A couple of posts back I had the honor of presenting a guest post. Now its time to present guest post number 2, this time written by Martin who usually writes on his own blog – the Whisky Critic. Here we go:
Greetings to WhiskyGrotto.com readers. As soon as I saw the first guest post published here, I immediately opened my e-mail client. Johan agreed to have a look at what I have to say and here we come with a guest whisky review.
I choose a really good one for that matter, the Cragganmore 1993 Distillers Edition, double-matured and finished in port wood pipes. Enjoy.
Like fellow Speyside distillery Speyburn choose a locally-influenced name for their single malt (Bradan Orach or Golden Salmon, inspired by the local tradition of salmon fishing), Cragganmore takes its name from the local stone quarry Craggan Mor, meaning Big Rock, the source of the stone used to build the distillery.
While far from the oldest distillery in the Speyside region, Cragganmore is not one of the youngest players either. It’s a well known and respected distillery with a lot of history and awards behind (and more likely than not ahead) of it.
It is not unusual that Distillers Edition bottles are made from lower quality ingredients than the distilleries standard products, with the classy-sounding name being code for ‘not good enough for our usual label’, but such is not the case here. Much like the Speyburn Bradan Orach, this is an excellent whisky for novice single malt drinkers. The port cask finish gives it a sweetness which makes it quite palatable indeed, and it goes down a charm.
Serve at room temperature in glass of your liking. As I often do with single malts, I would recommend skipping the ice for this one (regardless of how suave bond-like characters sound when they order Scotch, on the rocks).
Eye: Light, golden-brown.
Nose: Initial fruitiness and hints of smoke, followed sublimely by notes of orange, nougat, herbs and sweet floral honey.
Taste: Ever so slight smokiness, followed by a hint of nut. This whisky is all about the finish though, which packs a punch of plums, raisins and honey – much thanks to the port finish.
Overall a very smooth, easy to drink whisky – one of my top recommendations for beginners, but also anyone who enjoys a sweet and well balanced single malt; bonus points are given due to the fact that you can pick it up for a rough £35/$55.
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Sales director Alistair Walker pulls of a big smile as the BenRiach Distillery Company is celebrating their win of ten top awards in the prestigious 2009 International Wine and Spirits Competition this week.
In results published today this Thursday, the company entered 10 whiskies from both its BenRiach and GlenDronach brands, and won 10 medals – 1 Gold, 8 Silver and 1 Bronze.
GlenDronach has four expressions and all four won medals including a Gold and Best in Class for its 15 year-old ‘Revival’ while BenRiach won a further six awards including two Silver and Best in Class.
BenRiach and GlenDronach scotch single malts awards were:
GlenDronach Medals
Gold Best in Class GlenDronach 15YO ‘Revival’
Silver Best in Class GlenDronach 33YO
Silver GlenDronach 12YO Original (new 2009 version)
Silver GlenDronach 18YO Allardice
BenRiach Medals
Silver Best in Class BenRiach ‘Maderensis Fumosus’ 13YO Peated / Madeira Finish
Silver Best in Class BenRiach 16YO
Silver BenRiach 12YO
Silver BenRiach ‘Curiositas’ 10YO Peated
Silver BenRiach ‘Authenticus’ 21YO Peated
Bronze BenRiach 15YO Dark Rum Finish
The judges’ Tasting Notes for the GlenDronach 15 year old “Revival” commented: “Great concentration of complex aromas on the nose including treacle toffee, chocolate, orange, toasted nuts and vanilla. Great depth in the mouth, with all the nose promised, plus some Demerara sugar, sweet malt and lots of toast. Great balance with firm tightness which is offset to a degree by lots of mellow notes. Long finish has distinct gingery note.”
Managing Director Billy Walker said: “We are absolutely delighted that ten of our expressions have been recognised at such a prestigious competition. The award reflects the incredibly hard work of our team and underscores the outstanding quality of our two brands.”
The company has won a number of awards in recent years. In February this year the BenRiach Distillery beat off competition from around the world to win the coveted “Icons of Whisky” award in London.
BenRiach was also “Distillery of the Year” in the 2007 Malt Advocate Magazine Whisky Awards.
Whisky Magazine named it the “Best Rare Speyside” (for BenRiach Authenticus 21 Year Old) at its World Whisky Awards, also in 2007.
And it won Gold Medal (for BenRiach 16 year old) at the 2006 International Wines and Spirits Competition.
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Last week, Pernod Ricard, owners of the Glenlivet scotch whisky brand, unveiled an addition to The Glenlivet portfolio in the US. Named The Glenlivet XXV, it represents the oldest permanent release in the brand’s range, and will be available in the country in a limited quantity.
It’s made from hand-selected vintage that has been finished in first-fill Sherry casks for at least two years before bottling. Glenlivet XXV was also signed off by four expert whisky-makers: Alan Winchester, who oversees the production process; Bill Lamb, who supervises the filling and warehousing of the casks; David Boyd, who regularly “noses” the whisky to inspect its progress and selects the casks for bottling; and Jim Cryle, The Glenlivet’s acclaimed Master Distiller.
The XXV comes packaged in a wooden box accented with limestone and brushed steel.
Unlike other products in The Glenlivet’s permanent range, [click to continue…]
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Clydesdale, probably Sweden’s most interesting distributor of whisky released news about two new bottlings under the Blackadder Raw Casks brand – Royal Brackla and St Magdalene.
Blackadder does not believe in chill-filtering or in colouring whisky. They believe that the purest is the best. Quite simply, Blackadder RAW CASK is every bit a Blackadder whisky but even more so. They use a special bottling process to make sure that each and every bottle of Blackadder RAW CASK contains its own share of the cask sediments as well as of natural oils and fats that might otherwise be left behind when filling a cask strength whisky straight from cask. This ensures the maximum possible natural flavour is in each and every bottle. The only thing they [click to continue…]
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The BenRiach distillery are adding a number of new expressions to their whisky range. The first one to see the light is the BenRiach 16 years old Sauternes Finish.
Matured in the traditional style in American bourbon barrels, this Single Malt whisky is then finished in Chateau D’Yquem Premier Cru Superior Sauternes wine barrels (sourced from the Bordeaux region of France), for a period of approximately 2 1/2 years.
According to BenRiach, the Chateau D’Yquem Sauternes casks are extremely hard to come by, and this release represents the rarest of all their wood finishes, with just 281 six-packs bottled for worldwide distribution. During this 2nd period of maturation the whisky derives a number of additional flavours and aromas specific to the Sauternes barrels.
Tasting notes from BenRiach
Nose: Sultanas, figs, butterscotch.
Colour: Rich gold.
Taste: Rich sweet Sauternes notes married with tropical fruits, melons, toffee, sultanas and butterscotch.
Stay tune for more info about the BenRiach Maderensis Fumosus and the BenRiach Limited Release Batch 5
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