February 24, 2015

Whiskies of the World

What a lousy headline! In truth I had intended to call this session ‘stupid whiskies’, but not all whiskies will be stupid, far from that, so that would have been totally unfair and very... erm... stupid. Quite.

Gold Cock 3 yo (40%, OB, Czech Republic, 2003)

A weird bottle that I had kind of won for some odd reasons at some kind of whisky festival organised by some kind of friends in western Belgium. It’s distilled by R. Jelinek, out of Moravian barley. Please don’t laugh, the Scots have been distilling ‘Danubian’ barley for centuries. Colour: straw. Nose: how would I describe this. Let’s say it’s very, very light, with a bit of vanilla and flattish notes of flat fruits. Not talking about their shapes here. Sugar syrup. It’s not bad because as there isn’t much happening, we couldn’t really complain. Mouth: not bad either, and there is something happening. Some sweet spices from the oak, a little ginger, some sugar, maybe ‘ideas’ of tinned pineapples, a few spicy herbs… We’ve seen worse. There’s always worse. Finish: short, on notes of apple liqueur (yep, like they make in Spain). Bitter sawdust in the aftertaste. Comments: almost drinkable. I’m not joking. They’ve added stuff, I think. SGP:430 - 45 points.

Mackmyra 'Special 08' (46%, OB, Sweden, 2012)

It’s really sad I haven’t got enough time to try all these world whiskies that are coming out these days. Mackmyra’s a good example. Regrets regrets. I think this one was matured in Sauternes casks. Colour: pale gold. Nose: nice nose, with limoncello, then some kind of citrusy hay, then rather plums and oranges. In the background, a little sour wood, some caraway and quite some earth. Wet peat (from the garden centre). Mouth: creamy, bizarre, but not uninteresting. Funnily enough, I find notes of aquavit, some ginger liqueur, quite a lot of gingerbread and then rather notes of lemongrass. It’s got a liqueury feeling, possibly from the Sauternes casks – or not. Finish: good length. Ginger and herbs liqueurs, caraway, sloe, Grand-Marnier. Bready aftertaste. Comments: unusual, kind of organic, and very herbal/spicy. I haven’t managed to find much Sauternes, but I’m not too sure that’s a shame. SGP:461 - 76 points.

Domaine des Hautes Glaces 2011/2014 'Flavis' (54%, OB, France, Vin Jaune cask, 323 bottles, 2014)

One of the very rare truly ‘terroir’ whiskies out there. Own barley fields, own stills, own warehouse, fully organic… In short, a domain rather than just a factory. This baby was distilled in 2011 but the barley was harvested in 2010. I’m a fan of the concept, but how’s the whisky? Colour: pale gold. Nose: the greater side of breadiness. A breakfast somewhere in Tyrol or Bavaria, with thirty different breads at the buffet. I love it when whisky reeks of cereals and bread. There’s some honeysuckle too, sunflower seeds, fresh butter (breakfast indeed), some toasted brioche (breakfast again) and then fern and, maybe, fresh parsley. Touches of citrons. With water: same. Beautiful bready tones. Mouth (neat): thick and very spicy. Not 100% sure about the vin jaune wood, there’s something oddly dirty and ‘greenly’ sour, but other than that, this baby unfolds with plenty of walnuts (the vin jaune, I guess), a little mustard and many lemony spices. With water: more mustard. Sweet mustard. Finish: long, spicy, mustardy and lemony. Comments: truly craft. No junk ‘marketing’ craft. Having said that – and not my business at all of course -, I wouldn’t use wine wood. The distillate’s pristine enough. SGP:361 - 80 points.

Potter 24 yo (56.5%, Cadenhead, Indian corn whisky, Canada, 2014, bourbon barrel, 126 bottles)

A true UFW (Unidentified Flying Whisky) from Canada. I guess it’s akin to bourbon, or Scottish grain whisky… Colour: gold. Nose: eh? Vanilla, coconut and tinned pineapple, then warm pastries straight from the oven. It seems that the barrel has done most of the work. With water: more of the same. One of Midleton’s warehouses. Mouth (neat): very sweet, easy, sugary, and ‘artificially fruity’. Tinned fruits, tinned fruit juices (guavas), jellies… Pineapples and tinned litchis. The 24 years do not feel at all, this could be 5 years of age. Forgot to mention vanilla and coconut – again. With water: extremely sweet. Sugarcane syrup. Finish: medium. Bubblegum. Comments: there’s something girly to this. I’m sure many would like this, but it’s not my style at all. Way too sweet! SGP:830 - 65 points.

Speaking of Indian stuff…

Amrut 2009/2013 (59%, OB, India, Port pipe, cask #2713, 246 bottles)

Amrut… It’s been a while! Colour: gold. Nose: four years old and a lovely nose! I rather get a blend of cassis liqueur with camphor and humus, a combination that works extremely well. Port wood always scares me, but this time that worked a treat, despite a few buttery smells that might be a little ‘too much’. With water: a street after a heavy shower, an old wine cellar, an old leather jacket. Mouth (neat): extremely rich, bittersweet and pleasantly sour, with blood oranges, cinnamon cake and quite a bit of cinchona. A wee feeling of kir (crème de cassis and white wine, preferably Burgundian aligoté). With water: more youthful fruits. Pink grapefruits. Finish: quite long, rather on tree leaves, stems and buds? Cherries, blackcurrants, peaches… Comments: some Port thing that I enjoy. Amrut do not seem to have lost it. SGP:551 - 86 points.

And speaking of Port…

Lark 'Distiller's Selection' (46%, OB, quarter Port cask, cask #387, 2013)

Colour: gold with salmony hues. Nose: our beloved bready notes are back. Fresh dough, cumin, gingerbread and all that, plus blackcurrant jell-O. Having said that this is no bomb, but balance is achieved. Cassis jam on pumpernickel. Mouth: well done, once again. Whether you’d call this ‘aromatised whisky’ or not is another issue, but this really works. Blueberry pie (or muffins, says Frank Z.), bitter oranges, a touch of caramel, some clove, green peppercorns, leaves… I do enjoy this grassy/fruity/spicy combination. A little cabernety, perhaps, but that works. Yes I know there’s no cab in Port. Finish: long, spicy, bready and fruity. It’s a thin line but it never goes over the edge. Comments: well done once again Lark, well done! (shouting that through planet Earth). SGP:551 - 85 points.

Check the index of all world whiskies I've tasted so far