Review - Scapa Skiren

Skiren is the new single malt expression from the Scapa distillery on the Orkney islands. The islands have a rich Nordic heritage and the name of this new whisky plays on this - Skiren translates as 'glittering bright sky' from the old Nordic language.  It has been been exclusively matured in first-fill American oak casks.  The Scapa distillery is located close to the village of St. Ola and close to Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney islands. It is the second most northerly distillery in Scotland and misses out on first place to nearby Highland Park, which is just half a mile down the road.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (July 17, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, 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 received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (May 8, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, 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 received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Whisky Live 2010, London - Whiskies we sampled

This is the second part of our review of the recent Whisky Live event in London. Whisky Live is an event that showcases the diverse world of whisky to the general public. There are 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 marked the 10th anniversary of the event being held in the city.

This year, the venue was the prestigious Hurlingham Club - a posh members only club on the banks of the River Thames. For two days last weekend they allowed the commoners in to drink some whisky. 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. The first part included the new releases and other special Whisky Live bottlings that were on offer. This second part concentrates on some of the other interesting whiskies that we sampled.

Aberlour 18 years old
This whisky is one of the rarer single malts in the core range of this popular Speyside distillery. Aberlour are well known for their use of quality sherry casks during maturation and is in the top 10 for worldwide single malt sales and number one in France, who are the biggest consumers of whisky in the world. This 18 years old is dark amber in colour and has a rich, fruity nose - dried fruits (think of raisins especially), candied orange peel, sandalwood and waxy furniture polish. On the palate, the whisky is velvety and soft with a lovely combination of notes - rich sweet caramel, raisins, plenty of dried orange, nuts (imagine walnuts) and wood spice (think of cinnamon). The finish is long and sweet with the cinnamon putting in a good appearance. A great example of a sherry cask matured whisky.

Dalmore King Alexander III
Dalmore have produced this limited edition that contains whiskies that have been matured in no less than six different styles of cask - bourbon, Madeira, marsala, Port, red wine and sherry. It is named to commemorate the ancestor's of the local Mackenzie clan who rescued King Alexander III from bandits in 1293. This is one hell of a complex whisky - the colour is a dark reddish amber and the nose is rich and sweet. There are distinct notes of caramel, dried fruit (think of raisins, sultanas and candied orange peel), almonds, wood spice (cinnamon especially) and dark espresso coffee. The palate is rich and silky with plenty of caramel, dried fruit and orange up front. Notes of nutmeg spice, coffee, dark chocolate, almonds, cereal grains, fudge and chilli join to create huge complexity. The finish is soft, sweet and very enjoyable. Cracking stuff but very rich.

Longrow 14 years old
Longrow is produced for roughly one month of the year at the cult Springbank distillery in the Campbeltown region of Scotland. It has a much higher peat level than regular Springbank and therefore is much smokier in character. This 14 years old is pale in colour and the nose is light and fresh with a lovely mix of fresh green apple, vanilla, dried grass and earthy peat smoke (imagine damp moss). The palate feels richer with some initial sweet vanilla and obvious smoky peat (think of damp earth, moss and iodine). The iodine note gives a bitter edge to the sweetness and has a hint of disinfectant to it. Further grassiness (think of straw or hay) comes through and leads through to an enjoyable and decently long finish. The smokiness is more ashy on the finish. A very good and very drinkable dram.

Millstone Dutch single malt
Dutch whisky, I hear you cry! Yes, indeed - this single malt is produced at the Zuidam distillery in the town of Baarle Nassau, to the west of Eindhoven. The distillery was founded in 1974 and is run by father and son Fred and Patrick van Zuidam. Initially they produced various spirits including genever gin and vodka, with whisky being first made in 1998. They currently produce 20,000 litres of whisky per year. This whisky has no age stated and is light and delicate on the nose. There is plenty of cereal grains here with some vanilla and honey also. A whiff of raw spirit is evident but not off putting. The palate is again light with a pleasant combination of grain (lots), nuts (think of almonds and coconut), some grassiness (imagine hay), honey, vanilla and a hint of nutmeg-like spice. The finish is short and sweet. Interesting stuff and interesting to try.

Miyagikyo 10 years old
Miyagikyo is located on the eastern coast of Japan's main island of Honshu to the north of Tokyo and it was founded in 1969 by the Nikka Corporation. Miyagikyo's whiskies have won many awards in recent years around the globe. We had never tried any Miyagikyo ... until Whisky Live that is! The colour is golden and the nose is soft, sweet and almost understated. There is a lovely mix of vanilla, caramel, honey and something floral. On the palate, it feels silky and smooth with a pleasant creaminess that incorporates those elements from the nose with some woody spices (think of cinnamon and nutmeg), toffee and earthy ginger. The finish is drier than the palate and is oaky and spicy in nature. Top stuff.

Nikka 'Taketsuru' Pure Malt 17 years old
This is another whisky produced by the Nikka Corporation. It is a vatting made from single malts (hence the name Pure Malt) from both of their distilleries - Miyagikyo and Yoichi. Yoichi distillery is located on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and was founded by Masataka Taketsuru (who lends his name to this whisky) in 1934. This makes it Japan's second oldest whisky distillery behind Yamazaki. This Pure Malt has an expressive nose with an interesting combination of aromas - vanilla, malty cereal grains, dried grasses, orange oil and just a whiff of earthy peat. The palate is soft, smooth, creamy and velvety with the vanilla, grains and orange oil particularly prominent. The cereal grains add a pleasant bitterness to the other sweeter elements. The finish is drier than expected and is slightly spicier (think of ginger and nutmeg) and smokier (imagine bonfire ash).

Scapa 16 years old
The Scapa distillery is located in the Orkney islands and this bottling was released a couple of years ago, to replace a 14 years old in their small core range. The low production capacity dictates that Scapa whiskies are hard to find but are highly sought after and regarded. The colour of this whisky is a vibrant gold and the nose is delicious. There is plenty of vanilla, coconut and hazelnuts and these are carried through to the creamy, velvety palate. The combination of flavours that come through on the palate is fantastic - hazelnut praline, some milk chocolate, vanilla, coconuts and a hint of fresh peach. It feels very soft and sumptuous. The finish is fairly short but expressive with the coconut and hazelnut elements particularly prominent. An absolutely lovely and well made dram.

Van Winkle Rye whiskey
One of the few American rye whiskies at the show this year so it was an opportunity not to be turned down. Van Winkle was founded by Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle Snr in 1893 and is now operated by the fourth generation of his family (one of these, Preston Van Winkle, was at the show). The company's range of whiskey is made at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky and follows strict secretive recipes that have been handed down. This whiskey is dark amber and has an intense nose. It is packed with plenty of orange (think of candied peel or marmalade), vanilla, cereals (think of the bitter husks especially) and coconut. On the palate, it is equally intense with the plenty of wood spice (imagine nutmeg and cinnamon) joining the orange, vanilla, cereal grains and coconut from the nose. The combination is fantastic with the rye cereals adding a lovely bitter edge to the sweetness. The finish is long and spicy. A cracker of a dram!

Wild Geese Irish whiskey
The Wild Geese are a range of Irish whiskies that are bottled and distributed by an independent company. These whiskies are produced to a specific recipe at the Cooley distillery and are available in 38 countries around the world. The name of the range is taken from the name given to Irish soldiers who fought in various European wars in the 17th and 18th centuries - they were known as 'wild geese'. Three whiskies were available for tasting at the show - two blends and one single malt.

First up is the Rare Irish, one of the blends. This is very light and pale lemon in colour and the nose is delicate (lemon zest, vanilla and rose petals). The palate is equally light and has a fresh vibrancy to it. Delicate flavours such as vanilla, honey, malty cereals and zingy lemon are present. The finish is short and crisp. Next up is the Fourth Centennial, a limited edition blend containing some older whiskies. This is richer with a combination of vanilla, cereals (imagine porridge oats), wood spice (think of nutmeg) and a lemony tang on the nose. The palate exhibits similar characteristics but has more nutmeg spice and the vanilla is sweeter and more reminiscent of marzipan. The finish is of decent length and is drier and oaky. Finally, the Single Malt. The nose is fresh with plenty of vanilla, coconut and cereal grains. On the palate it is light and refreshing with the elements from the nose being joined by some toffee, a hint of earthy peat smoke and some peppery spices. The finish is sweet and enjoyable.

Whisky 4 Movember

Have you been wondering why some of the whisky fraternity are looking a little shabby lately? Are they just lazy? Is designer stubble and the 5 o'clock shadow coming back in to fashion? Are they paying some sort of strange homage to Freddie Mercury or George Michael? The answer may be 'yes' to some of these but the majority be a 'no'. The answer is called Whisky 4 Movember.

Whisky 4 Movember is an official UK charity that is raising money during the course of November by growing moustaches (or a 'mo' - get it?) for the whole month. The group is made up of people from across the whisky industry - writers, bloggers, drinkers and general moustache afficianados! If the progress that some are making is anything to go by, then some of the final results will be hilarious. Ultimately, it is a fun way to raise money for charity and more details (and progress photos of those taking part) and the chance to donate can be found at www.whisky4movember.com. You can also follow progress on Twitter @whisky4movember.

Whisky 4 Movember is part of the larger Movember charity group. Movember's aim is to raise awareness and money for a series of male health issues, with the primary cause being The Prostate Cancer Charity. The idea for Movember originated in Australia and the charity was set up in 2004. Only 30 people took part and grew moustaches in November 2004 but its popularity has grown massively since.

Last year 173,000 men across the world joined in and grew their facial hair, raising a staggering £14 million for Movember's mens health partner charities. To date Movember has helped raise over £30 million and going forward they hope to continue growing (no pun intended!) and raising money to help men with the early detection of health issues such as depression and prostate cancer, diagnosis, effective treatment and emotional backup. For further details or to donate to Movember then check out www.movember.com.

To commemorate the event, Whisky 4 Movember have released an 11 years old vatted whisky called the M'Orkney. We were lucky enough to try a sample of this whisky and our review can be found below. The M'Orkney is released with five different labels, each named after a classic style of moustache - The Handlebar, The Dali, The Chevron (modelled on whisky writer Dave Broom's mo apparently!), The Walrus (modelled on Serge Valentin of WhiskyFun's mo) and The Pencil. There are only 984 bottles in total and they are available at the bargain price of £29.95 plus £6.95 for postage within the UK. They can be ordered from www.masterofmalt.com with all proceeds going directly to Movember UK.

The M'Orkney 11 years old
This whisky is made up from the two distilleries on the Orkney islands, that are located of the north Highland coast of Scotland - Highland Park and Scapa. The minimum age of whisky within it is 11 years of age, although much of the whisky is older than that.

This whisky is a caramel amber colour and the nose is enticing. There is a lovely mix of dried fruits (think of raisins and candied orange peel especially), malty cereal grains, sweet honey and nuts (imagine a creamy type of nut like an almond or hazelnut). Through this comes some soft, delicate smokiness that has the signature floral edge of Highland Park (this is achieved as they put heather from the surrounding moorland in with the peat when they are burning it to dry the barley). On the palate, this is viscous, creamy and slightly oily, yet it feels fresh, vibrant and juicy. There is lots of sweet malted barley and this is joined by the other elements from the nose – dried fruits, honey, nuts (although this is slightly more praline-like here) and that floral smokiness. Also, a touch of spiciness comes through that is reminiscent of cinnamon or nutmeg. The finish is long and rich, starting off sweet, malty and fruity before slightly dry, smoky and woody at the end.

This is a lovely whisky and offers exceptional value for money for £29.95 a bottle. It certainly tastes older than the stated 11 years of age and offers a complex, balanced and very enjoyable dram. As stated previously, it can only be ordered from www.masterofmalts.com with all the money going to the Movember charity and the mens health groups that they support.

Whisky Live 2009, London - Day 1

The Whisky Live event was staged at the prestigious Hurlingham Club in London on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 February. Both of us at Whisky For Everyone were on official duty for both of the days (in other words, we had to work there for our respective companies!!). However, we still had the opportunity to taste some of the whiskies that were on offer at the show, including some new or as yet unreleased drams. So here goes with a few of our highlights from day one.

Balblair 1975
This is the oldest whisky in the current core range of Balblair, a north Highland distillery that is attracting much attention following the winning of a couple of major awards in 2008. The nose is full of dried fruit (imagine raisins and sultanas), intense citrus (think of candied orange peel) and some peaty smokiness burning away. The smokiness was unexpected but marries together with the other elements well to give a sumptuous, full bodied whisky. There is also a warm spiciness on the palate (like ginger) and the finish is long and enjoyable. A very good whisky indeed.

Glendronach 18 years old
This is a sweet and malty whisky from one of the lesser known Speyside distilleries. Glendronach are launching this 18 years old shortly, along with a new 15 years old, as they expand the core range. This has a lot of sherry cask influence with dried fruitiness (think of sultanas and peel especially), sweet malted barley and some woodiness on the nose. The palate was thinner than the richness of the nose suggested. The dried fruit and barley combined well to give a pleasant whisky, although the finish was quite short, woody and slightly bitter.

Glendronach 33 years old
After 33 years maturing in a sherry cask, this whisky is dark and complex. It forms the oldest part of Glendronach's range, with limited batches released each year. The nose is packed with dried fruit (imagine raisins), woody oak (think of vanilla and warm spices like nutmeg) and dark burnt sugar. The palate is rich and even more complex with some more warm spice (imagine ginger this time) and an unexpected mossy smokiness in the background. The finish is long with that burnt sugar and smokiness hanging around. A very rounded whisky for those with expensive taste!

Mackmyra 1st Edition
First edition was the first official release from Swedish distillery Mackmyra and follows a series of six experimental bottlings called the Preludium. The initial batch sold out in Sweden within hours, so having enjoyed a couple of the Preludium series we had to see what all the fuss was about. It has been matured in roasted Swedish oak casks and a distinct toasted nuttiness comes through on the nose (think of almonds or hazelnuts). On the palate, the nuttiness is present and joined by vanilla, some crisp green fruit (imagine pears and apples), honey and a zingy citrus note (think of lemon zest). The finish is short but interestingly a hint of smoke drifts in. This is a young whisky but has complexity beyond its years and continues to show Mackmyra's whisky making potential.

Old Pulteney 21 years old
The oldest whisky currently available from the reknowned Old Pulteney distillery in the north Highlands. This 21 years old has won awards around the world and the colour is a rich gold. The nose indicates some of the richness that will come on the palate. There is lots of vanilla and malted barley, some sweetness (think of honey) and a hint of something floral (imagine heather). The palate does not disappoint and is rich and creamy, with all of the elements above combining to give great complexity. Some warm spices are also present (think of ginger and nutmeg). The finish is quite dry compared to the nose and palate with just a hint of that Old Pulteney saltiness coming through. Truly great stuff.

Scapa 16 years old
This latest release from Scapa on the Orkney Islands is planned to replace the popular 14 years old in the core range. As they have positioned this at a higher price point, it was a must try to see if it was worth their gamble. The colour is golden and the nose is sweet with lots of vanilla, toffee (it is almost fudgy!), malted barley and dried fruit (think of sultanas and candied peel) present. This is rich, creamy and thick in your mouth with butter, toffee and vanilla particularly prominent. There is a lovely warm honey note and a hint of some cinnamon also. The finish is long, creamy and rich again but slightly on the dry side. Not greatly different from the 14 years old but still pretty nice stuff.

Springbank 18 years old
The eagerly anticipated limited new release from the cult distillery in Campbeltown. This is expected to sell out fast when it is released at the end of March. The nose is very promising with some gorgeous sherry dried fruit combining with some sweet malted barley and a hint of something slightly musty (like and old, dusty book). On the palate, this is slightly lighter than expected but the dried fruits and barley remain prominent. There is a pleasant bitter edge (think of burnt sugar or caramel) as well as a zesty citrus freshness that lifts the whole palate. The finish was slightly disappointing and short with just the smallest whiff of smoke present. Overall, a decent whisky.

Van Winkle 12 years old
One of the few bourbons at the show this year. Van Winkle is a fourth generation company whose range of whiskey is made at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky, America and follows strict secretive recipes that have been handed down since the late 1800s. Their unique combination of corn, wheat and barley produces a softer spirit that is more condusive to longer aging than other bourbons, who use rye instead of the wheat. This smells like a fruity Christmas cake with some coconut and vanilla thrown in. It is warming on the palate with that vanilla and coconut prominent. It feels creamy in the mouth and the finish is long with some warm spicy notes coming through (think of nutmeg or cinnamon). Very smooth, very easy drinking and very good.

Van Winkle 23 years old 'Pappy's Family Reserve'
A very limited release that is named after the founder - Julian 'Pappy' Van Winkle Snr. Only around 1500 bottles are released each year (the next batch is coming out in late Spring) and bourbons of this age are difficult to find. This was an opportunity not to be turned down! This is one rich, creamy and complex bourbon. The nose is full of woody oakiness, vanilla, citrus (imagine dried orange peel), coconut and warm spices (think of nutmeg). On the palate, these elements combine exceptionally well and the finish goes on and on. It is not too woody or bitter as some old bourbons can be. Excellent whiskey - one of the Whisky Live 'Wow' moments.

Have just tried ... Scapa 14 years old

Scapa is located close to the village of St. Ola on the Orkney islands, which lie off the north Highland coast. In fact, it is the second most northerly distillery in Scotland and is misses out on first place to Highland Park by just half a mile! Scapa was founded in 1885 and is currently owned by drinks giant Pernod Ricard. It is a small distillery that produces one million litres of whisky a year, although a decent percentage of this is passed on to be used in the range of Chivas Regal blends. As a result, this 14 years old and a new 16 years old are the only whiskies released by the distillery at present with occasional bottlings of older versions. Scapa is popular with the independent bottling companies and is more widely available through them. This 14 years old was only released for the first time in 2004 and both sales and Scapa's cult following continue to grow. A bottle should cost £35-40.

This has a gorgeous golden colour and the nose is very promising. There is a sweetness that is a cross between malted barley and butterscotch, with some vanilla and nuts (imagine almonds). When tasted on the palate, the first thing that is noticed is that this whisky feels very creamy and thick. It is full of vanilla and that butterscotch again. That almond nuttiness starts to come through and more interesting elements join too. There is a hint of a warm spice (like nutmeg or cinnamon), something citrus that pleasantly cuts through the creaminess and some dried fruit (think of sultanas). Maybe, there is a slight salty tang to it also. The finish is quite long and warming with the butterscotch particularly prominent. A very pleasing dram that would be an excellent choice to give to someone who thinks that they didn't like whisky or who hadn't tried much whisky. It is very approachable and easy drinking and is well worth hunting down a bottle.