if he's ALFRED Hitchcock...I'm gonna mess him up"). By this time Hitchcock had been joined by his current UK touring band, and on acoustic and electric guitars Graham Coxon, looking every bit like rock and roll’s answer to Alan Bennett. Coxon was followed by the very pregnant and very tuneful Kathryn Williams who sang her own ‘Winter is sharp’ (about the hardship of life in fishing communities), and duetted with Hitchcock on ‘The Grey Funnel Line’. Adding depth to her performance were the two backing singers (names sadly unknown) who, as with Adejayan’s cello, added a real presence to the evening. One provided beautiful harmonies to Hitchcock’s voice as they played ‘Bay of Biscay’ at the end of the first set. |
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| The evening continued in a similar vein: the two backing singers opened the second half with a pretty ‘Drop the anchor’. Hitchcock sang ‘Oceanside’ from his album Perspex Island, with some very loud guitar from Graham Coxon, who then picked his way through ‘Brave the storm’, and blasted through ‘Caspian Sea’, both from the Spinning Top album. KT Tunstall arrived on stage (a diminutive yet powerful presence) fresh from finishing her new album in Berlin and sang first ‘Slow motion rock’, then an unaccompanied, and very cleverly written composition on the fate of the hunted whale, followed by a song that may have been called ‘Greenland’ or ‘Qeqertarsuaq’, or ‘Uummannaq’, inspired by one of the towns visited on the Cape Farewell adventure. Remember the name: it was, we were assured, a world exclusive. And Hitchcock then played his Arctic composition, ‘There goes the ice’, which sort of speaks for itself, before the ensemble returned for a rousing finish of his ‘Underwater moonlight’, giant octopus and all. This was a thoroughly enjoyable show, full of wit and pathos and some great performances. But very notable, I should not forget to say, was Hitchcock’s singing, as he spent the evening launching himself at a succession of impossibly high and low notes with great verve and aplomb. He is a performer well worth the price of a ticket (unlike Emile Heskey, perhaps) and tours the UK and the USA soon. |
| And where are the photographs, I hear you say? Ask Big Colin. The last time I saw him was in the middle of a skirmish outside the famous Embassy Suites in Tottenham, simultaneously ejecting three hoodlums from a party. He’s like an Anglo-Saxon Mike Tyson on steroids and angry pills with a neck like a very, very big bull. No doubt sent to the wrong place but he’s here, prowling at the front of the stage at the QEH, hands clasped menacingly in front of his stomach. When he saw a hapless soul just in front of us pull a camera from a pocket he simply leant forward and bit it in half, handing the two pieces back to the hapless snapper. Discretion, we decided, was very much the better part of valour on this occasion. Thanks, Big Colin. – Nick Morgan |
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TASTING TWO MILTONDUFF |
| Miltonduff 13 yo 1996/2009 (57.2%, James MacArthur, bourbon, cask #5563) Colour: white wine. Nose: flinty, grassy and very close to ‘nature’ if you see what I mean. Porridge, grass, apples and chalk plus a little coal smoke. With water: more of the same, grainy and porridgy. Clean spirit but maybe not the most interesting ever? Mouth (neat): big, fresh, fruity and spirity, very ‘young Speyside’. Hints of bubblegum and strawberries, apples, pears, pineapple drops. Tastes really young. With water: easy going, fruity and still very ‘nautral’. Finish: medium long, in keeping with the palate. Comments: good youngish unpeated malt whisky. Yeah, flawless but maybe a tad generic. SGP:441 – 80 points. |
| Miltonduff 22 yo 1987/2009 (56.1%, Alambic Classique, bourbon hogshead #9470, 209 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: starts a bit in the same vein as the 1996, rather grassy and flinty but some rather rich notes of sherry and gunpowder do slowly arise. One of these bourbon cask matured whiskies that can smell of sherry. Some ham, bacon, leather, raisins and toffee. Some vanilla as well. With water: further opens up, on flowers (lilies, peonies), marzipan and rosewater. Quite superb. Mouth (neat): once again, there’s a ‘sherryness’ in the attack, with many dried fruits and jams as well as notes of prunes and chocolate. Also a little coffee. With water: excellent, even richer yet clean and fresh, on dates, figs, dried pineapples and various roasted nuts. Quite some spices arising after a while, mostly cloves, nutmeg and just a little star anise. Finish: long, rich, a tad more on marmalade and black pepper now. Comments: excellent ‘sherry-alike’ bottling of Miltonduff that I already liked a lot the first time I tried it. SGP:641 – 88 points. |
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February 2, 2010 |
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| TASTING FOUR OFFICIAL MACALLAN |
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Macallan 12 yo 'Fine Oak' (40%, OB, +/-2009)  I think I haven’t seriously tried this well-known baby since 2004. According to the label, this version was ‘triple cask matured’. The rate things are going I guess we’ll see quadruple cask bottlings in 2010. Colour: straw. Nose: very malty, very cereally, with whiffs of ripe apples and pears flying around and hints of mint. No thrill but good balance, a perfect access-category malt so far, reminding me of Cardhu, Knockando or... Chivas Regal. Mouth: sweet, easy, not weak, malty and grainy, with some caramel, marshmallows, orange cake and a little liquorice. Hints of toasted bread. Finish: rather short but balanced, malty. Roasted nuts. Comments: not bad at all, hard to say more, this one doesn’t inspire me any maltoporn. SGP:231 - 78 points. |
| Macallan 15 yo 'Fine Oak' (43%, OB, +/-2009) Triple cask as well. Colour: pale gold. Nose: a little more oomph than in the 12, with a little more oak and grass, then farmyard, apple peelings and hints of flints as well as a little smoke. Not unpleasant at all and rather complex. Develops more on bubblegum and a little parsley. Mouth: smooth and very sweet, with more oomph than in the 12 once again. Apple compote, honey, toasted brioche and a little sweet oak, with a little mint in the background. Quite some vanilla. Finish: medium long, balanced, malty and honeyed, some tannins in the aftertaste. Comments: very decent, with more sherry than the 12. SGP:341 - 79 points. |
| Macallan 'Select Oak' (40%, OB, '1824 Collection', 2009) It was about time we tasted the next two ones seriously! PR blurb: ‘Select Oak uses 3 cask types – American Oak seasoned with either sherry or bourbon and first-fill European oak casks seasoned with sherry.’ Great. Colour: gold. Nose: the 12, only with much more sweet oak and a typically modern style. Vanilla, cardamom and ginger on top of a lot of ‘youth’, bubblegum, flowers. A little coconut. Mouth: very close to the 15 in style at the attack, then much more oak once again (nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon). Burnt cake and a little coffee. The whole isn’t big. Finish: medium long, with good ‘toasted’ oakiness. Oranges and strong cold tea in the aftertaste. Comments: wood technology at work – seems to work. SGP:441 - 78 points. |
| Macallan 'Estate Reserve' (45.7%, OB, '1824 Collection', 2009) ‘The Spirits Masters 2009 awarded Estate Reserve the best of the best as Travel Retail Grand Master - Estate Reserve takes you back to days gone by when liquid was drawn from a cask at marrying strength and on special occasions presented to the Directors of The Macallan Estate.’ Marrying strength, luv’ it! Colour: full gold. Nose: rather big ‘modern’ oak but not only that, also quite some richness, with notes of sherry, Seville oranges, chocolate and honey, with some gunpowder in the background, pencil shavings. Rather playful. Mouth: rich, malty, with good sherry. Honey, crystallised oranges, earl grey, then the oak’s spiciness (the infernal trilogy ginger-cinnamon-nutmeg) and quite some vanilla. Good body, good mouth feel. Finish: rather long, a tad more drying (more cinnamon) but also quite sweet, on peppered orange marmalade. Comments: once again, careful wood technology at work, I think this one works really well. Not too sure about the price though (+/-150€?) but ‘marrying strength’ just cannot be cheap, can it! SGP:442 - 83 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: some great soul-funk by Australia's Renee Geyer, shockfull of licks, recorded live in 1976. It's called Person to person and I think you should buy all of Renee Geyer's music. |
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January 31, 2010 |
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TASTING TWO INDIE GLENKINCHIE |
| Glenkinchie 1966/1988 (46%, Moon Import, The Costumes, hogshead #2573, 264 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: unexpectedly aromatic, starting all on dried herbs and flowers. Potpourri, lime-blossom tea, patchouli, then eucalyptus leaves, camphor (a little), banana skin… Gets then more leathery and leafy, maybe even a tad meaty (cured ham), with just faint whiffs of cigar box and apple peelings. Walnuts. Polished and kind of antique but not weak or tired at all. Slight OBE starting to appear (metal polish, soot). Mouth: extremely coherent with the nose but maybe a tad dry and too leafy at the attack. Strong tea, tea powder (the one that the Japanese use for cooking), leather, walnut skin… Kind of a meaty bitterness, some pepper, apple peelings… Far from being unpleasant but I think the nose was in a different league. Improves a bit if you give it quite some time, with more spicy cake and a little butterscotch and honeydew. Finish: rather long, broader than the palate, with a beautiful combination of soft spices and dried fruits (figs and lemons). More lemon marmalade in the aftertaste. Comments: great nose and great finish but a palate that’s a tad more tired in my view. A great whisky anyway! SGP:351 - 88 points. (and muchas gracias Jeroen K.) |
| Glenkinchie 33 yo 1975/2008 (60.7%, AD Rattray, reflll hogshead, cask #2967, 189 bottles) A sister cask of the version by Malts of Scotland that we enjoyed a lot a few months ago (WF 91). Colour: gold. Nose: starts very chocolaty but I think that’s often the case with high-strength unpeated oldies. Some vanilla as well, cinnamon, black tea, marzipan, camphor… One can feel that there are many more aromas behind all the alcohol, so let’s try to unleash them. With water: a ‘grassy cavalry’, with loads of apple peeling, lemon zest, walnut skin and green tea, then sudden notes of balsamico and dry white wine. Coriander. Mouth (neat): uurgh, this is strong! Huge lemon and green apples combination. With water: it’s still big, even when slaughtered with a lot of water. More lemons, quinces, oranges and maybe kiwis, coated with many dry spices such as soft paprika and cinnamon. Very faint dustiness. Finish: long, on the same flavours. Big notes of lemon zests. Comments: top notch old Glenkinchie from high-quality wood. SGP:551 - 90 points. (and thank you Angus). |
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SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too long for Twitter! ;-)) |
TOP SIXTEEN 2009 (NO AWARDS!)
There aren’t any Whiskyfun Whisky Awards and there will never be any (cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye) since I believe Awards should be handed out carefully and preferably after some serious 100% blind tastings by a large panel of rather experienced tasters when that's possible. |
| By the way, what do I mean with ‘100% blind’? It’s a situation where the taster knows nothing about the whiskies he’s got under his nose, whilst a situation where the taster knows that this or that sample is, say a ’18-21yo Speysider bottled at 43% vol.’ is hardly a ‘100% blind’ situation, is it? |
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| Now, I do foolishly publish some personal ‘Top Tens’ in every issue of Whisky Magazine France, last time in December it was a list of my ten favourite bottlings of 2009, which I just updated on January 30 since I wasn’t quite done with 2009 at the time (only 450 whiskies bottled in 2009 tasted so far and many more to come at this point). The Top Ten is now a Top Sixteen. |
| So, since I get quite a few requests for this kind of list, here are the current standings, which I shall probably complete in the coming weeks (right, months or even years). But please remember, it’s all very personal and reflects much more my tastes than anything else. Again, certainly no awards! |
Favourites of my favourites with 95+ points
(NOT ‘best of the best’) – alphabetical order: |
Karuizawa 1967/2009 (58.4%, OB, shared cask for LMDW and for TWE 10th anniversary, C#6426) This one was a cask shared between these two well-known whisky importers, distributors and retailers that are La Maison du Whisky And The Whisky Exchange. |
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| Longmorn 39yo 1969/2009 (58.9%, G&M for The Mash Tun and KasK, Tokyo, 460 Bts.) Even better than La Traviata - or Madame Butterfly ;-) |
| 94 points – alphabetical order: |
| Glen Grant 50yo 1954/2009 (42.2%, Ian McLeod, C#3612, 100 Bts.) |
| Longmorn 1969/2009 (59.3%, G&M Reserve for Japan Import Sys, 1st fill sherry, C#5293, 405 Bts.) |
| Port Charlotte 2001/2009 (56%, Alan Robinson, bloodtub #R37) |
| 93 points – alphabetical order: |
| Ben Nevis 34yo 1975 (63%, Prestonfield for LMdW, Bourbon cask #7439, 146 Bts.) |
| Brora 27yo 1981/2009 (51.3%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, C#291, 330 Bts.) |
| Clynelish 27yo 1982/2009 'Synch Elli' (46%, The Nectar Daily Dram) |
| Clynelish 27yo 1982/2009 (53.9%, The Perfect Dram II, Bourbon, 240 Bts.) |
| Clynelish 38yo 1971/2009 (47.9%, Douglas Laing, Old Malt Cask, 145 Bts.) |
| Glenfarclas 1968/2009 (51.2%, OB for Lindores Whisky Society 5th anniversary, C#699, 11 Bts.) |
| Elements of Islay NAS 'PE1' (58.7%, Speciality Drinks Ltd, 'Port Ellen', 50cl) |
| Port Ellen 27yo 1982/2009 (58.6%, Signatory for LMdW, 3rd Release, Cask#1523, 229 Bts.) |
| Port Ellen 29yo 1979/2009 (52%, Old Bothwell for LWS 5th anniversary, C#1654, 11 Bts.) |
| Port Ellen 29yo 1979/2009 (53.8%, Douglas Laing, Platinum, for World Duty Free, 261 Bts.) |
| Port Ellen 30yo 1979/2009 '9th Annual Release' (57.7%, OB, 5,916 Bts.) |
| You’ll probably have noticed that they're almost all single casks, some batches being ridiculously small, probably all sold out since quite some months, and that old Longmorns, Clynelishes and Port Ellens (but only the best ones) do rule the list, which should further stress that it’s all very personal, so as always, please do not take all this too seriously (I insist, no awards, only a wee personal list!). And again, some other malts that were bottled in 2009, especially in the last months of the year, will most probably join the areopagus in the coming weeks. |
| PS: Having said that, had I decided, in a moment of distraction, to hand out some 2009 WF Awards 'ex cathedra', I'm sure Glendronach would have won one of the trinkets. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: better than Blood Sweat and Tears? This time it's Lonnie Smith and his band (and his Hammond B3) who are spinning that famous wheel... Please buy Lonnie Smith's music. |
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January 30, 2010 |
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WILL TAIWAN DEFEAT SCOTLAND AGAIN? THE GREATEST BLIND TASTING SESSION EVER – #2: THE SEQUEL
(this session under the aegis of famous newspaper Zeitgeist)
(warning, tongue in cheek, please do not take this too seriously!) |
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| After having been thinking (very) hard, we composed the most extraordinarily comprehensive line-up ever, in order to come up with the definitive answer to this utterly important question: have ‘foreign’ whiskies become better than Scotch? Of course, we had to select whiskies that were in a similar league so that the results couldn’t be biased, and here’s how we did it: we chose a stunningly wide assortment of 5 (five) whiskies that have all been bottled at between 40% and 44% ABV and that are all more or less gold in colour (what a brainwave, eh?) |
| What’s more, we shall number all whiskies at random, so that we can try them totally blind and not be influenced by their ‘pedigrees’. No need to say that it’ll be totally impossible to guess which is what and what is which within such a coherent and homogeneous line-up. |
| So without further ado, let’s try them if you please… |
1.  Colour: pale gold. Nose: pretty nice! Rather natural and maybe a tad simple but the maltiness is pleasant. Notes of cornflakes, orange cake and brioche, then ripe pears and strawberries that may suggest this is pretty young. Very faint smokiness and a little toasted wood. Grass. A tad average but well made. Mouth: a tad thin in the attack, but getting rather spirity and ‘alcoholic’, lacking body. A bit blendish if I may say so. Little middle. Finish: short but relatively clean. Comments: the nose was okayish but the palate didn’t really deliver. Lacks a little more structure – but it’s quite good globally. SGP:230 – 71 points. |
| 2. Colour: gold. Nose: starts with a distinct OBE (slightly metallic, with quite some ‘good’ dust, old cupboard…) and an obvious peatiness, with ashes, coal oven and even a little mint. Rather complex, maybe not very big. Keeps developing, more on leather and cigar box, roasted nuts and maybe a little incense. Subtle! Mouth: creamy, oily and herbal attack, with quite some pepper, fig jam and cough drops. Quite some peat as well, unusual notes of coriander and maybe just a slight bitterness. Honeydew, mint, cough syrup. Good body. Finish: rather long, spicier, but there’s also even more honey and cough syrup. Oomphy. Comments: very good, old style (and most probably an old bottling). SGP:453 – 86 points. |
| 3. Colour: pale gold. Nose: yeah! Starts on a lot of honey and other ‘beehivy’ notes, with many rich yet fresh fruity notes that are soon to turn up. Ripe apples, pineapples and bananas, then more caramel crème and nougat, then superb notes of liquorice and aniseed, and finally these slightly resinous notes that scream ‘old casks’. Those can sometimes be over the top but this time they really add depth and complexity to the whisky. Superb nose (where I might detect quite some old Glen Grant and/or Caperdonich and/or Glenlivet and/or Glenrothes and/or…). Mouth: a wee oaky blast at very first sips (cinnamon, nutmeg) but then it just won’t stop unfolding, shooting flavours like arrows, one after the other. Dried oranges, coconuts, bananas, spearmint, liquorice, cloves, butter pears, marshmallows, lemon balm… It’s endless, both ‘old’ and juvenile in style, which I believe is a perfect combo. Finish: maybe not the longest ever but the coconut stands out, as well as some banana skin and roasted bread. No drying tannins whatsoever. Comments: fresh, mature, complex and entrancing to follow. SGP:561 - 91 points. |
| 4. Colour: full gold. Nose: the same kind of superb resinous notes are here as well but right from the start, together with quite some melon jam, very ripe nectarines (make that peaches) and apricots and quite some cinnamon. Hard to say whether this one is older than the previous one or not. Also a little heather honey ala Highland Park, as well as a little graphite and linseed oil. Also a very, very faint grassiness (chives?) Great nose, very balanced and very elegant. Mouth: extremely coherent, with once again a little more ‘oak’ than in the previous one, and maybe more ‘responsiveness’ as well but also a little less complexity, just a little. Cinnamon infused in melon juice, topped with a little honey and just pinches of dried ginger. Very, very good old whisky. Oh, and a little salt. Finish: long, all on melon and cinnamon now. And a little mint. Comments: all right, all right, of course it’s an old Bruichladdich! SGP:551 - 91 points. |
| 5. Colour: full gold. Nose: balanced but moderately aromatic, with some nuts and toasted bread, a little honey again, a little wood smoke (or rather fir cone smoke) and just wee hints of wine barrel and liquorice wood. Pleasant, but very light profile. Mouth: good attack but it’s having a little trouble after the three previous ones, and screams ‘I’m young’. Not that it’s undrinkable, not at all, but it feels a tad ‘aromatized’ if I may say so. Hints of blackcurrant leaf tea (or buds), quite some fresh oak (but it’s not plankish), a little ginger and quite some vanilla. Falls a bit in the middle. Some candy sugar and a feeling that’s a tad ‘rummy’ at times. Finish: not long for sure but clean and maltier, the notes of candy sugar having grown bigger as well. Also more honey. Pleasant. Comments: a very good dram for sure, even if it’s a tad ‘lab whisky’. I guess it would have benefited from a slightly higher ABV. SGP:331 - 74 points. |
Drum roll, revelations, verdict and ranking:
#1 and winners ex aequo with 91 points each: 3. and 4., i.e. Black Bull 40 yo (40.2%, Duncan Taylor, blend, 2010) and Bruichladdich 33 yo 'Legacy V' (40.9%, OB, 1690 bottles)
#3: 2. with 86 points, White Heather 8 yo (43.4%, OB, blend, 1980s)
#4: 5. with 74 points, Kavalan 'Concertmaster' NAS (40%, OB, Taiwan, Port Cask Finish, 2009)
#5: 1. with 71 points, Armorik (42%, OB, Warenghem Distillery, single malt, France, 2009) |
| Okay, let’s shoot a press release now… Joking! (but we could write quite a few catchy headlines, couldn’t we?) What did we learn? Nothing. Does such a session make any sense? Of course not. Old White Heather blends were generally great. These Bruichladdichs from the early 1970s are always superb. The brand new Black Bull 40yo is a blend, but obviously not just any blend (it’s one or maybe the highest scoring blend in my book). This Kavalan ‘Concertmaster’ at 40% does not display the fullness that other bourbon matured versions already have (some of the ‘Solists’). The French Armorik is well made but it cannot compete with most Scottish malts or prestige blends, although they now have some cask strength versions that are said to be very good. |
Anyway, shall we do this kind of weird session again? I hope not, as we always compare similar whiskies and always within the same session.
(with apologies to The Times – well, not really.) |
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SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too long for Twitter! ;-)) |
A PEATY CONTRACT ON MY HEAD?
According to some German friends, this new old-style-bourbon looking bottling of Bowmore by Berliner company Jack Wiebers is meant to be some kind of humourus retaliation for some bad tasting notes that I had written about one of their Ben Nevis ‘Cross Hill’ (WF 39). I love the idea and find it very funny, even if I think that their excellent owner Lars-Göran is giving me too much credit. Way too much credit. |
| Now, it’s true that I had written that that very strange Ben Nevis was smelling of pure varnish, Uhu glue, dead mice, vinegar, hashish and gym socks. Maybe a tad extreme but I also added in my comments that it was certainly ‘a lame duck within Jack Wiebers' usual very high standard whisky ranges’, which I thought was extremely positive globally – and it’s still what I’m thinking of Jack Wiebers' whiskies as of today. Yet, it seems that I did hit a nerve near the Reichstag, since this new bottling of Bowmore apparently calls me ‘dead mouse eater’ on the front label (err, Lars-Göran, I wrote that that Ben Nevis was smelling of dead mice, not that I found dead mice on the palate – or didn’t I try hard enough? ;-)) and more or less ‘frog’ on the back label. |
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Maybe a tiny-wee tad panzerish but still, that is funny indeed, almost as funny as the fact that Lars-Göran apparently wants ‘freedom for all whisky collectors’. Great idea Lars-Göran, I’d suggest giving up bottling/selling the same single casks under different labels/series, that would most probably free many whisky ‘collectors’ even further ;-).
No offence meant, nor taken I hope. |
| Frieden und Gesundheit! |
| The Wanted Dead Mouse Eater aka the Frog ;-) |
| PS: seriously, I really think that all this is very funny and I say bravo, I even bought a few bottles of this very unusual Bowmore (but won't show them to my Mum)! I’d simply add what a large and very well reputed Scottish bottler once told me when we met after I had seemingly (and unintentionally) ‘killed’ one of his whiskies. I had started to sort of apologize (you know, Catholics…) when he interrupted me: ‘Serge, please go on being honest (well), because if you ever stop writing about whiskies that you don’t like, nobody will ever believe you anymore when you write about whiskies that you enjoy.’ Not that I care too much, but I don’t think it was just idle talk. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: La Habana's Chucho Valdes' playing always made me think of fireworks. Let's listen to the very wild Tumbao (live) and then buy all of Chucho Valdes' music. |
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Previous entries
(archived)
Or
check the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's
Concert Reviews
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There's nothing more down there... |
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1.
Ardbeg 1976/2002 (53.1%, OB, Feis Isle,
cask 2390)
2.
Dalmore
50yo (52%, OB, 2006, crystal
decanter)
3. Ardbeg 25 yo 1975/2000
October (50%, DL Old Malt cask, 702 b.)
4. Brora 30 yo bottled
2004 (56.6%, OB)
5. Bowmore 37 yo 1964
(49.6%, OB, fino, 300 bottles)
6. Bruichladdich 1970/2002
'vintage' (44.2%, OB)
7. Laphroaig 31 yo 1974
(49,7%, OB for MW, 50th ann., oloroso casks, 910bt)
8. Glenfarclas 1965/2007
(60%, OB, Family Casks, butt, C#3861, 417 Bts.)
9. Longmorn
39yo 1969/2009 (58.9%, G&M for The Mash Tun and KasK, Tokyo,
460 Bts.)
10. Bowmore
43yo 1964 'White Bowmore' (42.8%, OB, 732 Bts., 2008)
1.
Springbank 12 yo 100 proof (57.1%, OB, imported by Samaroli,
early 80’s, 2400 bottles)
2. Laphroaig
19yo 1966/1985 (50.2%, G&M for Intertrade, 360 Bts.)
3. Laphroaig
15yo 1967/1982 (57%, Duthie's for Samaroli, 720 Bts., 75cl)
4. Ardbeg
29yo 1967/1996 (54.6%, Kingsbury, C#922, Sherry, D03/'67
B06/'96)
5.
Bowmore 18yo 1966/1984
(53%, Samaroli Bouquet, 720 Bts.)
6.
Brora 22yo
1972/1995 (58.7%, UD Rare Malts)
7. Bowmore 8yo (43%,
OB, Sherriff's, pear shape, 1960s)
8. Caol Ila
15yo (63%, OB, Manager's Dram, Dark Sherry, B07/'90)
9. Clynelish
23yo 1965/1989 (51.7%, Cadenhead's for Nibada, Black label)
10. Glen Garioch
1971 (59.6%, Samaroli, Sherry, 2280 Bts., +/-1988, 75cl)
General information
Maltmaniacs
The best website about Single Malts ever - thanks to
Johannes. And I'm NOT partial.
Charles
MacLean Personnal
website of this great whisky writer. Plenty of good ideas to enjoy
whisky to the max.
Spirit
of Islay Gordon's excellent web site about... err,
Islay, obviously.
Whisky
Distilleries friend
Jean-Marie's great website, in French and English
Whiskycircus
A website
in French. Not 'too' serious, that's why it's intereresting - and
amusing. Good spirits.
Rare
Whisky Site by
two friendly Dutch blend lovers
Whisky
Archiv All
the Ardbegs, all the Port Ellens, and now also Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain
by Martin Hoflmaier. Superb.
Harry's
Guide to independent Bottlers
A useful masterpiece
Whisky
Magazine The
famous magazine.
Malt
Advocate Another
famous magazine.
Sip Smoke Savour very interesting approach.
TheWhiskyGuide
Packed with
info. Very good website
Japanese
Whisky Web Takegi's
pages about the Japanese distilleries
Doctor
Entropy's Holistic Dramming Institute Tim
Bachelder's lavish website
Classic
Expressions Neil
Wilson and Ian Buxton bring great old whisky books back to life
Forums
and discussion groups
Malts-L
This is THE forum about single malts. Great participants,
very knowledgeable friends, even if some will (do?) consider it's
sometimes an anorak stuff...
Whisky
Distilleries forum great
forum in French
Whisky
clubs
Regensburger
Whisky Club Peter
and the crazy Bavarians
The
Whisky Club of Austria Friendly
hardcore whisky fans from Vienna.
Uisgebeatha
Whisky Club Joe's
South African whisky club.
Victoria
Single malt Club
Lawrence's Western Canadian club.
Malt
Whisky Society of Australia
Craig's gang.
One
Malt
Home of the Knickleheads
Les
Passionés du Malt A
bunch of enthusiasts from Toulouse, France (in French)
CAWO
Another bunch
of French enthusiasts, from Orléans.
Club
o. mosellan Another
new French website by Alain and his gang.
Whiskyforums
Our friends in Greece
Whisky blogs
Whisky
Stuff
Ralfy's new blog - Very fresh to say the least. Recommended.
What
Does John Know?
John Hansell's blog-forum.
Japanese
single malt whisky blog
aka Nonjatta - malty adventures in the land of the rising sun.
Cask Strength Neil and Joel from London, baby.
Single
Malt Lover Taiwanese
Maniac Ho-cheng Yao's (aka Kingfisher) excellent own blog. Mostly
in English, sometimes in Chinese.
Whisky
Intelligence
Information on the whisky industry by MM's Lawrence
Dave
Broom's Blog In Japanese
and English (scroll down in each entry)
Whisky
for Everyone Matt
and Karen focus on inexpensive whiskies.
Malt
in ¨Pot Whisky
and beer - en français (in French).
Whisky
Emporium Keith's website
Whisky
Grotto is back.
The
Scotch Blog Kevin's
blog
Whisky-news
Patrick's
news and tastings
Whiskynews
Another new blog about whisky.
Very interesting.
Whisk(e)y
Tumbler David's
news
Dr.
Whisky
Sam's blog has frequent tasting notes and general comments.
Industry/retailer
blogs
Bruichladdich
Master
of Malt
Richard
Paterson
The
Whisky Exchange
Collectors
Ardbeg
Collector Geert
Bero's pages..
The
Ardbeg ProjectTim's
encyclopaedia about Ardbeg
Laphroaig
Collector Marcel
van Gils' pages..
The
Longmorn Brothers Govert
and Hans share their passion for Longmorn
Collectors'
Encyclopedia Browse
a part of Giorgio D'Ambrosio's collection, from Millano.
Glenfarclas.be
Luc Timmermans'
pages about Glenfarclas
Magnus'
Benriach pages ditto
Kazuo
Yoshida One of these crazy Japanese mini collectors.
Funny and interesting.
Konstantin
A knowledgeable friend and collector from Vienna in Austria.
Recommended
shops
The
Whisky Exchange - Loch
Fyne
- Royal
Mile Whiskies The
infernal trio of the best UK online shops. Tested all three several
times: brilliant.
Mara
A great German on-line retailer - specialises in rarities. Extremely
friendly.
La
Maison du Whisky The leading French on-line retailer.
Very quick.
Tregor
Whisky Finally an opportunity to order the rare double-matured
wonders by Celtique Connexion (and
other whiskies)
Barmetro
Giorgio D'Ambrosio's shop in Milan. !
Whiskycorner
Marc Segers' whisky shop in Belgium.
Paul
Ullrich,
Whisky-time or Angels
Share If you want to go Swiss
Van
Zuylen Good selection and friendly prices (from Holland.)
Other worthy websites
FEC
Diary by Kyle
The
Ileach If you wantt to know what happens on that beautiful
island named Islay
Happy
Hour Hot Spots For all thirsty people traveling in
the US.
Islay
Weblog Anything Islay!
Visit
Scotland Planning a trip to Scotland? This website
is a must. Even if don't plan such a trip, after all...
Wonderful
Scotland Japanese - check the excellent pictures of
lost distilleries...
Whiskycast
by Mark Gillespie
Radio
Whisky
All
Music Guide There's no better place to find all the
info you need, whatever the style of music you like.
IAJO
If, like me, you're into jazz organ.
Celestial
Voices Great website. Something Celtic between the
lines...
NPR
Online Radio Lots of on-line live shows and excellent
guests!
MLive's
Accoustic Café Very good content - and some
special shows.
KCRW
Another great on-line radio, with lots of live shows on 'Morning
Becomes Eclectic'.
Cybroradio
Online radio for Jazz and Blues lovers.
Open
Source Audio Great experimental music and old recordings.
And I like the spirit....
Open
Sound Pool Lots of music to download, sometimes great,
sometimes weird. For open minded people like we both are, aren't
we?
Jazzpromo
An impressive collection of indie jazz mp3s. When the Canadians
do something, they do it well.
Pow-wowcentral
Extraordinary site about jazz. Gerat mp3s and made with a lot of
flair.
Community
Music Project Hippies and environnementalists offer
some free music. Peace and love (so right).
Essvee
Electronica free mp3
Funk
you XLNT blog about funk and soul jazz music
Reflections
in d minor Very good weblog about art
In
the hands Paul
Cantrell plays new pieces twices a week.
Wolfman
Promotions Funk
and groove from Chicago
Matador
Records Excellent
record company.
Ducatannonces
Ducatis for
sale (in French)
Ernest
Preiss Alsacian
Winemaker in Riquewihr. Yum!
Slow
Food 'Questioning
the validity of the fast-food philosophy as an unconscious credo
that erodes culinary heritage.'
Ubu.com
Fantabulous
showcase of modern, contemporary and avant-garde arts
Freedom
and Whisky Because
'Freedom and Whisky gang thegither', wrote Robert Burns
Sergio's
blog In
French, from another Serge. I share most of his POVs.
The
National Pist 'Proudly
Independent Drunken News' from Canada.
Friends
of Scotland 'a
climate of inspiration'
Pathetic
Earthlings space,
politics and single malt whisky
Negrito
'Teddy bear
is a jetsetter'
Wine-Journal
Neal Martin's
very nice blog about wine and music.
Handicap
International Help
fight these fucking cluster
bombs
Médecins
Sans Frontière Doctors
without borders - the French Doctors
More selected links
will be added in the future.
 
Arthur suggests:
Them
Crooked Vultures The Crooked Vultures
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