Diageo Special Releases 2011 - Knockando 1985

Of all the Diageo Special Releases this year, only one failed to impress me as much as I had hoped. This was the Knockando 25 Year Old, this whisky was one of three special releases from existing rather than closed distilleries. The other two hit the mark like Robin Hood at an archery contest. This is not to say this whisky was bad in any way, but for a 25 year old sherry cask whisky I was a little underwhelmed, especially with such great sherried whiskies emerging from Scotland currently. Furthermore, with a recommended retail price of £135, I didn't think it offered the depth and complexity required for a whisky in that price bracket. Anyway, with no further ado...

Knockando 1985
43% - 25 Years Old - First Fill Sherry Casks
Nose: Lots of toffee to begin with Christmas cake and raisin notes following, beneath lies a dark anise character. Clear Oloroso presence.
Palate: Demerara sugar, stewed red fruits (predominately strawberry), smoother with water with slight chocolate notes.
Finish: Too short for my liking, espresso and a touch of salt, giving the finish a drying character.
Overall: The Knockando was not a bad whisky, but didn't offer what I would expect for its age or price. There was an intensity lacking that maybe could have been added with being bottled at cask strength.

Lost Distilleries Chapter 3: Port Dundas 20 Year Old

This is my second review of the Diageo Special Releases 2011 (see here for the floral Rosebank).

Grain whisky has been an important discovery for me. Alongside rye whiskey, grain has opened up a completely new style of whisky to my palate. For the uninitiated grain whisky is made from unmalted grain, whereas single malt whisky is made from malted barley. Grain whisky can be distilled in pot or coffey stills, and has a sweeter flavour to malt whiskies. My awakening to grain was at the hands of the sublime Compass Box Hedonism, a syrupy dram that is just fantastic. Grain whisky is often under-represented as the vast majority of the product is used for blended whiskies, and hence is much under-appreciated.

Tonight's review is of the first ever Diageo Special Release grain whisky from the closed distillery at Port Dundas, that like most Scottish grain distilleries, was in the Lowland region. It was closed in 2009 when Diageo grain whisky production shifted to Cameron Bridge and North British distilleries. This release is 100% grain whisky and the oldest official release, blended from three casks distilled in 1990 and matured in a combination of casks. This was to be a bit of a treat.

Port Dundas 1990
57.4% - 20 Years Old - 1,920 Numbered Bottles Worldwide
Nose: Cherry leaps out of the glass with dark chocolate chasing behind in a combination much like the Green & Black's Cherry Chocolate. There is a real leatheryness to the nose with a grassy freshness mingling in. On a second take sawdust announces itself ever so politely.
Palate: Pepper and tobacco swirl around in a spicy waltz on a vanilla dance floor. Syrupy if a little too hot on the alcohol, water improves this dram.
Finish: Light yet vast, chocolate eclairs galore with a touch of aniseed.
Overall: Very good, a lot of complexity and depth here. I felt this whisky didn't need to be cask strength though, still with water, amazing.

Lost Distilleries Chapter 2: Rosebank 21 Year Old

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the Diageo Special Releases 2011 launch, giving me the chance to sample whiskies way beyond the limits of what I can afford. Over the next week I am going to release my notes culminating with the almighty Port Ellen (this seems suitably dramatic to me). What is most exciting about the Diageo Special Releases is the chance to try those increasingly rare whiskies from the lost distilleries of the eighties and early nineties combined with some different takes on existing whiskies. All I can say is that I was not disappointed. From Caol Ila to Port Dundas, there were a lot of great drams to be had, all at cask strength, all different. So today I start with my first experience of that Lowland classic - Rosebank.

One malt I was particularly looking forward to was the Rosebank. Despite having heard lots about this closed distillery I've never got to try it. Rosebank like most Lowland distilleries, triple distils its spirit. What is particularly sad about Rosebank is that it was closed in favour of the more picturesque and higher capacity distillery at Glenkinchie. A triumph for marketing was a tragedy for whisky. I had heard many good things about Rosebank and after a while I assumed it was just hype, I felt people just wanted another Port Ellen or Brora. So I tasted the Rosebank with suspicions that it would offer less than was anticipated. Naturally I was wrong...

Rosebank 1990
53.8% - 21 Years Old - 5,604 Numbered Bottles Worldwide
Nose: Roses as the name suggests with parma violet aromas woven in to this intensely floral dram. This flowery aroma was followed by a scent I can only describe as citrus fruit petals or lemon grass perhaps. There was also a vinous quality that I found hard to place, I heard Viognier mentioned a couple of times, so maybe that?
Palate: Peaches and stone fruit dominate this silky dram, with lemon and sugar skipping behind.
Finish: Soft and short, with that floral quality returning with a flash of milk chocolate.
Overall: Fantastic, a lot going on without it seeming clumsy. Most surprisingly was that this whisky worked well at cask-strength and I didn't feel it required water. The Rosebank has given me a new appreciation of the potential of Lowland whiskies. Next I'd like to try a independent bottling for comparison so as to see the scope that this closed distillery once offered... Watch this space for more special release reviews!

To The Seaside! Clynelish 14 Year Old

I have found that I have a penchant for coastal whiskies. From the salty Campbeltown malts to the briny Pulteney, I am a fan. I find it intriguing that a whisky can (arguably) take on the character of the environment in which it is aged. I don't know how much this is true or how much is romantic terroir-driven musings, but coastal whiskies do have a saltiness to them. Recently I was fortunate enough to try one that I cannot remember having tried before. This whisky is the Clynelish from the legendary distilling town of Brora.

Clynelish 14 Years Old
46% - Distillery Bottled
Nose: Briny - reminiscent of fresh sea air, underneath there is honeyed vinigarette, grape and hovering smoke with a biscuity quality that adds substance to a full nose.
Palate: Sea salt and digestives (ship's biscuits?) with underlying fruit notes.
Finish: Grapes and stewed apples with a crisp acidity.
Overall: Fresh, clean and enticing. The Clynelish 14 reminds me of Springbank, if a little more savoury. Great standard release whisky for coastal fans.

An Exception To The Rule... BenRiach Arumaticus Fumosus

The world is full of exceptions to rules. The English language is positively riddled with them, "'I' before 'E' except after 'C'" being a flawed classic. Laws, especially when applied to those who make them, are diseased with exceptions and I am sure any game ever invented has a few thrown in for good measure (except perhaps connect four). Although exceptions make the world a more interesting and intriguing place they are also a major annoyance. For example: explaining a relatively simple concept to someone and, just when you think they've finally understood it, having to say "however there is an exception...". The whisky world is rife with exceptions. Quite often through my work I have to teach people the ins and outs of whisky. To keep it simple I work around the whisky regions of Scotland but of course every region has its exceptions. Islay has Bunnahabhain, the Islands have Arran, and Speyside has BenRiach. I usually skip over exceptions to keep things simple however it also means I forget about them. So recently I thought I'd pay more attention to these anomalies. The distillery I chose to explore was BenRiach, the peated Speyside. It was a distillery that I was dubious of, partly because I hadn't heard much about it but also because I had my doubts that Speyside could match the peaty passion of Islay - having previously tried the Benromach Peat Smoke I should have known better...

BenRiach Arumaticus Fumosus
46% - 12 Year Old - Dark Rum Finish
Nose: This whisky is meaty; smoke infusing itself in a hog roast lathered with sweet barbecue sauce.
Palate: Reminds me of punch, a rum kick from the cask finish with barley sweet flavours and some peat to boot.
Finish: Heathery and floral at first but then spicy and smoky with coffee following.
Overall: Arumaticus Fumosus is apparently Latin for 'smoky rum', for all that rum that was drunk in Roman times. That aside, I was impressed with this dram. It had layers of flavour that complimented its peating. BenRiach do a lot of different finishes so I couldn't say if this was comparatively under par or high quality, but it has intrigued me to find out. It is an exception to the rule I can live with, and I am curious to try more!

Fall Into Autumn with the Longrow 18 Year Old

After a brief dalliance with an Indian Summer, where ice cream and shorts became the rage for a week, finally autumn is upon us. Autumn is my favourite season. This is because the mixture of low light and cooler temperatures make autumn a great pub season, scratch that, drinking season. Cider is well suited to the heady browns and oranges that surround us, dark ales are ideal for the falling temperatures and gin is perfect for relaxing on long Sunday afternoons in front of the telly. What I am struggling to find this year is a whisky that best compliments the season. It can't be too heavy as it isn't winter yet, when a powerful dram is needed to warm the belly. It can't be too light as we are no longer in the glorious heights of summer. It shouldn't be a smoky fireside dram or a heavily sherried malt for after a Christmas dinner. What it needs is a careful balance of everything. It has taken me some time but I think I have found it...

Longrow 18 Year Old
46% - Bottled by Springbank
Nose: Oak smoke is immediately identifiable but not so heavy as previous Longrows, ideal for balmy evenings. Next comes the rhubarb I always get from Longrow and Springbank followed by refreshing mint and mild herbs, finished with a sprinkling of sea salt.
Palate: I can only describe this as musky grape, there is an evident fruitiness coupled with light wood smoke that creates a pleasant soothing muskiness.
Finish: A mixture of tropical and berry fruits floating on a layer of earthy smoke. Strong, long and salty.
Overall: Utterly top notch, the fruit gives this dram a vibrancy, the light peatiness gives it structure and its age gives it a long crisp finish. I am a huge fan of Longrow, and I think this is the first to match the incredible C.V. expression. Perfect autumn drinking, a winner!

Welcome to Speyside - Strathisla 12 & 30 Year Olds

The location of my favourite
distillery tour (to date).

Of the limited number of distillery tours I have had the pleasure of joining, one has stood out as a favourite. Not because it was the most in-depth or the most wide-ranging but because it was the most charming. This tour was at the much-underated Speyside distillery of Strathisla, whose product principally goes into Chivas Regal and the excellent Royal Salute. The distillery is located to the east of Speyside and claims to be one of the oldest Highland Distilleries. It is certainly picturesque enough with cobbled pathways cherry trees, pogoda roofs and a waterwheel, but it was the tour that made it. The chap leading us around had worked in various roles at the distillery and had taken on the tour in retirement. He gave us a brilliant impression of what a working distillery was really like. Furthermore he let us try the malt that would open my eyes to the potential of Speyside. Strathisla is ever so lightly peated and it was this trace of smoke that appealed to my then peat-obsessed taste buds. So here's to Strathisla!

Strathisla 12 Year Old
43% - Distillery Bottled
Nose: Raisins, stewed pears, malt and fresh-cut grass play with a subtle smokiness, like burning hay with a phenolic chlorine edge giving another dimension to this dram.
Palate: Viscous malty aniseed with a touch of spicy smoke.
Finish: Full and wonderful; licquorish and burnt raisins with medium length.
Overall: A dram I link to a place and time so I am a little biased, but for me it is a great whisky to sit and relax with. Happy days!

Strathisla 30 Year Old
43% - Bottle by Gordon & MacPhail
Nose: Raisins and drifting wood smoke leading to pear and rum. Beyond this rich fruity nose there is chocolate and coffee cake with echoes of cumin and anise.
Palate: Sweet oily pear, smoke, malt and mocha in a lip-smackingly delicious combination.
Finish: Raisiny wood notes with a burst of pear drops with superb duration.
Overall: Fantastic: Complex, long, balanced, where can I buy more of this old bastard?