The Sultry Mistress – Jura Superstition

Jura Superstition

While the chill of winter was still in the air and my whisky supply getting low I took this opportunity to purchase and savour a bottle of Jura Superstition all to myself. I have had this dram before in limited quantity at Dramalot so I was no stranger to its unique and enticing shapely booty. This one is round, warming and a little bit naughty. I am glad to say with the last dram in hand for this review, the weather has once again turned to a winter snap and this lover is once again in my bed.

Though I have never been to Jura, from the interviews I have seen and heard, as well as regularly visiting the Jura website it is easy to see how passionate the distillery is about their whisky. I personally think you can find that passion in this expression.

Jura's claim to this expression is to be 'subtly sweet yet smoky' and that claim really does round this whisky out very accurately. Being so close to Islay many will always think Jura to be heavily peated simply because of association but of course this is a fallacy. Yes it is smokey but it is not peaty and the smoke is always in the background, sitting in a booth watching nonchalantly, expectantly knowing that something pleasant is about to happen.

For me the packaging is really attractive. The bottle has such a raunchy shape with curves in all the right places. Great to handle a easy dram into the glass, and embossed writing you just want to tweak oh so gently.

Jura Superstion
Location / Region: Jura
Alcohol: 43%

The colour is the note of orange tea. Very delicious to see in the glass or bottle.

The nose has an immediate sweetness about it. Wooded smoked honeys, mild botanicals and florals, with hints of freshly peeled banana skin followed by a light sharpness which just lifts your senses.

To taste it is very soft on the tongue with heaps of honey and smoke – oh you sultry mistress. Soon after a familiar metallic banding across the mid top of the pallet (much like one gets with a Laphroaig in some ways). Not too complex on the pallet overall that follows with a mild citrus tang before a sharp sting in the back of the throat (is that the slap that comes after the tickle… you be the judge).

The finish is warming and somewhat long with a little tang climbing back into the throat after every sip.

Overall not a massively complex whisky but the sweet honey and smoke certainly make for an attractively unique dram I have not encountered before. There is subtleness in everything about it with just that announce of spanking feistiness always leaving you on edge.

If I was to give a dram than this is certainly a 5 3/4 out of 7. I will certainly be inviting this beauty back to my abode giving preference to the Superstition over the Origin expression.

Baron Von Raunchy

Glenmorangie Masterclass – Sydney

For locals the Oak Barrel Sydney is putting on a Glenmornagie Masterclass in November 2011. Tickets will be $50 with 8 expressions up for tasting. Should be a good opportunity to meet the Glenmorangie family all in one place.


Date: Wednesday 23rd November, 2011
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Where: The Oak Barrel Cellar Room
Price: $50


Tickets can be booked through the Oak Barrel directly. I will hopefully be there.

The Baron

Opening THAT bottle – Grants Family Reserve

Grant's Family Reserve

So recently I posted a hint on how to dispose of your unwanted whisky. In that post you may have noticed I had a bottle of Grants Family Reserve in the background. Well sure enough that was the bottle I was disposing of but I thought it would not be fair unless I actually reviewed this at the same time.

For many if us there really is some whisky you try and avoid and more often than not it is the lower end blends. Ok so some people will rant on about how blends are just as good as a single malt and if it was not for blends then many a distillery would have went under well and truly before the mid 1900's which is well an true. In my experience and where this review is coming from I have had quite few exceptionally good blends but more often than not I have had exceptionally bad blends. This one unfortunately falls into the latter category. I think for many of us there is THAT bottle on the shelf we try to look past but sooner or later have to do something about it.

What I can say before I start though is that this is the bottom of the shelf for the Grant's family. There is 6 other expressions I have never seen on the Aussie shelves so I am actually quite keen to try them all as I do not think this is a great example of what is on offer.

If you are wondering about the bottle and how similar it is to Glenfiddich that is because William Grant founded both brands and to this day both brands still remain part of the William Grant & Son's company. The triangular bottle was introduced in 1957 and was designed by Hans Schleger. The bottle is designed to be distinctive, show off the contents and colour, be handled easily, retain durability against breakage, and ultimately optimise packaging. This is by far the most interesting thing about this product to me (being a graphic designer).

Grant's Blended Scotch Whisky – The Family Reserve
Alcohol: 40%
Location / Region: Dufftown Scotland
Owner: William Grant & Son's
Colour: Golden Amber

On the nose heaps of pears and the ever so slightness of smokey hay. In fact pears is near all I can smell which is quite amazing but you do have to draw hard to get past the alcohol which is rather intense burning in the nose and throat.

To taste is light fruits before a horribly intense burn on the tongue and upper pallet. I just cannot shake the tingles on the lips and tip of toughen before everything just goes numb. Very unpleasant.

The finish is hot and medium in length before a raising dryness that grates in the throat. I really cannot taste anything in the finish as my mouth has just been assaulted.

Overall balance is just odd. There is lightness everywhere but the alcohol burn is just awful. Most enjoyable thing was the pears at the start but it all went downhill after that. Grant's Family Reserve is a blend of no less than 25 single malt and grain whiskies so one would be expecting some additional complexity but I could not find it.

It did not improve with ice or whisky stones. On researching a bit on the Grant's website it is recommended an equal part water to whisky to release more flavour. Ouch! All I got was a really really watered down whisky.

If I was to give a dram then it would be 3 out of 7. I really hope to see improvement in the other expressions when and if I ever get to try them. Leave this one on the shelf or get started making your own Scottish Cream.

The Baron

Going Laphroaig crazy in Sydney

My whisky journey has been long, but I feel that I may finally have arrived. Where? As a Laphroaig fan.

When I was growing up my dad used to enjoy a dram of whisky in the evening and I'd sometimes have a taste from his glass. I thought it was horrible tasting fire water! When I arrived in Australia I joined the Distant Thunder Whisky Club, and was reminded last week, I took some beers to the first meeting as I knew I wouldn't be able to manage more than a couple of drams of whisky all night.

Over successive club meetings I've been slowly finding whisky more palatable and even finding ones that I like. However, I definitely wouldn't say I appreciate whisky to the same level as some of the other members. That might have changed last week with some Laphroaig madness in Sydney.

Laphroaig Tasting at Oak Barrel
Last Wednesday I was back at Oak Barrel for an evening tasting Laphroaig whiskies with the distillery manager John Campbell.

It was interesting to hear about the history of the distillery, how the range has developed, what makes them unique and more about John. However, what really excited me was the taste of whiskies (and some of the malted barley we got to nibble on). I can't give you flowery descriptions of buttery, vanilla and citrus noses. But I could taste some very distinct differences between the whiskies on offer.

The 10yr and 15yr old were similar in style. Sweet, smooth and easy drinking despite a definite presence of peat.

The Quarter Cask and Tripple Wood have spent longer in smaller oak barrels which imparts a definite spice to the whisky. If you get to do a side by side tasting of the 10yr old and Quarter Cask it really is quite remarkable.

Our final tasting of the night at Oak Barrel was the 25yr old. A strong whisky (58%) it gave me a bit of alcoholic shock. Complex.

 Whiskies being tasted at Laphroaig Live

Laphroaig Live
Courtesy of the Whisky Cast podcast I was lucky enough to get my hands on a ticket for Laphroaig Live for the evening following the Oak Barrel event.

For the past few years Laphroaig have been hosting an annual webcast for fans around the world. We learnt the night before that some descendants of the Laphroaig distillery emigrated to Australia, which was the connection for the event being held in Sydney.

 The camera man warming up for the webcast

I wasn't sure what to expect from the night as sitting in the audience could have been a bit of a disappointment after the interactive tastings of the night before. However, it turned out to be a good fun evening.

If I'm honest I didn't think the webcast had a lot of substance, but it was good fun. In the audience we got to taste along with the panel. We got to try the Quarter Cask and Tripple Wood again. The new whisky of the night was the Cáirdeas 30yr old a special edition whisky. My favourite whisky of the Laphroaig range it was smooth with hints of spice and a mellow finish. Lovely.

The panel during the webcast

The highlight of the evening was a sixty year old bottle of Laphroaig 10yr old, which was produced around the time the Laphroaig descendants  left for Australia. I got the impression from John Campbell the night before that he wasn't particularly hopeful for the whisky, they aren't designed to sit in the bottle unopened for fifty years.

A bottle of Laphroaig 10yr old from the 1950s

The bottle was opened and tasted live on the webcast. After the broadcast, and emboldened by the three whiskies I had drunk, I shot up to the table to try and secure a tasting. John remembered me from the previous night and was kind enough to give me a dram.

So how did it taste? Pretty damn good. Overall I preferred the Cáirdeas 30yr old, but it was a fine whisky and good to be tasting something unique. Apparently they have four other bottles in the warehouse which makes it nearly priceless.

My only disappointment of the night was that as a whisky club we found it difficult to get tickets to Laphroaig Live. There seemed to be quite a lot of people in the audience who didn't like / drink whisky and were there just for a freebie. It would have been nice for some more genuine whisky fans to have been there. (Descendants excepted.)

However, overall they were two excellent events. I discovered a lot about Laphroaig, furthered my appreciation of whisky, tasted an excellent whisky BBQ sauce and found a new favourite.

The Converted

D.T.W.C. was invited as a guest this event. All views and opinions are our own unless otherwise stated.

Laphroaig Masterclass - A real winner

The evenings line up in all its grandeur

Recently club members The Converted, The Colonel-in-Chief, and myself partook in the Laphroaig Masterclass at The Oak Barrel. A great night in all with many Laphroaig expressions for tasting.

John Campbell, Distillery Manager of Laphroaig, hosted the evening taking us on a quick verbal trip to Islay and the history of Laphroaig, plus some odd tangents before commencing the tasting. John had only recently arrived from Scotland and was out to host the Laphroaig Live event here in Sydney. John had mentioned this was his first visit to Australia but I am doubting, with his schedule, there would be very little to see or experience before he was off again unfortunately. Hopefully we will see him back soon.

The room was packed and the facilities were excellent leaving us to simply sit back and relax. It was great to see some fine glassware on the table this time appropriate for sniffing and tasting unlike the heavy wine glasses we received at the previous Whisky Fair (also held at The Oak Barrel). Being a controlled environment certainly allows for more respect to be given to the glass so I do appreciate them bringing out the best.

On seating we were graced with 5 Laphroaig expressions as follows:

Laphroaig 10yo
Laphroaig Quater Cask
Laphroaig tripel Wood
Laphroaig 15yo (now longer available and now released as 18yo)
Laphroaig 25yo Cask Strength

It is worth a note that all the glasses were covered by the expression spread sheet when we were seated. Only once we started the tasting did everyone lift off the cover sheet at once and a huge whiff of Laphroaig filled the air. Amazing.

Highlights for the evening was the chance to sample roasted malted barley used to make Laphroaig, and a chance to nose and taste Laphroaig New Make Spirit.

Roasted malted barley straight from Laphroaig - A cigar in every grain.

The roasted barley was very odd indeed to be eating and unexpected to see it on offer. Peat smoke was all over it and an instant dryness sucked the mouth dry much like taking a breath of smoke. In fact it was very much like smoking a cigar without the cancer adding agents. I thought it was great until the morning when I woke up with the same dry throat syndrome after smoking a cigar anyway.

The Colonel-in Chief nosing the New Make Spirit

Whenever possible I will make an attempt to try any new make spirt when it is on offer, so when the glass was passed around I had to pour a quick nip for myself. So this was the first peated New Make Spirit I have had. At 68% alcohol you would never know it making is a very evil dram. The peat was all in the front with a intense bitter note followed then quickly by the barely sweetness (but no where near as sweet as you would find in the unpeated new makes). Very medicinal, seaweeds and spicy tang but obviously no colour nor any heavy salts yet as it had not entered the barrel for maturation. A very interesting experience and I would impress on anyone offered the opportunity to taste a New Make Spirit to jump at the chance.

A masterclass is not complete without learning a few new things about the distillery on show. Some of these more prevalent points of interest for me were:

• A tradition kept is the green bottles used by Laphroaig. It comes from when Laphroaig historically could not maintain colour consistency due to variations in barrels being used so the green bottle was used to hide the colour.

• Laphroaig was able to sell whisky into the US during Prohibition for medicinal purposes.

• Not all Laphroaig barrels are stored on Islay at present and moves are in place to allow for future barrels to be stored at the distillery.

• Due to the angels share the air space in the barrels contributes to the saltiness found in Laphroaig.

• The second stage barreling of the quarter cask is only for 7 months. Experimentation has found that any longer contributes too much wood to the whisky.

• The 15yo does not sport the Prince Of Wales crest as it is Prince Charles favourite and he does not want to be reminded of himself when he is drinking it. Fact or fiction, myth or legend you may ask… well if John Campbell is the Distillery Manager and he said it then he is either creating some great marketing hype or it is probably true. As a reference point in 1994 Prince Charles issued Laphroaig his Royal Warrant. It is only one of 2 whiskies supplied to the Royal household. As a result, they can display the Prince of Wales crest on their bottles and labels. You will note if you go to the Laphroaig site and view the Laphroaig 18yo (which has replaced the 15yo) it now sports the Prince Of Wales crest once more.

• The 15yo has not been available in the UK for at least 4 years. If I recall correctly John has not had a taste either in around that amount of time so he was all over it at the Masterclass. Here in Australia there is still many cases getting around so if your into your whisky collecting then I suggest your buy up a few bottles now. Also from what I could gather is that John had mentioned that the 15yo that we have here does actually contain 18yo Laphroaig but was packaged as the 15yo.

Overall great night and I would certainly do it again. Well done to the Oak Barrel and bravo to Laphroaig yet again for not letting us down.

The Baron

Cheermeister – Get the most Christmas cheer out of your worst whisky

Whisky Cream – The final product

With Christmas coming up quite often family and friends will know you like whisky (because if your anything like me you talk about it all too often) and will buy you a bottle with very little knowledge of what is good or bad or even what you like. Quite often post Christmas you are left with a bottle you really don't want to touch or leave for when the whisky mixers turn up.

I want to let you in on a family recipe my mother passed onto me about 12 years back which does a good job of getting some christmas cheer out of that much unloved bottle on the shelf. This is drink for almost anyone and if you know someone whom likes the old Baileys Irish Cream then they are bound to appreciate this.

Call it an Irish Cream, call it a Scottish Cream, or just Whisky Cream depending on what whisky you choose. This recipe will make up x2 700ml bottles  + 1 additional cup (for tasting).

Whisky Cream – The ingredients

Ingredients:

x2 Cups (480ml/half a bottle) of Scotch or Irish blended whisky (don't use your best whisky)
x1 Large bottle of pouring cream 600ml
x1 Tin of condensed milk 395g
x3 Large Eggs
x2 Tablespoons Chocolate Topping
x2 Tablespoons Instant Coffee

Essential Additional Requirements:

x1 Mixing bowl two litre capacity (with pouring lip if you have got it)
x2 Empty 700ml whisky bottles with screw caps
x1 Electric beaters or electric mixer
x1 funnel for pouring contents into bottles

Method:

Step 1 – Clean your bottles and funnel. Be sure this is done well so no bacteria is present. Most important as eggs are present in the mix.

Step 2 – Combine all ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix for a minimum of 3 minutes on high. You need to really get the eggs and cream blended well or they will separate and split in the bottle.

Step 3 – Taste the mix and see if you need to top up either the coffee or chocolate. I have found sometimes I have needed to double the coffee content depending on the type of whisky used.

Step 4 – Using the cleaned funnel pour the blended ingredients into the bottles. With any of the remaining mix left drink now. You should have almost a 3/4 cups worth.

Step 5 – Refrigerate the filled bottles for at left 4hrs. You will find the flavour will improve considerably if you give it time to rest.

When pouring give the bottle of good shake. You may find after refrigeration the top portion slightly frozen so just stick a knife down inside and blend it back in.

Expect this to last no more than 2 days in the fridge. It may last longer but it does have fresh eggs in it so don't tempt fate. Your family would not appreciate being poisoned the day after christmas.

The Baron