Two superb bourbons

1. Parkers Heritage Collection 10yo wheated 63.9%

Annual special releases from Heaven Hill, this is a 10yo barrel strength version of their wheated bourbon, which is normally bottled under the Old Fitzgerald label.

Nose: Strong, solvent, dusty, warehouse. If you know the woody-sweet spirity smell you can experience in a warehouse you know what I mean.. This is just like standing next to a barrel.

Palate: Cream-Caramel, wood, soft vanilla, more wood. Again I get this feeling of being just next to barrel, which is not the worst association. I picture myself in a dark quiet rickhouse when drinking this

Finish : Long

An extreme bourbon, but also soft and friendly. It's the trademark of a wheater, which is a bourbon that has wheat as secondary grain, not rye which is more common. The wood is powerful, but it's not overpowering. It is well chosen barrels by Heaven Hill and this is a major move up from their regular wheated bottlings.

Rating 91/100

Now why doesn't HH bottle more stuff like this?. Rumours goes that stock has been sold to Buffalo Trace so they can keep up with supply for the van Winkle range. Maybe this is the reason ?

Thanks to Sku for the sample

2. Elijah Craig 12yo 134.2 proof

This is the barrel strength versions of Elijag Craig 12yo

As such I don't find a lot of commons between the regular and the barrel strength. The nose is dark licorise and spicy. This is one of those noses that has an anastetic effect on your mind.. I just want to dig deeper into it and almost try to drink this through my nose, Very nice. Normally the ethanol will refrain you from nosing a whisk(e)y to close to the liquid, but for this I just can't get near enough.

It's very spicy, with some sweet cinnamon like notes coming through.

Drinking this is powerful stuff. Now I can feel the ABV coming through. The whiskey is dark, powerful and oily, almost like engine oil in colour and texture. In fact this is so hot I need to add some water. This is one of the most oily whiskies I ever had. It is also so powerful in flavour I have to drink it drop by drop. If I had a bottle of this (I wish) it would last for years.

It's more intense than woody, it got licorise with a sweet edge. The finish is medium-long

Rating 89/100

Thanks to Michael for the sample

Great offers in travel retail for the whiskyentusiast

My 7 favourite whisky books

1. Malt Whisky Yearbook
Edited by Ingvard Ronde
A little encyclopedia about malt whisky distilleries around the world, with main focus on Scotland and Japan. The book is published every autumn and there is plenty of new content to justify a new purchase every year. Every distillery has its own page with info and there are secions with statistics and maps. This is probably the essential book for malt whisky entusiasts.

2. Peat, Smoke and Spirit
Andrew Jefford
A large book covering Islay and her distilleries, the book has a few years on its back, so a new distillery like Kilchoman isn't covered. You will get a very good insigth into the whisky producing enviroment on Islay, islay it self and the 7 distilleries making whisky at the turn of the millenium

3. Appreciating Whisky
Phillip Hills
This book covers tasting whisky. Mainly our senses and what causes the tastes. There's a little bit of chemistry involved but nothing that will scare anyone. It describes how whisky tastes on a general level, and why it does so. It is written by the founder of SMWS

4. The Bluffers Guide to Whisky
David Milsted
This is the booked I learned the most from :-). It shows how to act and conduct yourself in the world of whisky to appear as the guy in the know, opposed to everyone else. Funny and wellwritten. The book has a few years on its back, but most of this stuff is timeless. If you don't want to become a pretender you always learn to easy spot one :-)

5. Canadian Whisky, the portable expert
Davin de Kergommeaux
This is THE book about Canadian Whisky, taking you throught all the destilleries and the history of distilling whisky in Canada. Canadian whisky has it's distinct style and production setup, and is not made the same way as whisky is made in USA, Ireland and Scotland

6. Bourbon, Straight
Charles K. Cowdery
A book about Bourbon. I reviewed the book HERE

7. The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste
Charles K. Cowdery
A book about the bourbon A.H. Hirsch, made in Pennsylvainia in 1974. I reviewed it HERE

My next list is going to be "Great offers in travel retail for the whiskyentusiast"

Upcoming, planned and rumoured distilleries in Scotland, Ireland and UK

Yesterday the newest distillery in Scotland, Strathearn Distillery filled it's first cask

Strathearn soon to be whisky

Never before have so many distilleries been in the plans or getting build. Here are the ones I am aware of

1. Glencarron
At the site of the old Imperial Distillery, Pernod Ricard is currently building a new distillery, rumoured to be named Glencarron. The building is well on its way

Photo from Dufftown 2000 facebook page

2. New Diageo Distillery in Alness

Diageo are building a new 13 million LPA, 16 copper pot stills distillery next to Teaninich Distillery

3. Ardnamurchan

A new distillery by the independent bottler Adelphi, is well on it's way on the remote peninsula Ardnamurchan, the westernmost point on the british mainland

http://www.adelphidistillery.com/

Ardnamurchan summer 2013, from Adelphi's FB page

Primo Oct. 2013, photo by Thomas Skowronek

4. Annandale

The old Annandale distillery has been closed for 90 years and is up for a resurrection. The distillery is located near the english border on the west coast.

http://www.annandaledistillery.co.uk/

Annandale Nov. 2012

5. Falkirk Distillery
Falkirk Distillery is a project in Polmont that has been on its way for some years now, but something is finally happening.
http://falkirkdistillery.com/

Photo from Malt Maniacs FB-page

6. The Kingsbarn Distillery
Something is finally happening for  the founder Douglas Clement, after he has teamed up with the independent bottler Wemyss.
http://www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com/

From Kingsbarns FB-page

On top of these six there is a range of rumoured distilleries:

7. Ballindalloch Castle
Ballindalloch Distillery LLP has received a £1.27 million grant from the Scottish government

8. Anniston Farm in Lunan, Angus
has received a £292.000 grant from the Scottish governemnt

9. Gartbreck Distillery, Islay
Near Bowmore, Jean Donnay of Glann Ar Mor in France is associated or behind this project
http://www.whiskyadvocateblog.com/2013/09/14/islay-to-get-ninth-distillery/

10. Glenrothes 
A rumoured distillery by the indian company Kyndal and John Fergus & Co. It is to be locaed just south of Fife Airport, west of Glenrothes. Rumoured name: Inchdairnie Distillery

11. Lindores Abbey in Fife
The first written record of whisky was a commission from King James IV to Friar John Cor of Lindores Abbey to make "eight bols of malt" Will whiskymaking return ti it's birthplace? 
http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2013/09/distillery-planned-for-historic-birthplace-of-scotch/

12. Unst, Shetland
Former Glenglassaugh director Stuart Nickerson should be involved in developing a distillery on Shetland. In very initial planning phase

13. Glasgow Distillery
AD Rattray are behind a new project in Queens Docks in Glasgow

14. Isle of Harris
There is a website for this http://www.harrisdistillery.com/ It's been there for a while, ot sure if anything happens

15. Huntly Distillery
According to Duncan Taylor's owner, Euan Shands the distillery plans are still meant to go ahead. Nothing have happened in years though.

16. Camelon
Arran Brewery has secured a £500.000 grant from Historic Scotland to reopen Rosebank as a brewery and microdistillery. Rumoured name for the distillery is Camelon

17. Drimnin
A project in Drimnin, on the Sound of Mull, opposite Tobermory
http://www.urbanrealm.com/news/4431/Drimnin_distillery_plans_submitted.html

18. Portavadie
A new project on the shores of Loch Fyne, opposite Tarbert
http://www.portavadiedistillery.co.uk/

19. Tweeddale Blend
is working to fund a craft distillery. Read about at Whisky Discovery HERE - just scroll down to the bottom of his long post.

20. Isle of Barra Distillery
http://uisgebeathananeilean.co.uk/home.html

21. Torabhaig Distillery, Skye
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-26257713

22. Jedforest Hotel
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/40m-distillery-plan-brings-cheer-to-the-borders.23483599


Meanwhile in England
23. Lakes Distillery
Aimed to open in Spring 2014, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's later
http://www.lakesdistillery.com


There are also plans in Ireland
24. Tullamore
William Grant are currently building a new distillery in Tullamore to support their brand Tullamore Dew

25. Walsh
The company behind The Irishman and Writer's Tears are behind this project
http://walshwhiskey.com/

26. Horse Island
Rumours
http://www.liquidirish.com/2012/12/new-distillery-proposed-on-horse-island.html

27. Slane Castle
http://www.slanecastle.ie/castle/whiskey_news.php

28. Teeling
http://www.liquidirish.com/2013/10/teeling-whiskey-distillery.html

Also Northern Ireland

29. Ballyhenry House
http://www.u.tv/News/Two-new-whiskey-distilleries-for-NI/af4a7aa8-3d19-4896-9b39-b806d5791913

30. Gransha Road
http://www.u.tv/News/Two-new-whiskey-distilleries-for-NI/af4a7aa8-3d19-4896-9b39-b806d5791913




30 new distilleries coming up? Possible. I reckon most if not almost all of them will happen. Time will tell. And I am sure there are more than I know of, some like to keep quiet about these things! Let me know if you heard something I didn't

It doesn't look like I will run out of new distilleries to visit in the future

Dogme reviews #2.Three from Canada

Three short reviews. Today from Canada

Special canadian whisky is extremely hard to come by here in Europe. If you ask 10 people what country makes Canadian Club, I am sure a few will answer either Scotland or USA !

1. Forty Creek Barrel Select 40%

The nose is gentle, as is very common for me with canadian whiskies, it really is a laid back light style of whisky (usually, not always). There's a hint of rye in nose and and a slight touch of dried fruits. The palate is dominated by the sherrywine touch with a nice combo of sherrywine and distant rye. The combination works really well.  The standard low 40% canadian ABV makes this whisky extremely easy to drink,  but the whisky is still quite oily. The dominant flavours for me is fruity raisins and rye.

Forty Creek is a blend of single grain corn, barley and rye whiskies aged 6 to 10 years, then vatted together and finished in sherry barrels for 6 months

Rating 84/100

2. Hirsch Selection Canadian Rye Whisky 20yo 43%

Hirsch is an american independent bottler and the provenance of this whisky is unknown to me. Quite typical, for an aged canadian whisky, I don't really get any added wood impact of this very old whisky. It is just smoother. It's a single barrel, column distilled canadian rye. Flavourwise the rye is not that dominant, not compared to other high rye whiskies I have tasted. It has a lot more rye impact than the Forty Creek Barrel Select. This is a rather simple, clean, smooth and crisp rye whisky, easy drinking. The rye is not overpowering  but still present and I reckon this will be a gentle introduction to the rye catagory for a newbie

Rating 84/100


1. Stalk & Barrel Barrel#2 61.3%
Still Waters Distillery

This is one of the first bottlings from the Canadian micro distillery Still Waters in the suburbs of Toronto in Ontario

The nose is light, spicy and a hint of newmake. It doesn't have anything in common with the first two whiskies. Despite its younger age, there is more wood impact and the whisky is fullbodied, but I would have expected that as there is no water added, as far as I know.

The palate is young and fruity, the kind of pleasant fruityness you smell in the stillhouse. Newmakey esters.
Beside being young, I pick up a meaty context and vanilla. A bit of water brings out malt and grains of this

This is still too young for my taste, but it's a promising spirit from a new distillery with no off notes that often makes young whiskes a pain to try. And belive me.  I have tried a few!

 I like the possibility to try a distillery where the spirit is not hidden behind peat, sherry or rye, which for me is "The easy way" for a distillery to bottle their young products. Not the case here


Rating 78/100

Thanks to Johanne, also known as whiskylassie for the sample

5 distilleries worth visiting you might not have thought of

Visiting Distilleries...

It's a hobby of mine. I've been around 130 or so and all the visits have been fun. That's how it is with hobbies. Others say, have you seen one then you have seen them all. Obviously I don't agree :-)

Some distilleries are known for their nice visitor centres, others for great tours or fantastic scenery. When people recommend distilleries to visit it is very often the same names that pop up. And I don't disagree.

But here is five distilleries that I found particular interesting and they are not mentionend that often compared to others. So if you have seen a lot or a few distilleries, here is 5 that might have something to offer.


1. Four Roses Warehouses

Four Roses warehouses and Four Roses distillery are located 50 miles apart. The distillery offer two different tours, the warehouse tour needs an appointment first

It's called the Warehouse and Bottling facility. Four Roses Warehouses are unusual for Kentucky as they are single story warehouses. Opposed to the "standard" multi story warehouses. There is around 20 warehouses and a bottling facility on the site. You get inside one or two of the warehouses and then you get to the bottling facility where barrels are emptied, vatted and then bottled. The day we visitied they were doing single barrels. It's a great operation to watch and first hand see the barrels dumped.

Getting ready to empty this

2. Indian Creek Distillery

Indian Creek distillery is a revival of a distillery that has been silent since 1920. It was a smaller farm distillery that was forced to close when prohibition hit in 1920. The distillery was founded by Elias Staley around 1826 and run for almost a century until 1920 (with a break or two). Now 6th generation on the Staley farm, Melissa and Joe Duer has reinstalled the old original stills in the original setup and has started producing whiskey again. Using original recipe involving rye, barley, corn and hops and hickory wood for maturation (or partly) this distillery is probably so traditional that modern understanding and rules of whiskey has surpassed them in the century that has passed. It's a very nice place to visit and the Duer's has done a great job resurrecting this distillery, and visiting is a bit like going back in history.

http://www.staleymillfarmanddistillery.com/distillery.htm

Staley farm stills

3. Deanston

If you have visited distilleries in Scotland and want to see a distillery that is a bit different than the rest I recommend Deanston near Doune Castle. It's an old cotton mill that after 180 years was transformed into a distillery in the 60's. It is beautifully located on the bank of the river Teith. The whole distillery is located inside one building which is somewhat unusual as warehouses are normally set aside the rest of the distillery. The place has an interesting story and it's one of my favourite tours. After the tours there is a chance to taste the great whisky from the distillery. The destillery is powered by it's own water turbines, that produces enough power to also supply the nearby village with power (or used to). The giant turbines is an unusual sight for a whisky tourists. When "The Danish Drinking Team" group of 8, visited Scotland and around 10-12 distilleries in May this year, Deanston that was most popular amongst the bottle shoppers amongst us!

Deanston Still Room

4. Tomatin

An interesting distillery to visit in the scottish Highland. It used to be biggest distillery in Scotland, but the production has been scaled down to around 50% of what it once was. It used to run two mashtuns, and now the redundant mashtun has become a visitor attraction in itself. The distillery itself is a small village, quite isolated up in the Highlands between Inverness and Speyside, just on the A9. When entering through the narrow tunnel under the railway, you are met by giant warehouses reminding me of  Kentucky, if it wasn't for the heather highland surroundings. The place also have a visitor centre and bottle your own facility

Climb inside a mashtun at Tomatin

4. Yoichi

I covered my recent visit to Yoichi in another blog post here. This is exactly how it should be to visit a distillery. Everything was in japanese though, but maybe I should have learned that before I went :-)

Tasting Bar Yoichi Distillery

Next list will be: 7 of my favourite whiskybooks

5 things to do in Edinburgh if you like whisky (and beer)

Or things to do in Edinburgh at least 500 times before you die...particular no. 5


1. Visit a whiskyshop

The Royal Mile, mainly a pedestrian street, leading from Holyrood palace at the bottom up to Edinburgh Castle at the top, hosts two of my favourite whiskyshops in Edinburgh.

Royal Mile Whiskies, about one third from the top is one of Scotlands leading speciality stores for whisky of all kind. The staff is well educated and the selection is very big. Especially considering the small size of the shop. It's a tight little shop, quite old. When a heavy guy like me moves around in the room, the floor is slightly dislocated and you can hear and see bottles moving one millimeter here, one millimeter there. If your wear a backpack, watch when you turn.

Further down The Royal Mile, about one third from bottom is another small excellent whisky shop, Cadenhead's Whisky Shop. Whiskyshops are speciality shops, but this is a speciality shop amongst speciality shops. Cadenhead's Whisky Shop mainly sells whisky from Springbank and the associated independent bottler Cadenhead's

The staff is extremely knowledgeable about whisky and if you want to bring a bottle of whisky home that noone tasted before they more or less only got bottles here that fits that description. 

2. Join a Jolly Toper tasting

If I am in Edinburgh on a thursday, I always try to go to one of Jolly Toper's whiskytastings

http://www.jollytopertastings.co.uk/whisky-tasting-dates/

They are usual on every 2nd thursday or so, but if I happen to be in Edinburgh on a "wrong" thrusday, I have before succeded in talking the host to schedule an extra tasting :-)

The host is also one  the guys behind the counter of Cadenhead's but he serves all kinds of whisky, and often something unusual is on the agenda, it can exceptional rare, exceptional good or strange. The guests are always a good company and very opinionated about what they drink in the good way.

Kilderkin, the pub that hosts these tastings are also worth a visit. It has some of the best pub food in Edinburgh (I have tried), nice little selection of whisky (and rum) and a couple of good casks ales on tap

3. Visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Their various bars around the world (some better than others...) They have a huge selection of their own bottlings, excellent food and good beer. A good place to try haggis in my opinion, it's delicious.

Their bottlings is not focused on distilleries but on their own, over the top, sometimes obscure tasting notes. I usually go in their bars and let everything else but distillery names decide what to drink, and often went away with a bottle that was a litle gem from an unknown distillery

4. Scotch Whisky Experience

Near the top of The Royal Mile, you find the Scotch Whisky Experience. This is a whisky experience made for the numerous tourists visiting Edinburgh, but it also got something to offer for the more experienced whiskydrinker

The place will take you through a fairy fun ride, sitting in a "barrel" and getting introduced to what scottish whisky is. After this there is sensory tasting session (various choices), The Diageo Claive Vidiz Collection, a collection of 3500 bottles on display, big fun for any whisky geek as there is many older bottlings. The place also have a bar and a restaurant.

5. A Pint

Edinburgh is an abundance of great pubs of all kinds. I am a big fan of scottish real ales and use time in Edinburgh on beers as well as whisky

I allready mentioned Kilderkin, but the list is almost endless and I am far from having visited everywhere. A random place seldom dissapoints me, but here is a few places I have been that are a bit different, and that I liked

Guildform Arms: Big selection of scottish real ales, well served, can be busy
Malt and Hops: Cosy little pub in Leith (near the SMWS Vaults) with a good selection of real ales
Bow Bar: real ales and whiskies, old fashioned speciality pub, with good selection
Whiski: huge selection of whisky, mainly OB, but if you want to try out the recent offering from Macallan, this is the place
Brew Dog: Modern Bar, serving modern style beers, mainly their own, and some great food


Next list will be: 5 distilleries worth visiting that you might not have thought of