Distil 2010, London - whisky reviews

Distil 2010 is a trade show that is held annually at the Excel exhibition centre in east London and it is run in conjunction with the London International Wine Fair (LIWF), which is one of Europe's largest wine shows. The theme of the fair is to showcase new and unusual products to retailers, restaurants etc. We attended the show and sampled some of the products on offer. Compared to previous years, the number of whiskies was disappointingly low, although this did allow us to try some other genre of spirits. Below are basic tasting notes and thoughts of our five highlights - as and when we taste them again, then these notes will be expanded giving more detail and distillery information.

Bernheim Original
This is the only wheat whiskey that is regularly commercially available and is made at the Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky, USA. It contains a mix of wheat, corn and malted barley and is bottled at 45% ABV. The colour is amber orange and the nose is warm, spicy and appetising. There is a lovely mix of coconut, cinnamon, orange peel and toasted almond. On the palate, this is again warm and spicy - plenty of oak, vanilla and wood spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) are present plus more delicate notes of almond, orange, coconut, caramel and a hint of apricot and peach. The finish is robust and grainy with plenty of wood spices again. The sweetness turn very dry towards the end and leaves you wanting more. Excellent - the whiskey of the day for us.

Danny Boy
This is a new Irish whiskey that is the brainchild of former lottery winner Peter Lavery from Northern Ireland. He has been developing the range of whiskies for the last 10 years and it now includes the Premium - a blend of four and five years old whiskies, a 15 years old blend and a cream liqueur. All whiskies are made at the Cooley distillery.

The Premium is golden in colour and has a sweet, refreshing nose. There is a combination of caramel, cereals, dried fruits (especially sultanas and raisins) and a hint of wood spice (think of cinnamon). On the palate, this is again sweet but softer than the nose suggests. There is plenty of dried fruits, caramel and citrus zest (think of lemon) with a distinct grainy note backing it up. The finish is short, sweet and pleasant. Also sampled was the cream liqueur, which was served in a chocolate cup that you ate at the same time as drinking the liqueur. The combination was good and should be marketed!

Elijah Craig 18 years old
Elijah Craig is another bourbon that is made at the Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky, USA. It is named after one of the fore fathers of the American whiskey industry. Older bourbons are rare so the opportunity to try this had to be taken. The colour is a rich amber and the nose is robust and distinctly woody. There is a ton of oak here with vanilla, coconut, toasted almond, orange oil and cinnamon spice backing it up. On the palate, this is spicy and grips your mouth with cinnamon and nutmeg particularly prominent. Softer, sweeter notes battle through - vanilla, cereal grain, oranges, caramel and honey. The finish is again robust and long lasting with the woody and spice notes almost overpowering the softer elements.

Evan Williams Honey Reserve
This liqueur contains Evan Williams bourbon that is infused with honey. The Evan Williams bourbons are produced at the Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky, USA and are made using one of the oldest bourbon recipes in existence - Williams, a Welsh immigrant, first started producing whiskey in 1783! It is bottled at 35% ABV, which is reasonably high strength for a liqueur.

The colour is golden yellow and the nose has less honey aroma than expected. If feels sweet and fresh with some oak and vanilla mixing with zesty citrus (think of lemon and orange) and the honey. More honey comes through on the palate and combines well with the lemon and vanilla notes. There is a slight bitter edge which balances the intense sweetness. It is reminiscent of a lemon and honey cold and flu remedy. The finish is long, smooth and warming. One of the nicer liqueurs tasted to date, although the bourbon gets slightly lost somewhere.

Old St. Andrews
This is a range of whiskies that are blended and released by the small family owned Old St. Andrews Company. The range plays on the golfing theme by using the name of the famous Scottish course and bottling its whisky in a golf ball shaped bottle. The range is to expand later this year, where the current Clubhouse bottling will be joined by three others. These are to be labeled as the Twilight (a 10 years old blend tagged 'the fresh delicate one), the Fireside (a 12 years old blend - 'the smoky warming one') and the Nightcap (a 15 years old - 'the rich honeyed one'). We had the opportunity to sample all four, so here goes ...

The Clubhouse is amber in colour and sweet on the nose - plenty of cereals, caramel and dried fruits (think of sultanas, raisins and candied peel). On the palate, these notes are repeated and are joined by distinct woody spices (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg) and some honey. The finish is of decent length and is sweet and quite sugary, yet refreshing. Decent value for about £15 a bottle.

The Twilight is fresh and vibrant on the nose with a light straw-like colour. The nose and palate demonstrate zingy citrus (think of lemon zest), honey, vanilla and light floral notes, with an uncomplicated finish that is short and sweet.

The Fireside is marketed as 'the smoky one' but it is very light and subtly smoky on the nose and palate. There are cereals, vanilla and damp earthy peat present, with just a hint of saltiness. The finish is less sweet with some warm spice coming through that is reminiscent of ginger and nutmeg.

The Nightcap is by far the richest of the set. It is dark amber in colour and packed with dried fruits - sultanas, raisins and candied orange peel - cereals and caramel on the nose. These follow through to the palate and it feels thick and creamy in the mouth. There are also some wood spice and honey present. The finish is long and warming with plenty of sweetness.

A full review of the new Old St. Andrews range will appear nearer to the release date in September.

Whisky Live 2010, London - New whiskies & show exclusives

Whisky Live is an event that showcases the diverse world of whisky to the general public. The phenomena has spread around the globe and annual shows are now held in locations such as North America, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and across mainland Europe. Whisky Live has two events in the UK - one in London and the other in Glasgow. They are the biggest whisky shows in the UK and this year's London show was held over last weekend.

The venue was the Hurlingham Club, a prestigious members only club on the leafy banks of the River Thames (it's very posh and remains the only place that we have ever seen anyone playing croquet!) and this year's event marked the 10th anniversary of Whisky Live in London. We were both in attendance for both days of the show - Matt doing his 'day job' selling whisky to people and Karen doing her 'favourite hobby' ... drinking whisky! Between us, we sampled plenty of whisky and decided to split the reviews in to two parts. Many exhibitors use Whisky Live as a platform to showcase forthcoming releases so in this first part, we are concentrating on these new releases and other special Whisky Live bottlings that were on offer. A second part that reviews the other whiskies sampled will follow shortly.

Compass Box DecadenceCompass Box is a boutique whisky producer who buy casks and then blend them to create their own unique range of whiskies. Decadence is a very limited release that was created especially for Whisky Live and to celebrate Compass Box's 10th anniversary (Decade-nce ... do you get it?). Only 15 litres was produced (a lot of which was consumed the night before at a gala dinner, by the sounds of it!) and it was only available to sample. No bottles will be released. It has a high grain whisky content (around 60%) and this comes through on a rich nose that is packed with cereals and sweet vanilla. This carries through to the palate which has sweet caramel, dried fruits (think of sultanas and peel), a herbal grassy note (imagine dried grasses) and spicy cinnamon. The finish is long, rich and slightly peppery. Lovely stuff.

Evan Williams 10 years old Whisky Live Special
A special Whisky Live edition of just 162 bottles. Evan Williams is an American bourbon that is currently made at the Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky. It is produced using one of the oldest bourbon recipes in existence and was started by Welsh settler Evan Williams in 1783. This show release costs £45, is bottled from a single cask and is cask strength (a whopping 63.9% ABV!). The nose is powerful and full of rich vanilla, coconut and oranges. On the palate, this is rounded and very big - there is plenty of those elements from the nose and these are joined by some bitter cereal notes and woody spice (think of cinnamon especially). The finish is long, drying and aromatic. Adding water softens things and makes it easier to drink, with the sweetness becoming more caramel-like and the orange becoming more prominent (imagine marmalade). Lovely, rich and spicy whisky.

Glen Moray Port Wood 
This whisky is a new limited release from the much under rated Speyside distillery of Glen Moray (OK, it was released just before Christmas but who is counting?). It is bottled at 56.7% ABV and has been matured for 13 years in ex-bourbon casks before having a year in a Port cask. Only 725 bottles are available and they cost £50 each. The nose is rich and sumptuous with a lovely mix of caramel, stewed fruits (imagine plums and apples) and woody spice (nutmeg and cinnamon bark). On the palate, the whisky is well balanced and easy drinking considering the cask strength ABV. The caramel, stewed fruits and spices are still there but it feels more sugary with a peppery edge. Some nuts (think of hazelnuts) come through on the long, rich finish. An excellent dram. Well worth a try if you can get your hands on some.

Hakushu Heavily Peated
This Japanese whisky is not being released until June, so it was a real treat to get to sample it. Hakushu means 'forest distillery' in Japanese and it is located on a forest plateau directly west of Tokyo. This limited edition is the peatiest Hakushu to date (the regular 12 years old has a hint of peatiness to it). The colour is light and the nose is fragrant and potent - there is obvious earthy peat smoke backed up by some lovely caramel, fresh green fruits (think of pears and apples), dried grass and a whiff of citrus (lemon zest especially). The palate is firstly hit with tangy peat smoke (imagine damp moss and twigs) and then the caramel, fruit, grass and citrus from the nose. There is also subtle cereals and some spice (think of peppercorns and nutmeg). The finish is long with the slightly bitter smoke building up and lingering for ages.

Highland Park 10 years old Whisky Live Special
Another exclusive bottling and it was released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the London Whisky Live show. This offering from the Highland Park distillery on the Orkney islands consisted of just 600 bottles, is 59.3% ABV cask strength and was specially selected by eminent whisky writer Dave Broom. This whisky has a deep amber colour and a lovely fragrant nose that is packed with dried fruit (think of raisins and sultanas), caramel and soft sweet peat smoke. On the palate, this is impressive with soft, slightly bitter smoke mixing with the sweeter dried fruit and caramel elements. There is also some candied orange peel, brown sugar, peppery spice and heather present. The finish is long and enjoyable. Adding water, softened the spices and made it more buttery and toffee-like. A fantastic dram worthy of an anniversary.

Springbank 12 years old Claret WoodThis whisky was making its first ever appearance to the general public, as it is not to be released for another month or so. Springbank bottled some especially for Whisky Live. Springbank is a distillery located on the Campbeltown peninsula in western Scotland and has a cult following around the world. This release will consist of 9360 bottles, is bottled at 54.4% ABV and has matured for 9 years in ex-bourbon casks before transferring to French Claret wine casks for 3 years. The colour is amber with a reddish hue and the nose is rich and fruity. The palate is fresh, smooth and sweet with plenty of juicy red fruit (think of red berries and plums) underpinned by vanilla, caramel and wood spice notes (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg). The finish is drier, spicier (more nutmeg) and very enjoyable. A staff favourite among those on The Whisky Shop stand.

Tomatin 21 years oldTomatin is a little known but well regarded distillery that lies in the foot hills of the Grampian mountains to the south of Inverness. The brand has undergone a major revamp over the last year and this limited edition will briefly join its new look range. This 21 years old has yet to be released, is bottled at 52% ABV and is restricted to 2500 bottles. The nose has an interesting combination of aromas - vanilla, cereal grains, dried grass and a whiff of earthy ginger. On the palate, this feels creamy and velvety with vanilla and cereals mixing well with a distinct nutty note (think of a creamy nut like almond or hazelnut). Then comes dried grass and some nutmeg spice with just a hint of that ginger again. The finish is lovely and soft with the the nutty note prominent and reminiscent of hazelnut praline. A top quality and well made dram.

Tomatin 25 years old Another new addition to the Tomatin range that replaces the old 25 years old. It has new packaging and a slightly different combination of casking. The nose is vibrant and stunning with a great combination of vanilla, cereals and prominent tropical fruits (think of coconut, peach and mango). On the palate, this is creamy and fresh ( a hard thing to achieve in older whiskies) with the almost exaggerated aromas of the nose becoming more subtle and understated. All the 'nose' elements are there - vanilla, cereals, coconut, peach, mango - and these combine beautifully with some ginger and nutmeg spice. The finish is lovely but slightly short. This dram is enjoyable and very, very good.

Yamazaki Puncheon Cask
Another Japanese whisky from the Suntory company (Hakushu is owned by them as well) and this is also due for a limited release in June - only 3000 bottles, according to the chap on the stand. Yamazaki is Japan's oldest distillery, having opened in 1923 and continues to win accolades for their innovative approach and whiskies. This has been matured in huge Puncheon bourbon casks and the nose is aromatic but delicate. There is a wonderful mix of cereal grains, vanilla, coconut and a hint of cocoa. The palate is just as delicate but vibrant and fresh, with the creamy vanilla and coconut prominent. To this, add some more cereals, a citric tang (think of lemon zest), sweet crumbly brown sugar and that hint of cocoa again. The finish is fresh and tangy, becoming dry towards the end. An excellent whisky and a real star of the show!