Sulphur

"This Whisky is sulphured, it's horrible"
"I don't get any sulphur"
"I like it"

When it comes to sulphur in whisky, opinions gets divided, and thats on every level imaginable.

 There's two origins of sulphur in whisky. At least to what I know of. One is from the wash. Distilling with copper equipment helps removing these sulphur compounds. Everyone who has been to a distillery might have noticed the blue coppersulphate crystals in the spirit safe. This is the copper reacting with the sulphur, and the result is a solid - coppersulphate which crystallises where the spirit runs.

Springbank is clearly unlikely to contain sulphur :-)

 The other source of sulphur is from various wine casks that for some reason or the other can be "contaminated" with sulphur compunds. Sulphur candles can be used to sterilize casks or sulphites can be added to wines for preservation effects. Most notable ex-sherry casks, but this might be due to ex-sherry casks being the most common alternative cask to ex-bourbon casks. 

 Here's a list of observations I have made drinking whisky, talking whisky and watching others talking and drinking whisky. Where sulphur is involved that is. Here we go :

1. Not all ex-sherry whisky is sulphured. Most likely they are not.

2. Some people hate sulphur in any disguise. Some people like it, or can accept it to a certain degree. 

3. We have different sensitivity to sulphur. Some people can easily detect it, some can not detect it all.

4. There are different kinds of sulphur. The sulphur in a whisky can result in a range of different flavours. It can emerge as flavours which for me has given associations to rubber, plastic, spent matches, rotten eggs, an ashy sandy dry kind of sulphur and I've seen cabbage notes being grouped as originating from sulphur  as well. So sulphur is not just sulphur, it is expressed as a great range of various tasting notes and associations.

 People also experience different sensivity to all these different kinds of sulphurs. I do for sure. I have a harder time picking up the stroke match kind of sulphur than most others, but an easier time finding any rotten sulphur or any rubber/plastic sulphurs.

 This has put me in situations where I am having a whisky which everyone saying "noooooo don't buy it. It's horrible, sulphured and disgusting." When I tasted it, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. 

 I have also been accused of being oversensitive to sulphur, quite often actually. Detecting sulphur in a few bourbons didn't help me as I seem to be almost the only one doing that :-)

So everybody more or less has to make up their own mind how they will react to a whisky that is said to be contaminated by sulphur. Just because another person finds a whisky sulphured, you might not. Or you might like it. Or you might not :-)

Do I like sulphur? Usually No. 

But sometimes a slight rubber/latex hint is a very positive tasting note to me. Two of my all time favourite whiskies had a slight rubber/latex hint. They were both peated-sherried whiskies, one being a Benriach 1984 cask 1048, and a Port Charlotte cask 895

But it has to be a hint, if it gets too much I am done as well. 

Tasting whisky and picking up flavours is often about associations. When I pick up a faint hint of latex/rubber, I always get a picture like this on my mind. No wonder I like that :-)

Finally a little advice. If your bottle of whisky is sulphured and you have a little trouble with it, try leave it for a bit. The content can improve and the sulphur can disappear or diminish. 

Whiskybase part III of III

1. Clynelish 1997 Archives 53.9%
Bottled 2011, 14yo, bourbon hogshead
Whiskybase link : http://whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=59&whiskyid=25066

Nose : Fruity, some apples on the lemony side

Palate : Waxy, Spicy, more wax. Oil infused whisky

Bitter : Medium and tad bitter

Rating 84

2. Caol Ila 2000 Archives 59.1%

Bottled 08/2011, 10yo, bourbon barrel

Whiskybase link : http://whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=2&whiskyid=25067

Nose : peaty, as expected! The nose is simple with a hint of citrus

Palate : The simplicity of the nose is followed by a surprisingly delicious palate for a younger Caol Ila. It's not a smack in your face peat, it's a sweet, but dominant peat with a quite a lot of citrus. It's rough but the ABV is high

Finish : medium-long and the peat is still layered with sweet lemon fruits

Rating 86

A simple young Islay that can easily match anything else on the market

Beginner's Guide to Whisk(e)y part 2 : Peated Whiskies

Peated Whisky...

Amateur peat digger on Islay..

It's whisky with a smoky flavour. Medicinal flavour. It's very different. It's an acquired taste. Some love it, some hate it.

The flavour origins from peat being used as fuel to dry the malted barley. The peatsmoke infuses the barley with these characteristic flavours. The barley is then used to brew a beer which is distilled into what becomes whisky!

Here's a small guide to help you find peaty and smoky whiskies!

There is almost 100 distilleries in Scotland. Of these just 7 distilleries makes a peated whisky as their main product. Yes, just 7!

They are :

Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Kilchoman and Talisker

The first 6 are located on the isle of Islay, Talisker is on the isle of Skye

Islay, Queen of the Hebrides

Kilchoman on Islay started production recently, in 2005.

Port Ellen on Islay closed production in 1983, but whisky from this distillery is still available. It's old by now!

The last two Islay distilleries are traditionally making non-peated whisky. Bruichladdich has a side production of various peated versions (They call it Port Charlotte and Octomore). Bunnahabhain also has made smaller productions of peated whisky. But do assume that Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain is NOT peated unless you can read so on the label.

Two more distilleries could be added to this list. Ardmore, from the East Highlands, is somewhat peated but harder to find. Highland Park is also moderately peated but not much in my opinion. These are not peated on the same scale as the others mentioned here, but occasional you find bottlings from these distilleries where the peat is dominant

A lot of distilleries uses tiny amounts of peat in their production, but if you are searching peaty whiskies this is not really what you are looking for.

Just like Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain, quite a few distilleries have been or is making smaller productions of peated whisky. This has been done both to accomodate blends, but also as a part of a general peated release from the distilleries.

The more well known of these are Tobermory (Ledaig), Springbank (Longrow), Edradour (Ballechin), Tomintoul (Old Ballantruan), Isle of Jura, Arran, Benriach and Benromach.
Harder to find, there are peated versions of Caperdonich, Bladnoch, Glen Garioch, Fettercairn, Glen Scotia, Loch Lomond and probably more. You never know what distilleries have hidden inside their warehouses over the years.

Outside Scotland, you can find peated whiskies from Japan (Hakushu and Yoichi to name a couple, but read labels, these are not peated by default). Cooley from Ireland and Amrut from India has also been making peated versions. McCarthy's from Oregon is a peated american single malt whiskey.

The ones I high-lighted in red should be part of any aspiring whisky entusiasts whisky eduction and if you are really ambitious I would try to source out some Brora from 1970-1972 or so, but it will cost you

Ardbeg

PS There's is so much more to be told about peated whiskies, there has been written full books on the subject, I can personally recommend Peat, Smoke and Spirit by Andrew Jefford

PPS Phenols, which is the molecules responsible for the peaty flavours are broken down as a whisky matures. Peaty flavours are slowly lost as a cask matures

Whisky Round Table April

The host of April's Whisky Round table is

http://whiskyisrael.co.il

Gal Granov :

of Whisky Israel asks us the following question :

"Lately we’ve seen a few examples of distilleries aging their whisky in two (or more) locations until full maturation. Amrut has done quite a few of those with their "Herald" aged on Helgoland (a wee German island) and the "Two continents". In Israel the IWC has bought a few casks from the Arran distillery and aged them on holy land for periods of 2-3 years in various locations (Tiberias, Jerusalem etc).

What are your views on those methods? Do multiple maturation locations (of the same cask) something that makes whisky better or is it a PR stunt?"

See our answers HERE :

Danish Whisky Blog

Today it's International World Whisky Day

Today it's International World Whisky Day

Cheers

http://www.whiskyfun.com/#270312

http://worldwhiskyday.com/

Which one are you celebrating ?. Both ?. None ?

Steffen

Alligator, Black Art, Thor and a Scapa

Last night I had a few drams at the Cockney Pub in Århus. Here's 4 short reviews

1. Higland Park Thor 16yo 52.1%

Nose: Light, fruity, apple-pears, a very plesant nose, but not typical Highland Park
Palate: Dark fruits, light peat, sligth rubber emerges from the initial lighter fruitness
Finish: Medium
A bit unbalanced, the slight rubber puts me off a bit
Norm Dam: "one of those whiskies you can give a lady instead of a cognac"

Rating 81

The two fellows in the bar, said I should have got the Black Art instead, Norm warned me and said it was just another ladies whisky. Let's see

2. Bruichladdich Black Art 21yo 1989 49.7%

Nose: Fruity and delicious
Palate: latex, again some sligt rubber, dried fruits, this whisky seems flat to me in the sense that it has no edges. This tastes like there has been several casks involved. Finishing tends to cut of edges. Very drinkable and balanced, but not really my style
Finish : Longer

Rating 83

3. Ardbeg Alligator 51.2%

Nose : Intrigueing nose, reminds me of Uigeadail actually. The complexity hits me, its clearly we are one step up from the prior whiskies. Peat and wood with a nice vanilla spicyness in the background
Palate: Peat and charcoal(light), This whisky feels round and balanced initially but
Finish : The youth is expressed with a slightly rough an roasted finish

Alligator has been matured on extra charred casks, which are named alligator casks throughout the industry as the charred wood looks like alligator skin. This extra charring is clearly present in this whisky which has a note of burned wood, most clearly present in the finish

Rating 86

4. Scapa McKillops Choice 1989 54.4%  14yo


I wasn't really gonna get a fourth, what can possible follow a heavily peated Ardbeg ?. But then I spotted this on the shelf which was whisky of the week. So I decided to relax with this, and I have to admit I wasn't that analytical drinking this. The young guy next to me, dressed up as a 2 meter tall green irish leprechaun, was going on about this Grand Marnier finished whisky he really liked but couldn't remember the name of. Maybe it was the Black Art :-).


Often Scapa is a somewhat anonymous dram, but this was rather pleasant with signs of maturing on a good cask. It was a combo of lighness and wood spicyness which I think was really well balanced and I really enjoyed this final dram before joining the didley-dees with a pint of Guiness (and a Jaipur..)

Rating 85

More great places to have a pint

A while ago (http://danishwhiskyblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/great-places-to-have-pint.html) I mentioned some pubs I have particular enjoyed when I am on holiday. I always try to seek out places where better than average beers and whiskies are served. Good beverage is usually followed by good food as well.

Here is a few recent favourites

1. Christian Firtal - Odense

A cozy pub right in the city center of Odense, Denmarks thirdlargest city and the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. This pub is named after the danish king Christian IV. Here's a selection on a tuesday night :

The turnaround is great, there's often a new beer on every night, and especially the "Humlehaner" section is being hit a lot (it means "hoppy taps"). Great atmossphere, and the place can be very busy on weekdays as well!. The staff is knowledgeable and they got a great selection of whiskies as well. Even the whiskybar has a great turnaround, so there's often new bottles on this shelf as well. Cadenhead is the main bottler on the shelf 

An example of a fantastic beer I had here : St. Austell's Proper Job

2. Park Way Tavern - Tacoma, Washington

Beer Randall

A very cozy tavern, with very friendly staff and guests. Around 20-30 taps, of which one is american cask ale. Every monday at 5 PM they do a Randall. A Randall is basically infusing a beer with extra flavours. The day I was there, they had the tube filled with a few extra hop varieties and some orange and citrus zest. The latter had the biggest impact on the new beer. This is the kind of pub I wish I had in MY neighbourhood

3. Russian River - Santa Rosa, California

On a my holidyas in the US I so far managed to visit around 20 craft breweries, ranging from the excellent and very big Sierra Nevada to a range of small microbreweries and brew-restaurants. The latter is a very common thing to find on the west coast US. Russian River is my favourite so far. Their restaurant is located in Santa Rosa just north of the Bay Area in California.

Left blackboard at Russian River. RR IPA was my favourite

Right Blackboard

A tasting set, this is done by all the craft breweries

Russian River is an outstanding brewery. I've been visiting around 15 in a week, and they were all nice encounters with a range of tasty beers, but the Russian River brews just blew my mind away. This is a world class brewery. As you can see, they have something for everybody, and a few friends that are into the stronger, belgian ale style kind of beers, possible wood aged tell me that the right side has a range of world class beers as well. I was stuck on the left blackboard, as I was driving, but I do like hoppy, fresh, lower ABV IPA's and the varieties made at Russian River was a delightfull way to spend an hour for lunch break. And the pizza was good as well-

4. Black Ox, Prague

If you are walking around Prague, visiting the major tourist attractions, don't forget to pop into the Black Ox. Or as it's called in Czech : U Cerneho Vola. It's one of the few remaining traditional czech pubs left in the castle area in Prague

Pivnice U Cerneho Vola on Loretta Square

On tap is FRESH Kozel and maybe also Pilsner Urquell, what more can you ask for. Don't forget to taste some of the local food snacks, like marinated camembert (hermelin) or topinky, which is a czech version of bruschetta (and a lot better)

5. Brew Dog, Edinburgh and Glasgow

Edinburgh and Glasgow is an abundance of great pubs. If you fancy something a wee bit different, why not try the excellent Brew Dog Pubs. In Edinburgh is very close to the Royal Mile, and in Glasgow is just opposite Kelvingrove art Museum. There's 5-6 Brewdog beers on tap, and a few guest beers, like Mikkeler. Great food is served as well