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Whisky of the Month

BenRiach Single Cask Head to Head Double Tasting – Sauternes Cask 2006

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From the distiller BenRiach:

BenRiach Distillery has unveiled Batch 15 in its popular series of single cask bottling’s. The distillery is known for its experimental nature and this latest batch of single cask whiskies demonstrates this, once again offering whisky connoisseurs a multi-faceted range of casks in both unpeated and Highland peated styles. Each bottle is filled exclusively from one of these individual casks.

As with all of the BenRiach single cask releases they are individually hand-numbered, non chill filtered, natural colour and presented in a gift tube, each single cask is truly unique.

BenRiach 2006 Single Cask

Cask No. 2406 

Cask Type: Port Pipe

Bottle No. 327 of 809

Cask Strength 58.7 % ABV

Colour: darker gold, almost a bronze

Nose: Toffee, butterscotch, sweet heat, cherries, dried figs, you can really smell the strength of the alcohol, but it is rounded out nicely by the sweetness and warmth of fruit

Taste: figs, raisins, bit of liquorice, sweet warmth of some fresh baking, a little touch of spice, berries, the alcohol dissipates quickly and does not over-power the palate

Finish: smooth sweetness, Christmas pudding, caramel sauce, warmth

This dram invokes a sense of déjà vu and transports me back to the onset of a brisk Ontario winter right around the Christmas holidays.  My Grandmother makes a  Christmas pudding with caramel sauce, which invokes the smell an aroma that I get from this dram.  The sweetness, the fruit, the caramel sauce, all that’s missing is some vanilla ice cream, but hey why not drizzle a bit of this BenRiach Single Cask onto a fresh scoop?  The Port Pipe Cask is a fantastic finish on some top notch juice in this expression.  Highly recommend should you come across a bottle. Not available in Ontario via the LCBO but it can be found out of province.

BenRiach 2006 Single Cask

Cask No. 1855

Cask Type: Sauternes Barrique

Bottle No. 184 of 277

Cask Strength 56.5% ABV

Colour: Bright summer gold, bit more of a lighter red hue vs the Port Pipe expression

Nose: hint of lemon, subtle honey, toast, freshness, toffee, apple, smells almost dry like a cider

Taste: green apple slices, hazelnut, drizzle of Billie Bee honey on morning toast, dry sweet wine from the Sauternes Cask finish, overall brightness

Finish: smooth light dry finish, much more delicate that the Cask Strength would suggest, fresh cut green apples, touch of honey sweetness

This dram is completely different from the Part Pipe finish.  The Sauternes Cask is a much smaller finishing vessel and it imparts the dry sweetness that the Sauternes region wine is known for. This one is more fresh and uplifting and I would be right at home drinking this one on a warm summer evening. I keep coming back to the dry finish of a glass of cider, however one with a much warmer finish as dictated by the Cask Strength finish. It’s hard to believe that these 2 BenRiach’s are the same distillate as they impart completely different flavours and finishes based on the Cask treatment.  Once again this was not available at the LCBO and had to be sourced out of province. Should you come across one I’d say investigate an purchase should budgets allow.  Overall fantastic work with these expressions BenRiach.

Whisky of the Month

Edradour Caledonia 12 Year

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Edradour Caledonia 12 Year

Highland Single Malt

Bottled at 46% ABV

  • Ballechin
  • Caledonia

Our club recently sampled the Edradour Caledonia. Edradour is a distillery I always look forward to sampling. If my blurry memory serves me, the Edradour 10 was the first whiskey I ordered while i was in Scotland at the Speedwell pub in Dundee. They also have a surprising number of offerings given their small size.


The nose has a complex floral, fruity aroma. It’s definitely evident that there’s a lot going on here. Overall it presents itself as sweet and clean on the nose but certainly exerts its presence.


On the palate the sherry finish was evident. This came together with the fruit that was on the nose to again deepen the character. The long legs that you’ll note in the glass really lead to coating your mouth.

The finish develops in a lengthy way. The heat creeps up on you and hangs out for a while but not in an overpowering way while things dry out a bit and the flavors from the palate fade.For the price I think this a pretty enjoyable spirit. I think this would land well with most whiskey enthusiasts. There’s nothing mind blowing, but there’s really nothing objectionable either. It’s enjoyable dram which does perhaps get too warm for a summer night poolside which is where we sampled it. But as a springtime whiskey I think the floral & fruity clean nose this has would make you want to enjoy it outside. If this were readily available in Ontario, this would certainly be in my bar by now.

Ballechin Edition

Aged 14 Years

Burgundy Cask Matured, 411 Bottles from Cask 7

Bottled at cask Strength 51.9% ABV

Notes from the distillery:

14 year old single malt from Edradour, distilled using peated barley – and as such, it’s been released under the Ballechin name! It was filled into a Burgundy wine cask in January 2004 and bottled in January 2018 (four days after its 14th birthday), and bottled at cask strength. 411 bottles were produced.

Nose: A generous waft of coastal smoke filled the nose, with underlying blackcurrant sweetness.

Palate: The red berry notes from the wine cask take the lead on the palate, with a hint of chocolate developing along the way. Still richly smoky.

Finish: Cardamom, cinnamon and toasted oak.

Personally this was one of the most unique tastings I have ever participated in. Edradour starts right at the beginning of the experience with the fantastic visuals and feel of their wood packaging. Immediately it looks like nothing else in the market place. Traditionally I’m not the biggest fan of heavily peated whiskies but this was more of a sweet finish rounded off by the burgundy wine finishing. The tasting notes above came through for the most part but still left me puzzled as it was truly one of the most unique flavour combinations I have had the pleasure of enjoying. We weren’t able to source within Ontario and had to reach out to our friends and family in Alberta to find this gem. If you are interested in something exciting, daring, unique and truly tasty look no further that the cask series from Edradour.

Whisky of the Month

Little Book II

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Little Book II

Bottle: Little Book II

ABV: 59.4%

118.8 Proof

139.90 CDN

Limited Availability at LCBO

Review and notes by member Chad Nagle:

At a point in history when there is more political divide across North America since the war of 1812, what better way to come together and celebrate than to share a glass or two of Whisk(e)y together. Using a blend of 8 Year Kentucky Rye, 13 Year Canadian Rye and 40 Year Canadian 100% Corn Whisky, Little Book II is a harmonious blend of Canada / U.S relations, in bottle form! This is the second Chapter or Release from Beam Distillery recognized world wide for Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon amongst others. This is the creation from Freddie Noe who is the son of current Master Distiller Fred Noe and an eighth generation Beam family member, he wanted to make a blended whiskey to honour the legacy of his ancestors Whisky distilling past.

I am not sure of what percentage of each whisk(e)y is used or which Canadian Ryes have been selected, if I am able to find this out I will re-post at a later date.

The nose was typical of an American Bourbon, although it seemed a bit heavier and more congested which muffled the aromas, But i was able to get a bit of fruit through the ethanol.

The palate was rich and mildly sweet, pepper spice and honey were the most noticeable, there were hints of the Canadian Rye grains but not enough to offset the heavy oily American Oak.

The finish was surprisingly smooth and warming, at 118.8% Proof I thought it would hang around longer than the In-Laws visiting from out of town, but it was over quickly as the black licorice dominated and took over.

I must say I always prefer my American Bourbons or Whiskeys with a heap of ice, I think it enhances the flavours and makes it more sippable, usually at the $40-50 Canadian price point you can justify lots of ice, but for $140 Canadian for this release it had to sit in my glass sans ice.

Truthfully I would much prefer to spend this type of money on a Single Malt but I get the appeal for collectors or American Whiskey enthusiasts, the packaging is great and the uniqueness makes it desirable, however I feel it lacks any qualities of Canadian Rye Whisky and is more of a novelty than a true contender in the High-end whisk(e)y market.

Whisky of the Month

Springbank 18 Year Old

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Submission and notes by member Josh Bruce:

This one was a special treat to sample. Despite some choice bottles in my collection my Springbank 10 remains one of my favorites. When the club first tried this years ago, I was blown away by how unique the nose was on this single malt. Even now, nothing relaxes me like pouring a glass of the 10, and just breathing it in for a few minutes before I even draw a sip. But to date, the 10 is all I’ve ever been able to sample of Springbank. So for the 18, my expectations are high.In the glass the 18 has a light gold color indicative of the bourbon cask aging. Rolling it around the glass shows long legs and it’s somewhat oily demeanor.


On the nose I wasn’t disappointed detecting a similar briny sea air that is clean and crisp like the 10. Unlike the 10, there’s also the faint sting of alcohol on the nostril just reminding you that it’s there. Accompanying this was a faint citrus & sweetness note.

The palate had a spicy warmth that I’d compare to pepper or paprika maybe. The citrus continued in from the nose. The palate had a flat dryness that came in just after the spiciness and the citrus.

The finish was long and mouth watering with the return of the briny character from the nose, and some of the citrus carrying through.So conclusion time…. judging solely on what’s in my glass, it didn’t disappoint. It had the character I hoped I would find, and that relaxation that comes with the briny sea breeze in every breath.

But what I can’t get past is that for 40% of the cost of this, you can still get a stellar Campbeltown whiskey in the Springbank 10. The 18 has a lot of character, but so does the 10 – they’re just different. So given that, I would recommend this bottle for someone who very much wanted to see the range of what Springbank offers – the 18 certainly would not disappoint. Or someone who wants a high profile bottle from a lesser known region. You’d be sure to have guests commenting on just how unique this offering is. 


But then again, the 10 would do that for you too!

Springbank 18
Whisky of the Month

Springbank Single Cask 19 Year Old

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Springbank 19 Single Cask

Notes by member Tamara Maurer.

Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Aged: 19 years

Distilled on: May 1997

Bottled on: May 2016

Matured in: Sherry Cask

Bottles: 390

Alcohol: 55.6%

Our purchase price: $390 CAN

Club rating: 4.01/5

When I saw this rare Springbank sitting on a dusty shelf in a private liquor dealer in Santa Monica California, there was no doubt that it would be one of the bottles I lugged back to Ontario.

Such a treat to have this as part of the collection. When I finally found an occasion to crack it open 3 years after nervously standing at the luggage carousel praying it made the journey unharmed, it did not disappoint. A beautiful colour (the last of a dying sunset over Lake Huron under a cloudless sky? Too much?) with no colour additives per Springbank’s usual practice, this whisky could have been a song of sweetness, but is muted due to its high alcohol content, at 55.6%. With an unmistakable sherry influence, this gem is genuinely unique, mixing vanilla sweetness with the saltiness of the Campbeltown sea influence. Peppery and spicy, with nothing floral or too funky.

Pure elegance, in a quirky way that is so, so Springbank.

(Note: we did sample this whisky with and without a drop of water, as recommended by past reviewers. It made a significant impact on the palate, becoming much creamier tasting with the water, with a stronger sherry punch. The club seemed to prefer it with water overall).

(Note 2: Although not a fair inclusion in a review of the whisky itself, I will add that my one criticism of this whisky is its packaging. Springbank continues to bottle its whisky in a decidedly “oldschool” fashion. Although I enjoy the love of tradition, this particular bottle should have packaging to match its specialness, rather than a nondescript bottle with a flimsy open cardboard box)

News

An Evening with Gibson’s Finest, February 22, 2019

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Presented by Expensive Taste:

The Club had the good fortune of having Josh Groom the global brand ambassador/customer relations guru (not sure of the title) from Gibson’s Finest Canadian Whisky in to Kitchener for a guided tasting of four Gibson’s Finest expressions.

Prior to our evening tasting, Josh from Gibson’s had sent some parcels to our tasting location, which we soon learned, contained three different types of glassware for the event and some other Gibson’s swag, more on that shortly.

From the outset this appeared to be a different type of guided tasting than the club has had in the past, and to put it lightly, Josh did not disappoint.  To get the night going Josh whipped up an “Old Fashioned” mix drink for each member mixed with the Gibson’s Finest 12 Year Old Rare, simple syrup, bitters and a slice of orange peel.  What a fantastic drink, we would highly recommend using this spirit for your mixed cocktails.

The evenings taster’s consisted of the four Gibson’s Finest expressions shown below:

  • Gibson’s Finest Sterling
  • Gibson’s Finest Bold 8 Year
  • Gibson’s Finest Rare 12 Year
  • Gibson’s Finest Venerable 18 Year

After the mixed Old-Fashioned cocktail, we started out with the Sterling, here are some brief tasting notes:

Nose: Sweet and fruity. Mild and slightly floral caramel and rye spices also slight nuttiness

Palate: Creamy with many fruit notes, the fruit, apples, berries, just hints of cherry ice cream – Caramel notes fade quickly, leaving a pleasant warmth behind

Finish: Medium. Fading on tingly peppery spices and caramel. The berry tones return with citrus zest

Next up was the Gibson’s Finest Bold 8 Year:

The Bold is bottled at 46% ABV and Josh mentioned that it is finished in a darkened toasted barrel with a level three char.  Josh flipped over the bottle display he brought with him, revealing that  it was a charred piece of the finishing barrel. It was interesting to see the level of char and you could tell how the spirit picked up colour and flavour from the toasted wood finishing.  The maturation process in level three charred barrels made this expression the surprise of the night.

Here are some basic notes:

Nose:  Dark and rich molasses, dense rye bread, orange peel, oak, roasted grain, rich maple butter, coconut cream, hazelnut toffee. Terrific.

Palate: Rich grain, corn, rye – alongside some peppery spices, plums, orange, and a light coating of oaky vanilla. Seeing this at 46% makes me wish Gibson’s did this with all their whiskies – it is a phenomenal difference in ramping up flavour, spice, and finish.

Finish: Lots of sweet grains, cinnamon, and clove. Slightly tangy- and very nicely dry, so smooth.

Gibson’s third offering of the night is the one that’s most familiar, the Rare 12 Year, colloquially known as “Gibby Gold” amongst the members of Expensive Taste KW as this expression was once called Gibson’s gold.  With the Gibson’s brand this is the whisky I most identify with and is always a go to when I am in the market for Canadian whisky.

Here are some notes on this delicious expression:

Nose:  Sweet fruit with oaky notes, wood does not overpower, butterscotch, apple, cherry, dry tobacco leaves followed by milder suggestions of dry grain, impart greater depth

Palate: Sweet and silky, but with lots of bitter citric zest, fresh-cut wood, spicy white pepper and hints of ginger, pepper and cinnamon. Fresh fruit and inklings of rye spices including cloves and Christmas pudding round it out.

Finish: Medium long, hot and peppery, some sweetness, citrus, fading while the pepper lingers.

To finish off the tasting event we had the pleasure of tasting Gibson’s Finest Venerable 18 Year.  What a fantastic whisky, this is such a smooth, more complex dram thanks to the increased maturity.

Nose: Very creamy sensation from the start, with oaky caramel, butterscotch and vanilla aromas that seem more like creme caramel, plum, pear, something slightly nutty.

Palate: Much the same flavours as found on the nose, with even more vanilla up. Luxurious creamy mouthfeel. Rye “baking spices” (nutmeg, cinnamon, touch of cloves, a bit of bourbon sweetness throughout. Finally, a touch of bitterness

Finish: Sweet, creamy, smooth clean finish, with a touch of vanilla

Overall during the tasting event Josh from Gibson’s was a fantastic storyteller, delivering the background history of the brand in an engaging and exciting way. He was able to immerse us in the world of Gibson’s Finest.  In addition to the glassware that was provided to the club he also had additional brand swag with hats, books and Gibson’s Finest tin bar signs.  Overall, this strengthened my and the clubs love of great Canadian whisky, it worked pretty-damn well as just the other day I picked up a bottle of the 12 year.

 

Get yourself a bottle of one of these fine Canadian Whiskies and you will not be disappointed.

 

Thank you again to Josh for the great entertaining evening with four wonderful expressions of Gibson’s Finest Whisky!

 

Whisky of the Month

Scapa Glansa Single Malt

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Scapa Glansa

Scapa Glansa,

The name Glansa is taken from Old Norse and means ‘shining storm-laden skies’

Limited Availability at the LCBO

40% ABV

$83.60

I’m reminded of an early damp spring morning, with a blustery wind at my back. I have selected my driver as I’m not sure I can reach the par 3 220 yard 10th hole at Orkney Golf Club. This old style classic Scottish links course is providing quite the test for my amateur at best golf skills. With the salted bite of the cool sea air in the breeze, I am reminded of my hip flask full of this warm mysterious dram, picked up on a visit yesterday to the nearby Scapa distillery about 2 kms down the Scottish countryside. I pause to look over the the lush green landscape and the nearby shoreline. I take a swig of the Scapa Glansa… I’m instantly warmed by the light peated flavour and taken back to days gone by.  The sweet palate brings a euphoric sense of pleasure to my taste buds. As the finish finds me like the sunshine that has opened the clouds and has brightened up this old style links course. I am warmed by not only the rays of sunshine, but the warmth of this succulent dram, shame I am drinking it out of the hip flask as this whisky needs a proper Glencairn. I take a deep breath and a whisper of the salty warm delicate smoke fills my nostrils and tickles my senses. I smile and know that this will be a dram that provides the inspiration to approach this daunting par 3. I tee it up and unleash my swing, the swing and contact is pure. The brisk breeze knocks my drive down short of the green but in relative safety. I go for another nip and I am reminded why I made the trip from the mainland to the Orkney Islands during my travels to Scotland last year. As I sit crafting these notes in my basement bar, all it takes is the pop of the cork on my bottle of Scapa Glansa to transport me right back, to a place I would love to visit time and time again. Hey, maybe one of these times I’ll even par that 220 yard par 3.

Scapa Glansa is highly recommended, let this dram transport you on a taste adventure to the Orkney Islands.

For more information visit
http://scapawhisky.com/

Joshua Campbell

Whisky of the Month

Glengoyne 25 Year Old

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On January 26, 2019 we had a the opportunity to have the Glengoyne 25 Year Old as one of our featured tasters as we celebrated our 11 Year Anniversary as a Whisky club.

Club member Tamara has added her notes:

Glengoyne 25 Years

Specs:

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Aged: 25 years

Matured in: Sherry Cask

Alcohol: 48.0%

Our purchase price: $485 CAD

Glengoyne 25 was not a hard sell on me from the get-go, generally being a fan of sherry casks.

Rich & spicy, with no peat, this whisky is a beautiful and impressive amber colour, a baseline signature of the sherry cask. My first impression, it tastes like it looks! On the brown sugary sweet side, but not too sweet, it reminded me of Grandma’s Christmas fruitcake, which would perennially appear on the kitchen counter around December 25 throughout my childhood, and which would still be there come March, mysteriously intact. I never developed the taste for indestructible cake crammed with old dried fruit, but I’ll take these homey flavours in my whisky. Throw in a little orange flavour, a few nuts (walnuts, almonds?) and bam! A bottle that I certainly would include as a highlight of my personal collection. Apologies however, the LCBO does not carry this bottle, making it difficult to obtain in Ontario.

Other common comments from online reviews are notes of old leather, cinnamon and licorice, which were not the stand out elements for me in sampling this bottle. Kensington Wine Market reviews this whisky on their website as “one of the best releases by any distillery in the last few years”. This whisky also won Gold at both the Asian Spirits Masters 2018 and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017.

The distillery’s slogan, “Unhurried since 1833”, reflects perfectly in this bottle. Very easy to drink and a definite go-back-for seconds experience. Overall, a great selection for those who want a complex, rich whisky without the smoke. Skip the dessert, just have a Glengoyne!

Wow what an endorsement, if the above notes strike you we would highly recommend this Glengoyne expression.  Cheers!

Whisky of the Month

Craigellachie 23 Year Old Single Malt

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The club recently celebrated our 11 Year Anniversary and this was bottle #2 in our tasting range for the evening, notes by member Adam Buchholtz.

Craigellachie 23 Year Old Single Malt

Specs: Speyside Scotch Whisky

Matured in: American Oak Cask

Alcohol: 46%

Our Purchase Price: $535.85 (LCBO in Ontario)

Nose: The first impression on the nose of this whisky is quite complex. I picked up some peppery notes, with an aromatic spice blend, along with something akin to sulphur. It seemed like quite a pungent smell, with a hint of sea salt mixed in. Absent for me were the fruity notes that are mentioned in many a review of this whisky, however I was so excited to taste it, that it may not have had the requisite time in the glass to fully envelope my senses.

Taste: Immediately I got an old leathery taste, almost rawhide-esk, to go along with a very oily mouthfeel. I was surprised at how different this expression is from their younger age statement bottles. With the taste also came a range of fruits, mostly tropical and citrusy in nature, like pineapple, orange, or even grapefruit. It meshed surprisingly well with the leathery flavours and made for a complex dram.

Finish: Again the oiliness was evident on the finish, with some heat from pepper notes, but also sweet citrus, with a touch of honey. It lasted quite a while, with a dryness to it that allowed it to linger.

Overall: The Craigellachie 23 is a complex scotch, as should be expected from anything that has been matured in American Oak for 23 years. However at the price point, it isn’t a bottle that I would strive to add to my personal collection. It is definitely worth a taste if you should be able, but I would not go out of my way for another dram

Whisky of the Month

Collectivum XXVIII-Special Release 2017

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Background from Mater of Malt website:

There was quite the hullabaloo when Diageo announced that its 2017 Special Releases series would include a blended malt for the first time. Luckily, Collectivum XXVIII lives up to the hype. Not only does the expression include malt from every single operational Diageo distillery*, its also really rather lovely. It’s the only blend of its kind ever released, and at 57.3% ABV, it packs quite the (tasty) punch.

*There’s 28. We counted them: Auchroisk, Benrinnes, Blair Athol, Caol Ila, Cardhu, Clynelish, Cragganmore, Dailuaine, Dalwhinnie, Dufftown, Glendullan, Glen Elgin, Glenkinchie, Glenlossie, Glen Ord, Glen Spey, Inchgower, Knockando, Lagavulin, Linkwood, Mannochmore, Mortlach, Oban, Roseisle, Royal Lochnagar, Strathmill, Talisker and Teaninich.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Chocolate, sweet cake, red berries and  a hint of apples to start. Custard and cocoa sit underneath and a sprinkle of candied lemon lies on top.

Palate: Quite hot to start – it takes water well – with intense cinnamon and nutmeg spiciness. Orchard fruit comes in through the middle, surrounded by lemon and orange. Spice fades and then builds again, with liquorice and hints of smoke at the back.

Finish: Damp leaves and spice fading to chocolate milk.

Comment: A densely packed dram that needs time to reveal itself. A drop of water helps – while it’s great that the Special Releases are bottled at full strength, this one definitely needs a drop to show its full potential.

Bottom line if you have a chance to try it, it’s well worth your time and money, great work on this blend Diageo.