A mystery dram ... what is it?

Here is the third installment in our occasional 'mystery dram' series. Our idea is that we write tasting notes for a whisky and then ask you to try and guess what the whisky in question may be. This can be done by clicking on the 'comments' section at the bottom of this post once you have read the notes, following the instructions and leaving us your guess/answer.

The answer will be revealed on Wednesday when we will post a full review of the whisky in question. This will incorporate these tasting notes, information about the whisky and also include our regular dose of distillery history and facts. There are no prizes for guessing correctly but correct answers will be mentioned in the final article, so please leave your name! We aim to set a new 'mystery dram' challenge roughly once a month in the future, so good luck!

The colour of the 'mystery dram' is golden with a slight amber tint. The nose is clean and fresh with a combination of interesting aromas - a lot of vanilla and cereal grains mixed with a distinct nuttiness (think of almonds and coconuts especially), some grassiness (imagine dried grasses or hay) and a hint of dried fruits and spice (think of sultanas and nutmeg). On the palate, this is smooth, clean and delicate with a creamy, almost soapy feeling in the mouth. It is very malty (those cereal grains again) and full of lovely vanilla and the almond/coconut nuttiness from the nose. This is in addition to another sweet element (think of toffee or butterscotch) and this is balanced with a herbal note (that dried grass again) and some woody spice (imagine nutmeg and cinnamon). The finish is of reasonable length, soft and bittersweet. It begins sweetly with vanilla and a hint of sherry cask influenced dried fruits (especially sultanas and candied lemon peel) before turning drier with the oaky woodiness and herbal grassiness prominent.

There is only one clue for this lovely well regarded single malt - it is not from Scotland.

Have just tried ... Kavalan Solist - Taiwanese single malt whisky

At Whisky For Everyone, we are always trying to bring new whiskies to a wider audience and here we are proud to bring you one of the newest and most undiscovered whiskies in the world - Kavalan, a whisky made by the King Car Corporation in Taiwan. We must thank Lisa Huang, who bought this whisky back from her recent trip to Taiwan and allowed us to sample it. Taiwanese whisky, we can hear you say? Is this for real? You better believe it ... so, what is the story?

Kavalan whisky is a new venture by the King Car Corporation. King Car was originally set up in 1979 and has grown to be one of Taiwan's biggest beverage and food manufacturers. As Taiwan's whisky drinking population has been growing considerably over the last two decades, the chairman of King Car decided to build his own whisky distillery. He assembled an experienced team of professionals from various sectors of his businesses and took them to Scotland to learn the whisky making processes, traditions and techniques.

The new distillery is one of the most technically advanced in the world and is located in Yuanshan, a town in the north of Taiwan. Yuanshan lies to the south of the major cities of Taipei and Keelung and close to the Pacific coast. It has copper stills that were constructed in Scotland and the distillery has an annual capacity of approximately six million bottles. The whisky has been created, selected and blended by the legendary Dr. Jim Swan, the Master Distiller at Penderyn distillery in Wales. He is a worldwide authority in the field of alcoholic beverages and has consulted with numerous distilleries, breweries and wineries over many years.

King Car decided to name their whisky range 'Kavalan' after a group of indigenous people who lived in the Yi-Lan County where the distillery is based. The range of whisky is currently small and consists of a single malt, a blend and the Solist collection, which are three single cask single malts - this one from a bourbon cask, a sherry cask and a Madeira cask. This ex bourbon cask whisky is taken from the first single cask to ever be released by King Car and is non chill filtered and bottled at 58.8% ABV. It is only three years of age, but whisky ages much faster in Taiwan's warm and humid climate and loses around 10% of its volume each year to the angel's share (the angel's share is the name given to the evaporation of the spirit while maturing in the cask). In comparison, this figure is around 2% a year in Scotland. It is currently only available in Taiwan for around £60 a bottle.

The colour of this ex bourbon cask Solist is golden yellow and the nose is clean, fresh and aromatic. There is a lovely mix of vanilla, coconut, warm spices (think of ginger and cinnamon) and a hint of tropical fruits (imagine mango and pineapple). On the palate, this is sweet and creamy initially with lots of vanilla, cereal grains and woody oak. It is rounded and smooth with an interesting citrus tang (think of lemon zest) that gives it a freshness and mouth watering quality. It becomes less sweet with time in the mouth with some woody spice (imagine nutmeg and cinnamon) and coconut coming through. Due to the alcoholic strength, water was added although it was surprisingly easy drinking without. The water brings out the tropical fruits on the palate especially. The finish is medium sweet with vanilla and cereals present, before turning woody and oaky.

This Kavalan Solist from an ex bourbon cask is a lovely dram that surprised all of us that tried it with its smoothness, richness, balance and quality. They have done a very good job and it will be very interesting to taste future releases or some older whiskies from the distillery. The whisky is surprisingly easy drinking with lots of classical characteristics and is most reminiscent of a Speyside single malt. This would catch a lot of people out if tasted blind and Kavalan has already won a couple of silver medals at the IWSC Awards 2009 (International Wine & Spirits Competition). It is well worth a try if you get the chance.

Great places to drink whisky ... Albannach, London

On Wednesday 30th September, we were lucky enough to be invited to the launch night of the newly refurbished Albannach restuarant and whisky bar in London. Albannach (pronounced al-ban-nack) translates as 'Scotsman' from the Gaelic language and the bar is located right on London's famous Trafalgar Square. It was originally opened in early 2005 and was a pioneer for delivering contemporary Scottish cuisine and an extensive whisky collection to a wider public in the capital. Albannach has won many awards and much acclaim for the quality of its food, spirits and service.

Now, Albannach has been refreshed and given a contemporary feel that sympathetically brings the 19th century bank building in which it is housed up to date. They boast an extremely well stocked bar (over 130 whiskies and numerous other spirits), a whisky sommelier to help choose the correct dram to go with your meal and meeting rooms/ conference facilities. At the event, we were able to sample Albannach's own range of whiskies. They have been selected especially for them with help from the Glasgow based independent bottling company Duncan Taylor & Co. Below are our basic tasting notes with some additional facts supplied by the informative Michelangelo from the Albannach bar.

Albannach Blended 10 years old
This blended scotch is bottled at 40% ABV and will cost you £6.50 for a dram at the bar. The colour is golden with a light, fresh aromatic nose - there is vanilla, green fruit (think of pears and apples), toffee and a hint of grassiness (imagine dried grasses). The palate is sweet with a slight citrusy zing (think of lemon zest) added to the elements from the nose. It feels creamy and has a decent length of finish. This is a very enjoyable and easy drinking dram that is better than we expected of a 'house blend'. Very pleasant and easy drinking but would be great with a mixer or in a cocktail.

Albannach Speyside 14 years old
The Speyside distillery in question is Mortlach and it has been matured in American oak bourbon casks. We were interested to try this as bourbon cask matured Mortlach is rare, as the distillery is well known for its use of sherry casks. This is bottled at 46% ABV and will cost £7.50 for a dram. The colour is a straw-like gold and the nose is full of vanilla, coconut and warm spices (think of ginger and nutmeg). On the palate this is clean yet creamy and sweet. The vanilla, coconut and spice is there again as are some cereal grains and caramel. The balance is very good and the finish was surprisingly long, sweet and spicy (this spice was a bit more woody this time, like cinnamon). An excellent and interesting dram.

Albannach Islay 10 years old
The single malt used for this is from the famous Islay distillery of Bowmore. It is bottled at 46% ABV and a dram will cost £7.50 at the bar. The colour is a golden amber and the nose is rich and promising. There is some evidence of dried fruit (think of raisins and sultanas), caramel and earthy peat aromas (think of damp moss especially). On the palate, there is initial sweetness (that dried fruit again joined by some cereal grains and vanilla) and this turns smoky (imagine peaty earth) and slightly bitter (think of something like dark chocolate). It is rich yet feels refreshing and well balanced. The finish is long with a nice level of sweetness and a smokiness that is more bitter and reminiscent of an ashy bonfire than before. Excellent stuff - the whole range of the three whiskies are superb and worth trying if you are ever near Trafalgar Square.

We also had the opportunity to try a whisky cocktail that the bar team at Albannach had created. It is named 'Mosquito' and is a whisky based version of the famous Mojito cocktail. The 'Mosquito' contains a dram of Chival Regal 12 years old, fresh mint leaves, a dash of bitters, creme de peche (a peach liqueur), sugar syrup and peach juice, all poured over freshly crushed ice. This was very drinkable, with the sweetness balanced by the bitters and mint. This cocktail is definitely worth a try.

Albannach offers something different - quality food, an extensive whisky and drinks list ranging from £6 to £750 (Laphroaig 40 years old!) for a dram, knowledgeable staff, good service and pleasant surroundings in which to enjoy them all. It is a must for whisky fans to visit when in London and we had a great evening there. Their website is www.albannach.co.uk.

News ... New Glenrothes and Macallan releases

The Edrington Group have today announced the release of two special limited edition whiskies from their portfolio of distilleries - one from the iconic Speyside distillery of Macallan and the other from its Speyside neighbour, Glenrothes. Here are some brief details about each release.

Macallan Burns Celebratory bottling
This special release from the Macallan distillery is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robbie Burns, the famous Scottish poet. The whisky is selected from cask number 1759 (the year of Burn's birth) that was discovered in the warehouse. It was thought appropriate that this significant number should determine the whisky for this release. The whisky inside was distilled in 1997 and has been maturing in the sherry cask ever since. Only 250 bottles are being released at 46% ABV and they will only be available from the Macallan distillery shop for £199 each. Each bottle is presented in a specially designed crystal decanter and an oak casket that is handcrafted in Burns' home town of Alloway in Dumfries & Galloway.

Glenrothes John Ramsey Legacy bottling
This special edition whisky is released to celebrate the work of Edrington's legendary Malt Master John Ramsey, who retires at the end of this month after 18 years of service. The whisky is created from different ages of Glenrothes vintages ranging from 1973 to 1987, each one selected by Ramsey. There will only be 100 bottles of this unique whisky available at the princely cost of £699. These will be found in very selected whisky retailers and from the Glenrothes website www.theglenrothes.com. Each bottle comes in a hand crafted box with a booklet written by John Ramsey. Within the press release, they included these tasting notes -The appearance and colour is medium golden, clear and bright with a bouquet that is rich and spicy with blood orange and vanilla prominent. The palate is rich and full flavoured with balanced oak and fruit, especially mango. The finish is long, mature and tactile with an unmistakable American oak feel.

More information on both of these limited edition whiskies can be found on their respective websites www.themacallan.com and www.theglenrothes.com.

Have just tried ... Jameson Irish Whiskey

Jameson whiskey is one of Ireland's most famous exports and has been the best selling Irish whiskey in the world for over 100 years. The whiskey was first produced by John Jameson in 1780 at the Bow Street distillery in the heart of Dublin. By the early 1800s, the distillery was producing one million gallons (4500 litres) of whiskey per year and had grown to be the largest in the world. The production has now moved to the Midleton distillery and the Bow Street site is currently a museum and visitors centre. Jameson is made following the original 1780 recipe that uses malted barley combined with unmalted barley and other grains. It is distilled three times in copper pot stills to create its famous smoothness and flavour. Jameson sells a staggering 30 million bottles a year around the world, making it by far the biggest selling Irish whiskey.

Jameson whiskey is currently made at the Midleton distillery in County Cork in the south of Ireland. It is a modern distillery and was built in 1975 following the amalgamation of three powerhouses of the Irish whiskey industry in the 1960s - the Cork Distillers Company, John Jameson and John Powers. They built the new distillery and it is now the largest in Ireland and one of the largest in Europe with an annual capacity of 19 million litres. Numerous famous names of the Irish whiskey industry are now made at Midleton, all to their original traditional recipes. These include Jameson, Midleton Rare, Paddy, Powers, Redbreast and Tullamore Dew. The new distillery replaced the previous Old Midleton distillery that had been operating since the 1820s and is now a tourist visitor centre.

This Jameson Irish Whiskey with its famous green bottle and cream label is the cornerstone of the Jameson core range and whiskey empire. It is golden amber in colour with an aromatic nose. There is some initial sweetness which incorporates vanilla, dried fruits (think of sultanas plus candied orange and lemon peel) and cereal grains. Then comes a savoury/bitter note that is hard to pin down but is most reminiscent of oaky wood. On the palate, this feels thick, rich and a little oily in the mouth with the vanilla, dried fruits and cereals all present again. The citrus peel and zesty notes are particularly prominent and enjoyable. There is also some further sweetness (think of honey) and this is balanced by some bitterness (imagine grain husks and wood) and a distinct spiciness that appears (think of nutmeg and cinnamon). The finish is relatively short with a sweet, creamy beginning (vanilla and citrus zest again) before turning spicy (that nutmeg again) and slightly bitter (imagine husks of grain).

Jameson Irish Whiskey is a very good all round whiskey and it is easy to see why so many people enjoy drinking it around the world. It is not the most complex of whiskies but is full of character and is smooth, rich and flavoursome. The whiskey is well made and would be a great suggestion if you want an easy drinking everyday Irish whiskey in your cabinet. This Jameson is widely available. It also offers good value at around £15-18 a bottle and can occasionally be picked up cheaper in supermarket promotions.

Have just tried ... Clynelish 10 years old 'Provenance' from Douglas Laing & Co.

Clynelish (pronounced kline-leesh) is a distillery that is located in the town of Brora on the north eastern Highland coast. It is a modern distillery that was opened in 1967, however the history goes beyond that date. There has been a distillery in Brora since 1817 and this was also called Clynelish. The current distillery was built next to the old one and they were run simultaneously under the same name until the old one was closed in 1983. Now, any whisky produced at the new distillery is called Clynelish and anything that remains available from the old distillery goes under the name of Brora. The current owners of Clynelish are drinks company Diageo and it is the 4th largest in their portfolio of 28 distilleries, producing 3.3 million litres of whisky per year.

The whisky produced at both distilleries has long been well renowned amongst connoisseurs but they are generally unknown to the general consumer. The two main releases are a 14 years old and a limited 'Distiller's Edition' that is part matured in Oloroso sherry casks. Clynelish is readily available through independent bottlers and these offer a great opportunity to buy quality limited release whiskies for a decent price. This bottle is released by the Glasgow based independent bottling company Douglas Laing & Co and forms part of their Provenance range.

This 10 years old Clynelish is a luminescent golden yellow and it has a fresh aromatic nose. There is plenty of vanilla and oak present and these are joined by some fresh dried fruits (think of sultanas especially), cereal grains, a hint of some tropical fruit (imagine passion fruit) and just a whiff of peaty smoke. On the palate, this whisky has a zesty freshness (think of lemon zest) and is packed with sweet caramel, vanilla, honey and dried fruits (those sultanas again). This is balanced well by some woody spiciness (imagine nutmeg), that whiff of peaty smoke (think of damp earth and ashy bonfires) and a touch of saltiness (think of sea water). The finish is long yet delicate with vanilla oakiness, the dried fruits and salty tang prominent.

This is a lovely whisky that is not as rich, salty or smoky as previous versions of Clynelish that have been sampled. The fresh and sweet notes are complimented and balanced by the savoury elements, resulting in a very enjoyable dram. It is bottled at 46% ABV and is from a single cask, so represents good value at £40-45 a bottle. A very pleasant whisky.

New Releases ... Gold Bowmore

This week sees the release of a very special whisky by the Bowmore distillery. Bowmore is located on the famous whisky island of Islay, which lies off the west coast of Scotland. Islay is the home of smoky whisky and Bowmore is one of its biggest names. The distillery is the oldest in operation on Islay and one of the oldest in Scotland, having started production in 1779. It is situated in the village of Bowmore, which translates as 'sea rock' from Gaelic. The current owners are Morrison Bowmore, a division of Japanese drinks company Suntory, and the distillery has a capacity of two million litres per year.

The Gold Bowmore is the oldest whisky ever released by the distillery and forms the final part of a unique trilogy that they have created. Each whisky in the trilogy - named Black, White and now Gold - were distilled at the same time in 1964 but then stored in different casks and released in very limited quantities within the last couple of years.

The first was the Black Bowmore which appeared in 2007 at 42 years of age. It had been matured entirely in Oloroso sherry casks and was restricted to just 827 bottles upon its release. As a result of the age and rarity combination the price was approximately £2500 a bottle! Next in 2008 was the White Bowmore. This was released at 43 years of age having been entirely matured in American bourbon casks. Only 732 bottles were released worldwide and the price around £2750 a bottle. Now, the Gold Bowmore completes the trilogy. It is released at 44 years of age and has been matured in a combination of American bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks. There will only be 701 bottles released with a recommended retail price of approximately £3250 each. As this trilogy of whiskies are extremely rare and expensive, we have not been lucky enough to sample any of them, so we thought we would include Bowmore's own tasting notes.

Black Bowmore
This whisky is ebony in colour with an aromatic nose of exotic fruit, ginger and cinnamon. The palate combines ripe mango, toffee and dark chocolate with the faintest hint of signature Bowmore smoke.






White Bowmore
This whisky is the colour of golden syrup with an amazing aromatic nose of Galia melon, mango and papaya. On the palate there are mixed exotic fruits, vanilla and maple syrup notes with a trace of Bowmore peat smoke.






Gold Bowmore
This new whisky is rich gold in colour with aromas of passion fruit, papaya and vanilla on the nose. The palate explodes with ripe exotic fruits, creamy vanilla and only a hint of Bowmore peat smoke.

Have just tried ... Single Casks from Royal Mile Whiskies

Royal Mile Whiskies is one of the UK's leading independent whisky and spirits retailers. The company was established in 1991 and has seen it reputation grow and establish a worldwide customer base. They currently have two shops - one on Edinburgh's Royal Mile and one in London's Bloomsbury Street - with a third shop in Edinburgh specialising in cigars. Royal Mile Whiskies have one of the best whisky retail websites on the net and in addition to an expansive range of whisky, whiskey, bourbon and other spirits, the website is home to in depth distillery profiles, whisky history and staff tasting notes. Check it out at www.royalmilewhiskies.com.

Royal Mile Whiskies carefully select and bottle their own whiskies from time to time and the latest of these have just been released. Each of the three whiskies are bottled from a single cask and offer excellent value for money as they are all priced under £30 and bottles are limited. They can be purchased from either of their shops or from the website. Below are the details and tasting notes for each of the three new whiskies.

Islay 9 years old (Bunnahabhain)
Bunnahabhain distillery is located on the north eastern coast of the western Scottish isle of Islay. This whisky was distilled in 1999 and is light and straw like in colour, with a fresh and lively nose. It is full of sweet cereal grains and even sweeter fresh green fruits (think of pears, apples and white grapes). There is also a whiff of saltiness (imagine sea air). On the palate, this is sweet and sugary (think of icing sugar). The sweetness is again coming from the grains and fresh fruit elements but there is also a zingy citrus quality (imagine lemon zest). This combines with the salty note (think of brine) to give a mouthwatering feel. The finish is fresh and reasonably long with just a hint of some earthy smoke coming through.
(46% ABV/415 bottles/£24.95)

Orkney 11 years old (Highland Park)
Highland Park is a distillery on the Orkney islands that lie to the north of the Scottish mainland. Distilled in 1997, this whisky is golden in colour with a slight amber hue. The nose feels rich with a combination of caramel, cereal grains, something floral (think of dried heather) and some lovely earthy peat smoke. On the palate, this feels soft and smooth with the caramel particularly prominent (this has a slight burnt sugar quality). There is also some sweet honey, that dried heather again, a citrus note (think of candied orange peel), a hint of saltiness and rounded, light peatiness that has a spicy edge (think of pepper). The finish is medium to long and particularly sweet and earthy.
(46% ABV/330 bottles/£26.95)

Islay 10 years old (Bowmore)
Bowmore is a distillery famous for its smoky style of whisky and is located in the centre of the western Scottish isle of Islay. This whisky was distilled in 1999 and the colour is a pale gold amber. On the nose, there is an immediate smoky hit (think of bonfire smoke) and then some sweet cereal grains, vanilla and caramel notes start to come through. There is also a lot of alcohol spirit that attacks your nostrils as this is bottled at 62.7% ABV, and this calms when water is added. The palate is robust and intense with the elements from the nose being joined by some dried fruits (imagine sultanas) and some spiciness (this appears especially when water is added). The finish is very smoky, long and slightly bitter and woody. It begins sweetly before becoming very dry.
(62.7% ABV/291 bottles/£29.95)

Whisky For Everyone now on Twitter

Whisky For Everyone is now on Twitter, the free social networking site that allows people to share messages and news with each other in real time. The act/craze of 'tweeting' is sweeping around the world and is quite addictive (trust us on that one!). It is made more interesting by the fact that you can only use 140 characters in each message. There are now millions of people worldwide using Twitter on a daily basis including celebrities, organisations and bloggers.

So, not wanting to be left behind we set up a Twitter account for Whisky For Everyone. We have been using Twitter to post regular updates about new posts on the blog and new pages when they are uploaded to the website, with the relevant links. Our Twitter name is @whisky4everyone, so look out for us! We have also met numerous interesting people from all facets of the whisky industry and beyond with whom we regularly communicate. So why not join the growing number of people following us? If you do, you will get Whisky For Everyone updates directly to your Twitter inbox and you won't have to remember to look at the blog or website as we will come to you! If you start following us, you will also be able to interact with both of us by telling us news, ideas or info and asking us questions or for recommendations.

To follow us on Twitter, please click here and follow the instructions. It will ask you to 'Log in' if you are already a Twitter user or 'Join today' if you are not. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

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.