Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #283

Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
Highland Single Malt Whisky

46% abv

£33
$79.25 (CAD)
$62 (USD)

This is one of the three new Glenmorangies that replaced the old WOOD FINISH range (see them and other Glenmorangies had on the mission HERE). The new line is called EXTRA-MATURED. I have heard folks complain about their new prices, but I simply don't find such whining justifiable. Whisky deserves a premium price, especially premium whisky. Their names and new packaging have also been the victim of much criticism, and on these points, the critics might have a point. Or points. Or whatever.

I like the new bottles. I like the new packaging. Do I like the new liquids? We'll find out over the next few days. Thanks to Annabel et al for sending them along.

TASTING NOTES:

Oranges, apricot, sweet summery fruit, very lively. Perfumy, too, like sandalwood and fruity shampoo.

Hard and a little bit citrus-y, verging on acidic, but there is a fluffy element like marshmallows or meringue that balance those impressions. So hard but velvety. Strange. Waxy with a bit of white pepper with candied orange. Long fresh finish, peppery or minty.

SUMMARY:

Not one to nose too deeply, this one prickles according to my friends IM and MW with whom I tasted this whisky. I liked the higher abv (the old expressions were 43% and chill-filtered). Very pleasant, complex, challenging, but I have had this in different situations and liked it much more than I did at this particular tasting. Still a cool box, I think, whatever my mood.

Malt Mission #281
Malt Mission #282
Malt Mission #284
Malt Mission #285

Malt Mission HOME

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #282

Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie Golden Rum Cask
Highland Single Malt Whisky
40%

£30


In an airport and am sad to report that I just ate a McD's Angus burger... and am (rightfully?) suffering for my indulgence.

This Glenmorangie Golden Rum Cask 12yo is a not-often-seen bottle that is also bottled at an unusual age for Glenmorangie. I got it at a shelf-clearing sale at Sainsbury's, a British supermarket chain for which Jamie Oliver urges us to "try something new". Again, if that new thing is going to be the Angus burger, AVOID!

Thanks to Serge at WhiskyFun for the image. For more distillery info and to see all Glenmorangie's had on the mission (and more to come this week), click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Reserved and gently oaky. Apples, chocolate covered raisins, sweet and woody with vanilla and some earty notes, tree bark.

Thin texture with flavours of hazelnuts, toasted almonds, very light coffee impressions with the freshness of orange peels. Oaky finish with a marmalade zestiness.

SUMMARY:

Oak influence rules here muffling the bitterness that could be louder. As much as I like whisky, and as much as I like tea, this is the plainest of teas. Likeable, standard. And where is the rum? In fact, where is the Glenmorangie?

Malt Mission #281
Malt Mission #283
Malt Mission #284
Malt Mission #285

Malt Mission HOME

Monday, April 28, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #281

Bailie
Bailie Nicol Jarvie
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv

£16

This mission continues in the face of seemingly never-ending challenges and uncertainties in our lives. But we have no right to complain. We are still grateful for everything, even when we stomp our feet and have tantrums of frustration in the face of long-term unknowns. It has been a crazy ride with no answers in the immediate future, but it is good to have loyal friends and loving family. And the water of life.

I have read that this blended whisky contains as much as 60% malt whisky from 8 single malt distilleries, all at least 6 years old. All of these things are pretty unusual. It is named after a character in Sir Walter Scott's novel "Rob Roy" and is produced by LVMH, the owners of Ardbeg from Islay, Glen Moray in Speysider, and Glenmorangie, the highland distillery we will feature this week on the malt mission.

TASTING NOTES:

Soft vanilla and baked banana, ice cream and toasted tortilla. Light and creamy with a real malty character.

Tastes young with flavours in perfect balance between the fruity malty goodness of new make spirit and quality oak. Seemingly simple with vanilla, some tobacco and shortbread through the palate, but this is actually some complex stuff. I find myself wondering "is that smoke?", "is that peach?", "is that coffee?". Tasty.

SUMMARY:

Friggin' excellent. An affordable, easy-drinking yet weighty blended whisky for malt drinkers. Cool packaging, too!

Malt Mission #280
Malt Mission #282
Malt Mission #283
Malt Mission #284
Malt Mission #285

Malt Mission HOME

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #280

Balbair
Balblair 40 yo
Single Malts of Scotland

Highland Single Malt Whisky

47.7% abv

£120*


Struggling my way through the malt mission at this point, but it is something I still very much look forward to; just been busy and living at no fixed address as we await an opportunity to work in NYC. Fun, fun, fun.

Another of the Anniversary series from Sukhinder Singh and The Whisky Exchange crew (Single Malts of Scotland, etc.), this is an old beauty from the era just before Canadian firm Hiram Walker owned the distillery, when Balblair was in the hands of Keith lawyer Robert Cumming. History in a glass, as whisky always is. How does one put a price on that? Ask Sukhinder; everyone else does!

To see other stuff from The Whisky Exchnage had on the mission click HERE. For more information on Balblair or to see other expressions had on the mission click HERE.

* - if you can find it... and you probably can't.

TASTING NOTES:

Old and oaky with a stale sweetness like a box of chocolates from last Christmas. Vintage clothing shop, musty with more oaky sweetness like jars of cherries. Bananas, strawberry yoghurt, sweetening with time.

Brighter than nose indicated, and while not as complicated, the flavours are beautifully balanced and well-integrated. Rounds off wonderfully with integrated orange and cinnamon tones. Cloves, cocoa, some laundry detergent not in flavour but in freshness, tightens up in mouth with cherries and orange but ends silky and with no single element screaming above the other components.

SUMMARY:

Was lucky enough to try this on a few occasions in a varied moods and can say that it always went down a treat.
Aromas and flavours roll out of the glass and around your mouth. Elements of this remind me of the 15ml of heaven (Balblair 38yo) I managed to get a few sips of. Miraculously, the fruit beats the oak with plenty of roasted notes (butter tarts, pecan pie, cocoa, coffee beans). A lovely ride of a dram to be sipped one spray at a time.


Malt Mission #276
Malt Mission #277
Malt Mission #278
Malt Mission #279

Malt Mission HOME

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #279


Deanston 12 yo
Highland Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£25
$28.99(USD)

Although the bottle proudly states "founded in 1785", this distillery began producing whisky in 1965. The date on the bottle refers to the cotton weavery that operated on the site until 1965 when James Finlay & Co. and Brodie Hepburn Ltd opened Deanston in Perthshire.

Today the distillery is owned by Burn Stewart Distillers joining yesterday's Tobermory and Bunnahabhain in the portfolio of single malt distillers owned by the Glasgow based but Trinidad-owned (C L Financial) company.

Busy days so Dr. Whisky is quite short on notes. Sorry. Let's taste.

TASTING NOTES:

Floral, sweet, and herbaceous. Sour like pickled red cabbage at points. Grass, purple lilacs, flaxseed oil and vitamins. Touch of orange with a nice bourbon-cask oakiness, too.

Light and comfortable to drink. Long afternoons outdoors, playing in the flowers with someone you love, taste of summer pleasures. White chocolate. Oaky grip late in the game with peanuts and a toasty vanilla-ed finish.

SUMMARY:

To be honest, and perhaps cruel, I did not come into this holding Deanston in high regard. However, this was quite an enjoyable drop, especially on the palate where the sweetness of good American oak can be detected. Really pleasant stuff that shouldn't be dismissed too easily.

Malt Mission #276
Malt Mission #277
Malt Mission #278
Malt Mission #280

Malt Mission HOME

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #278


Tobermory 10yo
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£24
$69.40 (CAD)*
$35 (USD)


Tobermory is a picturesque distillery on the gorgeous Isle of Mull on the west coast of Scotland, most easily accessed via ferry. But you could try to swim it. One of the last operating distilleries founded in the 18th century, Tobermory has been closed and reopened four times since 1798.

Today, the unpeated make at Tobermory goes under that name and the peated version (using barley peated to 35ppm from Port Ellen Maltings on Islay) is known as Ledaig (pronounced "led-cheg"). As many of the warehouses at the distillery were converted into flats in 1982, spirit from Tobermory and Ledaig are tankered to Deanston distillery on the mainland for filling to cask and to Bunnahabhain on Islay for maturation. This 10 year old is the only official version of Tobermory but it is a big part of Scottish Leader and Black Prince blended whiskies and can be found bottled by several independent bottlers.

For other whisky from Tobermory distillery had on the mission, click HERE.

* are you surprised you're getting raped in Ontario?

TASTING NOTES:

Please remember, I am not making judgments, just trying my best to objectively observe flavour impressions.
Polluted sea, melted strong cheese, or cheese curds. Oatmeal raisin cookies. Salt and brine, black olives, Twiglets.

Malted milk, licorice, oats and spice. Simple and quite well-balanced. Late antiseptic flavour that slightly ruins the ride but encourages another sip, if just to wash it away.

SUMMARY:

Moody and quite different worlds in the nose and on the palate. Smells like the mood at a seamans' strike... or any transport strike in 1910s Britain. Tastes like attending your daughter's ballet recital or your niece's Christening. Different moods, but as such, this is a whisky that demands quick and frequent movements from table to mouth. Another pleasant surprise, but I fricking LOVE whisky.

Malt Mission #276
Malt Mission #277

Malt Mission #279
Malt Mission #280

Malt Mission HOME


Saturday, April 19, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #277


Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood Finish
Highland Single Malt Whisky

43% abv

£27


Part of the line of wood finishes from Glenmorangie that was discontinued in 2007 and replaced with newly packaged line of finishes with fancy names (Nectar d'or, Lasanta, Quinta Ruban, to be tasted later on the mission), this whisky matured in American oak casks for 10 years and then received second maturation in French oak barriques that held Cote d'or Burgundy.

TASTING NOTES:

Soft with cedar and enormous fruit. Full fruit basket, hold the bananas. Grapefruits, oranges, plums, red apples. Warm buttered crumpets, toasty.

Harmonious, major chords, sweet fruit, dry oak, faint vanilla, juicy maltiness. Rich and very drinkable

SUMMARY:

Quite delicious with an excellent nose. Easy drinking and satisfying density. Not overly complex but full, rounded, and well constructed.

Malt Mission #276
Malt Mission #278
Malt Mission #279
Malt Mission #280

Malt Mission HOME

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #276


Vat 69
Blended Scotch Whisky

40% abv

£12


Still between places in a big way, but surviving. Said goodbye (for real this time) to Edinburgh and everyone we love there yesterday which means the mission continues at its recent frequency, and we continue to live out of suitcases. Many, many suitcases. Found a good (new) website for info while without my books (which are not in said suitcases), HERE. Good quick whisky nerd info if you need it.

Born in Leith, the historic docks Edinburgh, William Sanderson worked in the wine and spirits industry for most of his life. With Andrew Usher and the he built the North British grain distillery in Edinburgh, bought Glen Garioch (pronounced "Glen Geery") and managed Royal Lochnagar in the first half of the 20th century.

The blend was created when Sanderson (and his son) allegedly created 100 blends or vattings of malt and grain whisky. Then, with the help of friends, family, and fans of spirit consumption, tested each batch to choose the best. The victor was vat number 69, and hence the whisky was born.

Vat 69 has featured prominently in American and British war movies and series as well as in many Bollywood films in India, where the whisky retains some of the popularity it had in the rest of the world some 70 years ago. It is currently the 17th highest selling Scotch blended whisky in the world. Sanderson and Son currently have their names on bottles of Glenesk (a rarely seen Highland single malt form a distillery that was fatally closed in 1985) and Antiquary blended whiskies.

And yes, to pick up on discussions from the last 'week' on the malt mission, the term "vat" has been used to describe whiskies made up from a number of single malts, but this whisky is a blended whisky: made up of different single malts AND grain whiskies.

TASTING NOTES:

Waffle cones sweetness with fresh corn and some butter, too. Simple chords of aromas: grain, cask, spirit and generally really sweet.

Vanilla and wooden spoons, like licking cookie batter without chocolate chips, very syrupy sweet. Spirity in the middle with corn and petroleum lingering.

SUMMARY:

Rugged stuff. Sir Ernest Shackleton brought it on his Trans-Atlantic expedition in 1914 for "medicinal and celebratory purposes",
for killing the pain of this dead (seafaring) life on loan and on land. Let us hope you never suffer from such pain and thus avoid this drop, making exemptions only for research purposes, nostalgia, or ginger ale enhancement.

Malt Mission #275
Malt Mission #277
Malt Mission #278
Malt Mission #279
Malt Mission #280

Malt Mission HOME

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #275


Cambus 31yo
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Cadenhead's Authentic Collection
53.2% abv
£price unknown$

Tasted this at the same pub as Malt Mission #272 and I want to talk about Cadenheads cuz they deserve it, or Cambus cuz it is a closed grain distillery, but I have to stay topical while I can.

Blended whisky, Blended Malt, Single Malt, Blended Grain, Single Grain; these are the new terms that will define all types of Scotch whisky as proposed by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

Although folks have been disputing the wisdom of this decision (I have linked other views in past posts, but see THIS recent article...note: the pic in article is NOT Mark Reynier), it must be accepted that this is a decision made by a group of people that represent many different companies (William Grant and Sons, Pernod Ricard, Inver House Distillers, Burn Stewart, Edrington Group, Ian Macleod Distillers, Diageo, etc.) representing over 97% of Scotch whisky concerns. But what of the protesters, independent craftspeople on the sidelines who are not SWA members? I am talking about Spencerfield Whisky Co., Compass Box and Bruchladdich. Of course they are angry about being instructed what to do by what they see as the big corporate arms of the industry. And despite their personal interest in the issue, don't they have a point in questioning the motives of the SWA, or at least a right to protest?

Whisky is an product of discovery and exploration. There will always be customers that have questions in spite of labelling. That is the nature of this product and the customer's malt mission in the exploration of this varied and exciting drink will always unveil new unknowns, new mysteries. This is why excellent shops like Royal Mile Whiskies (rapidly becoming Royal Mile Rums), The Whisky Exchange, Loch Fyne Whiskies, Whisky Castle, etc., are so vital to the nurturing of the malt explorer. Real relationships of information exchange at such shops, and at this website if you don't mind me saying so, assist thousands on their roads of dram discovery.

BUT, these new terms are not being proposed for the benefit of these whisky buyers. Do those people really not know what vatted means? The new classification system is geared towards those with little interest in travelling too far into the world of whisky but who are affluent or part of an emerging middle class with a desire to spend money on luxury goods from brands they recognise: Chivas, Johnnie Walker, Glenfiddich, etc. But these terms will not clarify anything. If I do not speak English and learn that the English word "Blended" means Johnnie Walker Red, then it will be hard to justify spending more shekels on Johnnie Walker Green when it too is "blended". There are other examples but time, research and patience is tight.

A rose is a rose is a rose. Conflating terms like this is stupid, a waste of PR juice and legal fees. But what does my opinion matter? What does YOUR opinion matter? What do Glaser or Reynier's opinions matter?

TASTING NOTES:

Corn and rum, and orange creamsicles. Creamy with coconut and lime. Very tropical stuff and immensely whiffable at strength.

Soft and creamy both in texture and flavour-wise. Lots of sweet oak and then beachy like jojoba, tanning lotion and suncream. Buttery corn and some kind of sweet that I had in the US when I was a kid visiting my Grandmother in Florida but I cannot remember what it was called. Useless tasting note... sorry.

SUMMARY:

A whisky that would justify being served with an umbrella. A real treat that would trick a few folks if tasted blind. Grain whisky in good oak can yield really incredible whiskies and, when matched with the appropriate malts, can become the stuff of legend. Not that there are many examples of this. But there could be. If every company wasn't busy selling off all their mature stocks, crafstmanship could yield a few absolute stunners. Unfortunately it seems the only folks who will be able to do that in the future are Compass Box and in that the big boys have lost out. Big time. Give us another 1964 Girvan! Carsebridge? North British?

Malt Mission #271
Malt Mission #272
Malt Mission #273
Malt Mission #274


Malt Mission HOME

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #274


Hedonism Maximus
Compass Box Whisky Comany

pour La Maison du Whisky

Grain Whisky
50.1%

£120

Today we'll try another whisky to be effected by the new terms being put forth by the SWA to protect scotch whisky on the global market. Kevin Erskine and The Scotch Blog have been addressing this story in recent days (see yesterday's post HERE) and Dr. Whisky had a few things to say at the beginning of this "week" on the Malt Mission (HERE).

This is whisky that may have once been referred to as a
vatted grain whisky, ie. a whisky that is made up of grain whisky (whisky made in column/coffey/continuous stills out of wheat and/or maize and/or barley) from more than one distillery, in this case a 1965 Invergordon(42yo) and a 1979 Cameron Bridge(29yo). This type of whisky will be called BLENDED GRAIN WHISKY (as opposed to SINGLE GRAIN WHISKY) in the future.

Created for the 2007 Whisky LIVE Paris, this whisky is made up of two cracking old grain whiskies from first-fill bourbon barrels. The label is easily one of the most beautiful the whisky world has seen since 1853 when its inspiration, Ushers Old Vatted Glenlivet(see pic to the right), became the very first 'brand' in the world of Scotch whisky. Stunning, I think. Here's hoping the appearance matches the flavour.


TASTING NOTES:

Very fresh, toasty and tropical, orange fruits and synthetic orange(TANG, SunnyD, etc.). Lightly mentholic, some cinnamon spice and vanilla. Some middle eastern sweets too, honey, pastry, dates and nuts. Terribly appetising... if you're into this sort of thing.

Gorgeous oaky creaminess, soft and fruity. Grains and oak in great balance. Very rich with raisins and cloves with a long finish that is sweet but juicy and less oaky than might be expected after so much time in cask. Rum-esque. Sexy, sophisticated and succulent.

SUMMARY:

A 42 year old Invergordon and a 29yo Carsebridge make this 31 year old very happy... and then sad to remember that (I think) all 300ish bottles of the stuff have been sold out. An absolute stunner from a company that for years has been singing the praises of grain whisky as more than just buffer to malts in blended whiskies. Sure it's not for everyone, but those who like it will like it a lot. Find one and buy two.

Malt Mission #271
Malt Mission #272
Malt Mission #273
Malt Mission #275

Malt Mission HOME

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #273


Juveniles 20th Anniversary
Compass Box Whisky

Malt Scotch Whisky*

53.9% abv

£50

Back in 2003/4 Compass Box created a few vattings called Juveniles that were successful but discontinued due to the drying up of a certain constituent malt.
Created to celebrate 20 years of Juveniles, Tim Johnston's restaurant in Paris, this whisky from Compass Box joins the Cantos Cask range in its method of creation.

* This is a vatted malt, or what the SWA would like us to refer to as a BLENDED MALT whisky, ie. a mixture of different single malt whiskies without the addition of grain whisky. We have been talking about this in the past two posts (Malt Mission #271 and Malt Mission #272) and I will continue to taste vatted or blended malts and single and vatted grain whiskies over the next few Malt Missions.

Tasted with Chris at TWE.

TASTING NOTES:

Rich and fruity with age apparent through oaky tones. A baked sweetness with spice and grain, barley and corn. Soft at bottling strength, but fruitier with water.

Oranges and vermouth, very toasty and sweet like muffin tops. Doughy and crispy, somehow.

SUMMARY:

Rich nose, but soft. Big palate, but restrained. A nice chewy malt whisky that can handle a good deal of water but is perfectly drinkable at cask strength. A very Compass Box-style whisky with much in common with Oak Cross and the Cantos range.

Malt Mission #271
Malt Mission #272
Malt Mission #274
Malt Mission #275

Malt Mission HOME

Friday, April 04, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #272

Corriemhor Whisky
Corriemhor Cigar Reserve
Malt Whisky
40% abv
£37.50

This is a whisky that falls into the new category "blended malt", a designation of Scotch whisky discussed yesterday. It is not a single malt but is a mixture of single malts from more than one distillery, the artist formerly known as "pure" or "vatted" malt.

This is an unusual malt whisky from the blending nose of Richard Paterson of Whyte and Mackay and was, I think, a German exclusive. To see all whiskies marketed as cogar malts, that we've had on the mission, click HERE.

Tasted (at an Edinburgh pub that gets enough promotion and deserves far less) with MH and MS.

TASTING NOTES:

Milky coffee, Tim Hortons, upholstery, "grandad's Chevy Caprice." -MH. Sulphury and sweaty, licorice and ham.

Soft as anything can be, bordering on flat. Sweet and smoky. Nutty and gently spicy. Iron like a fireplace cooker, hickory smoke.

SUMMARY:

"It's good" -MS
Loud flavours but flat, almost lazy, it's weird. Very thick brushstrokes of very thin water colours. Could easily neck the stuff from the bottle, not that that should be easy.

Malt Mission #271
Malt Mission #273
Malt Mission #274
Malt Mission #275

Malt Mission HOME

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Malt Mission 2008 #271

Chivas
Chivas Regal 18yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£40
$84.45(CAD)
$70(USD)

The doctor is back in the office and he is determined to get to Malt Mission #300. Beyond that, our future is unknown. Been a few crazy weeks, an absolutely stellar weekend, and the future is a wild ride from London to Edinburgh to Dufftown to Girvan to Edinburgh until we land, at some point, in NYC. Will share more details soon enough, not that it's any of your business...!

I usually hyperlink the description of the whisky above to a defining link, ie. 'blended scotch whisky', but intentionally have not done so today in order to address a current whisky issue that seems so ill-conceived that one cannot help but dig for a conspiracy. But as with anything in this wide world interweb, you can't believe everything you read.

The Scotch Whisky Association(SWA) has put forward a proposal to The Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) that would see a legal change of the terms of scotch whisky. Currently, whisky makers use the terms SINGLE MALT, MALT* and BLENDED to denote the type of scotch whisky
Single Malt= whisky made from MALTed barley and distilled at a SINGLE distillery (Glenfiddich, Glenfarclas, Glenmorangie, etc.)
Malt= whisky made from MALTed barley from more than one distillery (Monkey Shoulder, Oak Cross, Sheep Dip, etc.)
Blended= whisky made from MALTed barley from one OR more SINGLE distilleries BLENDED with spirit made from corn/maize, rye, barley, wheat, otherwise known as grain whisky. So malt and grain whiskies blended together (Johnnie Walker Red, Grant's, today's malt, etc.)

The changes address a few different issues. Of particular interest are two main points.

1) The prohibition of the terms VATTED malt, or PURE malt for a whisky made up of more than one single malt. Proposed term is BLENDED MALT.
2) BLENDED MALT can be named Cardhu, for example, so long as it includes that single malt and
"it is clear from the presentation of the product that not all the whisky was distilled at that distillery."

The problems with these proposals becoming law are two-fold:
---to stop consumer confusion, the terms 'vatted' and 'pure' are to be dropped and a new phrase introduced to clarify what kind of whisky this is, ie. to differentiate it from two reasonably understood types of whisky, Single Malt and Blended whisky, ie. Glenfiddich and Grant's. But by using an adjective that already satisfactorily designates a type of whisky("blended") to describe another, the confusion will be immediately increased. The type of malt whisky we are talking about here already has a used and useful classification, MALT whisky, ie. NOT single and NOT blended.
---By the clause in the proposal stating that BLENDED MALTS can use the name of a distillery that is one of its constituent parts the SWA seem to have simultaneously permitted the use of single malt brand power to release inferior and/or cheaper products AND devalued the craft of the nice folks behind Monkey Shoulder, Pig's Nose, Sheep Dip, and Compass Box creations Peat Monster, Oak Cross, Flaming Heart, Morpheus, Canto Casks, etc.

This has stirred up a good amount of chatter in the whisky-soaked corners of the web and has received commentary from the long e-silent whisky e-postle Johannes van den Heuvel (Malt Madness). As I am allergic to Facebook, I may have missed some of the best discussions HERE, and John Glaser (Compass Box) circulated this petition to sign... and read; his prose is much clearer, less inflammatory, and comes without the frantic conspiracy theory speculations (which, as tools in rational debates, are offensive irrespective of their content) that litter Mark Reynier's rants on the subject.

Read Johannes (above) to get up to speed, or The Scotsman. Then sign John's petition and email your thoughts to
SWA: info@swa.org.uk or DEFRA: Stuart.Cooper@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Enough for an intro today, I will share few thoughts over the coming weeks, which, incidentally, might only see around five(5) malt missions. Still busy, still transient, still happy.

Not much about bottle history today, but oh well. Look it up, or see all Chivas had on the mission HERE. Tasted with MW and ISM.

* There are variations. Some companies have used the term Pure Malt, Triple Malt, or Vatted Malt.

TASTING NOTES:

Busy but insanely well-integrated. The tightly contained aromas are liberated by a tiny drop of water. Nuts, chocolate, cherries, cherry blossom, fruit and nut dairy milk bars. Some green banana and ice cream cone. Sweet cigar smoke, smell of old books, counterbalanced with fresh lemon.

"Dark chocolate" - Morwenna.
Lots of fruit, lots of oak, vanilla powder folks put on their cappuccinos. Multidimensional and harmonious. Hard to describe the flavour movement, but that is the charm of a blend. This one swells is the mouth, with a great arc of flavour starting slightky smoky and honeyed at the front of the mouth, expanding into the corners, and resting at back and sides of tongue with chocolate and sherried fruits.
"Sweet cigar smoke, old book smell, lemons"- Inder

SUMMARY:

"That was tasty." -Inder

"Tastes goooooooooooooooood. It's doing the trick. From a medical standpoint, Doctor, this was rich enough to be tasted through my cold. It's going down really well. There's no burn on the throat." -Morwenna (with head cold)

A crowd pleaser. Rich and soft with subtle complexity so well meshed that it could be overlooked... that is the art of blending. Anyone can peat their barley or sherry mature their spirit and have a high impact malt. Good blends are elegant and refined and well-suited for any mood. An excellent luxury blend.

Malt Mission #270

Malt Mission #272
Malt Mission #273
Malt Mission #274
Malt Mission #275

Malt Mission HOME