www.caskstrength.net - whisky blog

Christmas is a time for... well, drinking whisky. But more than that, it is a time for buying whisky, with many shops and supermarkets discounting core range offerings.

And we aren’t going to complain with that. In fact, as much as there have been some premium purchases at Caskstrength Towers this year, there are always bargains to be had.

In a week where Chelsea footballer and Egland captain John Terry, on something mental like £150,000 per week, is spotted shopping in PoundLand, we know all too well, coming from a music business background, that a ‘bargain’ is too often associated with, erm, stock that doesn’t sell. The bargain bin is the last place you want an album or a DVD to end up. However, when it comes to whisky, we’ll always take a bargain.

This week, as the Christmas shopping began to get into full swing, I found myself in my local Waitrose.

Having developed a partnership with uber-chef Heston Blumenthal over the past few years, which included sell-out items such as a Christmas Pudding with a hidden candied orange in the middle, so popular that in their first year they ended up on eBay for up to £200, the supermarket doesn’t shirk away from playing in the premium arena.

However, despite it’s ‘#middleclass’ appeal, Waitrose is not afraid of a bargain. Both of us have picked up some excellent items over the years in Waitrose, with a Port Ellen 3^rdrelease at a shade over £100 and a Laphroaig 30 Years Old at around £150 as two examples of great whisky-steals!

But it doesn’t have to be all top-end whisky; no Sir. In fact, this week there was an opportunity at Waitrose to start a whisky cabinet with just two statement whiskies, for less than £60. If you don’t live in the UK, or near a Waitrose, look away now.

The first bottle is a stalwart of the whisky fraternity; one which people hail often as turning point for them in their journey to discovering peat and, once in, will graduate up to their sublime 18 year old offering. The whisky in question is Highland Park 12 Years Old, which

Waitrose has on sale for just £24.68 for 70cl. I'll repeat that: £24.68p.

Highland Park – 12 Years Old – Single Malt Whisky – 70cl – 40% abv

Nose: a delicate waft of peat comes out of the glass, but this is not turned up to 11, but sitting comfortably at about a 6 or a 7. This allows complimentary aromas of sweet honey, crunchie bar (honey comb and milk chocolate), freshly cut grass and some menthol to sit on a bed of light peat; the opposite way around to most smoky malts.

Palate: vanilla peat is the first flavour to come through with light orange cream, dark chocolate this time and some elements of parma violets. A good slug of malted milk / maltesers and that delicate peat again at the death.

Finish: sweet with a peaty roundness.

Overall: probably the introduction to smoky whisky which doesn’t drag you down a dark alleyway and mug your taste buds, but takes it out for dinner for an eloquent chat.

Now, if you choose to fork out twenty five of you hear earned pounds on the HP12, you’ll have one of the trinity of great Scotch expressions that you need for the foundations of a good whisky cabinet. The third and final piece of the jigsaw is a cracking blend, but we’ll come to that in another post in a few days time, with the missing link being, of course, a great non-peated whisky, from the Lowlands, Highlands or Speyside region of Scotland.

And again, Waitrose is the place to turn for a true bargain here.

It’s no secret that we have a love for The Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood and I don’t know many people who don’t love, love, love this easy drinking dram. But at the moment, forget the 12 year old as The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old is on sale for £33 at Waitrose.

£33.

Considering the 12 year old Doublewood is £32 and this older expression is over £10 more at other whisky-specific outlets, this really is an absolute steal.

The Balvenie – 14 Years Old – Caribbean Cask – 43% abv

Nose: So, this whisky has been ‘finished’ in rum casks, hence the name... and this fact is immediately obvious as a huge sweetness rises from the glass; but not an ordinary saccharine sweet. This is very much a darker, molasses-based sweetness that you’d find in a Navy Rum. Rich and enticing, this is about as sweet as whisky gets without being sickly or false.

Palate: the flavour delivers exactly what the nose promises: strong, malty, sweet tones that saddle strong Navy rums with a mix of the more elderly Armagnacs I’ve tried. Very bold, yet balanced, this really is a step up from the 12 Year Old Doublewood, but be warned, if you like a full-on American oak influenced heavy vanilla palate, this isn’t for you. The vanilla is there, but this is old, rich, real Madagascan vanilla sweetened with heavy brown sugar.

Finish: a wonderfully rich, smooth finish which, again, leans towards an old French brandy than a teenage Scotch.

Overall: For under £35? Are you having a laugh? Do what I did and buy, buy, buy.

So there you have it; great Scotch does not have to be expensive and if you’re one of those muttering about age statements disappearing and the price of Scotch rising, here are two great examples of single malts which will quite rightly prove you wrong!

Of course, you could always go for the best December bargain of all, and order one of the few bottles of 3D Whisky left...

Sometimes you just need to shut the front door, turn your phone off and draw the curtains - a sure sign that you're in full on 'Do Not Disturb' mode.

Today was such a day. Braving the Christmas rush on Oxford Street (seemingly all my present ideas had been exhausted from a blast of online shopping over the previous weekend) I had a list of must-buys - i.e. 'if you don't get these, you're in serious trouble.' (Mrs Ridley) The pressure was on and my two fall back options were department stores John Lewis and Debenhams. Both seem like havens for lost souls like me; vast palaces of gift ideas for people with desperate, blank looks on their faces, the fear of returning with a pair of too-small slippers weighing heavily on one's mind.

'What if she already has this?' 'Is the colour right?' 'Does she even like Turkish Delight?' All questions that lashed my cerebral processing ability into submission - to the point that I completely wandered past the well-stocked drinks section in John Lewis, without even giving it a second look.

I emerged, blinking, broken and laden with crockery, slippers that looked too big, boxes of sweets and cookery books from chefs that I personally detest. But I had emerged victorious. My list was complete, the recipients of my six large shopping bags of presents unwittingly safe and content for another year.

Stopping at Berry Bros & Rudd on the way home to place my festive wine order made things feel a lot better (a case of their Extraordinary Claret, a smattering of Sancerre and a cache of Chablis), but the weight of the bags were beginning to take its toll and by the time I eventually arrived at my front door through the fine drizzle that had descended, I was truly shattered - and need of three things:

A large whisk(e)y

My wonderful Bose Soundlink Mini (if you don't own one of these, get on it - they're amazing, especially coupled with a Spotify account)

And bizarrely, an bag of Cadbury's giant chocolate buttons. Quite why, I honestly don't know, but they seemed enormously comforting to a chilly, aching, slightly damp confused man.

As for the whisk(e)y - several options immediately emerged: dive into the brace of old White Horse blends that Caskstrength just won in an auction, a wee sample of Bowmore's stupendous 50 year old or a miniature of Auchentoshan 1975 that had arrived this morning. (All will be reviewed before the festive period is complete...)

No today, I needed a spicy, warming shot to the system that not only delivers a big flavour but also something rousing, dry and complex. Something to curl up to and revisit the perfect vocal pairing of Ray LaMontagne - an artist who I fell in love with several years ago and a man whose voice and captivating delivery can stop just about any one in their tracks. Tonight, as a thunderstorm passes over head, I pour a full-bodied-yet-smooth glass of rye whiskey. Take it away, Mr Tom Bulleit.

Bulleit has an amazing story to tell, for those who don't already know it. Changing careers from the legal profession, Tom Bulleit had a desire to follow in his great, great grandfather Augustus' steps and start a bourbon company. He tracked down a recipe of his ancestor and began experimenting with a mash bill containing a particularly high rye content (around 28%, which to the uninitiated may not seem like a lot, but the spicy flavour of rye goes a very long way indeed.)

Tom decided that his love of rye needed to go a step further and recently he produced his very first straight rye. Throwing together 95% rye to 5% malted barley his intentions were to develop something with a classic peppery backbone that might have been served by Augustus, but with an up-front smoothness. Guess what... He succeeded.

Bulleit - Small Batch Frontier Rye Whiskey - 45%

Nose: An effortless peppery note, slightly toasted rye bread, creamy vanilla custard, stewed banana notes and a deft touch of orchard fruit. Dig deeper and you'll find an earthy tobacco note and dark cocoa powder.

Palate: The higher strength (Bulleit was previously bottled at 40%) really carries the delivery of spicy peppercorns, hints of clove, flamed orange zest, more of the chubby vanilla pods and a dash of menthol-infused dark chocolate. If I could be bothered to get off the sofa and head to my home bar, I could be enjoying this in a blinding Manhattan. But I suddenly feel VERY comfortable - just as Michael Kiwanuka's breathtaking 'Home Again' album drifts out of the Soundlink. I think i'll save that option for another day.

Finish: Lingering notes of white pepper, vanilla and a thick sweet oaky richness, laden with vanilla.

Overall: If you don't own a bottle of rye in your whisk(e)y arsenal, you need a remedy as soon as humanly possible. Rye is a wonderfully complex spirit, full of husky dry complexity and devilish spice and Bulleit's recipe is undoubtedly a whiskey of extremely high calibre.

Ahhh... we're bombarded with Christmas adverts at this time of year, trying to sell us everything from shaving products through to the ubiquitous seasonal canapés.

But instead of choosing just one supermarket and nailing your colours to the mast, these days the power is in the hands of the (mobile) shopper.

Having lauded the whisky selection currently available in Waitrose, with 'big name' brands such as Highland Park and The Balvenie at "prices you'd be made to ignore" (picture Saul Goodman-esque advert with giant neon stars flying into view) there are, of course, alternatives... if you're prepared to take a wee gamble.

Of course, with the Scotch Whisky Regulations keeping a tight hold on what can (and cannot) be labelled as ‘Scotch’, it’s not so much of a gamble when buying a bottle with those six letter on; certainly not as much of a gamble as buying a ‘meat pie’ at a lower league football ground. Ahhh... the Saturday ritual of the mystery meat pie. Like Russian roulette with meat and pastry.

So, where can you spend your chips in this casino of flavour, this saloon of Scotch? Well, as you would expect with Waitrose, you’ll get a brand name. But at Lidl and Aldi you’ll hear the call “Gentlemen, place your bets!”

These two cut price supermarkets have, over the past few years, engaged in something of a price war on Scotch and this Christmas, Aldi have taken the bold step of selling a 30 Year Old blended whisky under the title Glen Orrin. Well priced at £54.99, how does it taste?

Glen Orrin – 30 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky – 40% abv – 70cl - £54.99 at Aldi

Nose: A hint of smoke is backed with juicy fruit chewing gum, runny honey and figs. It gives a well balanced and tempting aroma, over time developing into travel sweets, milk cholcate and malted milk biscuits.

Palate:Delicate and easy drinking, it would be nice if this were at a little higher strength as it is a touch watery on the palate, although this would mean fewer bottles and a reduced opportunity for the punter to buy (as well as more money in Her Madge’s pocket from revenue). It is a very easy drink and this has been well constructed with some good old Scotch whiskies in the mix. Honey and vanilla would be the key touchstones here.

Finish: More vanilla, with a touch of dream topping and some smoke.

Overall: Yes, a very good whisky for the money. I’d wager that you’d be better off with two bottles of HP12 from Waitrose, however for the money.

At the other end of the scale, a trip down to Lidl to pick up some of their excellent red wine to sup over the Christmas period found me purchasing a bottle of their Abrachan NAS triple matured blended malt Scotch whisky. Matured in ex-Bourbon, Sherry and Tawny Port pipes, coming in at just £17 it was always going to find its way into my trolley. So, let’s find out if a NAS at £17 blended malt can compete with a sub-£55 30 year old blend...

Abrachan – Triple Matured Blended Malt – 42% abv - 70cl - £17.99 at Lidl

Nose: Well, this isn’t old. It gives spirit, caramel and some flapjack notes. The port sits at the front of the aromas while the vanilla is there, if not a little lost, sandwiched by the sherry on the bottom end. Not the worst blend I’ve ever nosed- far from it... it is a lower, entry level blended malt but for £17 what did I expect from the nose? For the money, it does a very good job indeed.

Palate: A big flavour of malty goodness, this is polar opposite of the smoky beast from Aldi. The sherry and port flavours take the driving seat, fighting a little but after time they calm down, to make way for the spice and vanilla from the bourbon casks. Well balanced? Not quite. Complex? Yes. £17? So far, so good.

Finish:Spices, cardamom, a hint of Bovril meatiness, but that is no bad thing for a NAS whisky as it gives it body and counterbalances the spirit notes of the nose.

Overall: At £17, you can’t go wrong. Far from the greatest whisky on earth, it certainly represents value for money. Where else can you pick up a blended malt for £17 these days?

So there you have it. One good whisky at 30 years old and one excellent whisky for £17 (please consider that statement in conjunction with its price point). In a league table, I’d still take the brand names at Waitrose over the gambles at Aldi and Lidl, but if your wallet has less than £20 in it, then a bottle of the Lidl blend will see you nicely through to the New Year. But if you can afford it, follow Heston to your local Waitrose.

It's Christmas Eve! God Jul to all our Scandinavian readers. We hope you have something special in your glass.

Each year, when Christmas rolls around, I like to choose something special to have over the festive period.

Last year, my choice was a Highland Park 21 year old and the year before, the Harrison tipple was a single cask Glendronach.

This year, I find myself not in my native Oxford, but up in the Highlands of Scotland.

With snow forecast and not a huge amount of options other than a Tesco locally, I took a trip to the nearby town of Pitlochry to the quite fabulous Drinkmonger store.

It was there that I discovered an excellent selection of bottles, many from the indie bottler and local lads Signatory, with one bottle catching my eye: a single cask Clynelish.

Clynelish – Signatory - 1995 / 2013 (21.12.95 / 11.04.2013) – cask #12796 – bottle 130 of 859 – 43% abv - £55.00

Nose: Pickled herring, roast chestnut, a hint of Seville orange, jasmine tea, vanilla, toffee.

Palate: Tobacco, some light sooty notes, dark chocolate, cherry lips, rich and oily with some light green veg and ‘the herb’ as they say in South London.

Finish: More of the skunk tones with light vanilla.

Overall: Well... I wouldn’t have chosen a bad one for the Xmas factor, would I?! Honestly, a CRACKER for the price.

But this year, to get me through Christmas in foreign lands, one bottle wasn't nearly enough.

No, Sir!

This year, I also took a momento with me, picked up on one of the CaskStrength trips of the year.

It was in the first half of 2013 that saw Neil and I head out to Gascony for a research trip to visit the brandy-producing region of Armagnac; one of many trips taken this year to help us write a forthcoming book, due out in 2014. More on that later next year.

A little tip for all you whisky-lovers out there: if you happen to visit the Armagnac region, don't do what I did and take just a suitcase (or what Neil did and take a tiny suitcase). Why? Because you'll want to buy, buy, buy...

Having totally exceeded my easyJet baggage limit, mainly with bottles of 1979 vintage(all for the price of a good blended Scotch), I have been carefully choosing which bottles to open over the course of the year... one was cracked on my birthday a couple of weeks ago. And the another just yesterday.

Castarede - Bas-Armagnac – 1979 Vintage – 40% abv

Nose: Grenadine, cherry (black), toffee, big hit of oak and some almonds, a hit of antique shop and big Christmas Cake. Right at the death, warming Bovril.

Palate: Dried orange, candied cherries, marzipan, fresh coffee (black, again), liquorice root.

Finish:Massive powered cocoa and granulated brown sugar; white tea. Mint.

Overall: Yes, a very good example of a vintage Armagnac. Not the greatest I’ve ever had, but certainly challenge for it. A lovely counterpoint to the light and refreshing Clynelish.

Two totally different beasts of spirits; one grain, one grape. One delicate and light, one rich and fruity. And both for well under £100!

So whatever you choose to dram in Christmas with, just make sure that you leave something good for Santa when he arrives, for when everone has retired to bed, as I'm sure whatever has been left out will magically disappear... Enjoy!

And we're back. After a very leisurely Christmas break, it's nice to pick up the reins again and excitedly look towards 2014 as a year of exceptionally fine spirits. You'll be seeing a few changes to this website during 2014, alongside the release of our forthcoming book, The Spirits Explorers, which is due to be published later this year. After six years of bringing you news, releases and opinions on primarily whisk(e)y, we'll be bringing you a lot more on other unmissable spirits from around the world. Stay tuned with your glasses primed!

Back in 2013, half of the Caskstrength team saw in the new year with a particularly fun theme:

A Fawlty Towers party.

A Damn Good Thrashing awaits...

Alongside turning Ridley Towers into Fawlty Towers, several games featured for the assembled guests (aka Polly, Sybil, the Major, Manuel, Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby and other cast members):

The Gin & Orange, Lemon Squash and Scotch & Water Challenge (where contestants have to make the aforementioned drinks in as quick a time as possible against an opponent - a ref. to the episode 'A Touch Of Class')

Thrashing an Austin 1100 Piñata, which was swiftly despatched with a tree branch to reveal its contents.

Stupidity aside, New Years Eve was a great opportunity to do a round up of a number of new (old) whiskies which have recently arrived in the post and in our trolleys: Cutty Sark's brand new Prohibition-inspired release, a brace of exceptional 'old'White Horse blends, an Auchentoshan 1975 vintage and perhaps the most prestigious, a 50 year old Bowmore.

We won't be officially reviewing the White Horse blends, but suffice to say that if you see any cropping up at auction (especially from the 70's and 80's) you will face some stiff competition from us. Any respective whisky cabinet should contain an old blend in our opinion. Not only do they provide an insight into whisky making of the yesteryear for a less than premium price, but also highlight some very unexpected flavours. The penultimate drink of the evening was an Old Fashioned, made using the White Horse bottle to the left of the picture (thought to be from the early 80's) and its sweet, delicate smoke and malty, creamy fudge notes were absolutely stupendous. Perfect for Basil and Manuel to put their differences aside... for a few minutes anyway.

The first sample of the evening was a new(ish) offering from Cutty Sark. Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition this robust blend harks back to Cutty's coming of age in the US, and continues the blend's innovative approach. Prohibition will now be available outside the US for the first time, so let's hoist the anchor and set sail...

Cutty Sark - Prohibition - 50%

Nose: Toasted almonds, battenberg cake, some fresh mint and marzipan, plus a hint of smoke. There is a solid balance between smoke, vanilla, hot buttered toast, dark chocolate and hazelnuts. Pure smoked praline in a glass.

Palate: With the 50% abv this gives a delicate, yet prickly mouthfeel. First up is fresh apricot, followed by mango chutney, toasted oats and tinned pineapple.

Finish: Some spices, cinnamon, oak and a nip of sherry.

Overall: A complex dram. I accompanied this sample with a craft American IPA and the rich, bold flavours of the whisky stood up to the yeasty/hoppy notes of the beer. The opposite of the usual delicate Cutty: bold, rich and malty- yet with bags of fruit.

Next up was Auchentoshan's latest release- a 1975 vintage, bottled at 45.6% exclusively for travel retail. This vintage sits alongside the distillery's other previous vintage releases from the 70's and the 500 bottles are drawn from ex-American oak casks. We reviewed a previous '75 release back in 2011 and quelle surprise, this offers many of the same delicious characteristics.

Auchentoshan 1975 - 45.6% - 500 Bottles

Nose: Wafts of toasted coconut, milk chocolate, light lemon zest and creamy vanilla. The classic complex-yet-inviting bourbon cask notes make this irresistible. No need for any water here- it would be very easy to drown the subtleties on offer.

Palate: A continuation of the beautiful aromas above. Sweet and creamy, vanilla custard hits first, with a touch of oaky dryness creeping in, but not in an overpowering way. Alongside the cream comes toasted almonds, a smattering of citrus zests, gooseberry fool and a surprisingly fresh sliced green apple.

Finish: The green apple is smothered in patisserie cream, which sticks to the palate with an after taste of soft brown sugar. Sensational.

Overall: Yet again, this 70's offering demonstrates Auchentoshan at its very best. It will set you back £500 and a flight somewhere (we're unclear as to which airports you'll be able to find it.) But chances are, it's unlikely you'll still find its similarly aged sibling any longer. Scanning through various online retailers we also find that the closer to 2015 we get (and a 40th birthday looming large) whiskies of this nature are becoming more pricey as the months tick by.

And Finally... We make it towards midnight, with a sing-song from Gary Barlow on BBC1 and Kevin Costner's 'Waterworld' on ITV (really... Why??)

Following on from Morrison Bowmore's Lowland distillery comes the latest release from the company's Islay powerhouse. Bowmore continues to innovate, despite being one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. The 50 year old, distilled in 1961 is currently the oldest commercially available single malt from Islay. Two ex-bourbon hogsheads have yielded just 200 bottles, each one priced at an eye watering £16,000.

Old Bowmore always offers up a wealth of extraordinary discoveries. Take their last benchmark- the 1964 Fino cask release from 2012. Intense tropical fruits, divine creaminess and a waft of the most subtle sweet perfumed smoke. Bowmore of this age ceases to be just a whisky, but is something far more beguiling- as we shall see below.

Bowmore 50 Year Old - Distilled December 1961 - 40.7%

Nose: Where to start. The most intense Bowmore nose yet, jam packed full of tropical fruit notes and so much more. Passion fruit, papaya, mango and ripe kiwi fruit mix with plump vanilla pods, parma violets, a wonderful light, floral lavender-influenced smoke, white chocolate and sweet patisserie cream. Quite where the mysterious 'Bowmore fruit' actually comes from is up for debate, but it makes Bowmore arguably the most distinctive distillery on Islay, and for that matter, probably in Scotland too.

Palate: More of the same beautifully detailed tropical fruit notes. The classic Bowmore parma violets are powerful, but flavours of tinned peaches and cream, vanilla and mandarin segments sit nicely alongside, with a backbone of dry, floral smoke. Exceptional.

Finish: Lingering tropical fruit and a slight oaky dryness lead the light smoke in what is a deeply expressive and complex tongue twisting finale.

Overall: It's difficult not to sound like a pretentious tit when writing reviews of whiskies like this. But you just can't sum them up fairly using simple reference points. What we have here is one of the truly great whisky releases of the decade, with effortless balance and charm. If money were no object, this would be a whisky that could simultaneously start and end one's journey into malt whisky. It's the equivalent of discovering the end of the masterpiece tome by a venerated author, the playback of a classic album that defined a generation or the photo finish to a world-record breaking 100 metre final (or perhaps a much longer race for that matter!)

All in all, a stunning way to see in 2014. Quite where the distillery goes from this expression remains to be seen, but here's hoping that Warehouse No.1 contains even more blinding discoveries.

Now - a few Caskstrength predictions and observations for 2014:

Grain Whisky to finally get the recognition it deserves from major distillers - in its own right.

William Grant & Sons had the foresight in 2013 to release a single grain whisky as a proprietary brand and it is inevitable that others will follow suite. Let's never forget just how important grain whisky is in blended whisky and it is great news to see the whisky begin to gain momentum under its own steam. Legendary William Grant & Sons pioneer and former chairman Charles Gordon sadly passed away over the Christmas period, but he leaves his company in vibrant shape, full of innovative ideas and enthusiasm for developing the whisky category.

More companies to receive a public hiding for dubious marketing campaigns.

The Dewar's Saga or 'Barongate' (read about it here if you're unfamiliar) demonstrated an acute and frankly baffling misunderstanding of who the company assumes whisky drinkers are, whilst providing the whisky community with a relatively easy target to bark at. Importantly it also gave everyone a reason to move forward, away from the ass-slapping masculinity of tired whisky campaign ideas several decades old, that still seem to rear their ugly head from time to time. The reputation of the brand took a big dent (rightly so) but we suspect this won't be the last time that a brand gets a marketing campaign catastrophically wrong. We watch and wait with eager excitement... Sharpen your pitch forks.

World Cup Fever hits the whisky world.

The biggest sporting event of the year is bound to have a knock on effect everywhere and given the growing demand in the host nation Brazil for whisky, it is inevitable there'll be a flurry of World Cup themed whiskies. We recently read that one well-known Islay distiller has allegedly planned something featuring the colours of the Brazilian flag, but until we hear it from the horse's mouth, we'll say no more.

Seasoned whisky drinkers get fed up with whisky and move on.

Previously known as 'The Whisky Shop'

Slightly OTT this one, but given the constant negativity surrounding new No Age Statement releases, price rises and new emerging markets, spirits like Armagnac, rum and mezcal will begin to sound their Pied Piper tunes, proving irresistible to ~~connoisseurs~~ whisky obsessives, thanks to their accessible price points and bold flavours. Whilst you'll still find us at the front of the queue when it comes to reviewing new whiskies, we're also going to be writing a great deal about the aforementioned spirits, simply because we love them and the possibilities they offer.

...And a few shorter predictions...

The most staggeringly brilliant release from a distillery/distilleries beginning with E.

(probably... ;-p )

Your Grandma asking you which whisky she should put her money into.

(highly likely and slightly scary)

Another swathe of new whisky auction sites open for business.

(including 'Japanese only' perhaps?)

A massive celebrity endorsed whisky...

(who knows who, but probably on the cards somewhere...)

The word 'Dram' to be made illegal, especially during over enthusiastic whisky-related conversations and even more likely when used as an annoying prefix.

( ;-p )

2013 was a blast for us, hope it was for you too. Keep reading and exploring great spirits in 2014...

Joel & Neil

Greetings all and welcome to 2014. We’re safely into the year now and I’m sure that many of you will have made resolutions for yourselves in 2014.

Every year I have a set of resolutions which are wheeled out, only to be broken, unused or utterly ignored before the first month comes to an end. Such is their frequency that I’m tempted to have a print out of them laminated, just to hand to people on an annual basis, during the first week of each new year, to answer to the same question I’ve posed above about the ways in which I plan on improving my life over the coming twelve months.

And that is what a resolution should be: a form of improvement to one’s health and wellbeing. I can’t imagine that there are many people out there who have decided to eat more chocolate, take less exercise or do fewer good deeds.

As for my own ‘self-improvements’, the 2013 list started with the annual desire to lose weight, linked in with a greater level of exercise, and to ingest fewer foods (and drinks) which may reverse the process of me losing weight.

Second on my 2013 list was to become properly fluent in Norwegian; I carry the damn passport, so I should probably learn to hold a conversation in the mother-tongue for longer that few, erm, words...

Third on last year’s list was start a yearly trend of producing photo albums, proper printed ones, from pictures I’d taken throughout the year. In the pursuit of all drinks great, Neil and I often find ourselves in interesting and unusual places. Add to this all that goes on in one’s personal life with holiday, travel and family... then it makes sense to document it and with the ease of digital photography these days, a photo book seemed like the best option.

The World's Worst Boyband

So, how did I do in 2013?

Well, when it comes to my health and fitness, then I think I’m around the same BMI as this time last year, but I did manage to run the Islay Half Marathon and finish in a time of 2 hours 22 seconds... something I’m very proud of given the unforgiving nature of the course and the weather.

This year, I’m openly throwing the gauntlet down to Ridley to run it. I can see him dressed up as a 118 118 character: part young Steve Ovett, part John Cleese in Clockwise taking on the hills and wind of the Inner Hebrides.

I’m gonna start the #RunRidleyRun to get him committed...

As a result of the ‘big run’, I think I’ll put a tick against that particular resolution. The same is true for my photo album. Oddly ordered from Jessops the day it went bust (I was still sent it by the company that printed their books for them, which was nice) it is something I have looked at on a regular basis over the past 12 months as a remind of the fun times which 2012 offered.

The major fail, and this happens each year, is the lack of improvement in my Norwegian. No great shakes, really but I’m desperate to not let my fellow countrymen down, especially as I’d love to host a tasting in the motherland sometime soon and have the appropriate vocabulary in order to do a proper job!

But here we are in 2014 and my main resolution remains the same: live a more healthy life.

Having recently moved out of Central London to an area which has cleaner air and bigger green spaces, I found myself on my first proper walk of the year yesterday. Seven miles took me from my front door, up to Windsor Castle, down the aptly-named Long Walk and back home again.

Weighing in at just under two hours, it was an ideal way to start the working week, blowing out (almost literally with the weather we’ve been having in the UK this last week) the cobwebs of the Christmas break and reinvigorating myself before sitting down to a pile of emails, articles and other work.

The walk was thoroughly enjoyable, but the morning is no time to be taking a stroll at a leisurely pace. It is ‘exercise time’ and eventually the same route shall be turned into a jog. For now, I’m happy with a fast-paced wander, my ankles still somewhat weight-down by excess Xmas fare.

But as the evenings start to elongate and the light lingers for just that little bit longer, my local park will become somewhere to spend the twilight hours, either with friends on a dusky weekend summers evening or walking off the rigours of a day’s work during the week.

Either of these activities allows me to bring into play something I’ve been meaning to properly utilise for a while now: my hipflask. Or, more correctly, hipflasks.

Over the years I have been gifted a few nice hipflasks as well as picking the odd one up either at a distillery (the Lagavulin green leather one which comes with four cups, is particularly nice, if not a little large to be classed a hipflask) or in vintage/charity shops and I have learned a few things:

If you have a hipflask, I would suggest that you DON’T keep any liquid stored in them for much longer than a few days, maximum. Many hipflasks (unless glass) will eventually taint the liquid inside and leave you with a slightly odd colour as well as something which probably doesn’t taste quite like the initial product you first filled into your pocket-sized pouch. This means that if you don’t finish the contents, you should decant it back into the bottle it came from as soon as possible, when returning home, washing your flask out thoroughly before it is ready of duty once again.

Therefore, I find that it is good order to have two hipflasks in rotation at any one time; one for peated whisky and one for unpeated whisky. This makes the washing process rather less laborious, as you can still leave one flask with a whisper of peat smoke in it, safe in the knowledge that it won’t taint your 1960’s single cask Speyside for your walk the following week.

At the same time, if you are out walking with friends, it allows you to have two whiskies of differing flavour profiles depending on your mood/the weather/your friend’s love (or otherwise) or peated Scotch.

The walking and connected hipflasks, in turn, justify owning a good selection of whisky; providing a peated and an unpeated offering to takeaway, plus allowing you, as a whisky drinker, to experience a wider range of your bottles in a more visceral environment, out in the open.

It only remains to ask what the ideal whisky would be for my upcoming, late evening strolls around Windsor Great Park. The obvious answer: Johnnie Walker, surely...

Happy New Year, all and a very hearty ‘good luck’ with your own resolutions.

Before you start asking us even more questions, the answer is: yes. The question: did we get to try the 2013 batch of Diageo’s Special Release whiskies. And very good they were to. As usual, there was the regular releases from Lagavulin (the always grand 12 Years Old), Caol Ila, Port Ellen (now on to number 13) and Brora.

Unusually, however there were some extra old offerings from Talisker (1985 vintage), along with a 37 Years Old Lagavulin, a 21 Years Old Oban and, the pick of the bunch for us, a 36 Years Old Convalmore. Not something you see a lot of these days.

Now, there is no denying that this lot are excellent whiskies... but anyone who has tried to buy a bottle of the most sought-after of the collection will know quite how quickly they disappear. Trying to bag one is about as easy as finding rocking horse poop.

Couple this with the new pricing structure where a bottle of Port Ellen, previously sold for ‘just’ three figures, will now set you back £1500, and you'll see how many of these top end offerings are out of reach for a lot of consumers.

(As an aside, unlike a lot of other people, I don’t see an issue with these prices. Diageo are just following the residual market in what it feels these bottles are worth; I wouldn’t sell you my house for 50% of its market value, so why should Diageo sell you their whisky for half the price the residual market deems it is worth?)

However, these limited edition high value bottles do create an air of exclusivity, which is where Diageo have balanced out, to some degree, their portfolio of interesting single malts with a series of new expressions for their Friends of the Classic Malts club.

On offer, initially, are two highly interesting, triple matured single malts: one from Talisker and one from Royal Lochnagar which will be available in the UK, Germany and Switzerland. In total, across five expressions, there will be 24,000 bottles released.

Talisker – Friends of the Class Malts 2014 Release – NAS - Triple Matured – 9,000 bottles only – 48% abv

Triple matured in: “refill casks, charred American oak hogsheads, European oak refill casks”

Nose: Big and strong, with some smoke, salt and a hint of toffee. It takes a while to open up, but once fully in bloom, the Talisker sea-salt notes are clearly there, with the triple wood maturation giving more body, with some light honey and heather notes coming through at the death.

Palate: Lemon and lime mix with peat smoke and salted caramel toffee. White pepper and some coal dust appear to give a full flavoured dram which just seems a little out of sorts. It’s like smoked lime pickle in a glass.

Finish: Sour cherries, unripe kiwi fruit and a hint of peat smoke.

Overall: Well, we love Talisker 10, Talisker 18, Talisker Storm and Darkest Storm. This, however, goes into the same file as Talisker Port Ruighe... lots of flavour but, like a child whose family has moved around a lot, this seems to be a bit unsettled, a bit misdirected. NB: it did settle with time (and we mean a few hours here) in the glass, but was still running around the palate with a little too much enthusiasm...)

Royal Lochnagar - Talisker – Friends of the Class Malts 2014 Release – NAS - Triple Matured - 3,000 bottles – 48% abv

Triple matured in: “refill casks, charred American oak hogsheads, European oak refill casks”

Nose: A vibrant nose of granola drizzled with honey, milk chocolate and honeycomb. Some linseed oil, blackcurrant bush leaves and malted milk biscuits.

Plate: Rich and rounded, this whisky has taken well to its three different homes, picking up something interesting in each environment. There is honey, spices (cinnamon and cardamom), toffee again and a hint of red apples.

Finish: A really lovely dram whose spirit has been enhanced by the triple maturation and given a rounded balance of sweet and spicy.

Overall: A great example of how triple maturation can really enhance a tipple.

Friends of the Classic Malts can purchase these offerings for £80 per bottle at a friendly local retailer in the aforementioned countries, or you can pick up a bottle at Alexander and James, here.

Continuing in their theme of unusual bottlings for the FotCM club, which has seen an excellent Talisker 12 Years Old and an utterly brilliant Lagavulin 12 Years Old too, this Royal Lochnagar is one to add to your collection. Let’s hope the other three releases live up to this one and, at £80, it is a very fair price for an unusual limited edition. A very fair price indeed.

Talisker, Royal Lochnagar... you guess the rest, but I’m just hoping that Lagavulin features, especially at this price point! Sadly, we’ll have to wait to find out...

Something tells us that 2014 is going to be a special year for the world of whisky.

And by that, we actually mean whisky producers around the world. From the gems coming out of Tasmania (in the shape of Overeem and Lark, who have recently joined forces) to a growing interest in French whisky and the rise in profile of South African whisky, the number of new places to visit on the whisky map is increasing almost weekly.

Recently, we reported on what's happening here in the UK. With St George's steadily developing their sales base and Adnams delivering some very inspirational products, all eyes look towards the London Distillery Company to see if they can live up to the lofty expectations that are placed on them. Building a distillery is one thing - developing a top class whisky is another. But there should be a fair wind behind the team at the distillery and a lot to learn from the work done at the likes of the aforementioned Tasmanian titans.

So with that, here's a round up of some rather interesting world whiskies some of which we tip for greatness this year. To the traditionalists, they may present a radical challenge in the flavour department, but the opportunities to use them in other ways are, to us, what makes them exciting.

First up and a rather curious whisky from New York. Well, technically it comes from France, but Brenne is the creation of New Yorker Allison Patel, an American importer/exporter and blogger.

The bottle design is immediately very eye catching indeed- in fact, whisky bottlers of the world, unite and use more pizazz on your labels please - especially when you have to consider that whisky is now fast becoming a competitor to more accessible dark spirits.

The interesting USP here is that the whisky (from an unnamed distillery near the River Charante) is produced from two types of barley, grown by the distiller, the spirit distilled then twice in alembic style stills, with water from the Charante used throughout the process. The whisky is matured for a period of around 5-6 years in virgin French Limousin casks, but then refilled into Cognac casks for a further two years. Each batch is effectively taken from a single cask and reduced in strength to 40%.

What this gives is perhaps one of the most unusually sweet toffee notes we've experienced in a whisky. In fact, you would struggle to pick this out as a whisky initially. Let's dive in further:

Brenne - French Single Single Malt Whisky - 40%

Nose: Like I said above, incredibly sweet and toffee-influenced. Think strawberry sauce on top of toffee ice cream scattered with foam banana sweets and you get the picture. But don't take this as a bad thing. Quite the opposite. Underneath is a fruity note, full of fresh apricots, some hints of toasted malt and a waft of Cognac, which would totally make sense. It's different, pleasantly wacky and certainly a very innovative way to present the aromas of a whisky.

Palate: A big hit of creaminess first off, followed up by a gentle fruit sherbet note, a hint of tropical fruit and white chocolate. The wood has clearly given this a lot of very unusual influences and once again, traditionalists may scoff at the unusually sweet fruity flavours, but for those looking for something different, this might be it.

Finish: A hint of oiliness, some more sweet patisserie cream and a touch of liquorice.

Overall: A revelation. I really like this; not just for the fact that it is a small operation trying to do something different, but for the fact that from a flavour perspective, it offers so many possibilities to the non-whisky drinker. It would make a great spritzer, taken over ice, an Old Fashioned or be an unusual chilled shot- all aimed at dragging the harsh, unapproachable world of single malt whisky away from the bores and snobs and into the hands of new drinkers.

A solid starting point then. Next up on our mini world tour is another stopover in France with the distillerie Grallet-Dupic (aka La Maison de la Mirabelle.) As the name suggests, the distillery is more accustomed to distilling a number of Eaux de Vies - mirabelle, pear and plum. They have also begun to distil a whisky and the Whisky of Lorraine (not a lady's name but a place) is bottled as G.Rozelieures, named after the tiny village the distillery is situated in. Could this be essentially a 'Faux de Vie' or something much more...

G.Rozelieures - Rare Collection - French Single Malt Whisky - 40%

Nose: Youthful balsa wood notes arrive first, with some grapey/white wine notes, a touch of woody spice and slightly spirity note. It's fresh and very clean. Although this is 40%, it needs a little water to tame the spirity side. A few drops reveal a sweeter side, a touch of charred meat and icing sugar.

Palate: The icing sugar continues onto the palate, with a fresh woody note (pine) resonating through, into some juniper, fresh green herbs and a little olive oil. Vanilla rounds out the proceedings.

Finish: Short, with a clean, spirited note.

Overall: Not the most dynamic of world whiskies, but certainly unique. Given a little time in the glass, it develops a peppery, almost smoky note. A few more years in cask would probably do this a real favour and begin to develop some of the spice even further.

Over to South Africa and the James Sedgwick Distillery, run by the affable gent who is Mr Andy Watts. We first encountered their Three Ships single malt back in 2011 (a limited edition 10 year old) and from there on in, the distillery has risen to take multiple plaudits in the World Whisky Awards, with further praise going to the Bains Cape Mountain Grain whisky (one of our whiskies of the year last year.)

Three Ships main sail (sorry for the pun) whisky is a bourbon cask finished blend, (both grain and malt whisky) which is matured for 3 years and then finished for a further 6 months in first fill bourbon casks. It is now starting to reach these shores after demand has become greater, thanks in part to the distillery's award successes.

Three Ships - Bourbon Cask Finished Blended whisky - 43%

Nose: An initial mixture of honeycomb, some white flowers, a touch of vanilla and a clean, zesty grain note running right the way through. With a little water, the grain notes drift into the background and a malty richness develops.

Palate: A surprisingly fatty/oily mouthfeel, with rich vanilla, whipped sweetened cream and mango slices all arriving first. A more zesty fruitiness comes second with a return of the honeycomb. Water brings out more of a floral side to the blend.

Finish: Hints of lemon zest, a little vanilla ice cream and puffed wheat linger on the palate.

Overall: Another solid and well-rounded piece of whisky making from Andy and his team. I can picture a perfect drinking scene for this: looking out to sea from Camps Bay in Cape Town, as the sun descends for the evening. It may be a chilly January here in London, but in my head, i'm already there.

New technology is, in general always fun to purchase and play with. Rarely have I found myself buying a piece of new technology that is truly essential; how often does one really need a new camera, tablet computer or, indeed, TV.

However, this last month has seen two piece of, erm, essential technology arrive at Chez Harrison. The first really is an essential: after an inspection on a very aging boiler in my new house, it was deemed by people in the know, who wear proper stout work clothes and carry actual tools, including a real gas-safety monitor, that my current boiler was a silent assassin; not the stylish sort you’d read about in a Nordic noir novel, but a clunky, British elderly sort who was capable of accidently pulling off the perfect crime. Less Stieg Larsson, more Tales of the Unexpected.

Now, I’m not sure many of you would think of a simple boiler, the heartbeat of a house, as a piece of technology. That is, until you see these modern-sorts which one can now purchase. My new boiler comes with a digital remote control, meaning you basically have a thermostat in whichever room you choose to inhabit of an evening. Some of the posher versions even come with an app to allow you to switch the heating and hot water on and off, from your mobile phone or tablet. I know, I know... this is the future, right??

The second piece of new technology which I’ve picked up, is a TV. I think most people would say that a TV isn’t an essential piece in the jigsaw of life but it has managed to ensconce itself firmly into the fabric of our culture and play a major role in our free time.

Buying a TV these days is not as simple as it used to be. 20 years ago, it was simply about size: how big do you want it. And if you want a really big TV, you’ll have to put up with something the size of a small car, parked in the corner of your living room.

In the 21st century, in the telly showrooms of the world, questions arise such as the refresh rate speed; LCD vs LED; 3D capability; do you want a ‘smart TV’ (I take it that means it has been to University for three years and can hold its own at a middle class dinner party...) and so on.

Some of these technological leaps, such as HD and the skinny nature of many of today’s screens are a vast improvement on the technology from previous years. But no matter how many aspects of technology we throw at the small screen, television is simply not the experience that cinema delivers.

Cinema is something else; the big screen, the huge surround sound, the comfy chairs, the sticky floors... it all adds up to an experience which we know and love.

There is something comforting about the cinema, but (it seems to me anyway) that, save for 3D films, the vast leaps forward in technology which we have seen in the world of TV, haven’t quite been applicable in the cinema, with the ‘experience’ relying far more on just that: experience. Visiting the cinema doesn’t seem to feel any different for me now, as it did when I was 12. It is still exciting,visceral and, to some degree (and compared to modern telly), old fashioned. But ultimately, very comforting indeed.

It is this comforting quality of being old-fashioned, antique if you like, which really sets apart the whisky in this post.

Constructed from a complicated mix of two parcels of pre-blended stock, which was allowed to mature for a very long time (33 years and, apparently 40 years) before the good people at Compass Box discovered them and decided that bringing them together into one single, uber-blend was a good idea.

And indeed it was:

The General – Compass Box – Blended Scotch Whisky – NAS – 53.4% abv - 70cl - ~£200 here and here

Nose: A very big, rich nose which brings to mind the age-old tasting note of deeply polished wood, sandalwood, toffee, oak and freshly baked wholemeal bread.

Palate: A strong palate which gives meaty notes, ginger, pulled pork and BBC burnt-ends. A hint of fruity lime is overpowered by candied orange and Ryvita. With water, the orange turns to orange blossom and lighter, white flowers (Lilly) emerge. The robustness is lost but replaced by a lovely floral delicacy, with the grain element becoming more lively.

Finish: Orange creams and banoffee pie. Again, with water, much more delicate but an increased spice on the finish.

Overall: this is a very interesting whisky, full of flavour and very old style, well aged malt and grain. The flavours of all the old-skool are there, and very comforting they are indeed.

Technology? Na, thanks. I’m off to the cinema for the sights, sounds and the smells which I hope never change as I carry on the journey into middle and old age.

We all know that the most important thing in the world of whisky production is the quality of casks used to mature the spirit. The big two, American oak casks and European oak casks, are often rolled out on whisky bottle labels to try, in some small part, to describe to the purchaser how the mature product inside the bottle has come to be: a small Curriculum Vitae of the liquid.

There are, of course, other casks which can be used for maturing whisky such as port pipes, sweet wine casks and French wine barriques (this week we’ll review the new Glenmorangie Private Edition which has been matured in red wine casks), but the main players are European oak and American white oak. But what does that mean?

A Cooperage in Spain

Many whisky drinkers will automatically make the assumption that an American oak barrel has previously held American whiskey, usually a bourbon of some sort and that European oak will have been used first mature sherry, both giving different levels of intensity and flavour to the resulting Scotch whisky.

However, the words ‘American oak’ on a label should not automatically lead you to believe that these casks have held bourbon. It is fair to think so, but it should be noted that American oak is also used in the maturation of sherry and that some bodegas and Spanish cooperages focus only on the use of American oak, as we experienced on a recent fact finding trip to Jerez.

Much more telling is when a label tells you the lineage of the cask and what it has previously held. To illustrate this, let’s look at two different whiskies, from the same distillery, bottled at the same age but from different cask styles.

The first is Aberlour 12 Years Old, the standard range bottling which has been matured in two different types of casks. The label tells us that ‘traditional oak and Sherry oak casks’ have been used. There is no wider definition of what a ‘traditional oak cask’ is, save to say that the assumption is left to the drinker that it is an American oak cask, the number of refills left to the imagination.

Aberlour – 12 Years Old – Double Cask Matured – 70cl - 40% abv

**note: this was previously bottled at 42% abv**

Nose: Creamy vanilla gives way to crème brulee, heather honey and freshly baked bread. Sweetness rises up, giving hints of apricot jam and iced buns, with a hint of fresh mint at the back.

Palate: A big hit of candied orange peel, some light cinnamon and some basil notes. This whisky is fresh at first, but the richer tones of mandarin and anise develop over time. With water: the palate slows down with the apricot coming first followed by delicate pear drops with a spiced backdrop.

Finish: A shot of spice with a touch of apricot again. With water: a longer finish with less spice and more summer fruits.

Overall: A very drinkable Speyside 12 Years Old which gives a well produced balance between American oak vanilla and European oak inspired fruits.

The second is an Aberlour 12 years old, which has been matured only in sherry casks for the full term of the maturation. This edition was made available only at the distillery in 2013 to celebrate the bi-centenary of Aberlour village and is limited to 1812 bottles, the date which the distillery was founded.

Aberlour – 12 Years Old – Distillery Only Aberlour Village Bi-Centenary Edition – 1812 bottles - 70cl – 56.8% abv

Nose: Straight up at you with some punch, this hits the nose at a whopping 56.8% abv speed, delivering a very full and rich sherry aroma of blackcurrant, roasted strawberries drizzled with reduced balsamic vinegar glaze, some menthol and the classic Christmas cake for which sherry casks are so famous. With water:

Palate: Warm spices from intense wood flavour deliver a drying but delicious dram which, to uncover more, demands the addition of water: once added, we find black forest gateaux (black cherry and cream), more blackcurrant, newly polished wood and a oaky hit. Sour cherry and cola cubes at the end.

Finish: Liquorice and red apple skins with a hint of white pepper.

Overall: Wowzer: a big, big flavoured whisky which delivers well in both balance and complexity. If you can get hold of a bottle of this, try it. It’s Aberlour A'bunadh with some additional maturity, so it seems.

The results: Well, here we have two whiskies from the same distillery, with two totally different profiles but a clear family resemblance. It is good evidences that, at the same age, two differently flavoured whiskies can be achieved from the simple use of different styles of oak.

The core range Aberlour 12 is very much an ‘every day’ drinker. Something perfect for the hiplflask or to keep pouring during a game of poker. The special edition 12 years old, with its big heavy sherry tones is just that: a special whisky, a sipping whisky, which should take you a lot longer to make your way through than the standard 12 years old ‘easy drinking’ option.

Either way, the two are clearly from the same mothership, showing how important the production processes at different single malt distilleries are to the overall flavour of a malt.

Strange scenes at Caskstrength Towers of late. Banging late at night, the whir of machinery and today, the arrival of an enormous package, wrapped in cloth, carried by two straining red faced men. What does all this mean, you may ask?

Renovations perhaps? Of sorts, yes, but the type that were spuriously planned only a few days ago.

The reason behind the work, was a chance encounter with a baby grand piano. Just under a week ago, I decided to buy one- completely on the spur of the moment. Not something that one usually adds to a shopping list is it: Potatoes, check. Bread, check. Milk, check. Ginger ale, check. Grand piano, WTF?!!

It was an exceptional deal and all said and done, an exceptional piece of woodwork. The nameplate reads Monington & Weston, which we can date to around the 1930s, beautifully housed in a rich mahogany cabinet.

The trouble is, as I am now quickly finding out, you tend to arrange a room around something as large as a piano, which meant that the first thing in order was ripping up the carpet in order to sand and stain the floorboards before it arrived.

Why am I telling you all this inane stuff? Well, there is a point, honestly. You see, just before I took receipt of the piano, I thoroughly sanded the floor, till the natural wood (let's call it Quercus Beckenham) shone through. Wood is clearly a beautiful material, both aesthetically and from a functionality perspective. Once I had finished sanding the room developed an additional level of maturity about it, not dominated by, but enhanced by the natural tones of the wood.

Then, I think I did something stupid. I decided to apply a couple of layers of medium oak varnish to the floor. Instantly, the boards were darker, less natural looking and... sort of overly brown. Maybe even David Dickinson in colour. In my opinion, the varnish had dominated the wood. Yes, it looks ok, but i'm not convinced it enhances the room in the way that I had hoped.

The reason I bring this up is that whenever I now play the piano (you need to allow 6 weeks before having it tuned, which seems like an eternity) I will look at the floor and wonder what it would have been like had I have not applied the varnish. Did I made the right decision, or go too far?

The same question applies neatly to the use of wine casks in 'extra' maturing whisky. For those that get it right, the process involves enhancing the character of the spirit by using the cask as a vessel to deliver a complete balance of complementary flavours. But there are plenty who use wine casks (often heavy, tannic red wine barriques) to hide a multitude of sins - rather in the same way that someone would use a heavy wood varnish to hide the imperfections in a wooden floor. The results are effectively all about the wine, with the spirit (imperfections and all) taking the back seat.

One man who knows a thing or two about balance is Dr Bill Lumsden, whisky maker for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. With the latter he has steered clear from tinkering too much with the formula of one of Islay's real unfettered gems (save for a few sherry cask interventions.)

It is with Glenmo however, that Dr Bill has indulged his experimental side - particularly his love of fine wine. A while back, I was fortunate enough to visit Tuscany with Bill and see first hand his genuine excitement for the bold, complex 'Super Tuscans' on offer, particularly the red wine from the hallowed Tenuta San Guido winery who produce Sassicaia - one of the finest wines in the world.

With the Private Edition series of Glenmorangie (which has also spawned a PX sherry finish, (Sonnalta), a very lightly peated expression, (Finealta) and more recently, Ealanta - a Glenmo matured in virgin white American oak) Bill has combined his knowledge about whisky with his love for intriguing wines. Two releases in particular highlight how both can work in harmony, with the usually dominant tannic tones of the wine allowing the delicate signature notes of Glenmorangie to shine through. Back in 2012, Artein was released, utilising the aforementioned Sassicaia casks and the results were superb: (read our review here) Rich, very vibrant and fruity, all allowing the soft floral character of Glenmorangie enough room to breathe.

Will the latest edition stay true to Dr Bill's finely tuned skills?

Companta (meaning friendship in Gaelic) is the 5th release in the Private Edition. This time around, a majority proportion (around 60%) of the recipe is built from 10 year old Glenmorangie which has been maturing in casks which have previously held Clos du Tart, a vibrant Burgundy wine.

To make up the remaining 40%, Dr Bill has used a proportion of older Glenmo, which has then spent time in casks first filled with Rasteau, a wine from the southern Rhone region in France.

According to Bill, Companta was nicknamed 'Cherry Red' during the development stages of the whisky. Judging by the colour of the whisky in the glass, we can see where he got the inspiration from. But along with colour, could the use of these particularly dominant wine casks bring with it any unwanted characteristics? Let's find out:

Glenmorangie - Companta - Private Edition Series - 46%

Nose: An initial tannic bite, with sour cherries, dark chocolate and earthy red wine notes. After a little while, these give way to a softer side - some candied fruit, a touch of mandarin, soft red fruit and vanilla begin to emerge. After that, the whisky becomes completely unlocked and the Glenmorangie of old begins to develop, with wafts of gentle sweetness and a lingering floral note.

Palate: Again, initially darkly tannic and woody, but this gives way to some luxurious dark chocolate, a touch of tobacco leaf, sweetened vanilla cream, fresh raspberries and back to black again with a thick molasses note.

Finish: As the palate begins to dry, a liquorice note develops, alongside a lingering red berry sharpness and rich chocolate.

Overall: A very different beast to Artein, in that Companta is a much more robust and complex whisky, full of dark surprises, whereas Artein has an effortlessly light, breezy nature to it. Companta is, without a doubt, masterfully put together and highlights how additional maturation can change the dynamic range of a well known spirit.

Now if only I had hired Dr Bill to varnish my floor...

When I'm king, there will be certain things that I shall outlaw. Of the ever growing list, here are just four:

Separate hot and cold taps.

I can understand the idea of a tap solely for the use of cold water, but whoever wants tap to produce simply scalding water? Not me. Neither do I want to keep adjusting two taps when filling a bath or a basin with water. Nope, I want a mixer tap.

I remember reading once that the wonderfully talented artist Jack White was asked why he didn't choose to live in the UK, after marrying his English wife. His response: "why would I want to live in a country with separate hot and cold taps?".

Yup, good point.

The pretence of two single beds pushed together in a hotel, being sold as a 'double bed'.

No it isn't. It is two single beds pushed together, where you always end up sleeping on the uncomfortable ridge that develops between the two. #MiddleClassWoe

Middle Class Dreadlocks.

If I raise kids and they've got dreadlocks, I will consider myself a failed parent.

Centre Lights.

Hideous things, the centre light is the thug of the lighting world, illuminating a room in an overly aggressive way, creating a harsh and unforgiving atmosphere and using brightness to swear directly into your eyeballs. Not even the humble dimmer switch can save it.

Urgh. Give me 3 well-placed lamps over one bright centre light any day.

Mother Nature's interior design has the sun as her centre light. Being a Scando, I tend to melt in the searing midday heat and much prefer the mood lighting which she throws, courtesy of the aurora borealis or the 'Northern Lights' as they are more commonly known.

Cast into the night sky as a result of “the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere” (thanks Wiki!), in the days of the Vikings the phenomenon was attributed, as most things were, to one of their gods. Or more accurately, goddesses, Freya.

Whisky is no stranger to flirting with one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful accidents (see The Dalmore ‘Aurora’) and here we find Highland Parklinking their new limited edition bottling from their Valhalla series with the ethereal beauty of Freya.

Pioneering in their development of liquid to match personalities, this Highland Park series started with the muscle-man Thor (a big flavour of a whisky), moved on to shape-shifter and trickster Loki (a crazy beast different on the nose, palate and finish) before embracing the female side of Norse folklore, with Freya a whisky matured, unusally for HP, in first fill ex-bourbon American Oak casks.

Highland Park – Freya – 15 Years Old – Limited to 19,000 - 51.2% abv - £140.00 RRP

Nose: A delicate smoke lifts up lemon meringue pie, heather honey, a big whack of vanilla and some candy floss. On the back of the nose, custard cream biscuits and a touch of menthol.

Palate: A delicate smoke creates a bed of flavour that gives more of the lemon meringue pie, some critical, a hint of chamois leather and... a big hit of fresh pine and vanilla. With water, the vanilla develops more body and flavour, giving a sweeter palate all round.

Finish: The peat comes through big time on the finish. One of the more peated Highland Park I’ve ever had. If I was given this blind, I’d have begged it much more as an Islay than an Orkney. Maybe a young Caol Ila. With water, plenty more vanilla and some lemon drizzle cake along with water melon at the death.

Overall: Freya does indeed deliver all that she reflects in her recorded character: it is a light whisky which comes across as young for its age (I would have Freya down as having a little more guile, a little more wisdom, underpinning her beauty) but with a wisp of smoke to remind us that this isn't a Lowland whisky, but from an island. Big on the peat, this is more Islay than Orkney, but that’s a nice turn for Highland Park and shows they can play in a more peaty arena.

Certainly drinkable, Freya wouldn't be our first name on the team sheet when it comes to recent Highland Park Valhalla releases (Thor still stands out as the exceptional one), but it certainly won't disappoint those looking for a lighter HP with a bigger focus on smoke, a counterbalance to the richness of the 18yo+ releases and the higher end GTR releases.

I love a bargain. More so, I love hunting around in charity shops, thrift shops and flea markets. In fact, before Christmas I even went on a special trip, driving to Brussels from London to look for interest artefacts in their legendary flea markets.

Taking a car was essential and proved to be a good decision when a real find was made: a lovely, but seriously heavy, antique wall mounted cabinet for just 30 Euro, the sort of thing that would be sourced by a dealer, cleaned up and put on sale in a North London ‘vintage’ shop for £300. It now takes pride of place in my living room; I’m sure it has a wonderful back story, but I don’t know it. However, as with so many drams, this now has an immediate and very real narrative and hangs proudly in my home as a 3D postcard to a wonderful European weekend break.

It is these discoveries, and my house is full of them (from Ercol chairs to G Plan sideboards) which have popped up in a backwater shop somewhere, discarded and unloved, until they find a home which re-loves, re-uses and re-appreciates, that make me smile so.

However, these items are hard to find; they don’t come around every day and persistence is the key to digging out real gold. It really isn’t a case of wandering into a charity shop and walking out, Lovejoy-style, every time with something amazing. Nope, the gold-digging is the key and the moment, that wonderful moment, of finding something special is oh, so rare. As Arcade Fire sing, it is the place between the ‘click of the light and the start of the dream’; a place so rare, you often forget it exists.

In this day-and-age of extreme whisky prices, the click of the light is often when you hear about a product for sale that seems to have retained its price from a previous era when Scotch particularly, was much more innocent. The start of the dream is exactly that; realising if you’d been quicker, you could have picked it up at an amazing price, but now it is merely a dream.

However, every-so-often something comes along where you find yourself in exactly in the right place at the right time, something which happened to me recently in my local Laithwaites wine merchants... while browsing for a nice bottle of wine for dinner, my gaze was interrupted by some non-standard bottles of whisky. Investigating further, I found that one was a single sherry cask offering; a 21 year old Mortlach by Signatory (under their First Cask banner) for just £50.

Mortlach was the first distillery to be built in Dufftown, the beacon of whisky distilling in the Speyside region. Now owned by drinks giant Diageo, they have recently revealed plans to... well... ‘invest’ quite heavily in the brand, actually having a go at the premium market which brands such as The Macallan currently occupy. Having already announced that the current 16 year old Flora & Fauna bottling will slowly disappear from the shelves to make way for a new range of aged whiskies, as well as an expansion and rejuvenation of the distillery itself, the future for Mortlach is bright.

Any single cask for £50 these days is going to be a bargain, but a Mortlach (even before Diageo’s announcement) is a real bargain.

Mortlach – First Cask – 21 Years Old – 1991 / 2012 – 1^stOctober 1991 - #7715 – bottle no 209 – 46% abv - £50.00

Nose: Rich velvety honey, crunchie bar, milk chocolate and suede jackets combine to give a nose that really is older than the sum of its parts. This is a meaty nose that reacts well to sherry, without a hint of sulphur, but with real body and structure.

Palate: Sweet, oak spices with pulled pork, rich cherry cordial, a surprising amount of buttery vanilla, some banana pancakes and bags of maple syrup. A heady mix of hazelnut praline and strawberry jam finish off a deep and well rounded palate.

Finish: Fruits come to the fore, before oak spices, patchouli and cardamom finish off the dram.

Overall: A well balanced single sherry cask with excellent tones of oak, fruits and vanilla.

As the world goes mad for whisky and the residual market pushes prices up and up, it is refreshing to know that there are still bargains out there if you look hard.

And if you find them... drop us a line!

Right then. This might not be pretty. But sadly, we have two particular pet hates which have been irking us this past week:

No. 1: Extremely Lazy PR companies:

Over the course of at least three or four emails in the past week, we've received invites or product introductions that have either been addressed to someone completely unconnected to either Joel and I or this website.

'Dear (insert incorrect random name), we love your blog (insert incorrect random blog title) and have been huge fans for a long time... We'd really like you to feature our product in some capacity, as we feel your readers would really appreciate it...'

Mistakes happen it seems. Fine with us - we make plenty of them. But frankly, laziness is more prevalent than ever and the alarming number of shocking 'cut-and-paste' jobs from newly appointed PR companies working on behalf of well known drinks brands is unacceptable. I'm not looking to build a Caskstrength-shaped ivory tower here. But having been privy to just how much money certain companies are paid in monthly retainers to present a brand portfolio to a range of journalists, bloggers and other media sources, to quickly bang out a freshly laundered press release, changing the names to suit (or not, as it would seem) does not represent good value for money or help build relationships for their paymasters.

Those who are guilty, pull your bloody fingers out. Please do your research and your homework. Actually get to know those who are simply at the end of a telephone or an email. Good relationships cost nothing. Bad relationships are VERY expensive.

No. 2: The Seemingly Misunderstood World of No Age Statement Whiskies:

A very topical subject this month. Thus far, a few other blogs have featured stand points on NAS whiskies, including observations from Edinburgh Whisky, Billy's Booze Blog, Dramming and Whisky Israel.

We haven't really commented on this - until now.

Unfortunately, it seems that there's a real disconnect between what companies produce, why they produce it, who they produce it for and who actually drinks it.

Let's assess what NAS actually means for a second. At its very best, no age statement whiskies offer something which has sadly been lacking in the category for a long time... PERSONALITY - see the list a few paragraphs below to understand why we have no problem with the concept.

Contrary to popular belief in some quarters, it is not a new concept. Lest we forget, Usher's Old Vatted Glenlivet, unquestionably a game changing whisky product when it was first bottled over 160 years ago had no age statement. Johnnie Walker Red Label - the biggest selling whisky brand in the world, carries no age statement as far as we can see. And recently, Macallan's M Decanter, the most expensive whisky ever to be sold at auction again carried no age statement. So just to confirm then: The world's first commercial blended whisky, the biggest selling Scotch whisky in the world and the most expensive single malt Scotch in the world - all no age statement.

You may turn your nose up at these whiskies - but the fact is that millions of drinkers simply don't give a shit about an age statement - especially in markets other than the blinkered, over-privileged and frankly over-educated ones. The result is simple economics: You can't just turn the tap on at a distillery and hey presto... a 10 year old appears. If demand keeps on rising, business will dictate that whisky with an age statement will become even more premium- and rightly so. In the UK, and to a large extent, most of western Europe, we have simply taken it for granted that the whisky business revolves around our palates which have been lavished by aged liquid. Sadly, those days are numbered. But have we really reached the Whisky-poclypse? Of course not.

A quick glance across at the shelf in our office reveals a number of whiskies:

Talisker Storm, Aberlour A'bunadh, Highland Park Harald (a Global Travel Retail exclusive) Ardbeg Ardbog, Auchentoshan Three Wood, Balvenie Tun 1401, Kilchoman Machir Bay, an old White Horse blend (ok, not newly released, but newly acquired and without an age statement) Laphroaig Quarter Cask, Ardmore Traditional Cask, Caol Ila Moch, as well as bottle of the Cutty Sark whisky we had the privilege to release and 3D Whisky - ALL no age statement products.

Of course there will be a couple of duffers out there - we've tried a few that we didn't much care for (Talisker Port Ruighe not being to our liking, but seemingly popular elsewhere) but to tar the whole NAS category as the death knell of the whisky business? Totally illogical.

At the other end of the spectrum there are opportunities for companies to bottle liquid with a much quicker turn around. This opens up a distinct side issue: The murky world of GTR (Global Travel Retail); now in its own right a sales territory so dominant and lucrative that every distiller in Scotland has undoubtedly had sleepless nights over it.

A distiller once told us that unless they came up with a new product to put on the shelves as an exclusive, the shelf space available to them would effectively cease to exist or rapidly evaporate. This resulted in a fairly hastily assembled NAS whisky, which whilst youthful, was still filled with personality. Clearly, no one in their right mind would wantonly bottle a whisky that they felt didn't do justice to their brand just to respond to financial blackmail, let's give them some credit.

Didn't like it? Fine, try another whisky. That is unfortunately the nature of the market place and everything needs to be taken on its own merits. If it stops you from ever trying another whisky by distillery X, then so be it - but we think people are probably a little bit smarter than that. Put it this way - I love pies. A lot. I buy a lot of them. If one day I saw that Pieminister were trialling their Wildshroom variety (contains many mushrooms) as a new exclusive flavour and I didn't like it, i'm unlikely to stop buying the Matador (which contains yummy steak and chorizo. (You really need to check these out, by the way)

The bottom line is that most distillers HAVE to have something exclusive (usually an NAS whisky) in GTR for simple economic reasons. But in many cases, the increases in sales have been very healthy, extending the halo effect to the other (age statement) products in their range- proof maybe that smart concepts, coupled with good liquid (a highly subjective concept in itself) a perception of exclusivity, good value for money and a strong brand identity are the key to success, making everyone happy. There are numerous examples of NAS whiskies which are worth visiting an airport for: Highland Park Warrior Series, The Glenlivet Master Distillers Reserve, Laphroaig PX Cask and Glenfiddich 125th Anniversary (actually now available elsewhere, but we'll forget that) to name but a few.

The other night, I took an old, age statement whisky and made a cocktail with it. It was delicious. Tonight, i'll probably do the same. This simple act might be viewed as vandalism by some, but to me, it's using something as an exceptional flavour component - in a different way. In the same session, i'll be drinking a particularly young tasting NAS whisky neat, or perhaps with a touch of water - again an exceptional component of flavour in my glass. I know because I did this last night and absolutely loved it. If whisky can hold a compelling conversation with you, then its age really becomes irrelevant.

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I do love modern technology. When you really sit back and think about some of the technological advances we have at our finger tips, it really does amaze. In fact, as I write this I am a living embodiment of how incredible technology is: I have a battery powered bluetooth keyboard which is connected to an iPad mini. The keyboard itself is sensitive to light and will only provide backlit keys when the light is low. I'm told by the manual that if the backlight isn't used, at two hours a day usage, the battery will last an entire year. Longer than most of my whiskies last me.

Add to this my current location: I'm sitting in an airline seat, on a giant hunk of metal currently hurtling through the sky at… let me check on the screen imbedded into the seat in front of me where I have a GPS readout of exactly where my plane is in the sky... yes, at 504 mph (ground speed).

The whole thing, this amazing mix of technology, is pretty mind blowing, really.

We live in an incredible time when we have technology like this at our fingertips and we eat and drink better than the most successful kings in history. We are very blessed people.

But as technology develops, some (which were hyper-exciting at the time) become obsolete. Take the entertainment centre in the seat in front of me: I remember my first ever long haul flight when I was about 12, flying to Canada for an extended family holiday. The sheer excitement of films, TV shows, games... all hidden behind a small screen to play with for hours was amazing. Nowadays, not so.

In fact, such is my distrust of the quality of the entertainment I'm likely to find in-flight, that I've taken to loading up my iPad with all the goodies that I might need. I'm hardly likely to find Alpha Papa: Alan Partridge The Movie, on a US carrier's servers, I feel.

In loading up my iPad with titbits of entertainment, I took to downloading the final episode of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Scandimania, a show which has aired in the UK on Channel 4. Known for his very British approach to cooking, HFW (as we shall refer to him) went on a mission to discover what it is that makes the people of Sweden, Denmark and Norway so darn happy. Over three shows he left his comfort zone and went in search of the stories about industry, history, culture and food.

I had previously managed to see his shows on Sweden and Denmark when they were broadcast, but missed the final show, all about Norway and so used C4's on demand service, 4OD, to download it onto my iPad for this flight across the Atlantic.

The show was of particular interest to me, as regular readers to caskstrength.netwill know that I am a Norwegian passport holder. Now, I would be the first to admit that I'm not the best when it comes to upholding simple national traditions, such as speaking the language.

Shame on me.

Nor do I own the national dress and I rarely celebrate 17th May (Norwegian Independence Day).

However, there is an undeniable affinity that I feel with Norway and in particular the city of Bergen. Seeing it feature on the show made my heart beat a little faster and a smile creep across my face for a place I spent most summers as a child but precious few days as an adult.

In his final episode of Scandimania, HFW singles out Norway for its understated success; now the fourth richest country in the world, you may well find Norwegians in the best shops in London, but you sure-as-$hit wont find them having their matt black Lamborghini clamped outside Harrods or buying Premiership football clubs. They leave that type of 'class' to other wealthy nations.

Watching the show led me to wonder: if Norway was a whisky, which would it be? The answer was pretty simple: Glenmorangie.

Always around and one of the biggest selling single malt Scotch whiskies in the world, Glenmorangie is, despite being owned by uber fashion house LVMH, I think pretty understated. Yes, they advertise and yes, they speak of their quality but they don't seem to shout about it; they just get on with it.

I was recently re-introduced to their entry level offering at the launch of their new annual limited edition Companta (which we review here), the 10 Years Old 'Original' and fabulous it was too. I probably hadn't had a dram of it in about two years and was pleased to find that it was as delicious as I'd hoped it would be. A rare find indeed.

Glenmorangie - Original - 10 Years Old - 40% abv - £29 here or £26 here

Nose: A sweet yet malty nose gives hints of real vanilla pods, banana bread and both green and red apple skins. It is a developed nose that is delicate yet full of flavour. A lot going on without being unbalanced.

Palate: Drinkable neat, it gives some peach, more malt and banana initially on the palate, which develops nicely into lemon meringue pie, mango and a touch of vanilla at the death.

Finish: Soft and smooth with some spice and the vanillas again.

Overall: One retailer above currently has this for £26 for a 75cl which comes with a mini of another of the Glenmorangie stable. A steal? I would think so. This whisky is one to not be forgotten about if you're looking for some change from £30 (here in the UK) for a classic Highland single malt whisky.

The rediscovery of this dram threw me a puzzle: why did I 'forget' about it in the first place? Especially when I have been happily ordering Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet's lower priced bottles rather freely at bars recently. The only answer that I can come up with, is that the Original is rather softly spoken. Rather understated. Rather, erm... Norwegian.

As I sit down to type this, may I refer you to our last post on Caskstrength. Whisky is truly an extraordinary thing. After all, it has for the past seven years filled pretty much my every waking hour in some capacity. It has helped form wonderful and lengthy friendships and it has also fuelled many a lengthy debate- in person and online. But the bottom line is that there is clearly no other spirit in the world like it for bringing people together in anticipation of what delight they are about to try.

The first time this happened for me was over 16 years ago now, with a group of several close friends. We selected three single malts that we felt would be the pinnacle of excellence: the gateway into genuine appreciation for a drink, which I had never experienced before (being a reckless teenager and all that- then at university trying to emulate the life and times of Withnail.)

In most cases, single malt opens one's eyes to a genuine respect for a spirit. It has that air of intrigue and the hand of genuine craftsmanship firmly upon it - regardless of whether it carries an age or not. The night we selected three different single malts (a Cragganmore 12 year old, a Laphroaig 10 year old and a Glenmorangie 10 year old) I realised that something had changed. Over the course of three or four hours, I developed an understanding of how to really enjoy drinking without actually getting drunk. Each of these exceptional whiskies had a completely unique personality- for my other co-drinkers, the Laphroaig's bold, abrasive fiery temperament being the anthesis to the Glenmorangie's smooth and understated delicacy. Personally, I loved then all and to this day, those same three whiskies (different bottles of course) still grace my drinks cabinet as well as the one here in our office.

Today, that drinks cabinet has one additional bottle; one much smaller in size, but equally profound.

It contains a sample of 40 year old Brora, drawn from a single cask filled in 1972. For those of you who don't follow this blog regularly, Brora has become one of the trio of near mythical whisky distilleries (along with Port Ellen and Rosebank) closed down and long forgotten, until perhaps the last decade or so. Releases from these three are scarce, with Diageo owning the remaining (fast diminishing stocks). This Brora sample comes from a bottling done especially for Global Travel Retail in the Middle East and only 160 bottles will be available, each coming in a decanter and carrying the price tag of a shade under £7,000. So extremely rare and extremely expensive.

Today, I am reminded of that very same sense of intrigue that first drew me into whisky and undoubtedly what led me to find a career in writing about it. Samples arrive at our office on a daily basis and every now and again, they genuinely stop you in their tracks: from the fantastic Overeem whiskies of Tasmania that arrived out of the blue (and totally blew us away) to an as-yet unreviewed and very, very old whisky, which we shall unveil later this week. This sample of Brora is one of those moments. In fact, as I open the sample, I genuinely don't know what to expect...

Brora - 40 Year Old - Single Cask 1972 Vintage - 160 Bottles - 59.1%

Nose: Where to begin. 'Lively' is a word that usually applies to whiskies only a fraction of the age of this elder statesman. But this has a real fire from the get go. Hugely peated (easily the most peated Brora I've come across) this could pass as a Caol Ila or perhaps even a younger Lagavulin. But underneath the peat lies some soft malt, linseed oil, Brazil nut shells, sweet vanilla and a cloud of white pepper - alongside a familiar slightly wet hay note that Brora often has. Would you really peg this as a 40 year old whisky though, if nosing it blind? I doubt it. The extremely high ABV helps to keep your nose guessing and only a little water reveals its true character. With a dash, stewed summer fruit aromas come to the fore alongside a little liquorice, carbolic soap, fresh mint and leather.

Palate: Initially very sweet with a powerful chewy wood smoke. Buttery notes follow with some ripe bananas, more tingling white pepper and the first signs of oakiness. The strength is still right up front and in all honesty, is slightly distracting- again you wouldn't peg this as a whisky in its 4th decade. The water brings things down perfectly with dried ginger notes, rich shortcake and summer fruits, dark brown sugar and a beautifully aged peat note. That's more like it.

Finish: A wash of wood smoke stays on the palate, alongside a tingling pepper, some traces of oak and a little creaminess, dusted with icing sugar and coated in dark honey. To say this is lengthy would be an understatement, thanks in part to the peatiness, but the mouthfeel (with water) is truly excellent.

Overall: A huge surprise. This really won't be for everyone's tastes. Rather like that first encounter my friends and I had with Laphroaig, the smoke in this Brora is extremely dominant and not for the faint hearted. But dig past this and you'll be dazzled by what lies underneath. There are layers of complexity here which only an old whisky can deliver, but still signs of youth too, given the spritely ABV. It is, in essence, a very challenging whisky - and like that very first proper encounter I had with single malt, almost impossible to put down as a result.

Turn the lights off and lock up will you, Joel... I may be here for some time yet...

'I'll never forget meeting my uncle in Norway many years ago now', says Casey Overeem, with a smile on his face.

'When I arrived at his house, he said (in his somewhat broken English) 'Casey...you... me... friends'... and we went down into his cellar - and there in a cupboard, dripping away, was a little still. After a few minutes we had a glass worth each and he said Skal! Well, I thought he meant 'Skull' (meaning 'down in one') which probably wasn't the greatest thing to do with spirit straight off the still at 70%.'

This was the first experience of distilling for the highly affable and down-to-earth Overeem and clearly, the brutal, high strength spirit he had just knocked back must have made its mark in more ways than one. Today, The Old Hobart distillery which Overeem founded back in 2005 is steadily securing a reputation around the world for arguably producing Tasmania's best whisky, with new fans discovering the small but exquisite range mostly on the recommendation of those in-the-know or from the growing number of glowing reviews. We can put our hands up and say that we are keen supporters of the work Casey and his team are doing, first trying the range of four whiskies last year purely by chance.

To say we were impressed would be an understatement. We caught up with Casey on a recent visit to London to discuss the ethos behind the distillery and what he believes is the secret behind the burgeoning whisky scene in Tasmania.

First up though, we're keen to find out what made Casey continue with his fascination into distilling after such a highly spirited introduction.

'Well I wasn't a whisky aficionado or anything like that. It was really down to my experience in Norway,' he explains. 'I said to Greta, (Casey's wife) i've gotta build one of those stills when we get back home. I basically got a beer vat and started brewing using sugar as the base - like a rum. Well, that didn't taste much good at all, so we really started doing some proper research about cut points and then over the next five years we learnt to make whisky.'

Back then, it was a case of Casey sticking his finger in the glass and setting it on fire to determine the stage of the spirit run, but now, after running Old Hobart for around a decade, everything seems to have settled into its right place.

'Now we don't really have any specific technique to determine cut points etc, it's all done by nose as the runs are so consistent,' he points out. Our stills are made by a guy in Hobart called Peter Bailey- he does everything from copper shaping to welding, boiler making and still design,' he continues, 'which is why I guess distilling has taken off so well in Tasmania. We have two stills: a wash and a spirit, with electric heating elements underneath, which makes them very clean inside. We tried to emulate what would have happened when they were direct fired from underneath. When I was in Scotland, I took a load of pictures of different stills, mainly for the lyne arms, particularly the ones which gave a heavier, more oily new make spirit which is what I was looking for. I think you'll find ours bears a certain resemblance to a popular one on Islay', he says grinning... 'They're such a special bunch of distillers there - and we owe them a lot of gratitude as they were very helpful when we were setting up the distillery.'

So how many casks do you fill now?

'We fill about one barrel a week now- maybe 60 in the course of a year, all into 100 litre first-fill casks.

'So a very small outturn then?

'For sure. Funnily enough, a mate of ours was visiting Islay recently and mentioned to a distiller that he had a friend who owned a distillery back home. The distiller asked how many casks we were filling and laughed when our mate told him."We probably spill more than that a year", was his response!'

'How did you determine what sort of wood you wanted to use?'

'Well Bill Lark (owner of the Lark distillery and one of the founding fathers of the resurgence in Australian whisky making) and I went to Scotland in 2005 and one of the head distillers on a tour said that if they could afford it they would mature everything in 100 litre barrels, so Bill took that on board and I followed suit. Nearly everything we fill into is from cut down ex-Australian port or sherry casks from French oak - filled at 63.5% - but the Angels' Share is extremely high here. In five years we've probably lost about 20% of the spirit. We'll usually get about 180 bottles (at 43% strength) from each cask and although each barrel is consistent, there will be subtle differences in each bottling, but we're hugely proud of each one.'

Have you tried maturing in anything bigger?

'We did try a 200 litre and it was very good indeed, (a mythical bourbon barrel bottling, which we have yet to try) but anything smaller takes a lot of colour but doesn't give us the quality of flavour we are looking for. Interestingly, I think the whisky is really peaking around five years - the oldest cask I have is about six-and-a-half years old and i'm not convinced it's getting better. But there's a significant change in the last few months of maturation: the difference between the whisky at four-and-a-half to five years is profound.'

Have you tried using any refill casks?

'I reckon i've got about 25 or 30 refill barrels that i've filled - some port and some sherry- but i'll have to wait longer, probably 7-8 years to get what i'm looking for from them. But I really don't want to change the recipe of what we do, as we don't make enough to do many risky experiments with.'

Would you say you've learned a number of different lessons as a distiller over the years?

'Two things spring to mind. Firstly, making the whisky is the easy part! But secondly, getting everything else right - ie getting people to put your whisky on the shelves and then into the hands of drinkers is another thing. It's taken a long time for Tasmanian whisky to become accepted and to be early in an emerging scene is a challenge, but it's also good as we're finding people are likely to take a real chance on you.'

So is there a good camaraderie between the other Tasmanian distilleries?'

Very strong indeed. We share ideas and we promote the idea of Tasmanian whisky together in bars and wherever we can, as well as meeting often and sharing a dram together. It's like a piece of rope: single strands have no strength, but put many of them together and you have some real pulling power.'

What makes Tasmania such a great place to make whisky?

'The climate is ideal really - we have a bigger temperature range than Scotland- good dry air which creates some movement through the barrels, some exceptional soft water and we grow some of the best barley in the Franklin variety- it's a strain which is now on its way out, but was sought out the world over for brewing beer. And of course passionate people!'

Jane Overeem, carrying on Casey's
knack for making Tasmanian whisky

So where do you see it going, over the next decade?

'Well I did this as a hobby originally!' he laughs. 'My daughter Jane has been pressing me for an answer like that too. She's an integral part of what we have done and ten years later, here we are. You only have one life and this has certainly been the most exciting part of mine and the most high profile.'

As we wrap up our interview at the Southbank Centre on the River Thames, with a backdrop of London at its finest, it dawns on us that it must make Casey feel proud that his whisky has literally come such a long way.

'It's totally humbling when you consider the origins of where it all started,' he points out. 'In fact, if you look at the cap on the bottle, you'll see it says three words: Born Of Promise. I made a promise to myself when I started that I wanted to get a bottle on the shelves in Holland, where my father was born and the very first international order we had was from a shop in Holland - Van Wees. What was remarkable is that it turns out the shop was only 10km from where he grew up and was in the town he did his apprenticeship!

Fate moves in strange ways...

To read our review of the current range of Overeem whiskies distilled at the Old Hobart distillery, click here.

For more info on the distillery itself, visit: www.overeem.co.uk

Wow, what an extraordinary month it has been for whisky chatter so far. Any more of this excitement and we'll have to take a short nap somewhere quiet and friendly - Rum or Armagnac perhaps. ;-)

First up and a large contingent of the online whisky community got its knickers unnecessarily in a twist about the unknown future of Scotch whisky and the terrifying looming spectre of No Age Statement whiskies. We'd like to issue a zen-like calming call to all those bloggers concerned: Take a deep breath and pour yourself something nice (maybe even N.A.S?)...whisky isn't broken quite just yet - we promise.

Right on cue, Diageo, (seemingly the target for much abuse this past week especially) unveil a new range of Mortlach expressions AND a monumental stepping stone in the history of Brora. Two fairly hefty (and polarising) statements in the malt whisky world, by any stretch of the imagination. Whilst we'll reserve our judgment call on the 'Mortlach Scenario' (which sounds very much like a new Dan Brown novel) until we have actually tasted the liquid (makes sense, does it not chaps?) we can at least be thankful that there is plenty of excellent whisky left out there and the prospect of the industry moving forward yet again in the eyes of the every day consumer looks extremely positive in our view.

Then the largest players in the world of Japanese whisky Suntory announces two brand new No Age Statement expressions, which will radically change the landscape of the international appetite for its whisky.

It seems, as if No Age Statement-itus is catching folks... Better run and take cover.

Stirred 13-and-a-half times?
A classic Highball

Suntory's latest brace of releases focus on the specific styles of their two malt distilleries, Yamazaki and Hakushu. The former, widely regarded as the very first Japanese whisky distillery celebrated its 90th anniversary last year and has long been a firm favourite here, for pushing the boundaries of flavour and versatility in whisky.

In the 12 year old expression of both distilleries, Suntory have defined, in our opinion, (with the addition of Nikka's From The Barrel) the delicate simplicity of the Mizuwari (or Highball with sparkling water) - a drink so perfect in its construction that lengthy tomes have been written about the correct number of times one should stir the mixture of whisky, ice and supremely clear spring water - Suntory reckoning that 13-and-a-half times is the pinnacle of excellence.

So why bring out two new whiskies- The Distiller's Reserve range - especially lacking in age statements?

Well, like every whisk(e)y company in the world, times are a'changing and global demand for aged Japanese stock has meant that there is precious little out there - especially in Europe. With such an unprecedented focus on world whisky, Suntory have been smart enough to create two distillery defining expressions that not only deliver big on flavour, but also won't cost the earth, given the inevitable price rises of the 10, 12 and 18 year old expressions.

Suntory Chef Blender Shinji Fukuyo pointing
out his predecessors

At a launch last week in central London, both these new Japanese expressions were formally unveiled, after a highly successful introduction in the domestic market. We were lucky enough to join Shinji Fukuyo, Chief Blender and General Manager of the Whisky Blending and Planning Department at Suntory; the man responsible for creating the new range. Introducing the whiskies, Mr Fukuyo revealed that one of his daily responsibilities is to sample 300 different casks from the Suntory inventory, so with so many parameters to play with, putting these whiskies together was never going to be easy.

And it wasn't.

'After my first experiment, I was scalded by my boss,' he jokingly revealed, as we began to delve into the core component parts of both whiskies. But without a doubt, his second attempts have squarely hit the mark, both whiskies delivering what could accurately be described as the core flavours of each distillery: Yamazaki, known for its rich, well-rounded red berry fruit and lighter citrus zest - and Hakushu dialling in a little smokiness alongside a malty core, surrounded by soft orchard fruit and a little spice.

Cask samples

Both expressions are formed by careful use of different cask styles, which Suntory have explored individually in their own dedicated bottlings. In the Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve, we were treated to cask samples from a Mizunara oak cask (a strain of oak unique to the Far East) which delivers a totally original and highly flavoursome spice note, reminiscent of Japanese incense. Alongside this, a sample from a cask of sherry matured whisky aged for around 20 years, complete with its big, bold and robust earthy dryness. But an interesting additional Bordeaux wine cask finished whisky hinted at where much of the well-rounded red berry fruits and additional dryness in the new expression comes from.

The Hakushu Distiller's Reserve comes from a totally different flavour profile altogether. Samples of lightly peated and heavily peated Hakushu were tried alongside a frankly astonishing sample of first fill bourbon cask Hakushu - if you happen to chance on a bottle of this style of Hakushu (there are a few floating around at good indie retailers) grab it - the tropical fruit notes will change your perception of whisky making forever. (in fact see our review of this expression here)

So individually, each cask style delivers a distinct 'colour' to the overall picture. But what are they like when combined together? 'Stupendous' is one word we would happily use.

Yamazaki - Distiller's Reserve - 43% - No Age Statement - RRP under £40

Nose: A lightness hits first, with subtle vanilla and lemon zest, leading into fresh strawberries, a little milk chocolate and some golden syrup. There is also an emerging spicy/incense note, which develops with the addition of water.

Palate: The fruit becomes more intense, with fresh fleshy white peaches, a hint of raspberry, a dryer oaky note, vanilla essence and a twist of lemon zest. It is vibrant and youthful, but still full of fabulous character.

Finish: Sweeter fruity notes linger, with an overall tannic background.

Overall: A superb start. This encompasses all the hallmarks of the 12 year old Yamazaki, but leads it into a new fresher styling. Very clever whisky making and a steal for the retail price.

Hakushu Distiller's Reserve - 43% - No Age Statement - RRP under £40

Nose: Wonderfully fruity with soft pears, a touch of green apple peel, fresh mint, vanilla, a slight damp mossiness and a waft of very fragrant smoke - enough to drive the heart of the distillery character but not too in-your-face for those who find peat too much of a distraction.

Palate: A lighter fruit develops first with fresh honeydew melon, sweet vanilla, the floral smoke mixing with a charred herbaceous note. With water, it really develops, the fruit starting to integrate wonderfully with the smoke.

Finish: The smoke is left on the palate, with a subtle fruitiness and a hint of oak.

Overall: Another fantastically balanced whisky. Hard to pick out a favourite here, as both whiskies deliver so much character within their 'house' styles. We would recommend both of these side-by-side - especially if you're planning to have a go at your very own entry into the Mizuwari/Highball phenomenon!

Make no mistake: Suntory have undoubtedly released two game-changing No Age Statement whiskies here.

Anyone still left ranting, please form an orderly queue.

Expect to see both these whiskies at either Master Of Malt or Whisky Exchange soon.

I don't know how much you remember from your youth, but there are certain moments which, when I cast my mind back to them, define the age I was and that era of my life.

For me the first real football World Cup but I remember was Italia '90. Such was the impact of the fantastic England team at that tournament, that I even purchased the Italia '90 Subbuteo set to relive those famous games with my dad on our dining table.

The reality is that it probably rained hideously all summer long, but my memory is of running around the park playing as much football as I could and pretending to be an International footballer. I was 10 years old.

Fast forward to today and many World Cups have passed by. Just two later, when France '98 rolled around, life had changed immeasurably: now 18, this World Cup was experienced mainly in the pubs of Oxfordshire, surrounded by beer and friends, the same as many football tournaments since.

For me, World Cups have become an occasion to invite people over (or nip to the pub), open a few cold cans of beer and watch a couple of interesting football matches while catching up on gossip and generally just hanging out and I know this to be true for the generation before me, too. Beer and World Cups are synonymous for me; the perfect beverage to enjoy most watching my top sport.

But imagine being Icelandic... because, until 1989 beer was illegal in the country. There is a whole generation of people slightly older than me who were not able to enjoy any sporting occasion with a cold can of lager, let alone an artisanal craft ale.

Thankfully times have changed and it is no surprise that post-1989 things in the Icelandic drinks business have been looking up. In the last few years craft breweries have been popping up over the island like sightings of trolls in the Viking times; even calling themselves things like Freyja... crazy, huh!

Not A Whisky, Freya is a locally brew from Iceland

However, as much as we love brewing and beer, they are mere soft drinks compared to what we are concerned with here at Caskstrength: spirits. Such is our love for the stuff that we have a new book coming out later this year called The Spirit Explorers, more of which you will hear about as the year progresses. It looks at interesting spirits, made by interesting people, in interesting places; one of those places being Iceland, for Iceland is the home to the Reyka vodka distillery, first ever on the island.

An ambitious project which started in 2005, Reyka isn't made like most other vodkas in large column stills, but is distilled using a Carter-Headstill of which there are only six operational in the world. The Carter-Head copper still (below right) was traditionally used for gin production as it is easy to hang a basket of botanicals inside. However, the chaps at Reyka have replaced the botanicals with Icelandic volcanic lava rock, which allegedly filters the spirit as it evaporates before condensing.

Reyka's Carter-Head Copper Still

Again after condensing it passes through a glass receptacle full of lava rocks. These rocks and the ones in the basket are replaced every 50 distillations, cleansing the spirit as it comes off the still.

Couple this unique still and their addition of volcanic rock with Icelandic water, created by the melting of glaciers which feed the local streams and the pure Icelandic air, and you're left with a spirit that is not only crystal clear but has a delicate aroma, wonderfully rich mouth feel with hints of minerals and some vanilla and a finish which gives 'fresh' a whole new meaning.

I enjoyed it simply over ice (taken from a glacial waterfall) or in a classic vodka martini with zest, where the fresh minerality combines with citrus to be the cocktail equivalent of a quick snort on some Vick's Vapour Rub. Worthy of a start to anyone's evening after a long day in the office.

If you get a chance to try this copper pot still vodka, then give it a go. Try it on the rocks to really put a slice of Iceland in your glass.

The American Dream. Sort of.

One of the magical things about whisky is seeing it grow up:from being a pure, clear spirit it transforms itself into a dark,delicious aged liquor. It is no secret that what aids this transformation, and where a large percentage of the flavour of whisky comes from, is the oakbarrels in which the spirit is matured.

Earlier in the yearI visited Jerez to see the production of sherry and sherry barrels, which are in the minority when it comes to the maturation of whisky. For the job of turning spirit into Scotch is left mainly to those casks sourced from America. So vital are these American oak casks to the whisky business, that I took a trip with Glenfiddich to find out exactly how they are made and where the wood comes from to produce them.

Living in London, nipping up to Scotland or heading over to Ireland to watch whisky making in progress is pretty easy. Not so, visiting some of the central and southern states of America...but if you want to see American oak barrels being produced, as well as the bourbon that will first fill them, that's where you have to go.So I packed my bag, my hat and my lumberjack shirt and headed out to the US to find out more about these casks.

Arriving in Kentucky I was surprised to find how cold it was; American whiskey maturation is all about high temperatures and humidity, allowing for fast maturation (a 'straight bourbon' must be two years or older, for example). However, I was out of luckif I wanted to top up my tan astemperatures in the morning had dipped to around about -9°C. It's funny how you can find a use for that bad Christmas jumper, even at the start of March!

My jumper, a hand-knitted affair from a far-flung relative, came in super-handy as my first appointment was a chilly start early one morning- not at a cooperage nor at a distillery, but in the middle of a field somewhere in Indiana. Growing up in the country, I'm used to early starts and cold weather but as a whisky writer I'm also used to warm drams and leather armchairs... so to find myself in the middle of the forest at 6am as the sun rises, without a hip flask in sight... well, you can imagine my terror.

Tim The Lumberjack

As therising sun slowly lit up the misty forest, with the leaves crunching under foot,I made my way to a small clearing where the light came flooding in. Slowly emerging from the mist, a beast of a man carrying a chainsaw in one hand and a map in the other appeared, making his way towards me. Thrustingout his hand like a bears paw, heintroduced himself as Tim, the local lumberjack.

Tim's job is to locate the enormous American white oaks which will be used to makewhiskey barrels. Findingwhite oak trees is not the simplest of tasks;forests are agnostic as to the tree types which call it home and Tim works with just one other person to scour his and his neighbours' woodlands for them. After findinga maple and several other varieties of trees, we eventually came across what looked like a promising specimen: tall and straight,reaching high into the now clear, crisp blue sky, this tree was to be our first catch of the day.

Video: Tim Cuts Down An American White Oak (Note How He Manages To NOT Knock Other Trees Over At The Same Time)

Starting up his chainsaw Tim encouraged me to stand back in the woods to watch("Back a bit further. A bit further, please. No... keep going. It's a big one!") as the tree came tumbling to the ground. Crashing into the forest floor Tim estimated itto be about 90ft long; quite a winner. After a good morning finding the right white oaks to fell, Tim loadshis logs onto a lorry and drives themto the nearest sawmill, where they are turned into staves.

Tim The Lumberjack's Truck

A fascinating job, the role of this local lumberjack was far from my vision of huge teams of trunk-hunters deforesting left,right and centre. My favourite example of his lifestyle was when I asked Tim if he does this every day. His reply? Simply "Nope. Some days I go fishin'".

Once Tim's timber has been processed into staves, they make their way to a local cooperage, in this case, the family runKelvin Cooperage.

Kelvin Cooperage is, as you would expect with the current demand for casks from all over the world, a hive of busyness. Sandwiched between Louisville airport and thewilderness of the sprawling State,it produces casks for some of the biggest companies in the world, including the chaps at Glenfiddich wherethere seems to be a real symbiotic relationship between the two companies,both being proudly family owned and operated.

The two brothers in charge at Kelvin, Paul and Kevin, are two of the most fascinating people you could wish to spend some time with, when it comes to the world of whiskey. These are the guys who provide the key element for every distiller who wants to make a mature spirit and as a result quality has to be at the forefront of everything they do.

A Heavily Charred American Oak Stave at Kelvin Cooperage.

Originally from Scotland and sons of a cooper, they relocated to Kentucky to start their cooperage. Sourcing wood locally,the barrels destined for Scotland are firstly used in the American whiskey business before being sent, whole, to Scotland to be filled with spirit.

I've been to cooperages before but have never witness the entire journey of oak, from branch to barrel, experiencing the sheer human endeavour involved; from taking 90ft logs out of a forest on a frosty spring morning to the coopers hard at work making or mending the barrels to be filled with spirit. Add to this the care and attention of the whisky-makers in Scotland and time it takes to mature Scotch whisky, then you'll realise that the age on the bottle is a mere indication of the whisky's age; it's true birthday to be found deep in the roots of an American white oak tree.

The Glenfiddich - 12 Years Old - 40% abv - 70cl - £26ish here and here

Nose: A big hit of vanilla, fresh green apples, cool whip, iced buns and some malt. Over time, kiwi, goosberry fool and basil appear to give the nose added depth.

Palate: The kwiki and goosberry (and other soft green fruits) come to the fore, with green and red apples in the middle and vanilla underpinning the whole palate. The malt gives good foundations for these flavours to sit on, while the vanilla takes the driving seat over time, especially with a splash of water. Fresh.

Finish: some spices but the ultimate flavour is apple sours and American-style 'watermelon'.

Overall: We have always said that these single malts with a more accessible price point are not to be dismissed. Sometimes it really pays to go back and try stalwarts such as this to see why they are so well loved by the consumer. Don't ignore because of their ubiquity.

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