Dynasty Report: Whisky advent

[trmmilwwi]

As a new winter season approaches I have a new dynasty to report on... my wife has purchased a Whisky advent calendar for me and I start the imbibing tonight. In order to refer back to my notes for each whisky I thought I would type it up online. Without a blog, twitter, instagram, facebook or any other newfangled device the kids dream up nowadays I figured I would memorialize things in this little corner of the universe.

I am quite looking forward to the calendar as I get to sample 24 different whisky's in 24 days. All I know about them is that they are random samples from the 5 areas of Scotland, Lowland, Speyside, Highland Campbeltown and Islay. Each day (night) has a dram of whisky to sample with what I believe to be the type, locale and age of the whisky. I tend to gravitate towards the peaty Islay malts so I am looking forward to sampling some of the others. I hope to find a few that I can track down and add to my bar.

My main focus is to have a list of notes for future reference but please provide comments. I am looking forward to this!!

[crobillard]

This sounds so cool. Definitely keep this updated.

[bigmike13]

Excellent idea

[JohnC]

Sounds a little different then my kids chocolate advent calender. Don't think I will be reporting on theirs.

Enjoy Tim!

[felipe]

I \should do this; but 24 beer a day for 24 days...

[aaronweiner]

Nice. Love the idea.

[trmmilwwi]

Here is a photo of the advent calendar.

[trmmilwwi]

Day 1
Glenfarclas 40 year old

After a long day at work which included clients back in the office after a long holiday weekend demanding to see what was done while they were on "holiday", construction guys claiming they didn't include required work in their scope and an employee who feels taken advantage of because they cannot hire a cleaner to clean their house while they are putting in extra hours at the office I needed a little break from the world. The break was provided by a dram of Glenfarclas 40 year old.

Now I will tell you that Day 1 was a huge surprise. I did not expect to start off the calendar by having an aged whisky like the Glenfarcas. Heck, the stuff is a year older than I am! I was very excited to try the Day 1 offering.



The whisky was a medium to deep amber color. It started with a slightly sweet smell when in the bottle but when poured into a glass had a more medicinal smell. Upon first taste it was slightly peaty but not overpowering. It had depth in tasting that provided a thick resinous feel. It was not an earthy or woodsy taste but more like a dark chocolate, although not sweet or bitter. It had a slightly wet finish with a strong aftertaste.

Overall it is very close to what I normally drink but slightly lower on the peaty notes I am usually so fond of. It felt a little bit heavier, maybe more body, than some of the other whisky’s I have had lately which was a nice surprise. It may be possible that the aging had something to do with the feel on the tongue but I am not certain. I found myself trying to savor every last drop and take smaller sips as to not lose the taste so I am thinking I need to pick up a bottle when possible.

In further review online I have found that the whisky has been aged in sherry casks and is a single malt. The Glenfarcas distillery was not one that I have been familiar with at all but it seems to have a long history as it has been around since 1836. They are one of the few distilleries in Scotland that are still independent and family owned. It is located in the highland region of Scotland and it has one of the largest stills in the region. They have a UK distributor but I have not been able to track down which company, if any, distribute them in the US. The 40 Year Old was named "Scotch Whisky Single Malt of the Year" by Malt Advocate in 2011. The 40 year old may have been produced in 1974 although it is not clear exactly what vintage the 40 year old actually is from the advent calendar markings. Many reviews spoke of orange undertones which I can definitely see fits the taste profile. The price point of this aged whisky has been purposefully shifted to a more affordable price range and is devoid of many of the flashy marketing efforts one tends to see with other aged spirits.

Overall this is a great aged whisky that hasn’t suffered from being in the cask for 40+ years. While it will cost more than most other spirits because of the aging it has gone through it does not seem to have unreasonably high pricing. I will certainly seek out the 40 year and may even try some of their other bottles as well. A great start to the dynasty!

[felipe]

That is awesome

[crobillard]

Day 1
Glenfarclas 40 year old
The whisky was a medium to deep amber color. It started with a slightly sweet smell when in the bottle but when poured into a glass had a more medicinal smell. Upon first taste it was slightly peaty but not overpowering. It had depth in tasting that provided a thick resinous feel. It was not an earthy or woodsy taste but more like a dark chocolate, although not sweet or bitter. It had a slightly wet finish with a strong aftertaste.

Overall it is very close to what I normally drink but slightly lower on the peaty notes I am usually so fond of. It felt a little bit heavier, maybe more body, than some of the other whisky’s I have had lately which was a nice surprise. It may be possible that the aging had something to do with the feel on the tongue but I am not certain. I found myself trying to savor every last drop and take smaller sips as to not lose the taste so I am thinking I need to pick up a bottle when possible.

Phenomenal detail on the taste. You set the bar high. Glenfarcas is definitely one I'll look into. As far as the shipping goes, I will be looking into outside the box ways to ship it into the US. Without looking it up, my knowledge is limited, but I know it's a hassle to get alcohol shipped to the US when you don't have an importer license. There are obviously ways around it where you can get it here. I believe you can mark it when it's shipped a certain way and it usually gets to you. I will be looking forward to your review of day two.

[7teen]

This will be fun to follow. Coming from me, that's something. The reason I say that is my new found drinking habit. (haha) I went the first 34 years of my life without having drank a drop of alcohol. EVER! No liquor, beer, NOTHING! Then suddenly decided (I blame having a wife, 3 kids, and being a teacher for 12 years) to try a little. For the first bit I couldn't tell the difference in taste of anything. Now that I've drank for about a year, I can now distinguish differences in taste of different beer and liquors.

[trmmilwwi]

This will be fun to follow. Coming from me, that's something. The reason I say that is my new found drinking habit. (haha) I went the first 34 years of my life without having drank a drop of alcohol. EVER! No liquor, beer, NOTHING! Then suddenly decided (I blame having a wife, 3 kids, and being a teacher for 12 years) to try a little. For the first bit I couldn't tell the difference in taste of anything. Now that I've drank for about a year, I can now distinguish differences in taste of different beer and liquors.

I hear ya... try growing up hating beer in the middle of Wisconsin when Pabst, Schlitz, Miller, Blatz, Heilemann and others were going full blast. Every holiday was met with brown cases of bottles of the stuff. I still can't stomach the smell or taste of most beer. I wish I was able to because the whole craft beer movement screams awesomeness. I wish I could like Dark Lord, Fat Tire, and whatever else as there are tons of awesome beer out there. Unfortunately (or fortunately maybe) I have taken a liking to whiskey, gin and vodka. Mainly whiskey and local distilleries. I figure by the time I run out of new whisky to try I may like the taste of beer (not going to happen by the way!!).

[felipe]

weirdy!

[bigmike13]

Awesome first day!

[trmmilwwi]

Day 2
Isle of Jura 21 year old

After the Day 1 treat I was certain that this whisky would not live up to the Glenfarclas offering I started this dynasty out with. But… a bad whisky is still whisky, which is better than most anything else after another long day at work. So, without much hesitation, and much excitement, I opened door 2 to find out what was in store.




Isle of Jura is another whisky that I am not familiar with. I am starting to like that, so far (heck, it’s only 2 drams), I have not seen a brand that I have known. This is exactly why I was so excited to see what the 24 days would hold. The label stated it was a single malt scotch (great news!) and that it was 44% alcohol by volume. Not much to go on. The fact that it was a 21 year old (is it weird that I felt a little odd telling my wife “thanks for the 21 year old tonight, it was wonderful!”) The scotch had a somewhat lighter shade of amber than the Glenfarclas and led me to believe that it may be a lowland scotch. While I think the color has more to do with the wood used for the casks it just seems like the lighter shades have lighter notes. Probably not but so it is. The initial smell after opening the dram was a slight sweetness which seemed to fit the lighter amber color and the watered look of the liquid. The first sip hitting the tongue was very light, nothing at all like the regions I am most used to. The finish was very short and not many notes lingered for long. After taking a few more sips there seemed to be a slight saltiness to the scotch. I wondered if the distillery may be near the west coast due to the saltiness present.

My impressions after finishing the Isle of Jura scotch is that it was a great scotch when I want something lighter on the palate. The light taste and minimal finish meant it would pair up with some other subtle flavors. This would not go well with a bold cigar or with a flavorful dinner as it would be overwhelmed but it would work with a nice Ashton or Davidoff. It was difficult for me to tell what affect the aging had on the scotch. It didn’t immediately scream out that it had the depth that I would expect with such a long aging. It seemed more in line with some of the younger scotches I have had from the lowland regions.

In my initial research I was able to find that an Isle of Jura 21 Year Old won a bronze medal at the 2005 International Wine and Spirits competition. That has to be good, right?! Master of Malt had this to say about the scotch:
“The nose is full and fragrant. Notes of toffee and fudge, a touch of vanilla with a spread of sweet nuts. There are honeyed notes creeping in with tones Tokaji and port. The palate is of good body with notes of winter cake, damson jam, marzipan and an uprising of cooked fruit with winter spice and fudge. The finish is of medium-length with notes of chewy oak tannins.”
I don’t know about the talk of toffee, sweet nuts and port but the overall sweetness of what I tasted matches up. The finish I experienced was much shorter than what I would term medium length.

Another set of taste notes, this time from the distiller:
“To celebrate its 200th anniversary, Isle of Jura distillery has released a limited edition 21-year-old variant, matured in vintage Gonzales Byass Oloroso Sherry casks, dating back to 1963. Distillery Manager Willie Cochrane says that ?At the distillery we are all extremely proud of this 200th anniversary expression. Not only is it an exceptional malt, it?s also an exceptionally rare malt with only a few thousand people being lucky enough to be able to enjoy this beautiful whisky that has been matured in a vintage Oloroso sherry cask. ?Each and every bottle will also contain a personal invite from me to join me and my team at the distillery for a private tour and to indulge in some of our rarest malts, but consumers need to be quick off the mark as there are a limited number of bottles and tours available worldwide.? Oranges, lemonade, nougat, wood polish, Sherry and salted nuts feature on the nose. Quite mouth-coating and initially richly fruity, with notes of coal soon developing. Medium length in the finish, spicy, with some Sherry and brittle toffee, plus lingering coal dust and liquorice sticks. 44.0% ABV, 70cl, ?85.00, specialist whisky merchants.”
It seems that the 21 year old is a special release which is fairly rare. I didn’t smell wood polish (really?! Wood polish??) although the sweetness of the orange and lemonade was there. The taste seemed more salty than spicy.

The Jura distillery has roots back to the late 1800’s but only recently (1960’s) was the distillery refurbished and brought back to a functioning distiller. Wikipedia entry here. The Island of Jura lies along the West coast of Scotland, due west of Glasgow, and has a population of 200. Apparently there is one road, one pub and one distillery. The distillery is owned by Whyte and Mackay, a Glasgow company that was only recently (October 31st) purchased by a Philippine’s conglomerate. The distillery owns 2 wash stills and 2 spirit stills and produces 2,500,000 litres a year. Compare that with Glenlivet which is at one of the highest production levels (7 wash stills, 7 spirit stills and 10,500,000 litres a year) and it seems the distillery produces a fair amount.

Additional thoughts: Jura seems to be closely associated with the islands (northern areas of the west coast) rather than with Islay (southern coastal islands). This makes sense to me as scotch originating from the southern islands tend to be bolder and more peaty (Lagavulin/Laphroaig). While I would have guessed that the lightness of the scotch would place it in the lowlands region, the salt that was present may have provided insight into the location of the distillery (west islands). It is also possible that I am making the whole sea/salt connotation up in my mind as there seems to be little evidence of the saltiness of the whisky being seen by others.

[trmmilwwi]

I will attempt to format the reviews so that I present which scotch is being reviewed followed by any knowledge that I have of the brand or distillery. In the first 2 nights it happened to be little knowledge other than what was on the package. I will then taste the day’s entry and provide tasting notes and thoughts. In an effort to improve my knowledge of the taste, palate, finish, aftertaste, etc I will research the brand and distiller along with others’ reviews only after writing my notes. I will then write up a review of what I was able to find researching the whisky and how it may compare to my findings. It will be an interesting experiment to gauge how closely my thoughts are to those with more defined palates, the blowhards if you will.

[recchem2000]

I \should do this; but 24 beer a day for 24 days...

[crobillard]

I will attempt to format the reviews so that I present which scotch is being reviewed followed by any knowledge that I have of the brand or distillery. In the first 2 nights it happened to be little knowledge other than what was on the package. I will then taste the day’s entry and provide tasting notes and thoughts. In an effort to improve my knowledge of the taste, palate, finish, aftertaste, etc I will research the brand and distiller along with others’ reviews only after writing my notes. I will then write up a review of what I was able to find researching the whisky and how it may compare to my findings. It will be an interesting experiment to gauge how closely my thoughts are to those with more defined palates, the blowhards if you will.

Very cool. Seems like you didn't enjoy the day two dram as much, but it's still very cool that it was a 21 year old. Looking forward to day three.

[felipe]

like the man said, i wish my wife would tell me to enjoy a twenty-one year-old!

Hell, I'd probably enjoy the forty year-olds too

Although sadly, I don't think I'd enjoy 'em for more than 20 minutes!

[trmmilwwi]

Day 3
Paul John – Peated Select Cask

Day 3’s selection is another whisky that I am unfamiliar with. I have not heard of the company before but the “Peated Select” has me intrigued. I noticed “Product of India” on the label… our 1st true wildcard of the dynasty! I have never tasted an Indian spirit and this could get interesting.



Upon opening the dram I noticed a floral scent. The first taste of the whisky reinforced the “peated” text on the label. This was a much bolder whisky than day 2. I almost think this was stronger, and definitely more peaty, than the Day 1 selection. The taste was not as deep though. While the peat hit the front and center of my tongue there was a long aftertaste that almost had a sweetness after a while. It almost seems as though this whisky has been aged in wine casks with a hint of sherry or some other taste profile added through the maturing process. There also seemed to be a hint of black licorice in the taste profile. Overall I am very happy with this selection and the bold flavor is very welcome.

Well, upon completing some research on Paul John it seems as though it is a company started in 1992 by an entrepreneur interested in spirits. They started selling in 2012 and utilize Indian malted barley along with peat from Scotland. The heat in India speeds up the maturation of the whisky so that it takes much less time. The barrels in India loose between 10-12% of the liquid through evaporation each year compared to around 2% of the barrel in Scotland. The whisky can be brought to market much quicker than the product in Scotland. The whisky is aged in bourbon barrels, which must be the sweetness I noticed.

The reviews I have read have stated that the whisky has a peaty taste which gangs up on you slowly and infuses the whisky with smoke. Sure… peat it has in spades!

This was a very flavorful whisky that I have not seen on the shelves. The added hint of bourbon form the aging barrels gives the spirit something to differentiate itself from some of the other peat monsters I have had. There is a depth there that I would not have expected from a young spirit. If I need a unique addition to the stable this pony may have a chance.