Inbox - January 27, 2012

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. This week again includes our new feature - Tweet of the week. This is our favourite piece of news or information that we have seen on Twitter recently. Here we go with this week's news ...

Cutty Sark -  Tam o' Shanter bottling
The famous blended whisky brand has announced a new limited edition version of their 25 years old expression, so as to coincide with this year's Burns Night celebrations.  The liquid is an enhanced version of the current 25 years old within the core range, and is the first creation of Cutty Sark's new Master Blender Kirsteen Campbell.  The new expression is named Tam o' Shanter after Robert Burns' famous poem.

The link between the brand and Burns is interesting - the famous ship was named after the scanty clothing of the sexy witch in his Tam o' Shanter poem.  A newly designed bottle, based on an antique version of the Cutty Sark bottle, is packaged in a wooden box and a book illustrated by figurative artist Alexander Goudie.  All show scenes from the famous poem. The Cutty Sark Tam o' Shanter is limited to just 5,000 bottles and will be available shortly for a recommended price of £199.

Highland Park - Thor arrives
The distillery from the Orkney islands have announced a new range of single malt whiskies, and the first release within that range.  The award-winning brand will release four whiskies in The Valhalla Collection, all of which will be named after and inspired by Norse legends and gods.  The Orkney islands have a rich Norse heritage dating back to ancient times and Highland Park consistently use this as a thread through their limited edition whisky ranges.

The first release in The Valhalla Collection is the Highland Park Thor, named after the most famous of the Norse gods.  His hammer is depicted on the bottle and the release is a limited edition (if you can call 20,000 bottles limited ...). It has been bottled at 16 years of age and at the natural cask strength of 52.1% ABV. It is presented in an extraordinary wooden box, which represents the head piece on a Nordic long boat. The retail price will be around the £120 mark. Thor will be available to UK consumers from Monday 30 January via Highland Park's shop, and then elsewhere in the UK and around the world from early February. For further information on the Thor release and The Valhalla Collection - visit the special website www.whiskyofthegods.com.

Tweet of the Week
@WhiskyParty - What are US micro distillers up to lately? Chuck Cowdery has the lowdown - http://bit.ly/xwhK2q

Wemyss Malts Week - Part 4

Over the last few months we have received a series of packages containing whisky samples from Wemyss Malts. As a result of various circumstances, we have not been able to review and taste them ... until now.  We have decided to put all of these samples together and review them in one week - our very own Wemyss Malts Week.  This will be a four-part series which showcases some whiskies from the companies ever expanding range.

Welcome to the fourth part of the series.  Yesterday, we covered three of the whiskies in Wemyss' single cask bottling range, while on Monday and Tuesday we covered the eight and 12 years old blended malt range with a run down of the company's history and ethos.  Click here to read any of this information from Part 1, to save us covering old ground on each of our posts this week.

In today's final part we continue with Wemyss' range of single cask bottlings.  These are specially selected by the company, with the help of whisky industry legend Charles Maclean, and the range covers different regions of Scotland and different ages of whisky.  Each single cask has been given a name which reflects flavour profile and style of the whisky, rather than the distillery where it was produced.  The single casks are all bottled at 46% ABV and are priced differently according to their age.  The price, plus other cask information, is included in each review below.  Today, we turn our attention to a selection of older single casks from the 1980s and early 1990s.

Caribbean Fruits - Highland
The colour is golden yellow and the nose has the 'fruit' from the name immediately leaping out of the glass.  There are aromas of peach, apricot, pear and a tiny hint of pineapple, which are complimented by some lovely honey, vanilla and sweet malted barley notes.  There are also background hint of cinnamon bark and wet tea leaves.  The palate begins with plenty of bittersweet malted cereals and drying oak spice. It takes time for the sweeter and the fruity notes to kick in and when they do, they are not as expressive or vibrant as on the nose.  The vanilla and honey notes are joined by some golden syrup, while there are again notes of peach, pineapple and pear (this is the only note from the nose which seems stronger now).  Then the drying oak spices fight back and take you into a sparse finish that hints at the vibrant fruits from the nose but little else. There is a little barley sugar-like sweetness in the background. A little hard work from the drinker needed for this one.

Distilled - 1990, bottled - 2011, cask : ex-bourbon hogshead, no. bottles - 320, price £72, distillery named as - Glencadam

Lemon Grove - Speyside
The colour is pale gold and the nose is fresh and full of vibrancy. A number of uplifting aromas contribute to a wonderfully scented nose - lemon zest, honey, vanilla, fresh green fruits (think of pear and apple), malted barley, something floral (maybe honeysuckle?) and a hint of creamy yeast , which reminds us of pastry.  On the palate, this has an immediate tangy and zesty quality that does have the 'lemon' as suggested in the name.  The fresh feeling in accentuated by a note of crisp green fruit and before it gets to much, some sweetness (vanilla, honey and a little toffee) and drier notes arrive (bittersweet cereals, wood spices and a hint of dried grass).  Again the combination is lovely. As we move in to the finish, the lemon notes soften and become more like lemon curd than the zest.  The finish begins sweetly and gets drier with the wood/baking spices coming through well.  This is a very good cask that has maintained some youthful vibrancy despite its age.

Distilled - 1989, bottled - 2011, cask : ex-bourbon hogshead, no. bottles - 371, price £69, distillery named as - Cragganmore

Whispering Smoke - Islay
The colour is golden yellow with a slight brown hue.  As with the previous two whiskies, this has a nose with a vibrancy and freshness that defies its age. The peat smoke is obvious and has a distinct whiff of hot tar, but as the name suggests it wafts around your nostrils allowing you to capture the other aromas - green fruit (pear and apple), oatcake biscuits, woody pencil shavings, dried apricot, brown sugar, vanilla, honey and some minty menthol and liquorice.  On the palate, this feels delicate with many subtle notes combining with the soft, smouldering peat smoke (this still has the tar-like feeling). The mix is complex and includes elements of malty barley, vanilla custard, honey, peach, apricot, toffee, toasted oats and an abundance of wood/baking spices - think of cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice.  The delicate yet complex nature carries on in to the finish, which balances some lovely fresh sweetness with increasing drying spices and slightly acrid tar-like smoke.  A very good dram indeed.

Distilled - 1981, bottled - 2011, cask : ex-bourbon hogshead, no. bottles - 228, price £150, rumoured to be - Caol Ila

What's the verdict?
Where do we start?  This has begun to feel like an epic journey as the week has progressed ... 4 days + 12 whiskies tasted = sensory overload. However, by reviewing the whiskies back-to-back in this way has allowed us to establish a number of key signature characteristics about the Wemyss Malts range. 1 - the quality of casks selected for the single cask range is very high, across all of the regions and styles. 2 - the quality and balance of the blended malt range is equally as high. 3 - because of this, both ranges offer exceptionally good value for money.

The overall range maybe concise but the quality is above that of some of Wemyss' independent bottling contemporaries, in comparison to whiskies that we have tasted to date. The selection of fine casks is clearly key to this and we like the idea of de-emphasising the distillery of origin in favour of flavour characteristics - this removes any preconceptions about the distillery, negative or positive. They are deserving of your attention and that of a wider audience.

Our personal favourites were difficult to pick given the quality whisky on offer, but if we had to stump for two they would be the Peat Chimney eight years old from the blended malt range and the Lemon Grove from the single cask range. All bottlings are available for sale from wemyssmalt.com and from selected specialist whisky retailers.

Post Burns Night blues?

Yesterday was Burns Night and if you attended some sort of celebration event, then you may be waking up with a slight hangover due to 'one too many' drams of whisky or have a slightly bloated feeling from eating too much haggis and clootie dumpling.  There is also a distinct possibility that once the whiskies began flowing later in the evening that the significance and origins of Scotland's unofficial national day can be forgotten.

A couple of years ago, we wrote a blog post explaining about the history, customs and facts about Burns Night and why it is heavily linked to the world of whisky.  Please click here to find out or re-aquaint yourself with the background behind this famous annual event.  However, if that hangover is hanging around and inhibiting your reading skills, then we have an alternative option ...

Yesterday, Matt met up with Clark McGinn, a good friend and supporter of Whisky For Everyone since we first met him two years ago.  Clark is a world authority and eminent speaker on Robert Burns, his poetry and his language - he has a website called seriousburns.com, has hosted hundreds of Burns Night suppers around the world and has a couple of books about the subject under his belt, including The Ultimate Burns Supper Book.

Clark kindly agreed to record a short video clip for us, in the midst of his busy schedule, that explains briefly about the origin and customs of Burns Night, plus what it has to do with whisky. Watch below as he also recites part of the famous Burns poem Address To A Haggis, which is traditionally read at Burns Night suppers.  Enjoy ...

Wemyss Malts Week - Part 3

Over the last few months we have received a series of packages containing whisky samples from Wemyss Malts. As a result of various circumstances, we have not been able to review and taste them ... until now.  We have decided to put all of these samples together and review them in one week - our very own Wemyss Malts Week.  This will be a four-part series which showcases some whiskies from the companies ever expanding range.

Welcome to the third part of the series.  Yesterday, we covered three of the whiskies in Wemyss' 12 years old blended malt range, while on Monday we covered the eight years old blended malt range plus a run down of the company's history and ethos.  Click here to read any of this information from Part 1, to save us covering old ground on each of our posts this week.

In Part 3 we are turning our attention away from the blended malts and towards Wemyss' range of single cask bottlings.  These are specially selected by the company, with the help of whisky industry legend Charles Maclean, and the range covers different regions of Scotland and different ages of whisky.  As with the blended malts each single cask has been given a name which reflects flavour profile and style of the whisky, rather than the distillery where it was produced.  The single casks are all bottled at 46% ABV and are priced differently according to their age.  The price, plus other cask information, is included in each review below.  Today, we kick off with three single casks from the 1990s.

Well Mannered Mint - Islay
The colour is a pale lemon yellow and the nose is light in body but powerful in aroma. It is feisty, bracing and very smoky.  The smokiness has a distinct vegetal quality to it and is reminiscent of heavy bonfire smoke mixed with surgical bandage.  Other aromas are difficult to get, but with a bit of work you can battle through the peat smoke and find lemon zest, oatcakes, vanilla, fresh green fruits (think of pears and apples) and brine.  On the palate, the acrid smoke has that bonfire/bandage feel again, with plenty of chilli heat and spice.  The smoke becomes distinctly ashy and dies away slowly to reveal other notes - vanilla, sweet honey, malted barley, tangy lemon, crisp green apples and a good pinch of salt.  The finish is long, drying and very smoky and salty with some lovely vegetal earthy notes underneath. No mint really anywhere, just a hint of menthol maybe. Good stuff but one for the serious peat lovers only.

Distilled 1999, bottled 2011, cask : ex-bourbon hogshead, no. bottles - 307, price £45, rumoured to be - Laphroaig

Vanilla Summer - Highlands
The colour is golden yellow and the nose seems delicate, but highly scented with initial notes of honey and vanilla.  Underneath are lovely aromas of sweet malty barley, ripe peaches and honeysuckle. With time, some further aromas of green apple and the faintest whiff of gentle peat smoke are detected. It is very promising.  On the palate, this is instantly more smoky than the nose suggested.  The peat smoke is soft and gentle, and quickly mingles with plenty of vanilla, honey and wood spice notes (think of oak, cinnamon and nutmeg).  It feels a little waxy and creamy in the mouth and a distinct creamed coconut element develops with time.  A zesty lemon tang rounds things off. The finish is on the short side and continues with the honey and wood spice theme, with the green apple note returning. This is clearly from a cask of excellent quality. A delicious dram.

Distilled 1997, bottled 2011, cask : ex-bourbon hogshead, no. bottles - 363, price £61, rumoured to be - Clynelish

Honey Spice - Islay
The colour is dark amber and the nose is immediate and very expressive.  There are the classic ex-sherry cask aromas present - imagine caramel, dark dried fruits (especially raisins), cinnamon and some candied orange peel.  However, there is much more than just these classic aromas going on. There is some brown sugar, burnt butter, rich malted barley, leather and a lick of tobacco smoke. The combination is lovely.  On the palate, this feels silky but with a slight spicy, peppery twist.  There are again plenty of notes fighting for attention once this pepper begins to fade - raisins, spiced orange, caramel, burnt brown sugar and dark chocolate, plus a savoury leathery element that combines well with some integrated soft peat smoke.  The finish is long and rich with the caramel and spiced orange particularly prominent, along with the tobacco-like smokiness which takes ages to fade.  Another excellent and very enjoyable whisky.

Distilled 1991, bottled 2011, cask : ex-sherry butt, no. bottles - 743, price  £69, distillery named as - Bunnahabhain

Join us tomorrow for the final part of Wemyss Malts Week, where we sample and review three of the older single casks bottlings from their range.

Wemyss Malts Week - Part 2

Over the last few months we have received a series of packages containing whisky samples from Wemyss Malts. As a result of various circumstances, we have not been able to review and taste them ... until now.  We have decided to put all of these samples together and review them in one week - our very own Wemyss Malts Week.  This will be a four-part series which showcases some whiskies from the companies ever expanding range.

Welcome to the second part of the series.  Yesterday, we covered three of the whiskies in Wemyss' eight years old blended malt range, plus a run down of the company's history and ethos.  Click here to read any of this information from Part 1, to save us covering old ground on each of our posts this week. 

Today, we turn our attention to the Wemyss Malts range of 12 years old blended malts.  These follow the same idea as yesterday's eight years old range, as they are all named to reflect the flavour profile and give the consumer a clue as to its characteristics.  Each whisky in the range is made from a hand selected selection of single malts, which are married together for a period of time before bottling.  They are all bottled at a strength of 40% ABV and retail for £35 each.  For further information about Wemyss Malts, their ranges and to purchase, please visit www.wemyssmalts.com.

The Hive - 12 years old
The colour is a vibrant golden yellow and the majority of the single malts used here are from the Speyside region of Scotland.  The nose is packed with honey aromas (we guess the clue was in the name, right?), along with plenty of vanilla and malty cereal grains. There are other aromas of golden syrup, stewed apple and a pinch of baking spice. On the palate, this feels a little tangy with some unexpected orange zest up front.  It then settles down an plenty of sweet honey notes are present, along with vanilla, toasted nuts, burnt sugar, some wood/baking spice (especially nutmeg) and some malted barley which gives a pleasant bittersweet edge and stops it from being too sweet.  This maltiness seems to increase in to the finish and gives the whisky a good grip in the mouth.  The finish is short-ish but with another good dollop of honey towards the end, plus a hint of faint tobacco leaf.

The Spice King - 12 years old
The colour is golden amber and the signature malt here is from one of the islands of Scotland.  The nose is rich and full of harmonious aromas - honey, vanilla, candied citrus peel, sultana, stewed apple, baking spice (especially cinnamon), plus hints of custard and soft, gentle peat smoke.  On the palate, this feels soft and velvety before a hit of peat smoke and spice kicks in to add some vibrancy.  The dominant notes are sweet - think of honey, cereals and dried fruits in particular - with plenty of candied and spiced orange coming later.  There is a pudding-like apple crumble type note also.  The underlying spices and peat become softer and mellower with time.  The balance is very good with the spice/peat combination stopping it from being too sweet and sugary.  The finish is of decent length with a highly enjoyable combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, honey, soft peat and tangy orange peel.  The eight years old version was good but this raises the bar to a new level.

The Peat Chimney - 12 years old
The colour is golden yellow and this is a complex blend of 16 single malts, with the emphasis on the smoky Islay whiskies. The nose is packed full of punchy peat smoke aromas and these have a fresh, bracing quality.  The peat is sweet and fragrant.  The other aromas are also sweet with notes of honey, brown sugar, vanilla and malty cereals all present.  Underneath is a whiff of salty brine and something vegetal and a bit mossy.  On the palate, this is obviously sweet and a little sugary (think of icing sugar) but then ... boom, the spicy and peppery hot peat smoke kicks in.  The feeling creates a mouth watering freshness.  Once the heat and smoke settle, an underlying malted barley note is joined by other more delicate flavours - vanilla, honey, fresh green pear, lemon zest, oatcake biscuit and a pinch of cinnamon and ginger spice.  There is also some of the salty tang from the nose detected.  The finish is long with the strength of the peat smoke combining delightfully with the sweet honeyed notes.  Very good, especially for the price point of £35.

Join us tomorrow for Part 3, where we move on to sample and review some single cask offerings from the Wemyss Malts range.

Wemyss Malts Week - Part 1

Over the last few months we have received a series of packages containing whisky samples from Wemyss Malts. As a result of various circumstances, we have not been able to review and taste them ... until now.  We have decided to put all of these samples together and review them in one week - our very own Wemyss Malts Week.  This will be a four-part series which showcases some whiskies from the companies ever expanding range.

Wemyss Malts is a Scottish based company which specialises in hand crafted whiskies.  It forms part of the larger Wemyss brand, which includes Darnley's View gin and two wine brands - Fonty's Pool from Western Australia and Rimauresq from Provence, France.  All are owned by the Wemyss family (pronounced weems), whose base is Wemyss Castle in Fife.  The castle overlooks the famous Firth of Forth estuary and has been the family home since 1421 when it was constructed by Sir John Wemyss.

The Wemyss family have traditional ties to the whisky industry and these remain, as barley grown on their estate is still used by leading distillery companies.  The ties date back to the beginning of the 18th century when the family allowed a tenant called John Haig to build his first distillery on some of their land.  His whisky, called Haig's, proved to be very popular and remains a best seller today.

The range of Wemyss Malts are all hand crafted and designed to make things easier and more accessible for the consumer.  The are split in to two categories - blended malts and single cask malts - and each release is given a name relating to its flavour profile, rather than the distillery of origin.  This is to help with the consumer recognising what the whisky will taste like and selecting one through their personal preferences.

The whiskies are all from casks which are hand selected by the family under the guidance of whisky legend Charles Maclean.  The blended malt range are all bottled at 40% ABV and appear at age points of five, eight and 12 years.  The single cask malts are of a variety of ages, are all taken from premium single casks within the Wemyss collection and bottled at 46% ABV.  For further information about Wemyss Malts, their range and to purchase - visit www.wemyssmalts.com.

We kick off our Wemyss Malts Week with three offerings from the eight years old blended malts range (pictured, above).  Each of these contains just single malts whiskies, with up to 16 blended together in some cases, and each has a definitive flavour style which lends its name to each blend.  The minimum age of any whisky included is eight years old. Once selected and blended, each of the new whisky combinations are left to marry together for a number of months to give the most integrated flavour profile possible. All are £29 for a bottle.

The Smooth Gentleman - 8 years old
The colour is golden yellow and the majority of the malts in this are from the Speyside region. The nose has a decent and sweet scent that includes aromas of caramel, dried fruits (think of raisins and sultanas), malty cereals and a hint of spiced orange.  It seems youthful with some vibrant spirit showing through.  Underneath are some aromas of honey and cinnamon bark.  On the palate, this has initial notes of malted barley and bitter orange.  The sweeter honey, caramel and dried fruit notes fight through once the youthful spirit settles down and this leads to a pleasant and refreshing end to the palate and finish.  There is also a hint of faint tobacco-like smoke present. The finish is initially sweet with plenty of caramel present. It becomes drier towards the end, with some good wood spice notes finish things off. Slightly disappointing and not particularly 'smooth' to our palates.

The Spice King - 8 years old
The colour is golden yellow with a hint of amber and most of the malts included are from the Highlands and islands of Scotland. The nose is vibrant and the 'spice' in the name is present in the form of an interesting peppery note. There are also aromas of golden syrup, light earthy peat smoke, caramel, fresh orange zest and sultanas. On the palate, the peat smoke is more evident and is the first element to hit the taste buds. Then comes the spicy peppery note followed by some sweetness which adds balance, depth and complexity.  The sweet notes include honey, brown sugar, caramel and dried fruits.  A twist of bittersweet orange zest creates further interest.  The finish is quite long and enjoyable with the damp earthy peat smoke and some bittersweet cereals lingering for ages. This is a lovely whisky that offers plenty on all levels, although it seems more smoky than 'spicy'. Delicious and a very well constructed whisky.

The Peat Chimney - 8 years old
The colour is golden yellow and the majority of the whiskies present are from the famous whisky island of Islay. The nose is vibrant and a little feisty with plenty of peppery, almost chilli-like peat smoke. Underneath are aromas of sweet honey, vanilla, green fruit (maybe some apple?) wet moss, heavy malted cereal grains and some dried grass.  Considering the strength of characterful aromas, this comes across as being quite light and heady. It's all very promising.  On the palate, there is a lovely initial mix of sugary (almost icing sugar-like) sweetness and burning damp peat smoke. Some honey, vanilla and oatcake notes add depth and the combination works very well.  The sweet honey continues to build with time. Towards the end, a pinch of drying wood spice appears and the sweet smoky element in heightened by this.  The finish is full of malty sweet cereals and smouldering bonfire-like smoke, and hangs around for ever.  A very impressive dram, especially for the price of £29, and our favourite of the three whiskies tasted today.

Join us tomorrow for Wemyss Malts Week - Part 2, where we sample and review some more of their blended malts range.