SmokyBeast: February 2013

February 22, 2013

Oban Distiller's Edition - A Sweet Spot Between The Highlands and The Islands

Getting it Right
Diageo's Classic Malts of Scotland each produce an annual special release Distiller's Edition. These limited bottlings undergo a different aging process in refill desert wine casks. Diageo classifies the malts into: "Full-Bodied and Smoky" "Fruity and Spicy" and "Light and Floral".

We think it's safe to ignore "Light and Floral". If you're a light and floral kind of whisky drinker, you may want to stop reading right now.

Our first three samples went right down the line of "Full-Bodied and Smoky". Lagavulin Distiller's Edition, aged in Ximenez Sherry casks, was one of our favorite whiskies of all time. Our expectations were set so high, that we were shocked by how mind-blowing the Moscatel Port wine cask Caol Ila Distiller's Edition turned out to be. Cruising full speed ahead we dove into the Amoroso Sherry-aged Talisker Distiller's Edition, which turned out to be one of the most drinkable whiskies ever (almost dangerously so). Corporate megalith status aside, Diageo knocked our socks off with this line of whiskies. Particularly given the price point of these bottles (between $57.99 and $97.99) we've rarely seen higher quality for the money.

Out of our Comfort Zone
So impressed were we with these special holiday bottles that we decided to leave our beastly comfort zone and try something from the "Fruity and Spicy" category. The Oban Distiller's Edition is one year older than the typical 14-year aging. The final two years in the barrel introduce a Montilla Fino cask. Similar to sherries like Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez, Fino is a Spanish desert wine. However Fino differs because it is not fortified, in other words it's not mixed with brandy. So the distillers decided to age their fruity malt in a pure wine cask never touched by another spirit. Interesting choice. We're going to give Fruity and Spicy the benefit of the doubt and put our beastly predispositions aside.

Oban

Oban and the West Highland Lochs

Founded in 1794, Oban Distilleries only maintains two pot stills and is one of the smallest producers in Scotland. Nestled in the West Highlands, Oban has been described as "where the highlands and the islands meet." According to their slightly hilarious Malt Whisky Flavour Map, Oban sits right in the center of the whisky profile while Oban Distiller's veers off to the right in the "rich" and "smoky" direction. The town of Oban would be a good place to create such a whisky, sitting in a picturesque harbor separating the harsh sea islands from the safety of the Highlands.

Wifey's Tasting Notes

Appearance: An attractive medium dark copper. Intriguing.

Nose: Chamomile tea and orange. Definitely very appealing, and would be even appealing to the non-whiskey drinker who makes a face every time they sniff a drink.

Body: Somewhat darker in color, but still not terrible dark. Still has a nice rich caramel flavor.

Finish: Has the spiciness of cinnamon, clove and ginger.

Hubby's Tasting Notes

Nose: A good balance of smoke and spice (yes there's definitely some smoke going on here!). Rosemary, black pepper, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Then the fruit comes through with raisins, cherries, and a hint of mellon.

Body: Clear and crisp on the tongue, not oily or thick, it starts as a nice warm spiced apple cider. Very smooth, the lightness continues adding warmth without burn. It's not quite as dry and chesty as our smoky friend from Islay, but this is a beast nonetheless. There's enough smoke to cut through the alcohol and deliver a complex flavor that's both unique and extremely drinkable.

Finish: The finish is probably the most interesting aspect of this malt. It has a lingering smokiness that is quite enjoyable. But as the smoke drifts off the palate, the fruit and spice remain. There are some distinctly floral tastes coming through similar to rose water. Just as described it's like a special little cove between the peat bogs of the islands and the spice and fruit of the highlands. The smoke drifts up into your nose and through your sinuses while your mouth dwells on fruits and spices.

The Review
Getting outside your comfort zone is good once in a while. While we still prefer to stick our heads directly into the peat fire and chew the ashes of fresh barley, we'll admit that Fruity and Spicy is a nice change of pace. The Oban is a great whisky for in-between days, it's impossible to hate, and easy to enjoy. As a gift for someone who is not a hardcore peat monster, or to fill a decanter at a cocktail party, The Oban Distiller's Edition is worthy of a "B+". It's more than well worth the money and makes a great addition to your shelf or collection. We're going to pour another glass just in case we got any of this wrong. It's important to be thorough. /smokybeast

February 14, 2013

Valentine's Whisky Cocktail: The Brooklyn

For all you lovers, we figured we'd post a Valentines day cocktail recipe. With New York City covered in a few feet of snow this week, this is a great one to stir up while you stay indoors and keep warm, maybe with a romantic dinner thrown in for good measure.

The Brooklyn is a new take on the Manhattan, with slightly more sophisticated ingredients allowing you to enjoy a classic whiskey cocktail but still break out new and interesting tastes that are sure to impress your sweetheart. The Brooklyn substitutes Amer Picon - a bittersweet French orange liquer - for bitters, and uses a combination of dry vermouth and maraschino liqueur instead of sweet vermouth. The result is a slightly more citrus'y, drier cocktail without the top-of-tongue sweetness you get from a Manhattan.

Ingredients:

Rye Whiskey, 2 ounces. (If you're making one, use Michter's Straight Rye. If you're making ten, use Old Overholt.)

Dry Vermouth, 1 ounce. (Despite a lot of hype, it doesn't matter so much what kind. But we prefer to go a little short of a full ounce and make up for it with a little more rye to keep the drink nice and strong.)

Amer Picon, 1/4 ounce. (This is the main bitter ingredient, also use to taste. Picon is strong and goes a long way. -can you tell that we like our cocktails to be almost straight whisky?)

Maraschino Liquer, 1/4 ounce. (This is the main sweet ingredient, so use it to taste. Less is more. Luxardo is the best brand.)

Craft the cocktail "Up In A Down Glass" (our favorite method) with a garnish of orange rind or some boozy cherries or fancy cherries and enjoy. Have a happy Valentine's Day!!

Continue reading SmokyBeast Cocktail Recipe #3 - The Miracle on 34th Street

February 9, 2013

McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt Whiskey - Yankee Scotch, Could it Beast?

Kindred Spirit

There was an outstanding article in the Times about American distilleries producing single malt whiskeys. Yes they have to spell it with the dreaded 'e', and they can't call it 'scotch', but we all know where they're going.

We weren't immediately moved. Dear old Uncle Sam is great for barbecue, milkshakes, and reality television, but when we think about single malts, we tend to look across the pond. But then we got to this paragraph that described McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt:

"Steve McCarthy, who makes the heavily peated McCarthy’s Single Malt... said he was inspired to create a Scotch-style whiskey after tasting a 16-year-old Lagavulin on a trip around Ireland in 1992. “I thought, ‘I would like to go home and make that,’ ” he said."

Amen brother! And it turns out that not only was he inspired by The Mighty Lag, he actually goes so far as to import his barley and peat from Islay! Once you start flying mud around the world to make whiskey we know you're serious.

Skepticism

Age: Imported mud aside, McCarthy's is only aged for 3 years. As we've noted time and time again it seems to take at least 14 years to properly mature a malt.

Price: McCarthy's is available for $47.99 at Amazon. It seems to have already sold out at Astor and KlWines, our two mainstays. Guess that's what an article in the times will do for you. In any case, the $50 price tag puts McCarthy in the same range as Bunnahabhain, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, and Balvenie Doublewood, all 12-year aged whiskies.

Ok, expectations lowered, wallet still equally lighter. Let's see what this stuff is made of.

Wifey's Tasting Notes

Nose: Not all that exciting. Kind of bland. A little perfumy.

Body: Pale in color, expecting the taste to be a little weak, but has a brown sugar/caramel kind of taste. Not too rich or heavy, very light and drinkable.

Finish: Finish almost like the nose: a little perfumy, very low key and not overwhelming.

Hubby's Tasting Notes

Nose: Not a lot going on here. Roses, lemon drops, and a hint of peat. Not the big smoky aroma we were hoping for. On the other hand, definitely not the harshness and alcoholic bite we'd expect from such a young whiskey.

Body: Pleasant surprise on our first taste! There's some hot red pepper flakes coming out and the smoke makes a distinct appearance. It's a warm fruity dram with a very happy balance of flavors.

Finish: There's something not quite right in the finish. It has a short burst of smoke, which is pleasant. But it dissipates into a slight bitterness. The smoothness is there, without question, but the lingering smoky goodness we'd find in an Islay malt is missing.

The Review

At $35-$40 this would be a no-brainer, an instant fav. At around $50 we're giving McCarthy's a "B-". It really is amazing that this stuff was made in Oregon, that it's only aged 3 years, and that we're actually drinking American Single Malt. Novelty aside it's still a very pleasant drink, very smooth, and off-the-beaten-path as far as the flavor profile. We do miss the oak flavor that comes from a proper decade in a barrel. This drink is smooth, but not rich enough. You need to put a smokier, thicker, ballsier whisky into barrels and then age it until it gets this smooth. That's what we're looking for. We will say this, if McCarthy's can pull this off in three years, we see huge things for the distillery as they continue to grow and age their whisky. Bravo to a kindred spirit, kudos for an awesome attempt at a homemade Lag, and definitely pick this one up and find out for yourself.

February 2, 2013

Ardbeg Uigeadail - Holy Smoke!

Bold Claims and Rich Neighbors

Ardbeg Distillery, Argyll and Bute - Islay

Returning to Islay after last weeks somewhat disappointing excursion to Speyside, we find ourselves at Ardbeg. Follow the southern coast of Islay from Port Ellen heading west, and you will pass, in this order, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and then Ardbeg. At the north end of this legendary isle are beastly distilleries like Caol Ila, Bowmore, and Bruichladdich. So with the richest scotch neighbors in the world, it's quite a bold statement for Ardbeg to claim its title as "The Peatiest and Smokiest of all the Islay malts."

But in our experience, it's not just about being the smokiest or the peatiest. It's about the balance of the whisky. The beauty of beasts like Lagavulin and Caol Ila is that they use the smoke and peat flavor to counter the alcohol to achieve amazing smoothness, bringing out all the sweet and unique flavors of the malt.

"Uigeadail" literally means "dark and mysterious" and its namesake is Loch Uigeadail, the enigmatic spring from which Ardbeg's water originates. Uigaedail is a limited release Ardbeg that mixes their standard ten year whisky with an older malt that has been aged in sherry casks. Sherry cask-aging has been a big hit in our book so far, so we were excited to taste this Ardbeg.

For Christ's sake, it says "The Ultimate Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky" right on the bottle. One thing the folks at Ardbeg don't seem to suffer from is modesty. But hey, fortune favors the bold, so let's jump in and see how it measures up.

The Ardbeg Line

The standard Ardbeg bottle is the 10-Year, which is available from KL for $42.99. They also make the "Corryvreckan" at $73.99 which they describe as "black tarry expresso coffee that coats the palate with rich melted dark fruits". Rounding out the lineup is the Supernova - which has not been available since 2010 - which is pumped up to a ridongculous peat level of 100 parts per million and was around $130. The Uigeadail is avaialble from KLwines for $58.99 for a limited time. There is also a "Blasda" bottle which "removes some of the peat" - i.e. it's an Ardbeg for the faint of heart and doesn't merit further discussion. Removing the peat from Ardbeg would be like removing the sport from a Ferrari.

Tasting Notes

Nose: "It smells like I'm on the island of Islay standing next to a smoking heap of peat!" "Grapefruit, honey, hot pepper." Very intriguing nose sets up high levels of anticipation for the first sip.

Palate (neat): Amazingly smooth for the high alcohol content. Deep rich smoke, multiple layers of peat. Very rich milk chocolate mocha. Wow, can this really be 54.2%?? It's far and away the smoothest high-test whisky we've ever tasted.

Finish: Sweet candy (salt water taffy?), black licorice, even more layers of peat smoke. Very little burn, the heavy alcohol content is covered almost completely by the serious smoke. And at the very end, just a tiny hint of raisins reminiscent of the sherry cask.

Second taste (with a dose of water - more than a drop, less than a splash) - Opens up with more of the grapefruit and hot red pepper. Amazingly smooth now, actually all it needs is a few drops. Keeping it's body and strength through a splash of water, or a single small ice cube, this is an immensely drinkable dram.

Review

Our only concern in writing this review is how we're going to keep finding whiskies that measure up to the fantastic experiences we've been having the past few months. At under $60, the Ardbeg Uigeadail is just not even fair. We're giving it an "A". Never mind that you're getting ten percent more booze in this bottle. Never mind that it's basically a cask-strength whisky that's so smooth you can drink it straight. Just let your first sip linger on your tongue, let the rich Islay breeze and the peat smoke rise through your nose to the top of your head, sit back relax and enjoy the ride. Pick up a bottle (or a case) of this beauty. At this price and quality it will go fast.

/smokybeast

Pages