Have just tried – Glen Moray Peated Spirit Batch #1

Glen Moray is a distillery with a history of experimentation with different cask and since 2010 they has also been some experimentation with peated malt (compared to their standard un-peated malts). The recent limited release, Peated Spirit Batch #1, was from a single cask from the first batch of peated malt to be run through the distillery in January 2010. This release is a bit of a sneak preview into some of the exciting things to come.

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.

The Boutique Bar Show 2009, London - Part 2

Earlier this week we were lucky enough to attend the Boutique Bar Show 2009 in London, which is one of the UK's biggest trade shows for spirits. We sampled a number of whiskies at the show - you can read our reviews of these by clicking here - and while we were there we had the chance to try some other quality spirits. We have decided to 'branch out' away from whisky reviewing just this once and review this range of other spirits that we tried. The list looks long we know, but each one was served in a thimble sized sample glass (honest! ... well OK, there were one or two exceptions!).

Caorunn gin
Caorunn (pronounce ka-roon) is a new handcrafted gin that is distilled in small batches at the Balmenach whisky distillery in Scotland. It is a pure grain spirit that is then infused with six of the traditional gin botanicals (angelica root, cassia bark, coriander, juniper berry, lemon and orange peel) and five exclusive Celtic botanicals (bog myrtle, Coul blush apple, dandelion, heather and rowan berry). Caorunn is dry and crisp with an aromatic nose that is floral and citrusy. The palate has some sweetness and is fresh, fruity and spicy. Very good stuff that would make the perfect G&T. Check out their website at www.caorunngin.com.

Isake Umeshu de France plum wine
Umeshu is a plum wine that is traditionally made in Japan, but this version made by Isake is different. It is made using plums from the premium plum growing Moissac region in southern France. They are then macerated in grape spirit and matured in French oak casks. The result is a drink that is a vibrant golden colour with a sweet plum and honey aroma. The sample was served to us with ice and was lovely, rich and silky with gorgeous plum flavours. This would be very good on its own or with soda or prosecco as a mixer. Take a look at their cool website for the range of premium sake www.isake.co.uk.

Karlsson's Gold vodka
This is a premium vodka from the Cape Bjarne distillery in southern Sweden. It is made from 100% new potatoes and is distilled only once so as to preserve the maximum flavour. The vodka is aromatic with a lovely sweetness and earthiness and on the palate feels rich and creamy. Again, the sweetness and earthiness is present. We had it served to us chilled with some ice and freshly ground black pepper and it was absolutely lovely, with the peppery spiciness bringing out the flavours even further. Check out their website www.karlssonsvodka.com.

Laird's applejack
The Laird family have been producing applejack, an American form of apple brandy, at their New Jersey distillery since 1698. The only time that it has been out of production is during the Prohibition period between 1920 and 1933. Applejack is made from premium apples and is blended using 35% apple brandy and 65% neutral spirit. The colour is like apple juice and the aroma is a combination of sweet, crisp apples and carameled sugar. On the palate, the neutral spirit is more evident but the apple sweetness starts to overtake and make the experience more pleasant. The finish has more of the brown sugary caramel and is reminiscent of an apple pie or crumble. Not bad on its own but would be lovely in a cocktail or with a mixer.

Nardini grappa
The Nardini company have been distilling fine grappa since 1779 in the town of Bassano del Grappa in northern Italy. We sampled some of their excellent products and you can view their full range at www.nardinigrappa.com. First on the sample list was the 'Rosso', a soft, sweet and rich aperitif that is reminiscent of drinks like Martini Rosso or Aperol. It is dark red in colour and has a bitter edge and is excellent as it was served to us with some soda and lemon. Next up was the 'Bianca', one of Italy's premium grappas and a multi award winner around the world. It is one of the best grappas we have tried with a balanced sweetness on the palate and aromatic herbal nose. The 'Riserva 15 Anni' (15 years old) was next and is aged in Slovenian oak casks for 15 years. Darker in colour, this is richer, woodier and softer than the 'Bianca' and is strangely like a whisky. Next up was the 'Ruta', which contains a large leaf of the ruta herb. This gives the grappa a green tint and a bitter, astringent flavour that is a bit more of an acquired taste but very pleasant. The 'Ginepro' was our final sample and is a grappa based liqueur that is infused with juniper berries and a secret mix of Italian botanicals. It is sweet, aromatic and reminiscent of a gin, making it ideal for a cocktail. An excellent range of products.

Sipsmith Spirits
Sipsmith was established in 2008 and is the first new distillery to be set up in London for 189 years. Based in west London, they produce handmade small batches (no more than 500 bottles at any one time) of artisan gin and vodka made from English barley and water from one of the springs that is a source of the River Thames. The 'Barley Vodka' has a slightly nutty nose and is smooth and creamy on the palate with a lovely sweet graininess, that nuttiness again and a hint of wood spice. The 'London Dry Gin' is distilled using 10 classic gin botanicals (angelica root, cassia bark, cinnamon, coriander seed, ground almond, juniper berry, lemon peel, liquorice root, orange peel and orris root) and has a floral, zesty nose. On the palate, it is smooth with some spiciness, zesty citrus and juniper. It begins beautifully dry before becoming sweeter. The finish is dry and mouthwatering. Check out the informative website www.sipsmith.com which includes a great working diagram of how they distill their vodka.

Van Wees Genever gin
Van Wees have been distilling gin since 1782 and are the last authentic distillery to be operating in the Dutch city of Amsterdam. They produce a range of gins produced in the Genever style (one of the oldest styles of gin making where they distill maltwine and the fore father of the London gin style). They use a range of traditional botanicals including fruit, flowers, plants, roots and seeds to infuse flavour in to the gin. The 'Zeer Oude Genever' (Very Old Genever) is matured in oak casks for a minimum of a year and is highly aromatic and quite fruity. The palate is rich, smooth and fruity with a hint of peppery spice. The 'Amsterdamsche Oude Genever' is fairly similar to the 'Zeer Oude' but is sweeter on the palate before turning dry and quite herbal on the finish.