Once you go black: Bruichladdich Octomore 01.1

So the time has come to introduce the widow maker: Octomore. If you don't fall in love with it then it will probably kill you. At 131 ppm (parts per million) peat this is not for the faint hearted.

The Secretary, El Capitan and myself all first encountered this as a special addition to an evening at a Bruichladdich Tasting (held by Vintage Cellars). Limited to only a dram each I was so impressed I managed to wrangle another glass and so my purchase was set in stone.

Edition: 01.1
Aged : 5 years in American bourbon barrels.
PPM: 131
Launch Edition: 1499
Price: $170 au

BANG! Super complex and no subtleties about it. BIG BIG nose on this one. It permeates the room after a few minutes in the glass. Lot's of mineral overtones. Superior in body with peat the primary culprit.

To taste it is intense, aggressive and brave. A true sipping whiskey. For all the peat it is still very very smooth. Spicy, oily, salty sea air with a iron mineral element. It is not as dry and smokey like the Lady Lagavulin, nor deep earthy like the Ardbeg, but rather somewhere completely different. At 63.5% cask strength this babies got back where even J-Lo's booty cannot compare.

Finish is unbelievable long and intense. Heats the chest real quick. By the end you are feeling it is a real pity when the 1/4 dram has ended (yes you only need a little).

Things of note:

• You need very very very little in the class to get you through. An easy 20ml is more than enough for an evenings consumption.
• Leave it till last. Don't think you can have another whisky other than itself after this as your pallet is totally coated.
• 1hr after drinking have a glass of water and it's ghost comes back to haunt your pearly whites. An amazing experience.
• You cannot compare it to anything else. You simply cannot. This kind of whisky stands alone.
  

If I was to give a dram I would certainly rate this as a 7 out of 7. A youthful whisky, full of flavour and body achieving everything so many others fail to even sniff at.

BRAVO BRUICHLADDICH BRAVO! And in the words handed down with the Woolery Tartan 'Make it blacker!'

The Baron von Blacker

The Classic: The Baron's Home Brew Lager

So I have a little story. More for appreciation of something so close to whisky in contents but that takes a different road. Beer! Well more importantly Home Brew. Barley is malted and brewed in a very similar way between beer and whisky. In fact whisky can be classed as beer prior to distillation so I only think it is appropriate to add this post to the site.

I have been making beer on and off for just over the last 10 years. Sometimes great and sometimes not so good at all. In moving to Sydney 7 years back I have been met with minor success on the brewing front and prior to the move I was living in Brisbane. In Brisvegas I have had great success almost consistently. On more than many occasions friends would arrive at my door for dinner and would be trading a premium 6 pack for a couple of bottles of my Home Brew Lager.

Over the years I have brewed many a batch and tipped almost just as many down the sink (there is no place for bad beer). Recently I had a batch left for no less than 1 year in the black hole under the house for a slow and extensive maturation period.

Now, a year is a long time for beer and most beers you buy off the shelf cannot be stored for any period. This is simply because the yeast and excess sugars have been filtered out leaving nothing to continue to ferment in the bottle. Home Brew on the other hand is chokers full of yeast and additional sugar is added as it is bottled to give the effervescence. A combination of the yeast and sugar allows for aging but it has to be slow and at a consistent temp the whole time in the dark. Ultraviolet light is bad for beer hence why traditionally it comes in dark green or brown bottles and never clear. Lucky for me the 'hole' stays at a constant 18 degrees all year round.

So where is this story going you are asking? Getting back on track, I have been opening a bottle of this Lager every month for 12 months in hope of this batch will mature to a state of drink-ability. A year back I was about to tip it all down the sink but felt this time it had some potential. Last month I cracked a bottle and was meet with a contents that is finally at a standard I have not seen in a long time. The image you see above is that bottle. Again 2 days ago I opened another bottle and again held another super chilled glass of frothy Lager. Unfortunately I am now down to 10 bottles left out of 24.

Welcome to 'The Classic' (Lager)!

Overall not too dark and not too light, not too hoppy and not too malty. Crystal clear with virtually no sediment in the bottle (mostly used up in the long maturation process), no waxy bubbles (a sign of under fermentation), frothy head with foam retention until the bottom of the glass.

Lager is quite bubbly, light in color and body and generally the easiest to brew. On average a good well fermented bottle of Lager can be drunk 6 weeks after bottling.

Why did I not open any at D.T.W.C? I just was not ready.

So why was Brisvegas so much better than Sydney? I put it down to a few things in combination. Firstly, though it is of note that the cleaning and sterilising of bottles and barrel is always at the highest I can achieve, plus I always filter the water.

Sydney water is very hard and generally has a mild taste of chlorine (even through filtering I have still found it a difficult water to use), temperature fluctuates way too much so the beer needs to sit in the barrel longer in a cool place. It has to be watched almost daily, sometimes taking 3 days just for fermentation to start, and waiting for fermentation to complete taking anywhere between 2 to 3 weeks.

In Brisvegas the water is softer and generally cannot taste the various additives in the water supply. Though the temps are higher they are much more stable and because they are higher fermentation can start as a general rule within 2hrs and take a week to complete. You know as soon as the bubbles stop flowing through the airlock it is time to bottle and almost no need to take the gravity readings.

P.S. - a good home brew, using tap water rather than bottled, one can keep the cost of a tallie (700ml bottle) down as low as 30 cents. Indeed when you have success it is well worth it.

Now 10 years on the barrel is at it's end and it is time to upgrade. So for all interested in Home Brew go forth but remember you need time on your side, impeccable attention to cleaning and sterilising and a dark cold location to store the barrel and bottles. 24 glass 700ml bottles per barrel are need so get out there now and buy a few cartons on tallie/long neck cartons of beer in preparation. $60 will get you a base kit at any Woolworths or Coles or get to your local home brew outlet such as www.countrybrewer.com.au

Cheers from the Uber Baron

Glenlovit: The Glenlivet 18yo

It is a sad day as I insert the stopper back into this now empty bottle of Glenlivet 18yo. Much joy has been derived from this bottle. An unusually large amount as fate would have it. It's probably best if I tell my story from the beginning.

It was Christmas last year and a lovely gift from one Baron von Benevolent. I unwrapped a brightly covered box and welcome a new addition to the family. A bottle of Glenlivet 18yo smiles gently back at me. I know it's happy to be here by its colour. The bright golden yellow colour reminds me of sunflowers or even a day at the beach. Manly, of course.

I uncork the bottle and am met by a strong sweetness. The toffee and caramel is at the forefront and there is also a sweetness of fairy floss. Striking floral notes also linger behind. The bees and butterflies are on their way.

I bring the glass to my lips to taste. A warm glow fills me. An initial pepperiness is followed by cinnamon and malt biscuits. I find the whisky silky as my mouth is coated from top to bottom. There appears no connection between the smell and the taste. There is also no hint of smoke or peat.

The aftertaste is not strong, but does linger. One of the few whiskies which draws me back immediately for another sip. I should slow down, but I don't.

It's been like this, this past year. So much joy and happiness. We were a happy family.

The final dram now sits shyly in front of me. 'No!' it pleads, 'I don't want to leave you.'

You know the rest.

I award the Glenlivet 18yo, 7 out of a possible 7 lightning bolts. Yes, someone had to do it.

El Capitan

The Marker's Merkin: Makers Mark Red Wax

Well I am on the bourbon trip at the moment and wanted to express my views on the Maker's Mark Bourbon. My bias of course is because of my preference for Scotch whisky and the more I have bourbon the more I prefer Scotch.
Two things drew me to this bourbon. First and foremost, was The Secretaries note to me to try it...and of course, he says and I do (be-atch)! Secondly, was finding out that the used casks from Maker's Mark are indeed the ones that go to the Laphroaig distillery so I was keen to see if I could find any of those flavours I so dearly love about Laphroaig Cask Strength.
Like all bourbons I am finding that there is not a great deal of variation is flavours or styles. Corn is always present as is sweet charcoals and caramels. Look through multiple market leading bourbon distillery websites and you will find they have very little to say ever about their whiskys as a flavour point of difference. Unlike Scotch whisky which can be so much influenced by region and or the terroir, bourbons just don't seem to change (as yet for me, though The Secretary had a bourbon that just tasted 'strange', like when someone introduces their wife and later says she is also his cousin, but I will leave that one up to him to describe).
So my review is ever so brief. Corn, old straw, charred maple and dry on the pallet. Finish is quick and ordinary. Overall old straw and dry grass clippings is prolific from start to finish. Easy to drink if all you want to do is drink and chat and not focus on the flavours. You could sip this all night and need another sip just to pick up the taste again as it disappears so quick.
As the Grey Bush and myself discovered if you add ice it becomes slightly sour and left the ice melt it just becomes god awful.
Did I find anything in the taste relating to the Laphroaig? No. Nothing that stood out to me unfortunately, though Steve did find something (but then he has demolished quite a few bottle of Laphroaig in the last year).
If I was to give a dram 4 out of 7. A whiskey to have when your not having a whisky.
Things I like about the Marker's Mark is the bottle. The hand dipped wax seal makes for an interesting touch.
Things I do not like about Maker's Mark. Jump on their website and you will see what I mean. The company has a chip on it's shoulder and feels there is a need to bash and swipe at other distillers in an attempt to raise their own profile (maybe this is just the nature of a saturated market and or a cultural sense in how to market in the US). I find this rather ordinary and a complete lack of self confidence in ones own product. It screams you to ask 'is that a merkin in your pants or are you just extraordinarily hairy! And why do you feel a need to tell me?'
As side note: When we went to the Bruichladdich tasting and the rep was doing his thing there was the occasional snipe about other distilleries and how they (as a generalisation) 'colour their whiskys' but of course Bruichiaddich don't. This totally brought down my respect for the distillery. Whisky, like anything eaten or drank, is all about taste and not how it is made. You do not buy it because you are 'told' this is the best. If it tastes bad you don't keep buying it unless you are stupid.
The Uber Baron

Getting to know the neighbours: Suntory Yamazaki 12yo

Well it is about time I got this post up because it has been a month coming. Following the D.T.W.C. meet recently, there was enough left for 1 dram of The Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky 12yo to do a secondary tasting in isolation.

Before we begin here is some minor background details. The Yamazaki Single Malt is produced by Suntory Limited of Japan. Japanese Whisky's have been around a long time. As far back as the mid 1800's the introduction of American whisky had arrived as Japan opened its doors to foreign trade. As a general rule Japanese whisky is crafted after the style of Scotch whisky which had settled as the standard style of production in the early 1900's. In brief Japanese whisky most certainly tastes and looks like Scotch whisky (with a Japanese twist) and most certainly has no baring resemblance to bourbon. So here it is, The Yamazaki Single Malt Whiskey 12yo by Suntory in a screw top cap.

On the nose: one gets floral notes. Soft and clean. Overall not too complex but not ordinary either. The best I could relate it to would be musk without the sugar sweetness. Having travelled to Japan many a time and staying for some prolonged lengths, I do not find this musk sense unusual. Japanese are very good and very proud of taking something, perfecting it, and then adding something else to make it their own.

To taste: sweet(ish) like rose water, then sherry plus oak. At first there is a softness on the tongue. Then it becomes dry very quickly with that hot alcohol effect in the back of the throat, but it does not loose the flavour.

The finish is a bit 'odd.' It almost gets there but then falls short leaving a slight metallic finish and then weakens quite quickly. This is most certainly the most disappointing part of the whole experience.

Overall I would give it a 5 out 7. It is one of those experiences you should take the time to taste. As a recommendation this is worth a note. In the past I had written about the unexpected flavours of the Suntory Hibiki 17yo blend. This I feel is much better than the Yamazaki 12yo as it offers more complexity and balance. TRY IT as you won't be disappointed.

The Uber Baron