Danish Whisky Blog awards 2013

Distillery of the Year

Four Roses

Four Roses is one of the few distilleries that just do it right. An almost endless set of releases of single barrels and small batch bourbons in various price ranges. Apart from their standard yellow label bourbon, they have an ongoing set of cheap single barrels that is not much older than the barrels they use for the yellow label. They also have more expensive, but still very affordable single barrels, some of which have been in the barrel for longer than 15 years. Everything is not just single barrel, Four Roses have their "Small Batch" range, which, as the name implies, is a vatting of of barrels. The speciel edition of this, "Small Batch Limited Edition" has been named the favourite bourbon the last couple of years by several of my bourbon entusiast friends. An eyeopenener for me in 2013 was visiting the danish bourbon/cocktail bar Salon 39 in Copenhagen, which makes a fantastic Old Fashioned based on Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon

Here is my review of one of their cheap single barrels:

Four Roses Single Barrel 50%
Warehouse QN, Barrel 36-3T

Nose: Fantastic balanced bourbon nose, where the sweet corn and rye parts are very well integrated, with a lot of spice, archetype bourbon floor varnish lacqeur,

Palate : Very creamy, vanilla, rye and spicy all at once. Great oomph factor and a bit of wood, quite intense on the wood and rye and the creamyness is profound. The youth of this is showing with a faint alcohol burn

Finish : medium and creamy

A somewhat simple, but very delicious bourbon

Rating 85/100

Unfortunately the european releases don't have the recipe information as the US releases have. My guess for this would be OBSV. When you look at the price for these single barrels, it's one of the best bargains in the big world of great whisk(e)y.

Independent Bottler of the Year

Cadenhead

Cadenhead has totally revamped their line up here in 2013. The line up is turning toward small batch bottlings of single malts and a series that is called "Creations", which is blends, small batch blands that is. The small batch bottlings is actually very small batches of 2-4 casks. So far I have tasted several really great malts Caperdonich 1977, Highland Park 1988, Glenlivet 1970, Tomatin 1978 and a great Creations 20yo consisting of of 4 casks (Mortlach 1992 butt,  Bruichladdich 1993, Cameronbridge 1989 and Invergordon 1991 hogsheads)

So far I have liked everything in this range a lot, apart from a Clynelish that was too sulphury for me. If the new Master Blender of Cadenhead, Mark Watt, can keep up this quality I think we are all in for a lot of good treats in future

Caperdonich

Caperdonich 35yo 50.2%
Cadenhead Small Batch

Nose : heavy sherry, musty and earthy
Palate : Sweet, sherried, raisins, faint medicinal, quite robust and earthy
Finish: Long, and here the oak spicyness hits with a touch of vanilla

Rating 90/100

It's a very lively whisky, very intense and powerful

Bottling of the Year

SMWS 35.71

Like a hug from your mum 47.7%

40yo Distilled 11th October 1971

To be honest this was actually bottled late in 2012, but came to my attention in the summer of 2013 and was one of the 2 best whiskies I had in 2013, the other being Martin Mills which was botled in 1999. SMWS is right now sitting on a range of splendid casks of their distillery # 35, and this is just one of three 35's I purchased in 2013. If you are looking for a whisky and haven't really decided, try one of the SMWS 35's!. Expect a review early in 2014 of 35.71 

Tasting of the Year

Diageo Tasting with Donald Colville, Spirit of Speyside

There is various ways to set up a tasting at a whisky festival, where you know that most of the people have tasted a lot of whisky. I think Donald Colville nailed it here and brought us guests a nice tastings. It was a perfect mix of what Diageo has bottled, past, present and also in the future

The setup was

Inchgower 1976 Rare Malts Selection 27yo 55.6%
Talisker Port Ruighe 45.8%
Caol Ila Feis Ile 2012 60.40%
Cragganmore 21yo 56%
Mortlach SoS Festival Bottling 48%
Talisker Storm 45.8%

A good mix of brand new releases and rare bottlings is what makes coming to Scotland and doing festivals worth it.

Whiskybase part I of III

Whiskybase is a great online catalogue, were whiskyentusiasts can keep track of their collections and rate whiskies. It has in just a few years become one of the best sources of tracking whiskies on the internet.

The site can be found here http://whiskybase.com/

Just recently the guys behind whiskybase has opened a whiskyshop in Rotterdam, check the link above for their online whiskoshop. They also have an excellent facebook page where news from the whiskyshop can be followed. I know both Menno and Ras personally and as Ras and I are in a whisky society together, I had a chance to taste their products acouple of times. Whiskybase shop has existed in just months and has allready made joint bottlings with Whisky-Fässle and Silver Seal beside bottling their own range - Archives

Whiskybase shop

Archives

I will start with a couple of joint bottlings between Whisky-Fässle and Whiskybase

1. Bunnahabhain 1968 Whisky-Fässle 43.8%

Bottled 2011, 42yo, refill sherry

Whiskybase link : http://whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=85&whiskyid=25627

A delightful nose, very typical old Bunnahabhain. Some light fruityness of aples and pears

The palate is ozzing of old whisku woth a delicate pine spicyness. It's not the most intense whisky on the market, it's more of the delicate subtle specie. The finish has the, for me, typical Bunnahabhain maltiness and a little wood bitterness

This is a great old Bunnahabhain

Rating 89

2. Caperdonich 1972 Whisky-Fässle 45.0%

Bottled 2011, 39yo, refill sherry

Whiskybase link : http://whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=124&whiskyid=25576

Nose : earthy, light fruits again but not as prominent as the Bunnahabhain

Palate : nutty, slight musty. Another delicate whisky. The wood impact is almost nonexistant, as usually seen with old Caperdonichs. But the many years in the cask has mellowed and softened this whisky into a delightful smoothness

Another great 1972 Caperdonich

Rating 90

Both of these whiskies are very delicate and subtle, some would say a bit fragile. I enjoyed them much more today than the last time I tried them which was in the middle of a somewhat extended dramming session :-). Whiskies like these can be overpowered in a situation like that

Coming soon : 4 Archives 

Last drams of 2011 part 1

Caperdonich 1972 Hart Brothers 30yo 50.1%

The nose is warm, meaty and a bit confined.

The palate is rough, bitter, musty and dusty, without any sweetness. Not an atypical Caperdonich thou. 

The finish is long with a nice bitter-vanilla

Rating 84

Caperdonich 72

There's quite a few similar minded whisky friends around where I live. We often meet up for a dramming party, and everybody brings a couple of bottles and what else they want to present. Often with a theme. At other times someone invites guests over for a themed tasting and present what they have gathered. We done Port Ellen, Islay, Old Whisky, non-scottish, Brora, Glenlivet, Lossieside, Ardbeg, Coleburn, Edradour, Amrut, several Caperdonichs, Glenburgie and many others

Some artifacts I smuggled from my travels. Piece of Caperdonich in front

Most recent event was yet another Caperdonich day and here is what we managed to gather :

Caperdonich 1968-69
Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare 41yr 40,3% 10.69/2.11 cask 3250 
Connoisseurs Choice 40yr 46% 1969/2009 
Murray McDavid Mission 37yr 46,2% 1969 sherry/madeirafinish btl. 188/500 
Connoisseurs Choice 36yr 46% 3.68/8.04 refill sherry casks 

Caperdonich 1996-98
Signatory 12yr 43% 16.5.96/13.8.08 Hogshead Cask 82229, btl. 48/371 
Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection 12yr 52,6% 96/03.09 317 btls. 
Single Malts of Scotland 10yr 58,5% 4.5.98/1.10.08 heavily peated 251 btls. 
Single Malts of Scotland 12yr 57% 4.5.98/27.5.10 cask 8712 heavily peated 242 btls. 

Caperdonich November 1972
Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare 38yr 53,6%, 11.72/2.11 cask 7460, btl. 9/160 
Duncan Taylor Rare Auld 37yr 56,50% 11.72/3.10 cask 7414 147 btls. 
Duncan Taylor Rare Auld 36yr 51,2% 11.72/9.09 CS SC btl. 96/283 
Duncan Taylor Rare Auld 34yr 55,6% 11.72/04.07 btl. 25/198 

Caperdonich 1972-80
Gordon & MacPhail Reserve 36y 57.0% 14.3.72/26.8.08 cask 1975 1st fill sherry butt 430 btls. 
Old Malt Cask 34yr 41,5% 12.73/5.08 cask DL4296 
Chieftain’s 28yr 46% 01.74/02.02 cask 389/391 hogshead 636 btls. 
Cadenhead's Chairman's Stock 27yr 56,8% 1980/6.08 hogshead 264 btls. 

After Dinner drinks :

North of Scotland Dream Drams grain 37yr 38,3% 2 casks 128 btls. 
North British Duncan Taylor 30yr 54,7% 08.78 – 04.09 Cask Q247 btl. 19/122 
Springbank 21yr 46% bottled 1998 sherrycasks
Convalmore 1975 Enjoy Whisky (Germany) 46,9% 15.10.75/14.11.06 cask 2570 268 btls. 
Tullibardine OB, 45,9% 1973/5.05 cask 2518 hogshead 239 fl. 
Banff DMWA/Falster 34yr 44,1% 1975/2009 Creative Whisky cask 09/06001 
Bunnahabhain DMWA/Falster 31yr 47,3% 1976/2008
Royal Lochnagar Norse Cask 29yr 50,4% Jan 1977/okt 2006 refill hogshead 140 btls. 
Royal Lochnagar Old and Rare Platinum 34yr 57,2% 1971/2005 474 btls.
Port Ellen Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 25yr 50% 12.79/07.05 sherry finish 425 btls.

Here's what I contributed :

1. Caperdonich 1972 34yo Duncan Taylor 55.6% cask 7435
34yo distilled November 1972, bottled April 2007

yet another DT Caperdonich 72

The nose is very fresh with a hint of citrus. You immediately know you are nosing old delicate whisky from an ex-bourbon cask

Palate is an unexpected explosion of flavours not expected from the delicate nose. Typical dry musty Caperdonich flavour, with a spicy-woody touch, tiny hint of licorice and some toffee

Finish : Medium

A very typical Caperdonich. Reminds me of Amrut

Rating 88

2. Caperdonich 1972 Gordon and MacPhail cask 1975 57.0%

Distilled 14/3 1972, bottled 26/8 2008. 1st Fill Sherry Butt

A sherried Caperdonich

Wow. A powersherried Caperdonich!!. But the distillery character can't be disguised by the sherry which gives this whisky a really nice and unusual balance of the malt and the sherry. Again a "typical" Caperdonich with the odd musty-spicyness. 

Its not very sweet, but got plenty of notes of dried fruits. Prunes, licorise and Caperdonich

Finish : long and very fruity

Rating 90

Caperdonich

Caperdonich

First time I read about Caperdonich was in Jim Murray's Complete Book of Whisky

It started it's early existence as Glen Grant no. 2, the newmake being pumped across the street to Glen Grant, 1897-1902

Jim Murray writes :

"...But from day one it was known that the whisky was not living up to expectations, and with the advent of the whisky crash, a perfect excuse was found to close it just four years later..."

The distillery was reopened in 1965 as Caperdonich (SWA naming rules now prohibited Glen Grant no. 2)

 Jim Murray writes

 "..different name, same old inferior whisky. The outside of the distillery is unattractive, yet I have enjoyed spending a cold winter's evening sitting in the stillhouse there. Stills, mashtuns, washbacks - everything is in close proximity and it feels good. The malt, though, even samples I have tasted from sherry casks, are as featureless as the distillery's exterior. It is a dram that Seagram has never once felt inclined to bottle and that is a wise choice. It is not so much a bad whisky as a boring one. Its vague pine aroma and sweet maltiness are fine for the anonymity of a blend but, because of a near non-existent finish, it remains an under-achieving dissapointment beside its brilliant older brother."

and

"CAPERDONICH - Impossible to find and one worth missing"

Here's a photo a friend took in 2009 when we did a tour of all the Rothes distilleries, Caperdonich just from the outside unfortunately

Caperdonich

The distillery operated from 1965-2002 and was then mothballed. 

Well, it didn't look like a distillery where you would go around bottle hunting...if you could find any bottles that is. The describtion is as this could be the worst distillery of Scotland

Trust me..it's not. It's closer to being the best hidden gem of Scotland 

Fist time I got the feeling there was something worthy about Caperdonich was after buying an SMWS bottling. At SMWS the distillery name is hidden behind a number code, and if you want to you can drink without knowing, which might be an advantage. I usually purchased what I like without knowing (harder these days as I learned quite a few of the code numbers)

It was a brilliant, and the bottle is long gone but it put the distillery on my mind. It was still hard to find Caperdonichs out there. Then Mark Watt from Duncan Taylor started going on about Caperdonich, how good it was and that it was his favourite distillery - So I picked up some bottles from them, and started hunting it in bars and tastings, fairs and events. Especially the 72's were brilliant whiskies. I also picked up or tried 1980 bottlings from Cadenhead and AD Rattray and some "young" 12-14 year old bottlings from Cadenhead, a recent peated 12yo from Berry Bros and Chivas Brothers also have released the only "OB" in their Cask Strength Editions series. I have also experienced some really great bottlings from Gordon and MacPhail

In general I find this to be a malt of high quality, with the 72's and the 80's being in the top of the class of whiskies of the world. I think even Jim Murray has changed his mind if you read his latest whisky bible ratings :-)

Sadly Caperdonich was demolished in 2010, Mark Watt posted this photo on his blog :

Mark Watt standing on the remains

Read his blog entry here : http://bit.ly/gIlPEg

Well, its sadly closed. But the distillery doesn't have a marketing department, no fancy crystal decanters and no exclusive releases. This is where to get quality for money, no 1000£ bottles available yet for the collectors

2 Caperdonich's

1. Caperdonich 23yo Cadenhead 1980 58%

A delightful light spicy nose, the palate has a mustyness, which always reminds me of a warehouse floor

The spicyness is a bit like dark bitter chocolate, which is trying to hide a fruityness but doesn't quite succeed

The finish is short-medium but is there!

Rating 85

2. Caperdonich 25yo 1980 cask 7339 AD Rattray  53.1%

A very fresh and light expression of Caperdonich, which reminds me more of the 72's. The nose is a very light version of the Cadenhead above, just a lot more subtle with hints of vanillawood and gentle citrus fruits. The palate is a mouthwatering follow up, still subtle in it's expression. The finish is longer, and after about 5 seconds the palate explodes with vanilla wood being dominant

Rating 90

Most cask strength Caperdonich I had with an ABV above 50 has benefit a lot from being open

Caperdonich 27yo Cadenhead's 56.8% 1980 - June 2007

Keywords: Musty, earthy, fruity, paint, solvent, dry, dunnage warehouse

Balance: Medium - the musty-earthiness is dominant

Finish: Medium-short

Rating: 88

I like earthy, musty whiskies