A taste of something special – The Balvenie 50yo

There is something special coming to Australia in early January. A very exclusive and seriously limited release of The Balvenie 50yo will make an appearance in Australia with only 2 official bottles gracing our shores and only 88 bottles released world wide. Estimated uncut street value for this whisky comes in at a slight $30,000.00 AU.

This release also marks the celebrated achievement honour of 50 years service by Scotch Malt Master David Stewart. David is classed as "one of the most respected craftsmen in his field". Comments by David Stewart on the release of this 50yo are:

“Cask 5576 and I have shared the last five decades together at The Balvenie Distillery and as single malt making is as much art and alchemy as precise science, the interaction between wood and maturing whisky means each cask will produce something entirely unique. It’s true to say I have a dream job and I’ve been privileged to taste a lot of  wonderful whisky in my time, but it’s a great delight to discover how after half a century this unique cask has turned out a truly special single malt.”

Current release notes for this limited edition whisky give it an alcohol percentage of 44.1% and was matured in a European oak sherry hogshead. It is said to have a nose of "fragrant and floral with fruit and oak lusciously intermingled. Citrus notes of lemons and orange peel are followed by honey and vanilla and finally a gentle hint of cinnamon and subtle oak. Its taste is velvety sweet and wonderfully soft, fruit and citrus notes are accompanied by a beautiful outburst of cinnamon and nutmeg and a subtle back note of honey, all balanced with oak. The finish is velvety smooth with a delicious citrus sweetness". Clearly we have not tasted this ourselves but it certainly sounds splendid.

At $30,000.00 AU a bottle even nosing the whisky will be costing you money and maybe the most expensive sniff you ever take. It is interesting to know how these prices are actually established but I guess we will never know. Certainly the risk of leaving whisky in a cask that long means a lot of delicate care as well as some real attention to quality of the wood being selected. I can only imagine a holder of this rare whisky on opening the bottle, taking a long deep sniff then holding in indefinitely, only taking short exhales before breathing back in ever so quickly less the angels take that share as well. A real Cheech and Chong moment I am sure.

As to where these bottles will be on sale, if even they actually see the light of day, is yet for all to be seen. Like a rare wave to the crowd by the pope you will probably be craning your neck in anticipation of a moments glimpse of the graced hand before it passes back into the confines of a bullet proofed glassed box.

The Baron

Information quoted in this post has been provided to us as an official media release by Weber Shandwick on behalf of The Balvenie. Thanks for the tip off.

Hope to see you soon – Jack Daniel's Unaged Tennessee Rye

An official look at the Jack Daniel's Unaged Tennessee Rye

For the first time in 100 years Jack Daniel's is releasing a new expression/recipe to its line up, an Unaged Rye. Clearly a lead up to an eventual release of an aged rye sometime in the future I can only assume this white dog is still good to go now. I can only find the merest of comment about it on the web but Whisky Cast had an interview with Master Distiller Jeff Arnett of Jack Daniel's so I recommend a listen to Episode 392 for any wanting to know more from an official source.

As the time of posting this there is yet to be seen any comment on this new product on the official Jack Daniel's website.

Mark Gillespie of Whisky Cast left these facts via the Whisky Cast Facebook site:

1. It's the first time that Jack Daniel's has released a new recipe in 100 years. 

2. The traditional Jack mashbill is very light on Rye, and they decided if they were going to try something different, they needed to amp up the Rye content. 

3: It may well be the only "white whiskey" that goes through the Lincoln County charcoal filtration process...I just tasted it, and it may be the most drinkable "white whiskey" I've ever had. No rough flinty edges that many new makes have, and a lot of sweetness. This is the foundation for an aged version that will be coming out in several years...they haven't decided how long the barrels they've laid down will stay in the warehouses.

As stated on the label (as seen above) Jack Daniel's Tennessee Rye is a unaged rye mash at 40% Alc / 80 Proof. At 40% alcohol this white dog is clearly watered down which will be interesting in itself to taste. My previous experiences with new make spirits (yes it is not actually called whisky yet legally) is crazy lolly water you would never know was so high in alcohol making it rather dangerous to have around for general consumption.

I really hope to see this hit Aussie shores sometime soon.

The Baron

This is a non-sponsord promotion. For any further details please defer to the Jack Daniel's website.

Big Body – Nikka Whisky From The Barrel

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel

Returning to Japanese whisky and the extensive Nikka Family, I first tasted the Nikka Whisky From The Barrel at Whisky Fair Sydney 2011. I loved it so much a couple of months back now I was making an order through Master Of Malt and thought to get my hands on this little catch. 'Little' is certainly the key word here as the bottle is a mear 500ml but big is it's nose and flavour.

The bottle itself is an intriguing item to note in itself. Sporting a brushed aluminium screw cap, squat neck, with defined edges it is A typical Japanese minimal design and simply lovely to look at.

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel
Distillery: Nikka
Location/Region: Japan
Alcohol: 51.4%
Style: Double Matured Blended Whisky

On the nose big fruits, butter and crisp spices with a nice hint of dandelion flowers (my yard is full of them) and or botanicals for a more broader approach. This is a great whisky to nose and wet the whisky appetite.

The taste is quite strong and chewy (at 51.4% this is to be expected) filling every cavity with some extraordinary oaky caramels. A balance nice spice reduces those vanillas enough that it does not become too sweet which at first feels like might happen. Ok so there is a little nail varnish in the mix but nothing to suffer from. After the first sip a lot of those botanicals are erased from the nose as the alcohol really does take over.

Finish is a little harsh at first with heat storming the upper throat before a small fire starts to roar in the chest with tingles returning to the lips.

Overall I think the sharp spiciness and heat gives an excitable balance to the drams intrinsic sweetness. I like to save this one for a more special drink. Delicious and robust.

Short, squat and to the point

Below is the description issued form the Nikka website on this whisky which I feel great understates its properties and quality:

Matured malt whisky and grain whisky are blended and then re-casked (a process known as "marriage") to create a rich harmony of distinctly different whiskies. "From the Barrel" is bottled directly from re-casked barrels of whisky and features almost the same alcohol percentage. At 51.4% alcohol content, this whisky possesses a distinctive personality characterized by solidity, depth of taste and a richly expanding aroma.

I would have to say this is great value for the dollar and a whisky not to be missed if you can get your hands on it. If I was to give a dram then it would be solid 6 out of 7.  If you like the Japanese take on whisky you will love this one.

The Baron