I’m sat on an out crop of rocks 20 miles from Campbeltown. Strangly this is the best place to sit as there is a veiw of Ilsay with the setting sun.
Neil and Joel from Caskstrength.net are here trying to find a signal so they can get a laptop hooked up.
We’ve drove 9hours today, so a dram was on the cards.
We’ve got the Master of Malt 12 yo Islay. A great balance of peat smoke on the nose and smoothness in the mouth, will post fuller noses when I’m at a computer.
It’s just over a week until Neil & Joel from Caskstrength.net and myself set off on our drive from London to Islay. In preparation I’ve put together my top trumps of Islay whisky. Something that proved to be a difficult task as they are all fantastic drams!
In true top trumps style some factors had to come into play – such as price, abv and age – I also decided to use Jim Murray’s whisky bible to help score my selection as they battled against each other in an Islay whisky top trumps. It’s important to note that the the ideal price point is no more than £50 as accessibility is key! However, I’ve chosen whiskies I’m passionate about from each of the Islands distillery.
So my selection is as follows:
Ardbeg 1977,
Age – 24 yo
Price – £299.95
Jim’s Score – 96 (n25 t24 f23 b24)
Rarity – 8/10 (still available, but running out fast!)
ABV – 46%
Notes:
Master of Malt 26 year old Bowmore,
Age – 26 Years
Price – £99.95
Jim’s Score -
Rarity – 8/10
ABV – 53.4%
Notes:
Bruichladdich Reciotto finish,
Age:
Average Price:
Jim’s Score:
Abv:
Bunnahabhain Mòine
Age – 6 years
Average Price – £87.95
Jim’s Score -
Rarity – 9/10
ABV – 59.6%
Signatory Coal Ila – 1984,
Age:
Average Price:
Abv:
Jim’s Score:
Kilchoman Spring release,
Age:
Average Price:
Abv:
Jim’s Score:
Lagavulin distillers Edition,
Age:
Average Price:
Abv:
Jim’s Score:
Laphroiag quarter cask, &
Age:
Average Price:
Abv:
Jim’s Score:
Port Ellen Second Release
Age:
Average Price:
Abv:
Jim’s Score:
My final hand:
Ardbeg 1977;
The Stats:
Age – 24 yo
Price – £299.95
Jim’s Score – 96 (n25 t24 f23 b24)
Rarity – 8/10 (still available, but running out fast!)
ABV% – 46
My Notes:
A truly amazing whisky from possibly the best distillery on Islay (yes I was once employed by the Glenmorangie Company, but damn I’ve rarely be disappointed)!
Ardbeg has seen some rough times and in 1977 it was 4 years away from being mothballed, left to drop into decay and despair. With hardcore fans I think the 70’s was indisputably the best time for the distillery spirit with the ppm level coming over slightly higher than current releases. The aging time has allowed the final product to mellow and build a subtle complexity to rival any of the Speyside malts at this age. There is talk about the small purifier hanging from the still making a huge difference to the flavour, but was it in action during this period?
On the nose
The nose is thick and smokey, but still has great balance. Fruits de mare hides at the back of a tobacco richness, coastal ozone sweet. The nose is an attractive Island women, mature (but youthful), while still intriguing and fun!
Taste
This is a sensory experience not to be missed (I’m using a Reidel nosing glass as I love the delivery onto the front of the pallette)! The wash of
Meeting groups of whisky enthusiast is always great. What’s better is when they invite you to join them for a monthly tasting session under the banner of the Whisky Squad!
Started in April 2010 (so a very new group) we meet every first Thursday at a small friendly pub, The Gunmakers.
This month we sampled from the flavour map, but put in a curve ball with Glenfarclas 15 year old.
Yesterday (Wednesday 5th May 2010), I met with the inspiring and charismatic man in the UK behind Number One Drinks Company, Marcin Miller.
For those not familiarly with what the brand offers your missing an absolute treat!
Number One Drinks Company was founded in August 2006 by Marcin and David Croll (who is based in Japan). They began trading in September 2006 with an initial shipment of award-winning single malts from the defunct Hanyu Distillery.
Since the 1990s both chaps were aware that many fantastic whiskies were difficult for enthusiasts to find outside Japan. which triggered them to do something. So now David sources samples, which are assessed by a tasting panel prior to selection; casks are then purchased, bottled and shipped to Marcin in the UK to be sold to specialist retailers and venues in the on-trade.
At his point I have to add two a side notes and please correct me if I’m wrong!
Firstly, Marcin might possibly be the Polish or Russian (?) pop singer you can find on Youtube.
Secondly, when you work with whisky for as long as both these gents your passion of whisky doesn’t disappear, but becomes channelled.
Moving on to our tasting…
Arriving 10 minutes early at the Coburg Bar, Mayfair, I was greeted by the Bar Manager and superb range of single malts they have on display. Marcin was on his way, so I sat chatting and perusing the bar menu – dreaming about sampling the 1st release Port Ellen at £200 a nip!
In timely fashion I’m shaking the hand of not only a possible eastern block pop legend, but also a whisky icon. We begin proceedings with incredibly good cocktails made with Berry Bros No. 3 gin. A Nergoni made with Attica Formula is a definite must before cleansing the palette and starting to get down to whisky tasting.
Great Japanese whisky blog, click for more reviews
The samples are all from Karuizawa, a distillery which open in 1956. Sold single malt in 1987, and is now sadly Mothballed with an uncertain future ahead. The production was designed to mimic scotch, but the end result for me personally is better than most Scotch whisky every time I’ve tried it! Karuizawa has been described as the product of the Japanese version of a Russian oil lords demand for a distillery ( i.e. take a hugely expensive site, build small stills, only use sherry casks and import barley from Berwick!).
Either way this is an amazing distillery and the spec. of all the casks from Number One is incredible.
Coming soon… reviews of single casks from 1996, 1987 and 1981
Following my post on December 19th the collection is running thinner than before. So, in a last ditch effort to save my whisky collection and marriage I’m coming back at the UK to try and make some cash before returning to Canada.
I’m heading to SMWS Queen Street to meet with the guys for a job in Queen Street. If anything I’ll be able to put my membership to use and get a good dram!
There’s a sad truth to being a whisky collector and drinker.
When do I/you drink or sell this bottle? It sounds like an easy option, drink it! Always drink it!
Then earlier this year I got married. Myself and the wife hit the road, moving from Newcastle, UK to Vancouver, Canada. On a trip to America we ended up on Long Island where I scored a bottle of Bowmore Sea Dragon. Incredibly it was only $100, this wasn’t the only deal we had although they got consumed on the road (not while driving).
Now I know what your thinking, was that Bowmore any good? Sadly, I don’t know, I have tried it once before and recall it being fantastic!
However, without a job and time ticking my collection was first to give. Initially they weren’t for sale. That rainy day was going to be a wedding, birthday, anniversary or birth of a child (and it didn’t have to be my own). However, I have to admit that the investment was worth it in a monetary sense (that Bowmore sold for just short of £400). All the bottles sold brought a profit, but I still feel a loss!
So, to all collectors holding out to drink that bottle of Port Ellen, Brora, Ladyburn or a long forgotten friend I’d say just open it!
Setting out from Newcastle to Glasgow is the easy part of getting to Islay.
I arrive at Auchentoshan Distillery (pronounced ‘OKKen-TOSHan’) late, GNER delays into Glasgow. Catching up on the back of the tour I reach the still house before meeting for a quick taster and then jumping on to a coach to head to the Airport for our flight onto the Island.
Auchentoshan
Auchentoshan is one of the few triple-distilled single malts in Scotland, next year they’re due to go through a revamp; bottle labels will be updated and the range changed, plus the visitor centre will be renovated.
The origins of the distillery are quite shrouded, it originally started life under the name ‘Duntocher’, which was first mentioned around the turn of the nineteenth century. In 1834, it was renamed Auchintoshan, taking from the Gaelic ‘achad oisnin’ or ‘corner of the field’.
Geographically, it’s only just within the Lowlands and, although a Lowlander, Auchentoshan’s water source is, in fact, in the Highlands. Bombing during the Second World War on the Clydebank shipyards, which isn’t to far way, left the distillery badly damaged. In 1948, reconstruction began and the distillery was also given the new, modern spelling ‘Auchentoshan’.
In 1984, the distillery was bought by Morrison Bowmore, which itself became a subsidiary of the Japanese company Suntory a decade later.
It’s just over a week until Neil & Joel from Caskstrength.net and myself set off on our drive from London to Islay. In preparation I’ve put together my top trumps of Islay whisky. Something that proved to be a difficult task as they are all fantastic drams!
Master of Malt 26 year old Bowmore,
Bunnahabhain Mòine
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