Whisky 101 - Dan Murphy's The World Of Whisky

Dan Murphy's - The World Of Whisky

This week we see a special promotional rag release by Dan Murphy's called Dan Murphy's Discovery Guide: The World Of Whisky. Now I am not one for making a note too much about things like this but honestly this is pretty well put together piece. Spanning 36 printed pages including cover this full colour rustic designed guide actually has some reasonably good material in it and if you not that knowledgable about whisky, need the short hand version of it, or just want to get someone else you know to get a handle on it then grab yourself a few copies of this  to keep on hand for the future.

Admittedly the tasting guides provided are all about sales of the products they retail but there are some great key facts for the amateur and experienced alike with many a note to jump online for a follow up video. Certainly even though the smaller retailers will claim Dan Murphy's is killing the market on a competitive level the fact this doc is getting such a wide release Australia wide can only mean a spike in sales for everyone. Unfortunately the Australian section gets one meager page which is a real travesty considering the support our local industry needs but then this is about what they sell and I am sure vendor funded as well (though I have no means to back that comment up).

Just one of many dedicated pages to the education of whisky

From start to finish we see a good sum of education material about whisky in general, regions, ways of  production, brands, cocktails, how to drink whisky, and food pairing. I hope they are making this brochure mandatory reading for staff and if not ensure ample copies are always made available at the whisky shelves for the foreseeable future.

Dan Murphy's has been making some keen headway in the last 2 years into promoting and marketing whisky in general. It has been good to see as they have certainly brought to market Whisky at a more acceptable price for general releases than what we have seen from the specialist importers and stockists. Though my local Dan Murphy's really has no one knowledgeable about whisky (I have been asked many a time to assist a customer while visiting the store. Yes they know me well at the local) I still make a weekly visit to see what might be appearing on the shelves.

Good on Dan Murphy's for publishing this, I will be keeping a few copies for myself.

The Baron

Double Tasting – The Balvenie Double Wood 17yo

A small sample of The Balvenie Aged 17 Years

Who likes The Balvenie? I do and I know many club members do too. This month we see a new release from The Balvenie named The Balvenie Double Wood Aged 17 Years. Though we are seeing it Australia only now I believe the 17yo hit the world market mid to late 2012. Press release materials as well as The Balvenie website outline that this expression is to commemorate the 17th anniversary since the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland from England by the British Government. So what are more curious about… a 17th anniversary or what is the Stone of Scone? Well to me 17 years is an odd number for an anniversary but I guess anytime can be a anniversary really. The Stone of Scone on the other hand is a rectangular stone used in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. Being a citizen of the Commonwealth I should have know that and have vague recollections of it in the past history classes, though as it was last used in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954 (some time ago),so I guess we can be forgiven for that lapse of memory.

Cracking on, many of you would know of The Balvenie family of whiskies even if you have not tried any. Surprisingly I have met a few people that have never tried The Balvenie though it prices always high in this country and I am sure that has a certain effect. The current family expressions range from the Double Wood 12yo (also reviewed here), Caribbean Cask 14yo, Single Barrel 15yo, Port Wood 21yo, 30yo, 40yo and right through to the big release last year of The Balvenie 50yo (also review here). That is not a bad line up at all and this is just what is on offer right now. In the past we have seen a host of short run releases more often than not at Duty Free/Travel Retail (see the retired family here). I still have a bottle of Golden Cask 14yo yet to open. Seeing a 17yo to now enter the family is no surprise and let us hope we see it for some time to come.

As the name suggests Double Wood is the maturation of the whisky in one cask before transferring into another cask, more often than not of similar size or smaller for finishing. Finishing usually is intended to see the whisky in secondary oak contact for a much shorter time period and to impart minimal additional characteristics such as sweet, spicy or salty notes to name but a few. I posed some questions to our fixer Steve at Weber Shandwick about the process which related how long the whisky saw time in each of the casks. Steve in turn got in contact with David Stewart Malt Master at The Balvenie and he responded as follows (it is always good to get details form the horses mouth so to speak):

"It is American oak casks that we use to age both the 12yo and the 17yo Balvenie before we transfer the whisky to the 1st fill European Oak Sherry casks for the finishing period which on average is nine months for both to create Double Wood. We source our bourbon casks from a number of different suppliers in the US so cannot name the distiller."

A generalisation in the whisky industry now is that ex Sherry and Port casks have become the more common types of wood to finish a whisky in, that we see in the shelves, and they certainly compliment the structure very well. Of course we see many other experiments by other distillers but the results I have found are mixed and not always in my books so successful for general consumption. I am sure though there are some superb golden nuggets out there we are yet to see that have not been tried yet.

As part of this release process we were sent a wee dram to sample in order to taste and relay what we have found. With enough for barely 2 drams El Capitan has help me in the process of examination. Following is our notes as we tasted:

The Balvenie Double Wood Aged 17 Years bottle and packaging

The Balvenie DoubleWood Aged 17 Years
Distillery: The Balvenie
Location: Dufftown, Speyside, Scotland
Matured: American Oak
Finished: European Oak ex Sherry
Alcohol: 43%
Colour: Deep Amber


The Baron's review

Nose: Rich sherry, soft vanillas,dried fruits mild vegetation, a hints of cola and overly oily. Interestingly old leathers appear in the nose after tasting which was exactly the same thing that happened when I tried The Balvenie 50yo last year. In short it has a well educated nose.

Taste: Sweet caramels at the beginning with heavy spices on the end. Very oily and mouth coating that continually sits high in the pallet,

Finish: Light and warming with the spices remaining still very high in the throat and pallet.

Overall: This whisky has real legs and sticks to the glass like very few whiskies I have seen. I do find it is missing something at the end but not sure what. I find The Balvenie to always have a high level of complexity. Neither explosive nor subdued it tends to be drunk in isolation of anything else to really appreciate what is on offer. The spice is a lot more in the forefront over the younger 12yo and it would suite a far less excitable older drinker and enthusiasts pallet. I drunk this dram in a matter of minutes.


El Capitan's review

Nose : Super sherry and woody notes very obvious. Light floral bouquet and very sweet toffee. Hint of rose water as well. It smells fabulous to be honest.

Taste : Extremely smooth and easy drinking.  A mellow flavour that is light and tasty although there is an oily nature to it. Lacks a little complexity but don't let that stop you. This whisky is actually delicious and great for those who don't like harshness of some other whiskies.

Finish : Sweet, short burst of flavour.  Some light spicy notes linger on the tongue with little to no warmth. It lacks a little for me here.

Overall: There is nothing wrong with this whisky, it's very enjoyable. Personally, however, I like a little more complexity and depth.  This whisky is for those who want to drink whisky, but need something very mellow and goes down easily. A great introduction whisky for anyone looking to get started, however the price tag will slow you down. I finished my glass far too quickly, which is testament to how tasty it was.  5.5 out of 7


It is enjoyable to try a whisky like this in company and then get it documented as it can show just how close and yet how far apart our pallets can be and what we find as best descriptors for essentially the same thing.

I think credit needs to be due to The Balvenie for the foresight to be able to have so many whiskies, of so many ages, in such a variation of barrels that they can to release choose to release at will. Did anyone think whisky would be where it is now 25 years ago? If this is what The Balvenie had planned 1/4 of a century ago imagine what is coming out in the next 10 to 15years.

Priced as a retail of $170AU this is certainly getting out of the price range of most club members and general public purchasing but I dare say it makes for one of those whiskies suited well as a gift to a whisky appreciator. As always The Balvenie is elegantly packaged and labelled and always holds a level of sophistication about itself.

Thanks to Weber Shandwick and William Grant & Sons providing us with a sample and bringing to our attention this new release for Australia.

The Baron and trusted side kick El Capitan


D.T.W.C. was supplied a sample for review. All views and opinions are our own unless otherwise stated. 

Book Review: The Whisky Barons

A few months ago I picked up a copy of The Whisky Barons for the bargain price of 99 pence in one of Amazon's ebook sales. It said on my Kindle unread until a couple of weeks ago when I read it while on holiday.

The book has rather grand aims, seeking to explain how the "Whisky Barons" changed the face of the industry in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The book is roughly divided into four sections. The first two sections tell the story of Jimmy Buchanan and Tom Dewar who had great success in marketing their own brands of whisky. The Buchanan Blend and Black and White in the case of Jimmy and Dewars in the case of Tom.

The author probably wouldn't like me saying so, but I found their stories remarkably similar. Up until the late 18th Century the majority of whisky had been single malt and pretty variable in quality. The both produced blended whiskies which were more constant and tuned to the taste of the time. Through clever marketing strategies and world tours they were able to take their brands into the big league.

Buchanan and Dewar merged their brands in 1915 and subsequently became part of the Diageo stable.

While the first two sections of the book weren't particularly exciting or insightful, the third section of the book got a little more interesting, telling the story of James Mackie. The Mackie family owner a number of distilleries, including Lagavulin on Islay. Also spotting the need for a blended whisky James produced White Horse which is still available today was was awarded best blended whisky by Jim Murray in 2007. Mackie was a driving force in the legislation in defining what can and cannot be called a whisky that still exists today.

The final section of the book was the most interesting. It details the story of The Berry Brothers, their Cutty Sark blend and American prohibition.

UK distributers, including Berry Brothers, sold their whisky to merchants in Nassau. The merchants in turn would sell the whisky to seaman who would sail as close to the US as possible, while being careful to stay in international waters. Whisky runners from the US would sail out to the floating ships to purchase whisky and illegally import it into the US. They were swashbuckling and exciting times and the book does a good job of giving you a taste of what it must have been like in Nassau.


Overall I didn't find the book particularly revelatory. It started with style of writing that was flowery and slightly annoying. However, after the first chapter I got used to the style of the author and by the end of the book was quite enjoying learning about how whisky helped to break prohibition in America.

I read most of the book while waiting to change planes in Nairobi airport. To help break the boredom of an eight hour layover I paid to use one of the business class lounges. While I was reading I noticed they had a bottle of Mackie's White Horse open. I had a small dram which was a good accompaniment to the book.

Being in Attendance – The Whisky Show 2013

This year several D.T.W.C. members chose to attend The Whisky Show hosted by Sydney's local World Of Whisky at The Sir Stamford Hotel on the 28th to 29th of June 2013. Held over 2 days with 3 sessions, the event virtually saw it sold out across the board. There was many new whiskies around the traps with ample variations to pick and choose as you will. Could this be the launch platform for new introductory whiskies and introductory expressions to Australia in the future? Not a bad idea and I would be sure to return if it was. In attendance as a group was The Grey Bush, El Capitan, and myself The Baron.

As per usual at these shindigs a bag was provided on entry with a glass, some booklets, and a book of tickets for using to gain whisky samples. The tickets were never used so I am not sure what the point of that was. Both times I attended I opted for no bag as I brought my own but was continually hassled by security asking "what's in your bag", "show me your show bag", "show me your arm band", "who let you in". In 2 cases I literally was chased down by foolish security that forcefully grabbed me by the arm after existing the toilets because to relive yourself required exiting the venue. Not cool. The reason for checking for a show bag was because the arm bands would simply fall off so the show bag because the tried method of knowing if you paid or not. By the end of the nights a dead bag pile would start as everyone started dumping them anyway and arm bands occasionally littered the floor.

First floor just before the crowds hit.

The event was held over 2 floors with the upper level certainly being the place to be. Traffic was heavy between floors and a lack of signage was a problem as the upstairs was not marked so I saw quite a few people including myself on the first night lost and thinking is the first floor all there is to offer. Not only that on the first evening I had to go to the concierge and ask where the entry was after walking back and forth and then even going into the basement car park trying to find a way in. There was no sign for the entry to the show.

Top floor before anyone knew there was a top floor and reps were still chatting and setting up

Venue was great, clean, tidy, and remained pretty cool most of both evenings. The impromptu breakout area of the hotel foyer worked a treat to get away from it all. On the 2nd night I observed a big group of chaps that figured out quickly if they just sat in the foyer and sent in one or 2 guys with glasses to get them filled up meant they could serve friends without tickets all night long. It did mean a few of the guys had some major issues with going to the toilet but a change of the ever increasing unsticking arm bands made short work of that. Cheeky buggers.

The chill out zone in the foyer

So lets break this down into segments in an attempt for a balanced review.

Highlights:
By far nothing on the night outshone Overeem by Old Hobart Distillery. Family owed and managed the whisky was delicious and by far they were the most approachable and always happy to chat. Of course the whisky was outstanding to say the least. Aged in 100L barrels means a much faster maturation process with a heavier saturation of flavours from the wood. Even at 43% the Sherry and Port expressions where through the roof in body, flavour and character, but best of all it bloody well did not taste like it was trying to be like a Scotch whisky. Wow a real treat. I had to make the Overeem Single Cask, Single Malt Whisky – Sherry Matured 43% my first dram of the night and last dram for the event. Well done! A note for punters is that Overeem ferment their grain at Lark Distillery before shipping it over to their own still house for distillation. Just shows you do not have to be big to be great.

Overeem. Outstanding Australian whisky.

 I finally had the chance to try the Jack Daniels Unaged Tennessee Rye. Soon to be in very limited release in Australia at many independent bottle shops and of course at your local Dan Murphy's I urge if you see a bottle to grab it quickly. Watered down to 40% ABV it is surprisingly sweet (because rye is a very spicy grain) and makes for a great mixer but also a smooth sipper. Classed as the first new mashbill from the company in 100 years, do not expect this to be anything like Old No.7 because hell it's a rye to begin with. What also should be considered is that this is such a limited run because most of the stock has been laid down for aging so it may be another 5 to 6 years or even more before we see it come to maturity and re-released.

Jack Daniels Unaged Tennessee Rye

 As per usual if I see a white dog I am always keen for a sample. On offer if you ask for it was a sample of a Woodford Reserve new make spirit at 55% ABV. This was one bitter/spicy bugger and very different to the supper sweet corn or barley new makes I have had before. Very glad to have tried it and to know just where Woodford Reserve starts.

Woodford Reserve new make

 On the lower level it was great to see a whisky shop to browse and buy all in one place. I did see several whiskies not on show or at least I did not encounter them which was a bugger but hell it is a shop. Made for the perfect exit knowing you did not have to rush around back to vendors trying to buy things. A great idea and it looked good too. Of course some prices were well out of reach but a good many affordable whiskies were there for the taking.

The whisky shop

Likes:

The small pour. Many of the vendors were using measured pours and this is smart. I get sick of tipping whisky in the bin after tasting and feel even worse if it is a good whisky. The measured pour also slow the drunken behavior of many. This is the first time I have seen this used so extensively over the different whisky events through the years. It should be enforced.

Heaps of water. Not just bottles but fountains you could refill your bottles and glasses at.

A great centralised location. Easy to get to and easy to grab transport after. Spot on for Sydney because no matter where you are in greater area you will always be able to get to Circular Quay.

A limited but nice range of Nikka whiskies, but unavailable here in Aus so why where they here?

There was just whisky. No kidding I am so sick of going to whisky events and finding rums, gins, vodka and other crazy stuff that has nothing to do with events that promote it as a 'whisky event'. Now that is not to say there is a place for cocktails and various other spirits to experience but the shear fact none of that was mixed up within the whisky arena was perfect. Bravo!

Dislikes:

Drunken behavior was rife. You cannot stop someone wanting to get drunk but you sure as hell can stop serving them. Reps failure for responsible service of alcohol should not be ignored and I would have seen a good 80% of these guys at many an events in Sydney over the years so they know the drill. If the police were present 1/4 of the reps would have been fined on the spot. Very slack.

Food was average but constant to a degree. On the upper floor on the 2nd night we saw 1 tray of sandwiches brought out every 15min and with a packed room and if you were not next to or near them on arrival you could forget your chances of nabbing any. We took to standing at the nominated food table in anticipation of the arrival. Simply is great but there need to be more and more often. I saw many a vendor also on a hunger run with little opportunity to grab food themselves.

Pushing space to the limit

Over crowded on the 2nd night. Too many people which left you unable to talk to any of the reps that actually knew something about the whisky they were serving. Still it did not get hot even without all the bodies so that was a bonus. I heard the mid day event was a shocker for crowds.

Disapointments:

Hidden in the back corner was one small cocktail table with one cocktail to sample. As I believe it was hosted by Glenmorangie and the cocktail was a competition winner. Aptly named 'No Money No Honey' it was like drinking a jar of honey. Personally it was just foul for the occasion. Harsh, sweet, syrupy and simply pallet destroying! There was clearly no consideration by these guys in what would happen to your pallet after drinking this at a whisky tasting event and it took forever to rinse the glass to get the contamination out. I love Glenmorangie but this was so wrong and so poorly chosen.

Kavalan Whisky was one of the worst vendors I had encountered on the night. Yes I had high expectations and set out to make this my first whisky on the first night. I did not do the master class and I believe different whiskies may have been on tasting compared to the open table. What was on the tables just did not compete with most of the other whiskies around it. Not only that but the reps could barely speak english in a cohesive manner so even if they really knew their stuff, with all the noise, communication was confused and misinterpreted. With all the hype I was hoping that this was going to be something new and exciting but it simply was not. It may be one of those whiskies that begs to be drammed in isolation to really enjoy it… I hope for their sake it is. I have made a point to revisit these whiskies.

Starward whisky... what is going on with that one. Based on what the reps were saying I got the feeling it is wearing a wizards hat, holding both a druids sickle and alchemists vial, while sitting at Captain Kirks chair. Again maybe something that is needed to be appreciate in isolation. Unfortunately it's surrounded by recent award winning hype and silly marketing like 'a modern whisky unshackled from tradition' and 'borrows from the past without being constrained by it'. All I got out of it was wet vegetation and green bananas with a feeling of 'is that it...'. Is this an over thought whisky with too much science blended in? I want this to be better. On the cards as another whisky to revisit.

I love the rain but it really really really rained a lot on the first night.

Recommendations:

I have found at both The Whisky Show and Whisky Fair the first night (taking into account it is a Friday Night) is the best event to attend. There is never as many people and vendors are not exhausted which gives you a chance to talk to the reps and seriously take in the whisky.

Always eat before you arrive due to the fact you will be guaranteed to have sampled 5 to 6 whiskies before food ever arrives and by then everyone is pouncing for a bite.

Don't pack your whole year of whisky experimentation into one night. If you found a whisky you were interested in, write some notes and be sure to go to a few master class on those distillers at one of the whisky retailers like World Of Whisky or Oak Barrel. This is truly where you going to discover something about that whisky that took your interest.

Had enough whisky? Sir Stamford had a cozy bar to hang out at after and before the event.

 And Finally...

As I am finding more and more that at these events so many whiskies shine in isolation but collapse under the pressure of pallet saturation. Luckily for myself attending over 2 nights meant being specific in what I wanted to try first to ensure as clean a pallet as possible.

Overall this event has served my appetite for the year in over indulgence of whisky. Of course we have our whisky club that brings new things to the table every 3 months, so these kinds of events don't hold as much interest to myself as it would for others. Thumbs up to the World Of Whisky it was a great show. To give a dram 6 out of 7.

The Baron

An Ardbeg Characterture – Ogma & Buel

So what is going on with Ardbeg these days. Surely in the last 12 months especially we have seen a considerable lift in the whiskies profile with new and experimental releases to fun events and entertaining promotions. Also in the last 2 years we have seen not only a change in the base line expressions of Ardbeg yet also now an explosion of experimental profiles to liven up any family. It is also clear some real cash injections have been happening in the entire Marketing and PR approach with some really high quality yet fundamentally pointless promotions about the brand in general. All in the name of fun indeed and isn't that what makes Ardbeg so loveable in the public eye.

Maybe it is just me being a graphic designer but Ardbeg to me has always been a little on the quirky side when it comes to their public profile. With the recent completion of Ardbog Day, Adbeg has quickly moved on with a new marketing launch accompanied by another tantalising short film that introduces us to the “Peat Heads” - Ogma and Buel.

Who is Ogma and Buel? According to the Ardblog:

Ogma is the fountain of all Ardbeggian knowledge and Buel just loves to chat about his love for whisky, Islay and all things Ardbeg.

You can read the complete description of Ogma and Buel on the Ardblog but effectively Ogma is knowledgeable in Ardbeg's history, production and processes. Buel is the ever passionate Tell, always keen for a chat and knowledgeable in all Ardbeg stories and folk lore. These specific profiles define how you will interact with them in the future socially.

What we really are seeing here is social media character development to represent some facet of the Ardbeg Committee and the passion all Ardbeggians have to the whisky. To expand this social step Ogma and Buel have even been given Ardbeg twitter hash tags so you may ask questions and follow responses while being introduced to new things you may not know about Ardbeg. These tags are: #Ogma and #Buel. If your not already following Ardbeg in twitter their address @ardbeg_com.

How long will Ogma and Buel they last is yet to be seen and can they hold up to the Ardbeg mascot Shortie dog?  I am sure these chaps will be our faces for at least some years to come and if not it will be a fun ride regardless in the short term.

The Baron


This is a non-sponsord promotion. For any further details please defer to the Ardbeg website.