New release - Glenrothes 2001 Vintage

This whisky is the latest in the highly acclaimed Glenrothes Vintage series.  It has been constructed by Gordon Motion, the Malt Master for the distillery's owners Berry Brothers & Rudd, from a selection of casks. All were distilled in 2001 and the whisky has been designed to have "soft, stimulating and conversational properties". It will appear in the Asian market, where it will be bottled at 40% ABV, and the European and US markets where it will be 43% ABV. A bottle will cost £45, €55 or $67 USD.

New release - Jura 1977 'Juar'

Back in a February edition of Inbox, we featured the Jura distillery's announcement of the latest edition to their premium limited edition Vintage range - the Juar 1977 Vintage. The name Juar is Gaelic for the mythical yew tree, which one covered the isle of Jura and was the source of some local superstitions. The yew tree was believed to carry the powers of regeneration and immortality by islanders.  It follows another vintage from the 1970s - the Feith A' Chaorainn 1976 Vintage - which appeared in late 2011 and was also named after a tree (in that case, the rowan).

New release - Auchentoshan 1979 Oloroso Matured

This new whisky is the latest in Auchentoshan's vintage series from the 1970s.  Other expressions in the series include the 1975 Bourbon Cask and 1977 Sherry Cask, which we have previously reviewed. Auchentoshan is unique amongst Scottish whisky distilleries as they triple distil every drop of their spirit using three stills. Elsewhere in Scotland the common practice is to distil twice, whereas triple distillation is more commonly associated with Irish whiskies.

New release - Balblair 2002

The Balblair 2002 is the latest Vintage to be released by the up-and-coming distillery. The policy of selecting whiskies from particular years, rather than well established age points such as 12, 15 or 21 years old, was started in 2007 and differs from the philosophy of most distilleries.  The whiskies are specially selected from Balblair's maturing stock by distillery manager John MacDonald and listening to him speak at a recent event he made one telling statement - "our whisky tells us when it's ready, not the other way round".  We liked that ...

New release - Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage

The Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage is the latest release in the east Highland distillery's popular small batch single malt programme. It is the sixth special addition to the Glen Garioch range. It was produced and filled to cask just months before the distillery was mothballed (this is the term used when production ceases at a distillery, but the equipment remains intact) in October 1995.  Some of the other whiskies in the series have been very good, so we were excited to try this new expression.

New release - Bowmore 1985 Vintage

A couple of weeks ago we reported in our weekly Inbox feature that the Bowmore distillery had announced the release of two new whiskies in its limited edition series of vintages. The two were distilled in 1964 and 1985, and both were hand selected by Bowmore's Distillery Manager Eddie MacAffer. Both expressions follow in the footsteps of similar award winning releases and are available globally from specialist whisky retailers.

Well, shortly after that a small sample of the 1985 Vintage popped through our letterbox. The whisky has been created by combining an ex-sherry and an ex-bourbon casks, both distilled and casked in 1985. It has also been released at the natural cask strength of 52.3% ABV and is limited to just 727 bottles with a recommended retail price of £300. This release is presented in the regular Bowmore bottle but with an accompanying wooden casket which includes features such as a leather strap with a copper buckle and a certificate signed by Eddie MacAffer.

The Bowmore distillery is located on the famous whisky making island of Islay (pronounced eye-la), which lies off the west coast of Scotland. It is the oldest distillery on the island, having been founded in 1779 by John Simpson.  This also makes it one of the oldest distilleries in the whole of Scotland.  Bowmore is currently owned by Morrison Bowmore, who have been in control since 1963.  They are a subsidiary of the larger Suntory drinks company from Japan, who acquired Morrison Bowmore in 1989.  The core range of Bowmore single malts is extensive and the annual production capacity of the distillery is two million litres.

Our tasting notes
The colour is a vibrant golden yellow and the nose exhibits some very promising initial aromas. There is a wonderful combination of sweet vanilla, icing sugar and honey, delicate fresh fruits (think of pear, apple and a hint of peach) and soft peat smoke (imagine dry dusty earth and grass).  With time a distinct aroma of parma violet sweets comes through, as does a hint of coal tar soap and salty brine.

On the palate, this whisky feels superb and mouth coating.  It feels opulent and has a vibrant edge.  The fresh fruit notes from the nose are immediately evident, especially the green pear and apple ones.  These combine well with some notes of soft brown sugar, sweet runny honey and plenty of vanilla, which particularly enhances the soft creamy feeling on the palate.  The distinctive note of parma violet sweets is there and again increases with time - this particular note is a characteristic almost unique to Bowmore whiskies above a certain age.  The soft, earthy peat smoke is the last thing to reveal itself and has a pleasant hint of bitterness to it.  There is also the tiniest hint of salty tang right at the end.

The smokiness may appear towards the end of the palate but it is during the finish that it really comes alive, outlasting nearly everything else.  The sweeter and the fruity elements lead the way, but as they fade the smokiness shines through wonderfully and extends the drinking experience beyond expectations.

What's the verdict?
The Bowmore 1985 Vintage is an excellent whisky and one that maintains the award winning high standards of the previous releases in this series.  The 1980s were clearly a good decade at Bowmore!  The nose is gorgeous and highly perfumed, the palate delivers what the nose builds up and more, while the finish is deliciously long with the smokiness coming to the fore.  It is a whisky that reminds us why Bowmore is one of our favourite distilleries.  We would say that it is worth every penny of £300 for a bottle of whisky of this undoubted quality ... now we just have to start saving up!

New releases > Dalmore 1995 Vintage

The north Highland distillery of Dalmore have launched a new single malt whisky in the UK. The whisky has been specially selected by Dalmore's Distillery Manager Ian Mackay and will be sold exclusively through The Whisky Shop - the UK's largest specialist whisky retail chain.  The Dalmore 1995 Vintage has been matured in combination of ex-Matusalem sherry casks and ex-bourbon American oak casks and is limited to just 1,800 bottles.  It is bottled at 40% ABV and can be purchased at any of the chain's 18 stores or via www.whiskyshop.com, costing £84.99 a bottle.

Speaking about the release, Ian Mackay comments, "I was delighted to be able to choose a whisky that would represent my favourite style of single malt for The Whisky Shop. I’ve selected a whisky that has been matured in two of my favourite casks, and I just hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I do!". 

Andrew Torrance, the Managing Director of The Whisky Shop chain adds, "Ian has over 30 years experience working in the whisky industry, and his choice of casks for us certainly didn’t disappoint. The brand of Dalmore has gone from strength to strength over the last few years both in liquid supremacy and packaging excellence, so having our own exclusive chosen by the Distillery Manager will be a real asset".

The Dalmore distillery is located in the northern Highland town of Alness in Scotland and overlooks the imposing Cromarty Firth. It was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson and has had an interesting history, including being used in the First World War by the Royal Navy to manufacture explosives! The current capacity of the distillery is four million litres per year. Dalmore is currently owned by the famous whisky name of Whyte & Mackay, which is now a subsidiary of the Indian company United Spirits - they own the famous Whyte & Mackay blended whisky brand, plus the distilleries of Fettercairn, Jura and Tamnavulin. United Spirits took over in 2007 and have since re-branded most of their whisky ranges and packaging.

Our tasting notes
The colour is golden amber and the nose is rich and expressive.  There are plenty of initial aromas of caramel/toffee, brown sugar and dark dried fruits (think of raisins, prunes and figs especially).  With time in the glass, further aromas join in - spiced orange, cinnamon, coconut and hints of creamy milk chocolate and a whiff of burnt matchstick (this element in particular seems to increase with water).  On the palate this whisky is soft, gentle and warming with a slightly oily mouth feel.  A distinct note of tangy spiced orange kicks things off, followed by the caramel, honey, further wood spices (cinnamon and nutmeg especially), vanilla and dried fruits. Something darker begins to appear underneath, with notes of milk chocolate and espresso coming through. More drying woody spices are present in the background, which increase with time and balance the sweetness. The finish is lengthy, rich and warming. There is again plenty of caramel/toffee-like sweetness tempered by drier wood spice and a lovely hit of that tangy orange zest.  Delicious.

What's the verdict?
This is a good whisky and one that is a slight departure from the regular Dalmore range, which exhibit heavy ex-sherry cask maturation characteristics. This is a little lighter and shows good elegance, depth and complexity of aromas and flavour.  It will appeal to those who like popular single malt whiskies such as the Balvenie Doublewood or Macallan Fine Oak range, both of which mix ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks in a similar way. Reports are that this new release has sold heavily up to Xmas.  If you wish to buy one, then don't hang around as it may not be around for much longer.

New releases > Jura 1976 'Feith A' Chaorainn'

The 1976 ‘Feith A’ Chaorainn’ vintage is the latest vintage single malt whisky to be released by the island distillery of Jura. Previous such vintages from Jura have proved popular amongst whisky connoisseurs.  The name of 'Feith A' Chaorainn' translates as 'the land around the rowan' and refers to a rowan tree on Jura which is believed to bring good luck to islanders. They place twigs from this tree on their homes and farm buildings to protect themselves and their livestock from bad luck, storms and ill health.

The whisky has been constructed from just three first-fill ex-bourbon hogshead casks and was distilled in 1976.  The three casks have been 'married' together and bottled recently at an age of 35 years.  There are only 500 bottles in the release and to reflect this the recommended retail price is £500 each.  It is available now in specialist whisky retailers around the world.  The strength is 46% ABV.

The isle of Jura lies off the west coast of Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1810 by Archibald Campbell and was originally called Small Isles distillery - named after the numerous small islands located in Craighouse Bay, which it overlooks. It was closed for a long period between 1901 and 1960, when it was rebuilt and re-named as Jura by Charles Mackinlay & Co. Production restarted in 1963. The distillery has an annual production capacity of two million litres, which is large when considering its remoteness and the small population of the island (only 220 people at the last count).

Jura was given its name by invading Nordic warriors and it translates as 'deer island', because of the large number of the animals that inhabit the island - they outnumber people by a ratio of 20:1. The current owners of the distillery are Whyte & Mackay, who are owned by the Indian drinks company United Spirits. They use Jura’s whisky in their popular range of Whyte & Mackay blends. However, they are putting more in to promoting Jura as a single malt whisky and sales have improved greatly.

Our tasting notes
The colour is a rich coppery gold and the nose is very promising, if not a little understated.  There are heavy aromas of rich wood spice (especially cinnamon) and plenty of oak, complimented by a good dose of spiced/cloved orange zest.  Then come more subtle notes of vanilla, toffee and honey, backed up by a hints of peat smoke and coal tar soap.  On the palate, this is surprisingly fresh for something of this age and this manifests itself with a lovely tropical exotic fruit note (think of dried mango and pineapple in particular) and a hint of 'maritime' saltiness.  The freshness settles down to give a pleasant creamy feel that shows elements of sultana, vanilla, honey, oat biscuit, faint drying smokiness and a good hit of wood spice (imagine cinnamon, oak, sandalwood).  The classiness of this whisky is confirmed with lovely notes of milky coffee, chocolate and tangy orange zest, which add great depth and complexity.  With time in the glass (5+ minutes), a fantastic hazelnut praline note appears.  The finish is delicious but slightly short and a little dry, although the chocolate note reappears to rectify this.

What's the verdict?
This is a very classy whisky that has plenty of depth, freshness and complexity.  These elements combine to give a stunning final result.  It shows what can be achieved with the use of quality casks over a sustained period of maturation.  The younger Jura whiskies in their range are good for what they are, but this shows that the spirit can benefit wonderfully from prolonged ageing. The 1976 Feith A' Chaorainn is expensive, but it is limited in numbers and a fine single malt.  Delicious.