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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When every independent bottler around the world are experimenting with the contents of whisky ForScotchLovers founder Doug Stone takes another route.
This past summer Doug commissioned the artists at Inner Light Crystal to produce a limited edition of exactly twenty-one (21) engraved bottles of Macallan Fine Oak 21 years old whisky. Each bottle is signed by the artists and individually numbered, and will be accompanied by a pair of CelticMalts Spirits Glasses, engraved with wonderful quotes, and a certificate of authenticity signed by the artists.
The combination of the engraving on a bottle of incomprably delicious and enjoyable Macallan Fine Oak 21 whisky create an artistic combination that could turn out to be a great investment.
About the artists:
Glass artists Carol Iselin and Dave Sugar are the creative minds and partners behind Inner Light Crystal Studios in New York, a design studio they started almost 30 years ago. Through their collaborative efforts their artistic style has allowed them to push the cutting-edge of glass art technology, resulting in breathtaking and innovative installations at some of the worlds leading museums.
Their engraved bottles have been collected by world leaders (every president since/including Ronald Reagan, Jacque Chirac, John Major, General Colin Powell and others.
More details on this piece of art can be found on ForScotchLovers.
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The Edrington Group has launched an environmentally friendly, limited edition extension to its The Macallan Single Malt Scotch brand. It’s called The Macallan Estate.
The Estate Oak, introduced exclusively for global duty free airports, has been rolled out to support ongoing woodland regeneration in Scotland. For each bottle sold, The Macallan will plant an oak tree on The Macallan Estate in Speyside.
The whisky has been matured in both European (ex-oloroso sherry) and American (ex-bourbon) oak. The bottling is without an age statement and comes without a box, to reduce the amount of waste. The labels are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and are sourced from responsibly managed resources.
“We anticipate it will be a huge success with people wanting to make a difference to the environment,” said William Ovens, The Edrington Group’s global travel retail area director.
The Macallan Estate Oak is available in world duty free stores and priced at GBP34.99 (US$69.35) per bottle.
Thanks WhiskyViking’s Corner for digging up the news.
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Ian Macleod Distillers is stepping up activity on its Isle of Skye brand and has launched a Limited Edition Isle of Skye 21 Year Old in a Wade decanter and an exceptionally rare super-premium 50 Year Old.
They were launched at the Isle of Skye’s most famous restaurant, The Three Chimneys, run by Shirley and Eddie Spear.
The 1000 limited edition and individually hand numbered Isle of Skye 21 Year Olds will be packaged in a Royal blue and gold Wade porcelain decanter, presented in a blue leather box, while the 400 individually numbered Isle of Skye 50 Year Olds are presented in a solid oak wood box with gold plate and certificate of authenticity.
Iain Weir, Marketing Director at Ian Macleod said: “The Three Chimneys on the Isle of Skye provides the perfect home for the Isle of Skye blend and the launch of these ultra rare and premium luxury whiskies. It also marks the beginning of a new partnership between this iconic restaurant and Isle of Skye whisky, which will see us working together on many exciting new marketing activities across the whole Isle of Skye range. In particular, we will be conducting a fun and informal whisky tasting with the staff to introduce them to our full range including the 21 and 50 Year olds.”
Shirley Spear, commenting on the partnership said: “We are looking forward to welcoming Isle of Skye Whisky back to its rightful home, here on the Isle of Skye and will be proud to promote this excellent, top-quality blend in conjunction with our 5-Star Restaurant with Rooms.
The 21 Year Old Isle of Skye Wade decanters will be available in 70cl worldwide from July and will retail at RRP £150-160.
The 70 cl 50 Year Old Isle of Skye will be available worldwide from July and will retail at UK RRP £850-£950 reflecting its extreme rarity.
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