Review - Havana Club Tributo 2018 Edition

This is the third release of the annual super premium small batch bottling from the leading Cuban rum brand of Havana Club. The Tributo 2018 Edition has been finished in smoky Scotch whisky casks, which is a first for the brand. Each release of Tributo is designed to pay tribute to different elements of the Cuban rum production process - this year honours the influences of casks during the maturation process and is enhanced with subtle peat smoke aromas and flavours.

This latest expression of Tributo, which was first released in 2016, was created by Asbel Morales. He is the Havana Club Maestro del Ron Cubano and hand selected various aged rums (including some of 60 years of age) and blended them together before finishing them in casks that had previously held smoky single malt Scotch whisky.

Review - Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish

This new release from the Islay distillery of Bowmore offers something genuinely unique - a Scotch single malt that has been matured in Japanese mizunara oak.  This is the first whisky of its kind and stems from the fact that Bowmore is owned by Beam Suntory, the biggest whisky producer in Japan.  Mizunara oak is rare and only grows in northern Japan and small areas of China and Russia.  Trees are very slow growing and take 200 years to reach full size.  Because of this Beam Suntory only make around 100 such casks per year and runs a sustainability programme to replant saplings for future generations.

New releases ... Benriach 16 years old Claret finish

An independent distillery
Benriach (pronounced ben-ree-ack) is a distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland and is located approximately 3 miles to the south of the city of Elgin. The distillery was founded in 1897 by John Duff & Co and its early history was very short lived – Benriach was closed in 1903 and not reopened until 1965. It was closed again in 2002 and mothballed (a procedure where a distillery is taken out of operation but left intact and ready to go, when required). In 2004, an independent group named the Benriach Distillery Company took over the distillery and all of its maturing stock. This group was headed by Billy Walker, a former director of Burn Stewart Distillers. This makes Benriach one of the few distilleries in Scotland that is currently independently owned. The distillery has a production capacity of 2.8 million litres per year, with most being released as single malts.

A centre for innovation
Benriach has one of the most innovative ranges of any Scottish distillery - the expansive regular range is matured in ex-bourbon casks, with an additional range of different casks finished whiskies and two smoky ones (they make peaty whisky at Benriach for roughly three weeks every year, which is an unusual practice for a Speyside distillery). This 16 years old Claret finish is part of a new trilogy of limited edition whiskies that have been finished in ex-wine casks. There will only be 4734 bottles available from specialist whisky retailers for between £40-50, depending on where you find it. This whisky has been maturing for most of the time in an ex-bourbon cask before transferring for just under a year to an ex-Claret red wine cask. The other two are both 17 years of age, with one finished in a Burgundy red wine cask and the other in a Rioja red wine cask. The three whiskies will all be released at 46% ABV.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this whisky is golden with a hint of amber and the nose is rich,expressive and fragrant. There is immediate obvious vanilla, oak and dried fruits (think of sultanas, raisins and apple), followed by rich caramel, honey and cereal grains. More subtle notes come through with time - oranges (the zest especially) and wood spice (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg). The complexity of the nose carries through to the palate, which is buttery, silky and sweet to start with - think of dried fruit, caramel, vanilla, cereals, orange marmalade, wood spices and coconut - before becoming more spicy (think of the cinnamon and nutmeg again, with a hint of clove). The richness and sweetness is complimented by the spiciness and a hint of tannic red fruit (think of prunes and more raisins). The finish is long, spicy with a hint of white pepper and nutmeg becoming more prominent and vibrant, which combats a lovely buttery vanilla note. There is a distinct sweet brown sugary note that then becomes quite orange-like, before becoming dry, woody and tannic. The addition of water softens the spices with some honeyed sweetness and dried grass (think of hay) and oatcakes characters coming out.

What's the verdict?
Another lovely example of a cask finished Benriach. This one is reminiscent of the earlier Gaja Barolo finish that we sampled (and loved so much that we purchased one!), but not as spicy. This whisky also offers great value for money for its age and relative rarity. We can now not wait to try the others in the range, if we get the chance. If they are as good as many of Benriach's recent wine cask finished whiskies, then it will be worth the wait! A terrific dram with plenty of depth, balance and character.

New releases ... Connemara Sherry Finish 'Small Batch Collection'

Connemara is a Irish whiskey produced at the Cooley distillery - one of only three distilleries that are currently operating in Ireland (Bushmills and Midleton are the others). It is located on the County Louth coast, roughly half way between Belfast and Dublin and was founded in 1987 by John Teeling. His idea was to resurrect some of Ireland's oldest whiskey recipes and traditions that had become extinct during more difficult times. An old vodka distillery was converted and Cooley has since won over 100 awards worldwide.

At Cooley they produce whiskey using traditional recipes and mixtures of grains and their range includes some famous Irish whiskey names, such as Connemara, Greenore, Kilbeggan, Locke's, Michael Collins, Millar's and Tyrconnell. Around 95% of all the whiskey produced at Cooley is exported with the UK, mainland Europe and South Africa being the main markets.

Connemara is the only peated Irish whiskey that is in regular production. Other smoky whiskies are occasionally released but normally as limited editions. Connemara (which takes its name from the original site of the Connemara distillery on the west coast of Ireland, near Galway) and its old traditional recipe had disappeared into history before being resurrected by John Teeling. The first expression of the modern Connemara was launched in 1996 and this sherry finish forms the first part of the new Connemara Small Batch Collection, a series of whiskies to be released at regular intervals having been finished or matured in alternative casks. The launch of this sherry finish coincides with a Connemara range re-brand that is happening next month.

The colour is a golden amber and the nose offers some initial sweetness (think of caramel) and some fruitiness (a combination of dried fruits like sultanas and raisins and fresh fruit, especially green apples) - this reminded us of toffee apples. Behind this is a light smokiness that has a herbal element (imagine a grassy bonfire) and also something a little more acrid (think of rubber or tyres). The combination of all of these aromas creates a lovely, interesting and very promising nose. On the palate, a similar thing happens. There is an initial hit of sugary sweetness (that caramel and toffee again) that combines with the soft smokiness (still like a grassy bonfire but with a bit more damp earthiness). Then comes the dried fruity influence of the sherry cask finish (think of raisins, sultanas and candied peel, with a touch of a warm spice like nutmeg) and this grows in intensity. The result is a very pleasant richness that has all the elements balancing well together. The finish is long, pleasant and mouthwatering. It again starts off sweet (the dried fruit are particularly prominent, as is a hint of dried orange peel) and smoky before becoming quite dry and slightly bitter (your gums can feel the tannins from the sherry cask drying them out). This makes your mouth feel refreshed and wanting more!

This Connemara Sherry Finish from the forthcoming Small Batch Collection is a very enjoyable and well balanced whiskey. It offers complexity and subtly at the same time and the balance of the sweetness, fruitiness and delicate smokiness is particularly impressive. The whiskey is a good example of cask finished whiskey and gives a viable, interesting and unique alternative to the Scottish smoky whiskies or other non smoky Irish whiskies. A big thank you to Jack Teeling from the Cooley distillery for sending us this sneak preview sample.