Oh What A Dram: An end to 2010

We are now closing in on the last day of the year. This being the last post of the year how about a quick recap on what has happened.

Though officially the go live of the Distant Thunder Whisky Club (D.T.W.C) blog site is not quite 2 years old it is actually our 2nd end of year cycle. Not a bad effort for a small group of attractive well-to-do dapper whisky players.

The middle of the year saw one of our members, The Secretary, move North Of The Border (Brisbane). Though his membership will never lapse we hope to see him in attendance for some if not many of the coming years club meets. With the move of The Secretary (catch up on his antics at Fodder Fan Boy)  also saw the blog management be shared now with The Baron as new job, new home, and new father-to-be has been left The Secretary with limited time to mange it all.

While mentioning fathers-to-be the year also brought 3 new borns  / potential drammers into the fold. Oh how we will teach you the ways of the dram. Remember Fathers Day lads and lasses. The Married to The Whisky Club (M.T.W.C) wives and partners have been commenting about the baby boom over the last 2 years... must be something in the water.

Activity on the blog has been good with many members stepping in to leave a tasting notes and stories. 52 post in total which is not a bad effort topping last years at 49 posts.

We saw some 'celebrity comments' on our blogs by Mark Gillespie at Whisky Cast and Willie Tait from Jura. Thanks for the look in guys it is always good to know your out there and that there is only so many hours in a day to read fellow drammers blogs such as ours.

This year also saw 4 official club meetings with one in each quarter which was also a great spread through the year, several unofficial, and 1 minor Distant Thunder Bourbon Club (D.T.B.C). Our specific tastings for the official events were:

• Meeting #3: Glenfarclas 25yo
• Meeting #4: Lagavulin 12yo cask Strength
• Meeting #5: Sullivans Cove Port Matured Cask Strength
• Meeting #6 (The Christmas Special): Jura 10yo Origin

New membership as you know is very limited and entry to the club is a like to shake Sinatra's hand. Only one new membership was seen this year, that being The Unclean (enough said about the name, every a gentleman's club has one).

The 28th of August 2010 saw our Whisky Live Sydney pilgrimage occur and we were harsh in comment from the onset (and may I say duly required). Most members in attendance had quite open opinions about how the event was hosted with 2 members willing to commit to the blog in details. The Baron gave both and pre-event and post-event commentary while the Colonel-In-Chief had his notable words to say. If your thinking of going in 2011 it is worth taking a look at both of these. On conclusion of the event direct complaints were made through the so called 'feedback' email by Whisky Live Sydney sent to all registered ticket holders (never heard back about that) and also some direct complaints to Whisky Live itself (funny but those emails also saw no response).

Lastly saw the annual closing of the year with Dramcember. Not only were club members active but also we saw a Whisky Cast get involved on Episode 293 and saw several fellow drammers from around the world posting there Dramcember commitment to the Whisky Cast facebook page. Nice. Hopefully next year we will see the movement go even further.

To fellow members I hope you have found the year as fruitful in dramming as myself and I wish to see you all at the next meeting in the coming new year. Also a thanks to all followers and occasional web tourists to our club site and hope you have found something useful in what we had to say. As unprofessional as we may be in our notes we make up for in shear effort and gusto.

Keep on dramming in 2011.

The Baron

Fire Breathing Dragons: Ardbeg Uigeadail

Ardbeg Uigeadail is a heavily peated, cask strength bottling, produced from a mix of bourbon casks and older sherry casks. It has won Jim Murray’s World Whisky of the Year and Scotch Single Malt awards in 2009 and 2010. I purchased this bottle at the first Whisky Live Sydney event (2009) and Dramcember seemed the perfect occasion to taste and share.

Nose: Surprising amounts of phenol and strong  medicinal notes. Don’t get too close as you can scorch your nasal passage. Hints of floral bouquet.

Taste: Intense. Thick and chewy with vast amounts of wood smoke.  There is a sweetness but this is more detectable only with tiny, wee sips. Too much in one go will be met with a hot, burning sensation. Quite tart, like sucking a lemon.

Finish: I feel like a fire breathing dragon. Fiery, molten burning. This eventually subsides to a long, tarry finish. Hesitant to go back for more.

I find too much intensity and burning in this bottling, even for me, a self-confessed Ardbeg tragic. Adding water significantly changed the dram and it become quite palatable and the sweetness much more notable. However, I’m guessing Jim Murray et al (and others), aren’t adding water when performing tastings. If I were to give a dram, it would be 4 out of 7. I much prefer the standard Ardbeg 10yo or Nam Beist.

El Capitan

The Salted Dog: Bruichladdich Waves

This is my Dramcember review for the year and quite pleased by what I chose: Bruichladdich Waves. There is always a risk buying a bottle of something you have never had before but it is the whole reason behind Dramcember, and that is to pick something you have never had, try it, and then write about it.

Bruichladdich Waves is certainly a whisky to try. First dram impressions young and fresh but with complexity. Fruits and sweet smoke laced with sea salts.

Bruichladdich Waves:
A single malt whisky at 46% ABV, moderately peated at 15 ppm, and part of the series release by Bruichladdich which includes: Waves, Rocks, Peat.

Colour is rich honey.

On the nose Salts, fruits, mints and peat smoke. Alcohol is a wee bit strong but not unpleasant. Typical Bruichladdich sea air lightness but you can tell instantly there is Octomore (which I adore) in it by the smell alone.

On the pallet lots of body, fruits, citrus tangs and mild sweet peat which leaves heat on the gums and tongue.

The finish is relatively short which really encourages it to be drunk pre-dinner.

Balance is quite good if your looking for a bit of a spike in your whisky.

When should you drink it? Well it took me an hour of appreciation to completly appreciate the first dram and after that around 20 min to 30 min for the remaining. Certainly a pre dinner to main course seafood accompaniment. I suspect this would go really well with ocean flushed oysters (Cloudy Bay if your in Tasmania) and or chilled prawns. Very clean and light.

If I was to give a dram then it would be 5 1/4 out of 7. A whisky to nose, taste and enjoy for what it is.

Things of note:

• In a bit of research I have found that the contents of Waves is a combination of 5 different Single Malts aged in Bourbon and Madeira casks. These include Bruichladdich Octomore to Bruichladdich Port Charlotte. "What are you talking about Baron" you might say, "how can that be a single malt when the malts are blended?". Well to ensure you understand a single malt whisky not only is a whisky made from only one type of malted grain but it must also be distilled at only one particular distillery before going into the barrel. Because it is all from the same grain and same distillery it is still a classed as a single malt and NOT a pure malt/vatted malt. Regardless of it's contents if you like the hit of Octomore then Waves will take you back to that experience in a subtle way.
• On a not so pleasant note I have found the whisky to diminish quickly in the bottle after opening and has developed quite an odd cloudy sediment in the bottom. At first I thought I was seeing things but a closer inspection confirmed my suspicions and if you tip the bottle on its side and look in the bottom there is a sludge like effect occurring. A quick google and I have found a couple of other individuals experiencing the same thing. Drink it quick is the best solution and I aim to.

Keep on Dramming and be sure to contribute to Dramcember.

The Baron

Key Lime Pie: The Glenrothes Select Reserve

Located in Speyside, The Glenrothes Select Reserve is the flagship malt for this distillery. It is made distinctive by its grenade-like bottle, which is fat, round and unlike many other traditional bottles. This distiller is unusual in another way, with its setup similar to a vineyard, with product lines in vintages rather than age statements. I guess the positive side of this method is that its makes the consumer think twice about the age, at least until they do the math.

My curiosity with this malt started with its owners at the time, the Edrington Group, custodians of other great malts such as The Macallan and Highland Park. I figure anything in this family must be worth trying? Since drinking my way through a bottle I have since discovered Edrington Group sold the distillery to Berry Bros & Rudd in return for the blended malt labels of Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse (which I believe both contain Glenrothes in the blend).

Enough with the history, for my mind this is a very unusual Speyside malt. Its very subtle and to fully enjoy it requires a good swish around the mouth to release the burst of fresh lemon-citrus flavour.

On the nose: there are strong honey, liquorice and vanilla notes. Nothing too alcoholic, but there's a sense of youth.

Upon tasting the strong citrus content hits you, lots of fresh lemon/lime, and a strong pepperiness pervades. Since the Select Reserve is a combination of different aged Glenrothes malts, my guess is there are some young casks in the mix to get that zestiness? To this end it could be enjoyed as a great summer whisky.

There's no hint of peat. The finish has the slightest hint of vanilla. Although with each dram the whisky settles and the sweeter vanilla notes start to become more dominant.

Remember you really need to swill this malt around the mouth to open up the bounty of citrus flavours present.

To give a dram, I would say four-and-a-half out of seven bolts. Definitely drinkable, starts with an explosion of pepper before mellowing with each dram, becoming very subtle. I like it because it is not like a typical Speyside, nonetheless I would probably always find another Speyside to sit down too if needed. The jury is out on whether I would purchase it again.

The member formerly known as Secretary.

Don't Judge Jura By It's Cover: Jura Origin 10yo

Recently with the gathering for the Distant Thunder Whisky Club event #6 I, The Baron, was host for the evening. As part of being the host brings the honour of choosing the whisky for the events tastings. The previous meeting held at The Converted's brought us an extremely robust and full bodied beauty, the Sullivans Cove Port Maturated Cask Strength, and what a body it had. In light of the previous tasting I deliberately thought to take a more modest approach and yet also bring a bit of surprise. My choice was the Jura Origin 10yo.

Don't confuse Jura with Islay even though they are next door to each other. Jura whisky shares virtually no traits (that I have tasted with this or the Superstition) to typical Islay peated whiskies.

Visit the Jura website and you will find a modest yet proud distillery. Recently I posted a small article, Jura Cast, about an online tasting at the Jura website and in my words, which I still stand firm on, "No hype, no big claims, and no bull, yet really well presented". I think that is also exactly how you should take this whisky.

Jura Origin 10yo:

Colour is dark and amber.

To nose I get a tickle and mild portish scent. Has it been finished in a port cask I cannot say though when I open a bottle of port to check it is certainly close. Also very light apples and pears, mildly medicinal and spicy but all quite clean.

To taste a lot of bite and tingle on the lips and throat. Again apples and pears but then some sweet woody oak. I would like to say more but I just cannot pin it down well enough. I also get an unfortunate bicarb soda/alkaline effect if I breath in at the same time. Clearly breathing in just draws the alcohol vapours through the pallet and not exactly the smartest thing to do but after years of drinking wine it is sometimes a habit hard to break.

The finish is warming but not overly tiresome unlike some other whiskies where you just get sick to death of the heat. The tingle remains for a long time and I do wish it could be mellowed a bit.

Like the Jura Superstition I actually can relate this much more towards the Highland Park family style than anything else even though they are leagues apart in environmental conditions. Match them up together and I am sure they are probably nothing alike.

If I was to give a dram I would give the Jura Origin 10yo a 5 1/2 out of 7. This is certainly a daily dram one could come to love. Maybe not completely to my tastes but I would not knock back a dram if I was offered. In fact it is the type of whisky I wish I would see on the shelf of the local bar instead of the typical Glenffidich.

Other notes:

The bottle is unique, rounded and soft and certainly gives it a place on the shelf amongst so many others. Look at the packaging though and your start to think of Caribbean Island life with the impressions of what looks like forms of Tropical Palms or South American Flax (rather confusing visually). Don't be put off by this though because if you get glimpses of the Jura distillery these plants are clearly growing there. Are they native whom knows maybe Willie Tait can explain it for us?

Enjoy the Jura for what it is. Just don't expect a Islay and you will be happy with the results.

The Baron

Whisky Night #6: Another Year in Retrospect

Well another year has now come and gone again and so has another Whisky Night.

Evening #6 saw a return to Casa de Woolery where we 'hatted up', shared some good tales, a fine darts comp, too much food and of course the obligatory whiskey tasting. Though our membership was small in attendance the numbers were great with wives and partners of members attending as well as children in tow to celebrate the last event for the year.

All members were required to provide some sustenance for the evening from a range of entrees, drinks and deserts while the main course was a rich slow cooked Bolognese (6L in total) and was completely consumed. PS. the home cooked cakes were equally delicious.

The darts comp was a success with 3 teams battling it out in a game of a around the world to win the grand prize being a mysterious surprise bottle of whisky. The winners were El Capitan and The Colonel-in-Chief whom were initially overwhelmed by the container of laphroig 10yo that later was discovered to actually contain a bottle of Vat69.

An opening for the evening was made by The Baron (host for the event) whom also presented the winner of the Dapper Hat competition. Names were thrown into the hat where one was drawn, The Alchemist, and presented with the prize: Whisky Stones by Terraforma. We wait in anticipation for his review of the product. As a note only members whom worn a hat to the event were entailed to be part of the competition with only one member opting to not attend in his finest attire.

The whisky smorgasbord held a nice array of bottles:

• Jura 10yo
• Vat 69 (Darts comp prize)
• The Glenmorangie Lasanta
• The Glenlivet 12yo
• Knockando 12yo
• Bruichladdich 18yo
• Suntory Hibiki 17yo
• Macallan Select Oak Green Label
• Wild Turkey

Later in the evening The Secretary himself made a special appearance (with hat) on the big screen and proceeded to sample his specially posted 50ml of Jura.

The evening proceed as planned with many a whiskey tasted, lot's of conversion, and finally mass exodus once the first party made a move for the front door.

Tanks again to everyone whom could attend and we shall see you next time.

Baron De Woolery

Vintage Cellars: Ardbeg/Whisky Bible christmas promotion

A quick note to fellow members and site visitors in Australia. I just received in the post this morning a promotion from Vintage Cellars. Buy any Ardbeg in store or by phone (1300 366 084) and receive a copy of Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2010 edition. Stocks are limited so be quick as they say. Don't try to find information on the Vintage Cellars website about this promotion as they do not seem co-orniated enough to get it up there though there was an announcement on twitter (not that it is an ambition of mine to subscribe to a Vintage Cellars twitter, seriously if you want people to know about this at least use the website).

The promotion is pricing the following Ardbeg's at:

Arbeg 10yo - $79.99 (can better better)
Ardbeg Uigeadail - $119.99 (this is a good deal)
Ardbeg Blasda - $119.99 (can get better)
Ardbeg Supernova 2010 - $179.99 (this is a good deal)
Ardbeg Corryvreckan - $139.99 (this is a good deal)

Stock limitation in NSW can be found at the Bondi Junction, Double Bay, Leichhardt, and Neutral Bay stores. QLD can be found at New Farm, Clayfield, Indooroopilly & Paddington.

OK so the Whisky Bible on offer is 1 year out of date but that is still not a bad deal to be had. The current edition is $37.95 AU online from Borders bookshop or even better $19.95 AU (no postage fee) from the Book Depository online.

Even though on any day you can pick up Ardbeg 10yo for $69.00 at Dan Murphys, for any of the other releases you really are paying below average pricing if you include The Whisky Bible.

Not having a store located near me that is holding stocks (even though The Hills seems to be a bit of a whisky haven) I will be making my purchase on the phone.

A great start to Dramcember lads to get ye a wee dram into ya!

The Baron

It's Dramcember Again

Well Lads and Lasses it is that time of year again, yes you guessed it Dramcember, where we have our honorary commitments to expanding our whisky repertoire. So in the words handed down many a century rubbed black with the Woolery Tartan I ask you to read an repeat:

Remember Remember
The 9th of Dramcember! 

Dramcember Dramcember
It is a time to remember! 

Dramcember Dramcember
Let's dram one together!

Dramcember Dramcember
Not a choice but a duty!

Dramcember Dramcember
Distant thunder and booty!

For those of you outside our little whisky club Dramcember starts on the 9th of Dramcember and goes for a full month until the 9th of Dramuary. In this time there is a commitment to consume at least 1 whisky you have never had before. Not only that but it is also a time to relay the knowledge of what you have gained by that dram to other whisky connoisseurs. This whisky can be a bottle opened in that month at home, at a fellow drammers abode, or could be as simple as a single glass of whisky consumed in that month at a local bar. The dram can be any whisky from any continent as long as it is officially classed as whisky. Anyone can be involved, just post to a blog or your facebook.

The exact rules of the duty are laid down in peat as follows:

Duty 1: To make an effort as part of Dramcember to try at least 1 whisky you have never tried before and notify fellow drammers what that was.

Duty 2: To document that whisky of choice, with photo and post it to a whisky blog site taking part in Dramcember.

So again calling all wee drammers to take up your duties with gusto and commitment because here comes Dramcember!(again)

PS: Remember what the Ardbeg Mariachi always says "Don't Dram and Drive!".

The Baron

Old Engine Oil

This weekend brought a welcome surprise with the discovery of 2 beers I have been wanting to try. Yes this is a whisky blog but beer does have an very close relationship to whisky. Furthermore I also recently posted some information about Ola Dubh ('Black Oil') which is a Dark Ale aged in Highland Park Whisky Casks. Unfortunately no I did not find the Ola Dubh but I did find Old Engine Oil by Harviestoun Brewery, the Ale taken to be then aged in the whisky casks. Also sitting next to it on the shelf was the Bitter and Twisted Blond so I could not resist the urge to also make the purchase.

I had spoken about Ola Dubh only being available in the US according to the website but it does appear all the other expressions by Harviestoun Brewery are here already. The lable says imported by Australia Beer Connoisseurs which means Coles and hence why I found these in a Vintage Cellars. The staff knew nothing about the beers at all and said they were failing to sell any simply due to how the beers were named (also the same reason they had not tasted the beers themselves).

Old Engine Oil - 6% / 330ml. Porter Ale style.

Old Engine Oil is a rather extreme name for a beer but once you have tasted it then it really makes sense. Classed as a Porter Ale it has a lot of resemblance colour wise to a Stout but certainly not as thick. Most Porters I have had have been bitter, bad, and terrible memorable for the wrong reasons. This is not one of those bad experiences.

On opening the bottle and pouring into a glass there is a real vicious appearance to it and the bubbles are slightly greasy. Super dark in colour one can easily mistake it for a glass of Coke. The bubble are large and very long lasting. The nose is quiet sweet and on tasting unexpectedly pleasant and refreshing. The texture over the tongue is smooth, sticky / greasy yet has a high carbonation almost popping effect at the same time. Only a slight bitterness remains but not enough not to go another and then another glass. For an Aussie you could closely associate this with a Tooheys Old owned by Lion Nathan rather than mistaking it for Guinness. Due to the sweetness I can really see how ageing this in oak would bring put some amazing flavours. 7 out of 7 for Old Engine Oil.

Bitter and Twisted - 4.2% / 500ml. Blond Beer style.

Don't be fooled by the name and even more so don't be fooled by it's classification. It is not as bitter as it sounds and no it is not a Blond (at least not to Aussie standards). Dark amber in colour one would be expecting light yellows, this is certainly a heavy beer. Heavy in taste, heavy in appearance, and heavy to swallow. Very fruity on the nose with a very strong hop influence though not so to make it overly bitter. As I have read the hops are added at various stages to ensure the bitterness is not strong in the end product. It also accounts for the slight zesty spike zesty lemony spike barely found on the finish (note there is not actual lemon in the brew). I found this beer confused and problematic to drink. Being unique is not always a good thing. 4 out of 7 for Bitter and Twisted.

Overall the experience was excellent and I really enjoyed having Old Engine Oil especially prior to trying the Ola Dubh. Australia has a big import industry so I am sure to find Ola Dubh at some stage soon.

The Baron

Win a Trip for 2 to Jura

Anyone want to go to Jura? I know I do. Well here is your chance to show off your photography skills and potentially be on your way to whisky heaven.

Jura is holding a "Wish You Were Here..." comp on the Jura Website to win a trip for 2 to Jura, drink Isle of Jura whisky, get an Olympus digital camera, and a photography master class with National Geographic's Jim Richardson.

Competition ends January 21 and is open to all registered Diurach's. Don't worry if your not a Diurach yet you can be with a simple sign up before submitting the entry.

As you will remember I have posted before about the Jura website (The Jura Cast) and we had our Jura tasting on 5 days ago (tasting notes and event recap coming soon) so I am sure the flavour is still sloshing around in your mind quite freshly.

Thanks again to WhiskyCast Facebook for bringing this to my attention. Even though I am a honorary Diurach I cannot recall the email telling me about this event so I am grateful to WhiskyCast for posting this announcement.

Get on board lads and submit a photo and or just vote and potentially win a bottle of Jura 10yo for the effort. I have submitted my photo already (it's the one with the fishing rod on Sydney Harbour).

Ahoy

The Baron

The Gentlemans Brew: Ale Matured in Whisky Casks

Is it a beer or is it a whisky or is it both? Ok so it is definitely a beer but how many beers have you had aged in whisky casks? And that being Highland Park Whisky casks at that!

Ola Dubh ('Black Oil') is the marriage between Harviestoun Brewery and Highland Park and the child of Head Brewer Stuart Cail. It is, according to the website, "the first ale to be aged in malt whisky casks from a named distillery" (and a good one at that). The brew has been around a few years now, 2007 is the earliest mention of it I have found so far.

Ola Dudh comes in a 12yo Reserve, 16yo Reserve, and 30yo Reserve. Apparently you can really taste the whisky imprinted into the beer and can tell the differences between the ages of the casks. Nice! It is described as "lighter in body that its appearance suggest, Ola Dubh is pithy, oily, salty and bitter". If I was not a single malt whisky drinker I would probably shudder at that description but honestly it sounds right up my alley.

As you can see from the image the bottle clearly retains a certain Highland Park brand about it and wears the badge proudly.

There is just some much into to take in on this beauty I would be here all day touting descriptions to please jump to the site and check it out for yourself. But for those a little more time precious here is a grab of he tasting notes provided on the 12yo Reserve just to get you in the mood to track it down:

Aged in selected oak casks, formerly used to mature Highland Park's beautifully balanced 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Appearance: A dense, bituminous, oily brown with a gentle tan-coloured, espresso - like head.

Aroma: Appetising toasted cereal notes underscore the gentle tartness of dried fruits. Orange oil and a suggestion of vanilla.

Palate: Immediate, cleansing bitter hops are reinforced by richly toasted malts; finely balanced with raspberry coulis-like acidity.

Finish: Long, with hop bitterness complemented by gentle oakiness. Some cocoa and hints of peat.

Alas I have not had the privilege yet but if I can find some I will surly let you know how I go. At this time the site says Ola Dubh is only available in the US but with the Aussie beer culture being what it is and our tastes for all beers imported I am sure this could be tracked down at a specialist beer importer. If you find one let us all know.

The Baron