The Master of Malt Blending Challenge

A couple of weeks ago, we received a package from Master of Malt, the online whisky retailer. This followed on from an exciting email that we received from them, which invited us to take part in something very special. We were being asked to create our own blended whisky using the ingredients contained within the package. We were excited about the prospect and honoured to be asked to take part. However once our euphoria started to wear off, one problem was staring us in the face - what did we know about how to blend whisky? Hmmm, not much actually ...

Master of Malt have been retailing for 25 years. The business is based in Tunbridge Wells in Kent and started life as a whisky shop, before expanding on to the internet. The company's website is now one of the UK's leading online sites for whisky, and also includes other spirits such as Cognac, gin, rum, tequila and vodka. The site is built around a vast core range of whisky and also contains plenty of other whisky related facts, information and tips. They are industry innovators and this is shown by their Drinks by the Dram range, which allows you to purchase 3cl samples of most of their whisky catalogue to try before you buy the full bottle.

So, here is the idea ... Master of Malt have asked ten whisky blogs/publications to produce their own version of a blended whisky - the participants are listed below with links to their sites - from the same set of core ingredients (these are again listed below with some basic tasting notes). We then return our recipes to them and they will make all ten, which they will then sell in a special Drinks by the Dram ten pack. Anyone buying the pack will get a 3cl sample bottle of each blend and be asked to vote for their favourite. When all of the votes are in, Master of Malt will then produce, market and retail the winning blend. The same ten participants will then also come up with a name for the blend and the label design.

The other nine participants > Cask Strength, Connosr, Dr Whisky, Edinburgh Whisky, Glasgow's Whisky (& Ale), Guid Scotch Drink, Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society, WhiskyCast and Whisky Magazine.

The blending pack that we received included a few scientific-looking bits of equipment (glass measuring beakers, pipettes etc) plus the selection of whiskies listed below. We decided to sample each of the whiskies individually before doing anything else and we have included our basic tasting notes next to them. The identities and ages of the whiskies were not revealed to us, so as to avoid any prejudice or preconception of what we were using. We could use some or all of them and in any combination.

The whiskies included were >
A grain base > perfumed and fragrant, almond, vanilla, bittersweet, fresh, gristy cereals, sultana.
A malt base > caramel, sultana, toasted nuts, hint of dried grass, obviously sweet and buttery.
A Lowland malt > very delicate, coconut, honey, fresh pears, white chocolate, vanilla, fresh oak, dried grasses.
A Highland malt > malty cereal grains, bitter almond, orange oil, honey, chocolate, coffee, wood spices - especially cinnamon.
A sherried Speyside malt > caramel, dried fruits, grains, brown sugar, orange peel, nuts, wood spice, Christmas cake, prunes.
An Islay malt > burnt rubber, damp earth, moss, burnt cereals, vanilla, oatcakes, bonfire smoke, chilli, salt.
An old Speyside malt > woody, cereals, oatcakes, grassy, raisins, sultana, butterscotch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg.
An old sherry finished Highland malt > burnt sugar, cedarwood, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, biscuity, heavy cereals, espresso, milk chocolate.
A very, very old grain whisky > heavy cereals, white chocolate, fresh coconut, wood spices - oak, cinnamon, vanilla, icing sugar, bitter finish.
A very old Islay malt > floral, malty cereals, ashy smoke in background, biscuits, salty brine, rich in mouth.

Once we had sampled each of the component parts, we set about trying to match things together that would compliment each other in the final blend - this was not as easy as you would think. We quickly discovered that two or three whiskies that we thought would go well together, actually didn't work as well as expected when mixed. This led to a long yet enjoyable session of trying different combinations and amounts of the component whiskies, until we had something that was starting to resemble what we wanted for our final blend.

However, this needed refining and the breakthrough came when we met Sandy Hyslop on our recent trip to Scotland. Sandy is the Master Blender for the hugely popular Ballantine's blended whisky range and he told us a few of the basic things to consider when constructing a blended whisky. Thanks to his tips and another long but enjoyable blending session, we finally had a whisky that we are proud to put our name to. The 'Karen & Matt Blend' describes our whisky taste and preference at this particular point of time. The recipe has now been sent back to Master of Malt and we are eagerly awaiting the next part of the process where ours and the other nine are recreated. What will the others taste like? We will let you know ...

The Whisky Round Table > April 2011

The latest edition of The Whisky Round Table is now available for all to read. The host this month are our good friend Gal Granov, who runs the informative Whisky Israel blog from the whisky outpost that is Israel (the clue was in the name really ...). We are delighted to be part of the Whisky Round Table, so hope that you will join us and our colleagues for this edition. Gal has decided to get a discussion going about the merits of single cask whiskies, so to read this month's sitting of the Whisky Round Table - click here.

The Whisky Round Table is the brainchild of Jason Johnston-Yellin, who is the author of the 'must read' whisky blog Guid Scotch Drink. His idea was to gather together 12 whisky bloggers from around the world and get them to discuss a whisky topic once a month. The hosting of The Round Table is passed around the 12 members, with each host setting the question for each month - the subjects have been wide and varied to date. Links to the previous editions of Whisky Round Table articles can be found by clicking here. Enjoy!

The Whisky Round Table can also be followed on Twitter. Come and join us @WhiskyKnights.

A trip to Speyside > March 2011

At the end of last month we were delighted to be invited on a mini tour of the Speyside whisky region by Chivas Brothers. The company, which forms part of the larger Pernod Ricard group, owns 12 distilleries in total, 11 of which are located in Speyside. Our tour was to visit three of them - Glenburgie (pronounced glen-burg-ee and pictured, above left), The Glenlivet (pictured, above centre) and Strathisla (pronounced strath-eye-la and pictured, above right). The three distilleries are the foundation on which Chivas Brothers is built - Glenburgie single malt contributes greatly to the famous Ballantine's blended whisky range, Strathisla likewise for the Chivas Regal blended range and The Glenlivet is a world famous and iconic single malt whisky in its own right.

On the trip we learnt plenty about each of the three distilleries and the Chivas Brothers' organisation and methodology. We met a number of people who spoke to us about the nuances of the whisky industry - these included Alex Robertson (the International Brand Ambassador for Chivas), Sandy Hyslop (the Master Blender of Ballantine's) and Alan Winchester (the Chivas Distillery Manager, who oversees The Glenlivet amongst other distilleries). All imparted a great deal of information and enthusiasm in the short time that we spent with them. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them again for their time. We will be writing about the trip and our findings over the coming weeks in a series of blog posts.

We were joined on the trip by a mix of old and new whisky blogging friends, including our fellow Londoners Joel and Neil from Cask Strength, Chris from Edinburgh Whisky Blog, Jim and Nicola from Whisky Boys and Patrick from Whisky-News, a whisky website which he writes in both English and French. If you are not aware of these sites, then we urge you to visit them as all are very good and are packed with information. They will also be writing about the trip, so please follow their versions of events too.

We would also like to thank Courtney (the Chivas Communications Executive) and Grace and Kaye from Richmond Towers, who do PR for Chivas Brothers, for all the organisation and additional information given. Final mention must go to 'Willie', the bus driver who ferried us around in the minibus for two days and had no sympathy for all our 'morning of Day 2' hangovers - this manifested itself in him driving as fast as possible through the Scottish countryside, finding every pothole and accelerating towards every corner! Maybe, it just felt worse than it actually was .....

Inbox > April 1, 2011

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has found its way in to our email inbox. Sadly, we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive, so Inbox has been born! It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. Here is this week's news - grab a dram and enjoy!
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Firstly, we are sorry that Whisky for Everyone has been a little quieter than usual on the blogging front in the last couple of weeks. However we have been far from lazy and have been working on a couple of projects and articles, in between doing our day jobs. We have also managed to squeeze in a trip up to Scotland c/o Chivas Brothers, which was very enjoyable. As a result, we have plenty in the pipeline that will appear over the next two weeks or so. Watch this space! Anyway, on with the real news ...

Caol Ila > Major refurbishment plan announced
Caol Ila, the largest distillery on the famous Scottish whisky island of Islay, is to undergo a major refurbishment. Diageo, the distillery's owners, have announced that it is to invest £3.5million to expand and upgrade Caol Ila, which has an award winning range of single malts and contributes greatly to their blends, such as Johnnie Walker. The work is to increase the distillery's annual production capacity by 700,000 litres to 6.4 million per year. This includes adding two new washbacks (the huge tanks where the fermentation process takes place), replacing the mash tun and modernising the control systems in the still room. The work will begin in June, following the popular Islay Festival, and will take an estimated six months. The distillery will be closed to the public during this time, although the visitor's shop will remain open. Click here to read the full press release.

Woodford Reserve > Limited edition released
Woodford Reserve, the historic bourbon distillery located in Versailles in the American state of Kentucky, have announced a limited bottling to celebrate the world famous Kentucky Derby horse race. The Brown Forman Corporation, who own the distillery, have commissioned the award winning artist Brett Amory to paint an image for the label - this shows two horses racing to the finish line. Woodford Reserve is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, which has been run at the famous Churchill Downs race course in Louisville, Kentucky since 1875. This year sees the 137th running on May 7 and the whiskey is released to commemorate Woodford's association with the race. It will be available from early April in 42 US states and will appear in 50cl bottles with a recommended retail price of $42.99.

New releases > Inish Turk Beg 'Maiden Voyage'

Inish Turk Beg Maiden Voyage is a new premium Irish single malt whiskey. It is named after the private island of Inish Turk Beg (which translates as ‘the small island of the wild boar’ from Gaelic), which lies off the west Irish coast of County Mayo. It is one of the largest islands of over 300 in the beautiful Clew Bay, which is regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest natural phenomena. The bay is rumoured to have historically been a thriving area for the illicit distilling of whiskey and poitín (pronounced pot-cheen), due to its remote location. Poitín is a traditional Irish spirit that is made from grain or potatoes and is notoriously one of the strongest and most potent produced anywhere in the world, often coming in at 80-95% ABV!

This single malt whiskey is a limited release of just 2,888 bottles. These bottles are one litre in size and the innovative design has been inspired by the mooring buoys used on local fishing boats. Each bottle is hand blown and is made using sand from the island. It is named Maiden Voyage as this is the first batch to be released. The whiskey is made at Cooley distillery in County Louth, which is Ireland’s only independent whiskey distillery. It has been matured for 10 years on the island, part of which has been in old poitín casks. The alcoholic strength has then been reduced to 44% ABV for bottling by adding rain water collected on Inish Turk Beg. The recommended retail price is around £130.



Our tasting notes
The colour of Inish Turk Beg is a bright golden yellow and the nose is fresh and vibrant with some lovely light, delicate aromas. There are notes of honey and vanilla, which are backed up by aromas of underlying (almost subdued) cereal grains, almonds and hints of ginger spice and oak (think of wood shavings). Cutting through this is a distinct note of tangy citrus, especially lemon, which contributes much of the freshness. On the palate, the lightness continues as does that citrus tang, although this feels a bit juicier than on the nose. There has been some quality American oak casks used to mature this whiskey and this shows through with plenty of fresh flavours, such as vanilla, honey, grated coconut and pinches of wood spice (imagine cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger). With time, some malty cereal notes come through and this makes the whiskey feel creamier in your mouth than it was initially. The finish is a little drier than expected with an interesting pleasant grassiness appearing (think of dried grasses) and the wood spices and oak notes coming to the fore. Again, this is complimented with a lovely juicy lemony zing.

What's the verdict?
The Maiden Voyage is a lovely and very easy drinking whiskey that exhibits sympathetic maturation in good quality casks. The character of the whiskey is expressive but easily approachable, which would make it a great choice for a beginner to Irish whiskey while still holding the attention and interest of the 'connoisseur'. The price tag may stop some, especially as many Irish whiskies are usually much cheaper. However, you are naturally paying for the exclusivity, rarity, packaging and high quality of the product. After all, limited edition and aged Irish single malts are few and far between - therefore, this has to be tried as a result.

Inbox > March 24, 2011

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has found its way in to our email inbox. Sadly, we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive, so Inbox has been born! It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. So here goes with this week's news - grab a dram and enjoy ...
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Bulleit > New rye version launched
The American brand, owned by Diageo, has announced a new addition to its whiskey range - Bulleit Rye. The new whiskey has initially been launched in the USA, but will reach the Australian, German and UK markets within months. Bulleit Rye has reportedly the highest rye grain content of any American whiskey, being made from a recipe with 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The recipe is a modern adaption of one that was produced by the brand's founder, Augustus Bulleit, in 1830. It has been matured for a minimum of four years in new oak casks and is bottled at 45% ABV for the US and 40% for the other markets. The recommended retail price will be $27.99.

Gordon & MacPhail > Auction for Japan
A couple of weeks ago we featured the launch of a Glenlivet 70 years old single malt from the Elgin based independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail. The whisky (pictured, left) is extremely limited (there are only 100 bottles) and has a recommended retail price of £13,000. Gordon & MacPhail have decided to donate bottle number 1/100 to be auctioned, with all proceeds going to the British Red Cross Japan Appeal - one of the charities that is helping with aid to Japan following the recent earthquake and tsunami devastation. The auction is being held at Bonham's auction house in Edinburgh on next Tuesday evening 29 March at 7pm in. The main event is preceded by a reception and talk by whisky expert Charles Maclean.

Jack Daniel's > New Tennessee Honey launched
The famous American distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee has announced the launch of a new product - the Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey. The product will be available in all US states from April, will have a recommended retail price of $22 and will come in different sized bottles. It is made with Jack Daniels' famous Old No.7 whiskey and a honey liqueur made with honey from hives located on the distillery site. Jack Daniel's Master Taster Jeff Norman says, "Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey brings together two complementary tastes in a new way. Whether it's chilled, straight or served in drinks with other mixers like lemonade, tea or ginger ale, we think you will really love its unique taste and smooth character".

Have just tried > Bowmore 16 years old Port Matured

Bowmore is the oldest of the eight distilleries currently operating on the famous whisky making island of Islay in Scotland. It was founded in 1779 by John Simpson and it is actually one of the oldest in Scotland - only Glenturret in the Highlands being older, having started production in 1775. The name of Bowmore translates as 'sea rock' from Gaelic and the distillery in currently owned by Morrison Bowmore - a subsidiary of the Japanese company Suntory, who also own the other Scottish distilleries at Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch. Bowmore has an annual production capacity of two million litres and is one of the biggest selling single malt whisky brands in the smoky, peaty style.

This 16 years old Bowmore was a somewhat experimental 'limited edition' bottling (well, only a mere 18,000 bottles!) that was originally released in late 2007. It was distilled in 1991 and was bottled at an alcoholic strength of 53.1% ABV after spending 16 years in Port pipe casks. Another cool fact about this whisky is that it was matured in the famous Bowmore vaults - below sea level! It is rare to get a single malt whisky matured for this length of time in a Port cask, so when we got the opportunity to try it at the recent Whisky Live event in London, we had to take it. Having spoken to the Bowmore folks there, a limited number of bottles are still floating around for sale and can be found in specialist retailers.

Our tasting notes
This whisky has a dark ruby red colour with a lovely sweet and smoky nose - this combines aromas of rounded soft smokiness (think of bonfire smoke with a hint of musty damp earth), rich red fruits (imagine something like dark berries, plums and cherries), plenty of burnt cereals, and warming earthy spices (think of baking spices like cinnamon and nutmeg especially). These notes transfer well to the palate which again shows a lovely combination between richness, sweetness and smokiness. It feels thick in the mouth with initial notes of caramel, red fruits (imagine berries, plums and dried raisins) and soft, lingering smoke which becomes slightly damp, musty and earthy with increased time. This smokiness is reduced from the level exhibited on the nose but compliments the other elements equally as well. Other notes come through that give added balance and a touch of dryness - think of oak and spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg. There are also some tannins from the Port casks and this adds further complexity. The finish is again sweet and fruity, with the soft, gentle peat smoke lingering before finally fading and taking the red fruit with it. Delicious.

What's the verdict?
Bowmore 16 years old Port Matured is a lovely dram and a whisky that is very easy drinking given that it is bottled at a high strength (53.1% ABV). This is due to its age and the richness, softness and complexity created by the use of Port casks combined with the smokiness of the spirit. We thoroughly enjoyed our samples and hope that Bowmore have further quality of 'experiment' maturing in their warehouses. Only time will tell with that. In the meantime if you like your whiskies rich and fruity with some soft smokiness, then you should hurry and track down a bottle of this!

Inbox > March 18, 2011

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has found its way in to our email inbox. Sadly, we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive, so Inbox has been born! It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. There is plenty to get through this week, so grab a dram and enjoy ...
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Albannach > Women only event
The Albannach bar, located on London’s Trafalgar Square, is holding their first ever women only whisky tasting event on Tuesday 29 March. It is part of a series of events at the venue to celebrate Women’s History Month. The women only whisky tasting will be hosted by guest speaker Gillian McDonald the Head Distiller at Penderyn, the Welsh whisky distillery in the Brecon Beacons. Tickets are still available at £35 a head and can be booked by going to www.albannach.co.uk.

Arran > The ‘Westie’ is released
The Isle of Arran Distillers have announced the third edition to their award winning Icons of Arran series of limited edition single malts – the Westie. This follows on from the Peacock and Rowan Tree releases. The Westie is inspired by Master Distiller James MacTaggart’s dog – a west Highland terrier (or ‘westie’) named Ruaraidh, who is a popular character around the Arran distillery. This limited edition contains 6,000 bottles and is constructed from just 22 specially selected ex-sherry casks, hand picked by MacTaggart. These casks were distilled and laid down to mature in 1998. The Westie is bottled at 46% ABV and should cost around £40 – it is available from specialist whisky retailers or www.arranwhisky.com.

Bushmills > Make It 2 Bushmills competition
Bushmills, the famous Irish whiskey distillery, have launched a new competition yesterday on St. Patrick’s Day. Make It 2 Bushmills is easy to enter and can be done so via their Facebook page. The prize is a two week crash course in whiskey making at the Bushmills distillery on the north County Antrim coast, close to the famous Giant’s Causeway. This includes tutoring by Master Distiller Colum Egan, £5,000 spending money, staying in a plush penthouse apartment overlooking the sea and creating your own unique version of Bushmills whiskey. Colum will then take Bushmills back to the winner’s home country and hold a large party, featuring the unveiling of their unique bottling of Bushmills. The short film below explains more ... Good luck!

Glencairn > Wins another award
The last month or so has seen a number of major whisky awards and our email inbox has been bombarded with press releases and news reporting on the award winning whiskies or distilleries. We chose not to report about these, as the results are widely available and it would be too time consuming to give each winner the attention it deserves. However, one such press release did catch our attention – Glencairn, the innovative whisky glassware manufacturer and primary supplier to the Scottish whisky industry, has won the prestigious Industry Leader of the Year as awarded by top American whisky magazine Malt Advocate.

The company, owned by the Davidson family has already won numerous awards – founder Raymond Davidson said, “To be named Industry Leader of the Year in an environment dominated by international whisky and blending companies is a tremendous accolade. Our Glencairn Whisky Glass has been a huge success as a product, with sales of over one million glasses a year worldwide. The company has grown through a truly innovative approach to the market that has led us to the forefront of premium packaging for some of the world’s rarest and most expensive whiskies.”

VisitScotland > New advert
This is nothing to do with whisky really, but we received notification about the new advert campaign for VisitScotland – the country’s tourism operator. Entitled ‘Surprise Yourself’, the advert shows different locations and scenes from around Scotland and offers ideas for alternative activities for visits or holidays. We think that it is well shot, shows some lovely scenes and just thought that we would share it with you. You can also read more information and watch other clips about each location in the advert by visiting the ‘Surprise Yourself’ page on www.visitscotland.com. Enjoy!

Have just tried > Connemara

Connemara is a Irish whiskey produced at the Cooley distillery, which is located on the County Louth coast roughly half way between Belfast and Dublin. Cooley was founded in 1987 by John Teeling and his idea was to resurrect some of Ireland's oldest whiskey recipes and traditions that had become extinct during more difficult times. He converted an old vodka distillery and Cooley has since won over 100 awards worldwide, including the title of European Distillery of the Year at the prestigious International Wine & Spirits Competition awards in 2010.

At Cooley they produce whiskey using traditional recipes, each with a different mixtures of barley and other grains. Their range includes some famous Irish whiskey names such as Greenore, Kilbeggan, Locke's, Michael Collins, Millar's and Tyrconnell. Around 95% of all the whiskey produced at Cooley is exported, with the UK, mainland Europe and South Africa being the current main markets. Connemara, which is named after the original site of the Connemara distillery on the west coast of Ireland near Galway, and its old traditional recipe had disappeared into history before being resurrected by John Teeling.

Connemara is the only peated Irish whiskey that is in regular production. Other Irish smoky whiskies are occasionally released but are rare. The first expression of the modern Connemara was launched in 1996 and has a peating level of 20-25 PPM (this is the scale of measurement for peat/phenol levels in malted barley and whisky - it means Phenol Parts per Million and the phenols give it the smoky flavour). This level is about half of the PPM amount that is present in famous Scottish smoky whiskies such as Ardbeg and Laphroaig. This Connemara is bottled at 40% ABV and should cost around £25.

Our tasting notes
The colour of Connemara is a pale golden yellow and the nose is on the light side for a smoky whisky, but expressive and fresh none the less. The peat smoke is vibrant to begin with and has a whiff of surgical spirit and bandages about it. This fades to reveal other sweeter, softer aromas, such as malty cereal grains (think of oats especially), honey, vanilla and hints of coconut, heather and dried grass. On the palate, this is again initially lovely and fresh with the peaty charcoal-like smoke at the forefront. This has a tangy, almost bitter quality (imagine iodine) and has the surgical spirit/bandage edge that is present on the nose. Again, this smokiness softens beautifully to show and compliment other notes - some crisp green pear and apple, honey, vanilla, plenty of gristy cereals, a hint of zesty lemon and some nuts (think of a creamy type of nut, like almond or hazelnut). The finish is of decent length with some lovely honey, vanilla and charcoal smoke notes fading away.

What's the verdict?
This is a delicious dram that any fan of the peaty smoky style of whisky should try. Having said that, it would also be a good choice as an introduction for a beginner who may not be used to the aromas and flavours of that style. If you are expected lots of peat, then don't! What Connemara offers is light, fresh peat smoke that combines well with other subtle and pleasant characteristics. Connemara also gives great value for money considering its quality, its easy drinking nature and its uniqueness. A very enjoyable dram that makes you want to reach for another one ...

New releases > Benriach Horizons

Benriach (pronounced ben-ree-ack) is an independently owned distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland. The current owners are a consortium named The Benriach Distillery Company and they are headed by Billy Stewart, a former director of Burn Stewart Distillers, who took over in 2004. The consortium decided to return to traditional regional distilling methods, whilst also being an innovator and trying to attract new consumers. This combination of tradition and innovation has led to the distillery and the company winning numerous awards in the years since Benriach has re-opened.

The distillery was founded in 1897 by John Duff & Co and is located on a site three miles to the south of Elgin. It was built next door to the Longmorn distillery (also owned by John Duff & Co) and was to help with the increased production requirements of the late Victorian period. It was rather unimaginatively named as Longmorn 2, before being renamed as Benriach (meaning ‘speckled mountain’ in Gaelic) in 1899. Its life was short lived, as the whisky industry suffered a massive crash in the early 1900s - Benriach was closed in 1903 and mothballed (the process where a distillery is shut down but everything remains intact and ready to go). It remained closed until 1965 and its history has been patchy, until The Benriach Distillery Company took over.

The Benriach Horizons is new whisky release with a difference - it is triple distilled. This is unusual for a Scottish single malt, which are normally distilled twice. During the late 1990s, the previous ownership of Benriach experimented in short production runs of triple distilled whisky - scientifically, this allows a higher alcoholic strength of new make spirit to be taken off the stills to be matured. The experiment was stopped shortly afterwards and the maturing stock was inherited by The Benriach Distillery Company when they took over. The Horizons is bottled at 50% ABV and 12 years of age - it has been matured primarily in ex-bourbon casks, before being transferred to ex-Oloroso sherry casks for a short period. Bottles are limited and should cost £45-50 from specialist whisky retailers.

Our tasting notes
The colour of the Horizons is a bright golden yellow with a hint of amber. The aromas of the nose are initially crisp and fresh, with something (possibly the 50% ABV alcohol vapour) catching in the nostrils. The fresh notes revolve around some lovely green fruit aromas (think of pears and apples) and these soften to allow others through - honey (or maybe golden syrup?), plenty of sultana, a hint of candied orange peel and some dusty cereal grains (reminiscent of being in a grain silo). There are also wood spices, especially cinnamon, and the combination of this and the fresher fruit notes made us think of baked apple dessert. On the palate, this is intense, tangy and slightly hot to begin with. This soon settles and mellows to reveal a lovely combination of flavours - stewed apple, honey, vanilla, toffee, cinnamon, nutmeg and sultanas. It is quite sugary (think of brown crumbly sugar) before becoming drier with more woody spice notes. The finish is again quite hot (imagine a red chilli-like heat) to begin with, before this fades to show distinct honey and vanilla notes. Finally comes some oak and baking spice to give a pleasant dryness.

What's the verdict?
The Horizons is an interesting experiment and one that works up to a point. It has a good combination of lovely aromas and flavours that make for a pleasant dram, but it lacks the expected softness that triple distilled whiskies (be it an Irish whiskey or something Scottish like Auchentoshan or Hazelburn) normally exhibit. It could be the influence of the 50% ABV level and if this were lower (as most of the Irish and other Scottish examples are), then Horizons may appear softer. If Benriach have more stock of this, then it will be interesting to see how it evolves with further maturation. Well worth a try.