Have just tried (Spanish edition) ... Vat 69

Vat 69 is a blended whisky that was first produced in 1882 by a man called William Sanderson. He owned a whisky liqueur company in Leith, Edinburgh and decided to branch out in to the area of blended whiskies in 1880, which was a time when the blended whisky sales were booming in Scotland. As the story goes, Sanderson decided to produce 100 casks of blended whisky, each with its own style and subtle difference. He then assembled a panel of judges comprising of friends, family, business associates and reknowned master blenders, asking them to taste and mark each one. The whisky from cask number 69 received the highest score, so the name Vat 69 was born. Sanderson started the production in 1882.

The blend contains a complex mix of 40 different single malts and grain whiskies and the exact combination remains a closely guided secret. This has evolved over the years from Sanderson's original blend that was built heavily around the two distilleries that he owned - Glen Garioch (pronounced glen-gear-ee) for its single malt and North British for its grain whisky content. The Vat 69 brand is now owned by drinks giant Diageo, with most stock exported from the UK. Its main markets around the world are Spain, Greece, Venezuela and Australia. Vat 69 is also popular in India, where it has regularly featured in Bollywood movies since the 1950s which has fuelled its sales there massively.

The colour is light with a brownish tinge and the nose is slightly rough but then improves slightly with time. It is full of different cereal grains (think of malted barley, corn and maize) and sugary caramel, with a distinct fake fruit sweetness (imagine peardrop sweets - this is a classic indication that some young whisky is present in the blend). Not a great start but as stated it does improve with some vanilla coming through. On the palate, this feels medium to light bodied and slightly buttery in the mouth. Again, there are lots of cereal notes (almost too much as it gives a touch of herbal bitterness to the whisky) and that sweet sugary caramel. The finish has very little length and is sweet (almost sickly), then turns bitter and woody before leaving a raw alcoholic burn in your mouth and throat.

Vat 69 lacks any real complexity and clearly contains some young whiskies. While this keeps the production costs and subsequent retail costs down, it does add a slightly unpleasant edge to the blend when drunk neat. Having said that, it was better with a mixer and gave the required impact to the drink. It would also be good with ice, as the extra coldness would take away some of the spirity alcohol. Both of these make it perfect for warm weather climates, so it is easy to see why Vat 69 is so popular in the countries listed above. This exported version that we tried on our recent trip to Spain is different to the UK version, which has a slightly higher percentage of single malts involved. In the UK a bottle should cost between £15-20, although it is much cheaper in Spain where our bottle cost €9!

So, where have we been?

We have received some comments asking why we have not added any new entries for the last two weeks or so. Well, we have been on our annual holiday/pilgrimage to Spain and the Benicassim music festival. This year's festival highlights included Oasis, Glasvegas, Fangoria, Maximo Park, Franz Ferdinand, 2manydjs, White Lies, Friendly Fires and Pete Doherty. It also produced an unprecidented set of freak biblical weather events that included a sandstorm, a blazing bushfire and one of the strongest gales ever experienced! This resulted in the majority of Friday night's bill being cancelled, including Kings of Leon :(

Anyway, we survived to tell the tale and while in Spain, we decided to try some of the whiskies that are popular in the country. The Spanish consume a massive 20 million litres of whisky a year and this puts them in fourth place in the world consumption chart, behind only France, America and the UK. The biggest selling whisky (by a long way) is J&B Rare and this blend is found everywhere. We tried this prior to our trip - click here to see our review. Blended whiskies are very popular and dominate the market. Over the next few days we will be adding the tasting reviews and findings from our trip and these will include blends, single malts and even some Spanish whisky. Stay tuned, we are back!

Have just tried ... Bruichladdich 12 years old

Bruichladdich (pronounced brook-laddie) is the most westerly distillery in Scotland that is currently releasing single malt whiskies. It is located on the the western peninsula of the famous whisky island of Islay and sits on the shores of Loch Indaal. Islay is the traditional home of the world's smoky whiskies but the Bruichladdich distillery style is in contrast to these, being lighter, fresher and generally with little or no peatiness. The distillery was originally founded in 1881 and was built using stones from the local beach. It was also one of the first buildings in the UK to be built using concrete! Bruichladdich means 'the brae (hillside) by the shore' in Gaelic.

Bruichladdich is one of Scotland's most innovative distilleries and one of very few that remain independently owned. Since being taken over by a group of four entrepreneurs in 2000, Bruichladdich has been very experimental with its whisky production and release programme. They are reknowned for maturing their whisky in non traditional wine and dessert wine casks. By experimenting, Bruichladdich's aim is to try and introduce new people to whisky and their innovative range is extensive and they are always updating it with new releases. In contrast to this, the new owners renovated the distillery to its former glory and decided to maintain the traditional whisky making machinery and techniques. There are no computers used for production and it is one of the most traditional and historical distilleries in Scotland.

This 12 years old forms part of the regular core range and can be found in specialist whisky retailers for £30-35 a bottle. The colour is straw like with a golden tint and the nose is fresh and light. There are some lovely notes present that make your mouth water at the prospect of tasting the whisky - sweet cereal grains, vanilla, fresh citrus (think of oranges or tangerines) and just a hint of freshly cut grass. On the palate, this is bursting with interesting refreshing flavours that combine to give a good balance to the whisky. Up front there is plenty of wood (imagine oak) and sugary caramel, followed by that orangey citrus note from the nose. There is also a more tropical fruity note (think of pineapple and mango), as well as some honey, vanilla and malted barley. It is sharp and tangy with a light freshness. The finish is short and clean and begins with that sugary caramel again before turning drier and more oaky right at the end. This again creates good balance and interest.

Bruichladdich 12 years old is an enjoyable whisky that is light, fresh and tangy. This would make it good as an introduction whisky for a beginner as it has complexity but is easy drinking and rounded. It would also mean that it would be great on a hot day, when its sharp refreshing nature would be perfect.

Have just tried ... The Famous Grouse

The Famous Grouse is the UK's biggest selling whisky. It is a blend that is made up of single malts from the Glenrothes, Glenturret, Highland Park and Macallan distilleries and some grain whisky. The four distilleries are all owned by the Edrington Group and the success of the blend can be traced back to the 1960s, when whisky sales boomed. In 1980, The Famous Grouse finally overtook Bell's, its long term rival, to gain first place for UK sales and has never looked back. It has maintained first place ever since although the rivalry means that figures are always close. The Famous Grouse accounts for 15% of all blended whisky sales in the UK, which is its primary market.

The Famous Grouse was created by a company called Matthew Gloag & Son. The company was set up in 1800 by Matthew Gloag in the town of Perth and was originally a wine merchant and importer. They supplied wine to Queen Victoria whenever she stayed at Balmoral Castle, as well as other wealthy clients. In 1860, Matthew's son William took over and started buying whiskies from various distilleries around Scotland and blending them, as was the trend at the time. The popularity of his blends grew and in 1896, his son (also called Matthew) launched The Grouse, which later became The Famous Grouse. The name was given so as to attract the sporting type of gentleman who frequented the Highlands in the late Victorian era to go shooting, hunting and fishing. The iconic grouse logo was a pencil drawing by Matthew's daughter and a version of this original drawing is still used on the label today.

The colour is a light amber and the nose is youthful with some caramel, dried fruits (think of raisins or sultanas), woody oaky vanilla and some yeast. There is also plenty of raw spirit, especially at the very beginning, although this fades the longer the whisky is in the glass. Despite the initial spirity quality, the nose is quite light and delicate. On the palate this is slightly richer than the nose suggests with lots of sugary caramel and toffee up front. This is followed by some creamy vanilla, dried fruits (especially raisins), some cereal grains and just a whiff of earthy smoke. Unfortunately, the raw youthful spirit is never far away and it is exposed in a short, crisp finish that offers little else and is therefore slightly disappointing.

The Famous Grouse can get bad press from some whisky afficiandos but it is easy to see why it is so popular and outsells everything else in the UK. It has enough interesting characteristics yet remains uncomplicated and easy drinking. Having never tried it and having only read various contrasting reports, it gave me a pleasant surprise and was certainly better than expected. The Famous Grouse is widely available in nearly all pubs, bars, convenience stores and supermarkets throughout the UK and should cost £13-17 a bottle, which is a decent price for a solid, if unspectacular, whisky.

Have just tried ... Littlemill 19 years old 'Old & Rare' from Douglas Laing & Co

Littlemill was a distillery located in the Lowlands region of Scotland, situated to the north west of Glasgow between the towns of Clydebank and Dumbarton. Production ceased at the distillery in 1992 and a majority of the buildings have since been demolished. Had it still been in operation today, Littlemill would have been Scotland's oldest distillery. It was founded in 1772, three years before the current oldest at Glenturret started production, although records show that a distillery was operating on the site as early as the 1750s. The common Lowland practice of triple distillation was followed until 1930, when they switched to double distillation.

The stock of Littlemill is declining, as no new whisky has been produced for 17 years. As a result Littlemill whisky is hard to find and is becoming rarer as time passes. The majority of what is left is owned by the Loch Lomond Distillery Company, who release a 12 years old, and a number of the independent bottling companies. Buying independent bottlings remains the best way to try a Littlemill whisky as Loch Lomond only sporadically release limited numbers of the 12 years old. It can occasionally be bottled as Dunglas or Dumback (a smoky version) but both are exceptionally rare and very expensive.

This 19 years old is released by the Glasgow based independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co and forms part of their 'Old & Rare' premium range of whiskies. Just a single cask has been released resulting in only 333 bottles and the price is just over £100 for a bottle. The colour is golden and the nose has all the classic notes of quality bourbon cask maturation - lots of vanilla, oaky wood and sweet coconut (reminding me of a Bounty bar). There is also plenty of grainy cereals present and some yeast (think of a robust grainy style of bread). On the palate, this is again very grainy with lots of vanilla and coconut. Something quite sweet and sugary comes through (imagine butterscotch), as does a herbal grassy note (think of dried grasses or hay). The slight bitterness of this herbal note balances the overall sweetness of the other elements. The finish is long and pleasant with a similar combination of bitter grassiness and sweet cereal grains. As the alcohol level is 55.4% ABV, some water was added and this made the whisky lighter and fresher with a more floral nose (think of honeysuckle) and a citrus note present on the palate (imagine orange zest).

Have just tried ... Glencadam 15 years old

Glencadam is a little known distillery that is located in the eastern Highlands. It was built in the town of Brechin, which lies between Dundee and Aberdeen, in 1825 and is the last remaining distillery in what was once a thriving whisky producing area. It has a reknowned history of producing and supplying whisky to some of Scotland's biggest blending houses. Historically, Glencadam has formed an important part of top selling blends such as Ballantine's and Teacher's and today is the cornerstone of the Angus Dundee blended range of whisky.

Angus Dundee Distillers took over the distillery and reopened it in 2003. It had been closed by the previous owners in 2000, but everything was kept intact so that production could restart immediately whenever required (this is called 'mothballing'). Angus Dundee soon had Glencadam running back at full capacity (approx. 1.4 million litres per year) and built a blending centre on the part of the site in 2006.

This 15 years old is currently the only one distillery bottling of single malt whisky from Glencadam and was first released in 2005. There are a number of independent bottling releases and these are growing in number and popularity. The nose is very aromatic with lots of interesting characteristics - a heap of vanilla, oaky woodiness (think of fresh sawdust) and warm spices (cinnamon especially) mixing with a distinct nuttiness (imagine a creamy nut like an almond) and fizzy sherbet sweets (sounds odd I know, but its the nearest thing we could think of). On the palate, this is very malty with lots of sweet cereal grains present. It is medium bodied and soft with a reduced spiciness (cinnamon again) and woodiness from the nose. Other elements present themselves, notably some coconut, toffee and a citrus tang (think of lemons). It is pleasant but slightly disappointing and flat compared to the robust nose. The finish is punchy and short. There is a lot of woodiness (almost bitter and reminded me of tree resin or sap) and leaves a warm burn in your mouth and throat that is extremely drying.

This is a slightly strange one as we found ourselves wanting to like it more than we did. The reason is that the interesting, pungent and complex nose fails to convert favourably to the palate and feels flat, before teasing you with that punchy dry finish. Despite this, it is still a decent enjoyable dram but could be very good if it had a bit more going on in your mouth. Glencadam 15 years old is relatively hard to find, normally reserved for the shelves of specialist whisky retailers. A bottle is £35-40.

News ... whisky tasting on 29 July

The London branch of The Whisky Shop chain has just announced a new whisky tasting entitled 'Summer Whiskies'. The event will be held at the shop (7 Queen's Head Passage, London EC4M 7DY. Nearest tube is St. Paul's) on the evening of Wednesday 29 July, starting at 6.30pm. The cost will be £32.50 a head and places are limited, so booking in advance is essential.

The aim of the evening is to demonstrate the versatility of whisky as a summer drink either taken neat, with water or ice or as part of a cocktail. A majority of people have the perception that whisky is just a winter drink but we aim to show otherwise. During the evening, the subjects of how whisky is made, the history of whisky and how to taste whisky will also be covered before trying some fine single malts. History and interesting facts of the featured distilleries form part of the tasting, as does a selection of light snacks, which lead us to talk about food and whisky matching. The branch is also available for private corporate tastings on request.

Book your place NOW
Contact Matt or Chris on 020-73295117 or london@thewhiskyshop.net

In the whisky cupboard ... Gentleman Jack

In order to celebrate the 4th of July, American Independence Day, yesterday we decided that it was time to open one of the American whiskies that we have in our whisky cupboard. Gentleman Jack is a whiskey released by the world famous Jack Daniel's distillery that can be found in the town of Lynchburg in the state of Tennessee. It was established in 1866 by a man named Jack Daniel and the distillery remained in Jack's family until 1956 when it was sold to a Kentucky based distilling company called Brown Forman, who remain as the current owners.

Tennessee whiskey is different from bourbon, which is produced in the state of Kentucky. The ingredients are the same but Tennessee whiskey is filtered through charcoal prior to maturation. Jack Daniel pioneered this process. It is lengthy (taking up to 10 days per batch) as the whiskey is dripped through the charcoal, which by law must come from the sugar maple tree. This is done so as to remove unwanted impurities from the distillation process and make the final whiskey cleaner and smoother.

Gentleman Jack is different from the regular Jack Daniel's No.7 as it is filtered twice through the maple charcoal - once before maturation and once after. It is also slightly older at release, being around 5 years of age. Jack Daniel had experimented with double and even triple filtration of his whiskey but the practice was not started commercially until 1988, when Gentleman Jack first went into full scale production. It is a unique whiskey as no other in the world follows this double filtration process.

The colour is a dark golden amber and the nose is aromatic and welcoming. There is a lot of vanilla and also some oaky wood (think of coconut especially). Some other interesting sweeter notes come through well - a distinct sugary aroma (imagine nougat or cream soda), some dried fruits (think of tropical fruits like mango and pineapple, as well as candied orange peel) and some caramel. Something else is also present on the nose that took us a while to pin down (the nearest we got was an aroma something like a waxy furniture polish). On the palate this is light and very smooth, with much more woodiness than on the nose. It has a lovely creamy vanilla quality that is backed up with the complex combination of those dried tropical fruits, candied peel, caramel and something slightly bitter and nutty. It lacks the sweetness that the nose suggests and becomes very dry during its long, lingering finish. An oaky, slightly bitter woodiness and the dried orange peel are the predominant notes.

Gentleman Jack is a good, enjoyable American whiskey that has considerably more structure and complexity than its more famous relative, the Jack Daniel's N0.7. Gentleman Jack is found primarily in the travel retail/Duty Free sector around the world and this is where we purchased our bottle. It cost about £17 for a litre, once converted from the local currency. It can also be found in a few selected whisky retailers in the UK, but prices are higher at £35-40. We say that Gentleman Jack is well worth buying next time that you are travelling.

Have just tried ... Clan Denny vatted malts

The Clan Denny range is released by the Glasgow based independent bottling company Douglas Laing & Co. The name is used for their ranges of single grain whiskies and a series of vatted malts. The origin of the Clan Denny name is a little hazy although Douglas Laing tell the story of a Taiwanese businessman who wanted a blended whisky to be made by them and named after himself. His name was Dennis and his suggestion was MacDennis, which Douglas Laing deemed to be too cheesy so changed it to Clan Dennis. Over time this has been adapted to Clan Denny.

The vatted malt part of the Clan Denny range includes these two whiskies - one in the Speyside style and one in the Islay style. A vatted malt is a whisky that consists of two or more single malt whiskies added together. The major difference between a vatted malt and a blended whisky is that vatted malts only contain single malt whiskies, whereas blends contain a mixture of single malts and grain whisky. Both bottlings retail at £30-35 for a 750ml bottle.

Clan Denny 'Speyside'
This vatted malt contains single malt whiskies from four Speyside distilleries - Dufftown, Glendullan, Linkwood and Mortlach. All four are common in other vatted malts and blends and Speyside is known for its soft, rounded and easy drinking whiskies. The colour is pale gold and the nose is fresh. The obvious note is strong oaky vanilla but behind this is something citrus (think of lemon zest), a hint of dried fruit (sultanas especially), yeast and fresh green fruit (imagine pears and apples). On the palate, this feels thin and spirity with those pears and apples present again (this is a classic sign that some pretty young whisky is included in the vatting process). The vanilla and oakiness again overpower everything, although the other elements from the nose are there but subdued, making it quite one dimensional. The ABV is 46% and with the addition of water it becomes sweeter (think of honey) and slightly more pleasant. The finish is dry (beyond dry if that is possible) and woody but thankfully short. Not my favourite ever dram, to be honest.

Clan Denny 'Islay'
The Islay vatted malt consists of single malts from five of the distilleries on the famous whisky producing island - Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila and Laphroaig. Islay is well known for the production of heavy, smoky, peaty whiskies. The colour of this is darker and more amber (as can be seen on the photo above). The nose is also more appetising with an obvious yet pleasant hit of earthy, peaty smoke. This is backed up by a sweet cereal note (think of barley grains), some vanilla and a whiff of salty sea air. On the palate, this is packed with smokiness that starts off being damp, earthy and mossy and turns quite spicy and hot (think of chilli or peppercorns). It has a distinct salty tang that makes your mouth water and feels creamy and full bodied. There is again some vanilla and cereals and these are joined by a bitter phenolic (almost like antiseptic) note right at the end. With water, the smoke becomes more like coal smoke and the whole dram is much lighter. The finish is long, salty and very smoky, with the peatiness taking ages to fade to nothing. Definately the better out of the two whiskies.

Have just tried ... AnCnoc 16 years old

AnCnoc is a single malt whisky produced at the Knockdhu (pronounced Knock-doo) distillery in the Speyside region. The name of AnCnoc (pronounced a-knock) was created in 1993. The current owners, Inver House Distillers, felt that the name of Knockdhu was getting easily confused with another Speyside distillery, Knockando. They took the decision to rename the whisky produced at Knockdhu (which translates as 'black hill' in Gaelic) and it was changed to AnCnoc (simply 'the hill' in Gaelic), so as to avoid any confusion. The brand has recently been revamped with the new modern graphic packaging and advertising pushing sales up. The idea being to attract a younger crowd to their single malts.

The Knockdhu distillery was opened in 1893 and is relatively small, currently producing around 900,000 litres of whisky per year. It is located near to the town of Huntly on the south eastern side of Speyside. It is very close to the 'border' of Speyside and the Highlands, so is sometimes classed as a Highland whisky. The distillery is one of the few remaining that are run using traditional methods, rather than computers and mechanical processes. The core range has a 12 years old, this 16 years old and some more limited vintage releases (currently a 1975 and a 1994). Independent bottlings are rare but will be generally named as Knockdhu.

This AnCnoc 16 years old is pale lemon in colour with an aromatic nose. The nose has a fresh feeling with vanilla and citrus (imagine lemon zest) being the main components. Underneath these is a floral note (think of honeysuckle), something vegetal and a hint of liquorice (the combination of these last two reminding us of fresh fennel). On the palate, this is crisp and very light (much lighter than the more complex nose suggested). Unfortunately, the first thing you get on your taste buds is raw spirit but this soon dies away to give a pleasant mixture of vanilla oakiness, citrus (more like orange this time), that green vegetable/liquorice note (fennel, definately now) and a hint of something minty or eucalyptus. The finish is short and dry leaving your mouth watering and wanting a glass of water. Vanilla is dominant again with a slightly unpleasant and bitter woody note hanging around the longest.

This is a strange whisky. It offers a lovely and fresh nose but lacks the same level of complexity and depth on the palate. It feels light and thin in your mouth and the spirity nature of the palate and the finish cannot be ignored. Despite this, the whisky is quite enjoyable and refreshing and would be good on a warm day or in a cocktail (which is one of the ways that Inver House market the range). At £40-45 a bottle it has a lot of competition from more well known and established whiskies. The feeling is that it lacks the complexity of these competitors, some of which are cheaper, and therefore will struggle to stand up strongly against them.