Don Fernando Tequila Añejo, 38%

Posted on 28 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Until March 2006 Tequila Añejo was the oldest kind of tequila and it meant nothing more than ‘aged for over a year’. Back then a fourth category was introduced named ‘Extra Añejo’ which is aged over three years. This, to me, means that tequila is going into premiumization of products as well. I picked up on this for the first time when I was in San Francisco in 2011, and walked into a random liquor store.

They also had, apart from loads of good bourbons and ryes, a lot of nicely bottled tequila in wooden cases at prices that make you look twice. I never knew it existed, but I could have expected that. The fun thing was that this was not some prominent shop like Cask (they didn’t have what I wanted) but just some run down shop where people come to buy $ 10 bottles of hooch.

Anyway, another 100% Blue Agava tequila, which has aged in French Limousin barrels. Aged over two years which makes it the oldest tequila I ever had (and the third).

Don Fernando Tequila Añejo

Don Fernando Tequila Añejo

Sniff:
Not sweet but rather bitter at first. There’s wood, okra and cactus fruit. The slightly chemical is not all gone yet. As you let it air for a little while the chemical scent wafts off and it gets slightly less ‘planty’.

Sip:
The palate is a lot sweeter than the nose with agava and aloe vera. Also lime and oak. The palate has a bit more depth than I expected with all flavours dancing around. Towards the end there also is a little bit of a vinegar like note.

Swallow:
The finish goes towards dishwashing liquid again but also has lots of aloe vera, agava, lime and oak. As it starts fading slowly I also get licorice and cactus again.

A very nice tequila. It has a lot more depth than the previous two and more flavours to offer. The risk is that it gets too woody and loses that special tequila touch. Most participants in the Twitter tasting loved this one since it is a lot like whisky. For me, that would be a reason not to love it since if I want whisky, I will drink whisky. This one is just tequila-y enough.

Tequila Añejo, Don Fernando, 38%, 100% Blue Agava, available at DH17 for € 43.50.

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Scorpion Mezcal Añejo, 40%

Posted on 27 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The final drink from the Twitter Tasting and the one that diverges from the tequila path a little bit. The difference, as far as I know is that Mezcal doesn’t necessarily have to be made in the Jalisco state, around Santiago de Tequila. Technically, all tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.

This mezcal diverges from standards in another way. The agava is heated in a clay/dirt kiln over a wood fire and there’s warm rocks on the bottom where it stayed for a few days. Because of this, this mezcal picked up a slightly smoky flavour. Of course, most whisky enthusiasts in the tasting where highly anticipating this one, since they wanted to get back into the smoky zone of things.

This one is aged in oak for a year and the casks are rather small, not exceeding 200 liters. Apparently Food & Wine magazine awarded this one 95 out of a 100 points if you care for such ratings.

Scorpion Mezcal

Scorpion Mezcal

Sniff:
Wood and vegetables at first with a certain smokiness that is very different from whisky, but also not too woody. Completely different from the previous tequilas with tar and asphalt, plants. Also some rotting vegetables from the veggie drawer in the fridge when the power failed (something I remember vividly from when I got home yesterday). This causes for a rather weirdly, decay-like sweetness.

Sip:
The palate is surprisingly fresh, all of a sudden with sweetness, slightly cloying. Lime, simple syrup, banana and oak. Also some white pepper and wood smoke. After a few seconds it changes significantly and becomes incredibly salty. Weird.

Swallow:
The finish has smoked salt, wood and burnt lime zests. It lasts an eternity.

Well, what to say. According to my description you might start to run away, but this is one you really have to try to assess. The flavours I got were rather strange and individually I would hate them. All together they make for a rather interesting drink, though. Very different from the previous ones and actually kind of tasty. This might be something for a blind tasting!

The thing I dislike most about this mezcal is that the producers deemed it necessary to drop a tiny scorpion in the bottle. I don’t like bugs in my booze for some reason, and especially not those gimmicky things. Same goes for worms in tequila, locusts in absinthe (I’ve seen it) and snakes in ‘whisky’. Just produce good booze instead of trying to gimmick it up!

Scorpion mezcal añejo, 100% blue agava, 40%, available at DH17 for € 50.50

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Voodoo Tiki Tequila Reposado, 40%

Posted on 24 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Tequila Reposado is the kind of tequila that has been in a cask for a short while. This while ranges from 2 months to 1 year, according to wikipedia. After that it becomes tequila añejo, with some more time in wood to its name.

Anyway, I don’t know  much about the stuff but I know there are some gimmicky producers around, since this one has a small statue in the bottle. Probably some voodoo idol, but I care more for the booze than for all the stuff that comes with it.

Tequila Voodoo Tiki

Tequila Voodoo Tiki

Sniff:
This one is a little bit less sweet than the previous one, but has a strange scent of burnt vegetables and dish washing liquid. The fruit is gone from the nose and has been replaced by a lot of gentle spices. It also picked up a little bit of bitterness from the oak.

Wybertjes

Wybertjes

Sip:
Spicy and bitter at first and it made me think of pear cores. There’s a lot of licorice in this one and I even get ‘wybertjes’, which is a Dutch licorice based cough sweet or something. It has a slight fizzy feeling to it.

Swallow:
The palate picked it up from the nose, and the finish picks up from the palate. Delicious! I get mojito, Long Island ice tea, lime, bitter caramel and some aloe vera floralness.

A bit of a strange one since it starts on those hints of dishwashing, a chemical variety on aloe vera I think. Somewhat better than yesterday’s 30-30, but still not something that makes me spend money.

Tequila Reposado, Voodoo Tiki, 40%, 100% Blue Agava, available at DH17 for € 45.50.

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Tequila 30-30, 100% Agava, 40%

Posted on 23 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Last week there was a Twitter tasting consisting of 3 tequilas and one mezcal. I was compelled to join in since I like Elise, who hosted it. Also, I had never had tequila before, ever. Only in cocktails where the flavour is rather masked of course. What better way to find out about such a product than in a sort of guided tasting!

Apparently there are a couple of kinds of tequila with the different all being in their aging. Of course there are other rules like at least 51% blue agava. The aging doesn’t necessarily have to be in oak I believe, with this one having been in steel for a while just to take the edge off.

Today’s post, and the following three will review the booze tasted.

Tequila 30-30 at DH17

Tequila 30-30 at DH17

Sniff:
Mostly sweet sugar syrup with some green herbs like dill. It has a certain vegetable like quality to it which I really have to get used to. It’s not bad, but not something I would take a bite out of my whisky budget for.

Sip:
The nose was not spirity at all, but the palate certainly is. Not in a bad way, mind you! Slightly fizzy but very smooth with a hint of white pepper, and aloe vera. That hint of aloe vera makes it a bit shampoo like though. All of a sudden the sweetness transforms into mountains of raisins.

Swallow:
The finish has a very cocktail-like quality to it, like there already is some lime and mint in there for a Mojito or maybe even more Long Island Ice Tea. It lasts rather long and the summery cocktail feel makes it rather Mexican, if that is a thing.

A very nice entry tequila where the quality of the product is obvious. It is, however, not something I find all that stellar. More educational than convincing I have to say.

Tequila Blanco, 30-30, 100% Agava, 40%. Available at DH17 for € 24.99

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Auchentoshan Heartwood, 43%

Posted on 22 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Last year Auchentoshan released a couple of new bottlings for travel retail. These are the Springwood, Heartwood, Cooper’s Reserve, Silver Oak and Solera. Since I have not been travelling since then I have not seen them in shops but I take it by now they are everywhere and you can pick them up at your leisure.

Usually I kind of like Auchentoshan. By that I mean that there have been bottlings that I really enjoy and there are some I like less. I don’t think I have tried many Auchentoshan that it outright disliked. Maybe the 2012 version of their Valinch.

Heartwood is at the lower end of their new releases with it being a sherry finish, while Springwood is a bourbon matured whisky. The rest ramps up in price and fits different profiles.

Auchentoshan Heartwood. Image from Whiskybase.

Auchentoshan Heartwood. Image from Whiskybase.

Sniff:
You really notice its youth right away, since it is a very spirity whisky. There is a certain cookie like sweetness and slight bitter marmalade scent. I also get hints of sweet lemon. It’s very very light and for some reason not really my cup of tea. Almond and lemon merengue pie (which I do like).

Sip:
The palate is surprisingly full for such a light and young whisky. Summery with fruit and spirit. A bit gin-like. Again the lemon and almond combination is going on and I’m liking the palate better than the nose, so far. There’s some allspice too.

Swallow:
The finish is again spirity and the sherry casks show a bit of that rather typical mustiness here. Fruit, cloves and other parts of allspice, almond, lemon.

At first I was very disappointed with this whisky. The nose still doesn’t sit right with me. The palate and finish do fix some of the complaints I have, but since I usually nose a whisky rather long I am not a huge fan. It’s a nice whisky and it’s probably rather cheap, so you’re not in the hole for too much if you don’t like it. It’s not bad, but I’m not buying it either.

Auchentoshan Heartwood, 43%, sherry finished, € 33 for a full liter!

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Finlaggan Old Reserve, 40%

Posted on 21 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Finlaggan Old Reserve is a budget whisky which I picked up about two or three years ago for about € 25 at De Whiskykoning. There also is a cask strength version but we’re not sure if it’s the same whisky or even the same distillery. If so, I’m interested!

Why? Supposedly this is young Lagavulin. I love Lagavulin. From tasting this ‘standard’ version I am able to say that it is a very good possibility. Entirely sure I am not (as Yoda would say). I might need to test it with a gas chromatographer alongside a Lagavulin. I believe the Whiskykoning did that once to test Smokehead (supposedly young Ardbeg).

Finlaggan Old Reserve at Master of Malt

Finlaggan Old Reserve at Master of Malt

Sniff:
Tea and smoke with sweet dried peaches and apricots. It’s very gentle with some orange, orange peel and oak. It does have a hint of mustiness with a touch of sherry too.

Sip:
The palate is smooth, peppery with smoke. It feels rather thin and this is where the 40% abv starts playing its part. It does have a slightly bitter edge and some peppery heat. Orange peel and oak as well.

Swallow:
The finish keeps on being gentle with smoke and wood. There’s some orange and tea here as well as some pepper. The slight mustiness is back again which has a hint of wet clay. It reminded me of the crawl space under our house.

Well, what to say. For € 25 it is a very, very decent dram. If you want to build a collection on a small budget this will certainly help and you’ll get a tasty whisky as well. Apart from that 40% is way too low in alcohol and I think this would be much better at 46%. I am curious to taste the cask strength version and since it’s only € 40 I just might pick that up someday.

Finlaggan Old Reserve, 40%, shouldn’t set you back more than € 30.

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Imperial 16, 1994-2011, 57.4%, Bottled for The Whisky Shop Dufftown – Gordon & MacPhail Exclusive

Posted on 20 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Another sample I picked up at Maltstock. I think. I don’t know much about it, but I know I generally enjoy Imperial. Although, I never bougt a drop since I don’t think it is that special after all. It weirdly tastes like much cheaper grain whisky. On the other hand, that is kind of what makes it special, right?

Imperial had been closed for quite a few years until it was demolished a short while ago. Apparently they are going to build a new distillery on the same site to get more much needed capacity at Chivas Brothers.

16 year old Imperial from Whisky Shop Dufftown

16 year old Imperial from Whisky Shop Dufftown

Sniff:
Sweet, warm apple crumble with vanilla custard on top. There is some allspice with a big pinch of cloves in there. The oak is very timid, but definetly present as well. Weirdly enough, this Imperial also tastes like much older grain whisky.

Sip:
Thick and syrupy, with hints of golden syrup or maple syrup. Slightly drying because of the ABV. I get a small fizzy feeling on the palate too. The sharpness of 57.4% kicks in rather late. There’s the slightest hint of white pepper for extra spice but mostly it’s vanilla, pound cake, lemon curd and oak.

Swallow:
The finish continues down the taken path. Pretty simple but definetly tasty. The character of the spirit is a bit more prominent as the oak influence wanes a little bit.

This is a very nice pick by Michael Lord from Whisky Shop Dufftown. At £ 60 it’s fairly affordable too, for a single cask whisky from a closed distillery bottled as a private release. Adds up, right? Anyway, it has some definete grain whisky likeness but in a good way. A bit more depth maybe. Deliciously fruity and sweet.

Imperial 16, 1994-2011, 57.4%, Bottled for The Whisky Shop Dufftown – Gordon & MacPhail Exclusive. Still available at WSD!

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Abhainn Dearg – Spirit of Lewis, 40%, cask # 102010

Posted on 17 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

One of the first official whiskies spirits from Abhainn Dearg released in 2011. They can’t have many releases since they only started distilling in 2008. I have bought a couple of bottles from the first spirit they released at first and haven’t been too thrilled with that. Easy, since I generally don’t like the new make of any distillery. It’s interesting to taste, but I will never spend any money on it (not anymore at least).

Lewis is one of the Outer Hebrides and doesn’t have much going for it unless you want calm and peace at the cost of barely being able to do grocery shopping. Of course, I’d like to visit the place, but I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon.

Anyway, let’s just try this whisky! I picked up a sample from a bottle on the table at Maltstock since I was curious to it.

The Spirit of Lewis - Abhainn Dearg. Image from Whiskybase

The Spirit of Lewis – Abhainn Dearg. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Aargh…. I already know I am not going to like this one. It’s incredibly young and spirity, and while that is not necessarily an issue, it is here. There’s the scent of rotting wood and wet dirt, with vanilla custard and spirit. The spirit is not the new make, but the stuff you use to fuel a burner, the blue stuff. It’s incredibly feinty and heavy with shoe polish and oil.

Sip:
I did manage to take a sip, but it continues in a much similar fashion of raw spirit, rotting wood and just not enough age by far. I can’t even seem to pick up the vanilla anymore.

Swallow:
Here there are minerals in the mix suddenly. I think it has to do with the muddy scent I got earlier. The spirit and wood flavours are here too.

I threw the rest of the glass out. While I love everyone who builds a distillery for their efforts and love for the product and process, I think the guys in Lewis have a long, long way to go.

Abhainn Dearg – Spirit of Lewis, 40%, cask # 102010, by now it is worth around € 122, but I don’t know the price of newer releases.

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Ledaig 8, 61%, 2001-2010 – Daily Drams

Posted on 16 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I have always found the Daily Dram a bit of a curious name. It kind of contrasts with the ‘drink responsibly’ statement found everywhere. They do produce a number of rather good whiskies that are sort of affordable. Not that they all stay below € 50, but it’s unlikely to see a € 500 bottle from them. It wouldn’t really fit the label either.

Ledaig is the peated brand of Tobermory. The produce it in the same distillery but have, much like Springbank, decided to name their peated brand differently to clearly mark the different product.

Usually I am not a huge fan of the Ledaig and Tobermory whiskies, especially not the current releases that I’ve tried. Apparently the 1973 Ledaigs are incredibly good, but I have not been fortunate to taste one of those yet. For some reason most bottlers currently think Ledaig is done at 5 to 10 years of age, but I often disagree. Let’s see what this one brings us.

Ledaig 8, Daily Drams. Image from Whiskybase

Ledaig 8, Daily Drams. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
It smells like very clean Ardbeg. The same scents of grass, straw and daisies are here, with a significant amount of peat. Pretty smoky with vanilla and salt and quite some alcohol burn.

Sip:
The palate continues as expected with a rather big blast of alcohol and peppery heat at first. The smoke is pretty coarse and dry. Very sharp with alcohol, vanilla, grass and salt. And I get the distinct impression of the grass that grows on the sand dunes on the beach (Marram of Sand reed according to the interwebs).

Swallow:
The finish is all of a sudden rather gentle and short. The vanilla is back but the grass flavours fade first. The smoke is here again too and again it tastes very clean.

I traded this bottle for a sample of Highland Park 18 (an old bottling) because the original owner didn’t like it at all. I’m not a huge fan either, but it is one of the more acceptable Ledaigs I’ve recently (the last two years or so) tried. At least it’s not one of those incredibly young sherried ones that smell like decaying cattle.

Ledaig 8, 61%, 2001-2010, Daily Drams. Used to cost around € 40.

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Springbank 21, 46% – 1998

Posted on 15 May 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

A rather old bottling of Springbank 21. According to Rob at De Whiskykoning (I’ve been mentioning him and his shop a lot, lately) “the best whisky ever made“. He apparently has a few cases of it on his ‘retirement pallet’ in his little warehouse.

Anyway, this was the penultimate release of Springbank 21 with another one in 2004. After that it went quiet around Springbank, especially the 21. Until the rerelease in 2011 that was. There’s about as much time between these releases, but the last two years they’ve done an annual one and since 2004 they’ve changed about everything: labels, boxing, bottles and, most importantly, style.

By the colour of it I’d say there are more sherry casks in this blend than in the modern ones. Other than that we can’t say much since little information is given.

Springbank 21, available at De Whiskykoning. Image from Whiskybase

Springbank 21, available at De Whiskykoning. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
It’s surprisingly fresh at first, with peaches among other tropical fruits. Mostly the standard combination of peaches and plums. It also has that old fashioned farmy Springbank note with wood and something musty added to it. It’s full and creamy with caramel, fudge and milk chocolate.

Sip:
The palate is a little bit sharp at first but still the full richness as expected by the nose. The caramel has turned a little bitter here but not overly so. Fudge here again, but the farmy note turns more to hay. The fruit is still present but more subdued with the bitterness changing the peach to peach stones. Mind you, the bitterness is not overpowering at all, but a rather nice touch to the complexity of the whisky.

Swallow:
The finish is long and full, with bitter fruit like star anise. The hay, oak and caramel are back as well. Wood, fudge, and some more straight forward sherry notes.

This whisky is an excercise in balance. Apart from the fact that I would ‘like’ to taste something like this at cask strength, I can’t even find that a fault since at 46% it is so utterly delicious. The complexity is stunning and there is something new to find at every sniff or sip.

If you can try a whisky like this at some point, please do yourself a favour and do it. It’ll set you back a rather significant amount of money (€ 400-500 or so at least), but it’s worth it.

Springbank 21, 1998 release, mostly available in auctions where prices are climbing rapidly over the last year or so.

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