Whisky Fringe - only a year away

So, the Xmas of the whisky year has come and gone. As usual, not one to disappoint despite the new introduction of a standard 1cl measure across the board. I was a bit nonplussed at first but the lower alcohol intake for each dram simply means an opportunity to sample a wider range of malts.

It was busy with lots of non-Scots in attendance - heard a few 'Glendronak' pronunciations from visitors from the south though the Germans and Spaniards present had no bother with the Scottish 'ach'. Lots of female connoisseurs too - the auld days of whisky being principally an auld man's drink are over.

As to the exhibitors, there seemed to be one or two omissions from last year. Sadly there was no sign of Duncan Taylor or Compass Box and while Gordon & MacPhail were present, it was only in their Benromach guise. That isn't a bad thing but G&M have such a wide and varied range of malts and it was a shame not to taste some of the jewels from their deep treasure-chest. Who can forget last year's cask strength Imperial from 1977?

Fortunately, there were still some cracking drams on offer.

My vote, and those of friends, for the Spirit of the Fringe award, went to dark horse that is Glen Moray. The Glen Moray 2003 Chenin Blanc was simply a revelation. Sweet, complex and mouth filling, it had all you want from a dram. A single cask at 60.7%, this will be worth every penny of the £59 they ask for it.

Glendronach had 4 excellent drams on offer but the 1993 Single Cask 19yo was the pick of the bunch and almost the dram of the Fringe. A true sherry monster, it seemed to expand on the palate until your mouth was filled with clouds of sweet vapour - honey, raisins and prune juice. Drams like this one just make your day.

Honourable mentions should also go to Adelphi as well as Tomatin with their expensive but elegant 1982 Single Cask. All in all, Tomatin which some may describe as 'unfashionable' along with Glen Moray, had an excellent Fringe. Interesting whiskies poured by an enthusiastic, friendly (imagine that!) and knowledgeable ambassador for the distillery.

Adelphi chipped in with the likes of the 15yo Clynelish at 54.4%. This had one of the most interesting noses I've even had the pleasure to introduce to my nostrils - big time sweetness dripping with maple syrup, honey and nectar. The palate didn't disappoint either.

Drink me.

Other drams that will join the above on my wish list are the Bowmore Tempest, Benromach Sassicaia, Glen Keith 1993 OMC and the 1996 Caol Ila also from OMC.

The half-time oranges were almost worth the ticket price alone. Two 50yo North British grains?! A 40yo Tomatin?! All of them a joy and privilege to lay on your tongue.

Those that did disappoint were few and far between but also deserve a mention. Kilchoman 5yo Single Cask is the worst dram I've tasted since the first Abhainn Dearg release. Fiery and hot, it had none of the complexity of a young Ardbeg and even the Glen Moray peated spirit was in a different league from this expensive but poor excuse for a whisky. I love Bunnahabhain usually but I fail to see the excitement in their 25yo. Flat, flat, flat. This is one that should be bottled at cask strength.

Others that underwhelmed were: Smokehead 18yo - very pleasant but far too tame, especially at £91! Laphroaig 18 knocks the socks of this one. Arran Amarone and BenRiach Solstice  were also in the 'pleasant but uninspiring' camp.

All-in-all another well organised and stimulating Whisky Fringe.

Hopes for next year? How about a Bladnoch/ Whiskybroker stand to showcase their impressive range of Bladnoch and other bottlings? A well stocked Gordon & MacPhail would also go down a treat. Similarly, a Diageo stall that permits us to sample some of their own gems and not just the usual supermarket heroes we all know anyway. How about a Loch Lomond stall showcasing some crackers from Glen Scotia, Inverleven or the deceased Littlemill?

On top of that is what really makes a successful Fringe. Friendly staff and not just automatons hired from a PR company go a long way. On this count, both Tomatin and Balvenie did well as did Glen Moray. For that alone, I intend to visit all of these distilleries before the next Fringe comes along.

Start ticking off the days...

Another jewel from Bladnoch?

 

Purveyor of many a fine single-cask bottling at superb prices, not mention the house dram, Bladnoch Forum has released a new bottle. The Port Dundas 21yo at £33 is not one to be sniffed at. Grain whiskies are somewhat 'in vogue' at the moment as are closed distilleries so its no surprise that this one didn't hang around. As of yet, I await my delivery.

Recent grains have not disappointed though. Aged grains are undoubtedly the most reliable but some recent goodies at around the 18yo mark have come via the SMWS from the likes of North British, Invergordon and the also defunct Cambus. Most are relatively easy going on the sporan too, the exception being the excellent Clan Denny Caledonian 45yo at £120 odds.

Back to Bladnoch though. Most of their Forum Bottlings have been excellent value from money. A 25yo Caol Ila and 28yo Inchgower come to mind. Only a 20yo Glen Ord didn't set the heather alight though for the price - £36ish - I wasn't complaining. Recent releases have been non-existent though. However, the 'Son of Bladnoch' aka Whiskybroker has stepped in with his own range of cask-strength single malts. More power to their elbows.

As mentioned before, if you get a chance to visit Scotland's south-west, a visit to Bladnoch is a must.

Several Inches of pleasure

Inchgower must be one of the most underrated of all malts. It is not difficult to purchase from online sources but not much seems to be made of this joy of a whisky though I have yet to taste a mediocre dram from this distillery. Independent bottlings seem to make up most of its available public presence. As most of it goes into Bells, not much more that 1% actually makes it to a single malt. The first time I encountered it though was via the Flora and Fauna bottling released by its owner Diageo. Bottled at a 'low' 43% it was nevertheless a fine dram with a long slightly salty finish that seemed to bungee back to the tongue after you thought it was all over.

From there, things moved onto a 11yo single cask bottling from Cadenheads which came in at a healthy 61%. A fruity nose with some salt gives way to a creamy palate before finishing like salty throat pastilles.

There was no way I was gonna fork out £250 odd for Diageo's 'Manager's Choice' offering. However, thanks to a Jolly Toper tasting in Edinburgh, I got the chance to try this expensive wee gem. Superb stuff indeed. But was it any better than the Cadenhead's one at £40ish?

The Bladnoch Forum bottlings were always excellent value for money and the 28yo from hogshead 6965 at 50.4% didn't disappoint. Great nose - like spilling mango smoothie on a machair meadow. Another reviewer thought the palate was like eating lemon meringue pie with a metal spoon. I'd go with that but replace the metal spoon with a dollop of molasses. The finish is smooth like a lemony Baileys. Very tasty.

Bladnoch as previously mentioned was kickstarted by Raymond Armstrong. Now, his son is in on the business and sells a few casks and bottles under the name of Whisky Broker. He seems to be continuing the trade in good value but good quality whisky if his Inchgower 36yo  for a mere £50 is anything to go by. Other 36yo bottlings from the same batch go for between £75 and £115. This one is from hogshead 7756 and was distilled way back in 1974. A review of a 'sister cask' isn't far of the mark for this one either. Here the nose is a mixture of lemon and honey. Palate is very smooth but light and citrus with some metallic notes and yon Inchgower salt. Finish is medium to long with some grass and brown sugar.

The only Inchgower that I haven't been that impressed with was the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's 'Hippie Dram' and that's probably because of the high benchmark set by other bottlings.

Inchgower is an intruiging dram that rarely disappoints and one that I look forward to tasting a lot of in the future. Lastly, here are some interesting articles which give more background to the distillery and status of this whisky:

Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks Inchgower Dewar Rattray 1974 36yo - Scotch Whisky News

Distillery Profile at Malt Madness

For Scotch Lovers

1887 account by Alfred Barnard

The best peats?

The better half has just finished taking two dozen German gardening journalists and peat enthusiasts (!) around various topical attractions in Scotland. This included a whisky tasting where the peat enthusiasts, but whisky beginners, got the opportunity to taste the difference peat smoke makes to a whisky.

Let's hope they persist in their whisky adventure. Should they in time develop a liking for peaty whisky then perhaps they might want to try the following. The list of course is far from exhaustive and choosing a numero uno is nigh impossible. But as Gaelic lexicographer Edward Dwelly said at the beginning of his 1911 dictionary, "Se obair là toiseachadh, se obair beatha criochnachadh" - Beginning is a day's work, finishing takes a lifetime.

Here we go...

• Laphroaig 10 - the standard Laphroaig and one to be found in almost all supermarkets. Despite its rather Presbyterian 40% abv, there's no doubting the quality of this dram.
• Ardbeg 10 - this lip smacker at 46% used to be found in the supermarkets but its owner, a certain Mr Louis Vuitton , is playing funny buggers with its availability and price - more on this another day. Should you see it at around the £30 mark, go for it.
• Bunnahabhain Toiteach - tasted this at the Whisky Fringe and was bowled over. Not the usual for this distillery but this one has a fat and full peaty palate, oily texture and a finish longer than a Hibs FC losing streak in the Scottish Cup. 46% abv.
• Laphroaig 18 - One of the best activities in the world must be to get the Post Bus to Ardbeg and walk back to Port Ellen, visiting the 3 southern Islay distilleries at roughly one per mile. This I did last year and upon entering Laphroaig was asked in a native Ileach accent, 'What'll you have?'. I was recommended the 18yo which had only come out the previous week. I bought it at the low price of £42 - not sure why but its now £60+ in the shops. 48% of peaty warmth with chocolate and toffee and yon hint of Laphroaig medicine.
• Laphroaig Càirdeas 2010 - limited edition at a reasonable £45 from Friends of Laphroaig. Spicy and dry with a creel full of peat.
• Ardmore SMWS 66.21 - "I can't believe its not Islay". Great title. It kicks up a whirlwind of molasses and smoke on the tongue. 21 yo and cask strength. Sadly, its all gone...
• Caol Ila SMWS 53.131 - "Turbuso humo". Coming in at a whopping 67.9% you might expect this to be made by Belgian monks. Coal, chilli and barbecued haloumi. More peat than Barvas moor. Fantastic stuff.
  
• Ardbeg SMWS 33.83 - "Oh, for the joys of a long winter night". A low alcohol CS compared to the above. Murray mints rolled in coal dust and given a good sucking while wandering around the peat-infused air of an Uig township - say Bhaltos or Cnip.
• The Ileach Cask Strength - a Leipziger whisky connoisseur first mentioned this to my partner some years ago. I bought my second bottle in Pitlochry, see previous post, for around £30. Its 58% and reputed to be a Lagavulin. Need I say more?
  

Others to try or buy if you've still got a job in this banker's midden of a recession...

• Ardbeg - Airigh nam Beist, Uigedail, Renaissance
• Caol Ila - Distiller's Edition
• Talisker 57 North - the best Talisker I've tried
• Springbank 10
• Bladnoch 8yo Lightly Peated
• Benriach Curiositas
• Bruichlaiddich - Infinity, Port Sgioba
• Lagavulin - 16yo, Distiller's Edition, 12yo CS - a house without one of these is sad hoose indeed
  

There's also the gimmicky Ardbeg Supernova and Bruichladdich Octomore marketed at those 'peat extremists' with more money than myself.

Some to avoid buying or at least blag a dram of...

• Ardbeg SMWS - "A dirty dram for Mary Poppins", the label states that its like 'licking an ashtray' and its not wrong. Not pleasant either.
• Benromach Peat Smoke - not unpleasant but it just doesn't have the depth or finish.
• Smokehead - not bad but lacking in something... body, depth and finish perhaps?
• Port Ellen - hmmmm.... its obviously the closed distillery status that creates the interest here but on the occasions I've tried a PE, I've been underwhelmed. I certainly wouldn't be inspired to part with £130+ for a bottle.

Suggested omissions from the above lists are very welcome!

Bladnoch - whisky of the Gall-Gael

Bladnoch is the most southerly of the Lowland malts. Its home of Galloway is the land of the foreigner-Gael which makes reference to the Norse-Gaelic population that used to reside here. Non-Scots still make up a sizable percentage of the population. One in particular has made a notable contribution to maintaining local traditions in the form of whisky distilling.

Irishman Ray Armstrong first considered buying the mothballed distillery with a view of turning the site into a housing development. The distillery was previously owned by United Distillers who were later subsumed by the not always benevolent Diageo. UD wanted the distillery closed due to perceived unprofitability but at the same time were reluctant to allow someone else to operate the business in competition. Eventually in 2000, 6 years after purchasing the distillery, UD allowed Armstrong to start distilling whisky again.

UD also left behind 11 large warehouses which are currently used to mature casks for the likes of Arran and Loch Lomond. As production of Bladnoch currently seems to be limited to two months of the year, renting out the space in these aircraft hangers is a valuable source of income.

Bladnoch still have old stock from the UD days which is bottled as 16, 17, 18 and 19 year olds. The 19yo sherry cask was our favourite over the bourbon. There are already a number of bottlings from the new era at 8yo, some at 46% and some at cask strength. There's also a peated 8yo at CS which marries the smoke and slight oily feel to more typical Lowland flavours. If it was a choice between this and the Benromach Peat Smoke, Bladnoch would take it. Pick of the bunch though is the Distiller's Choice - a very smooth and tasty 3 year old bottled at 46%. Unbelievably smooth for the age.
Bladnoch also offer a range of their own independent bottlings at CS. These are available to anyone willing to join their forum. Compared to the prices offered at SMWS, Bladnoch are very reasonable. A case in point being a delicious 25yo Caol Ila at 54.3% at £44. SMWS had a price tag almost double this a on a similarly aged Caol Ila recently. Also offered to forum members are the likes of Benriach, Glenburgie and Linkwood as well as some single grain offerings from Cambus and Invergordon.

So, get enrolled on the forum then get yourself down to the oft-neglected Wigtownshire, sample and buy.

Bladnoch Distillery, Bladnoch, Wigtown. Scotland. DG8 9AB
http://www.bladnoch.co.uk/

Btw... Royal Mile Whiskies have an interesting piece on their own visit to Bladnoch.