...where distraction is the main attraction.

Monday, February 4, 2019

Glenfiddich: An Introduction and History

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Though he had a stable job to support his nine children, William Grant chose to quit his gig as Mortlach's manager in order to build his own distillery. Constructed from the stones of River Fiddich, the distillery was dubbed Glenfiddich, or "valley of the deer". In 1886, Grant caught a break when Cardhu distillery sold off their used distilling gear — including stills, water mill, worm tubs and mash tun — for all of £120. Glenfiddich spirit first passed through those stills on Christmas day, 1887.

When whisky broker William Williams & Company quickly bought up the distillery's entire output, Grant then increased the 400 gallons/week yield and started supplying whisky to Pattisons Ltd. Many distilleries were crushed when Pattisons went bust in 1898, but because Grant pivoted his business and started producing his own blends, Glenfiddich survived. Their most successful blend for more than a half century was Standfast (named after Clan Grant's motto).

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William Grant had a stroke in 1900, and in 1903 the family business was turned into an LLC known as William Grant & Sons. The company has stayed in the family ever since.

In 1957, the company contracted modernist designer, Hans Schleger, to rework their packaging design. The result was the industry's first three-cornered bottle, an iconic design that only changed once, in 1964, when its clear glass was switched to green glass for their new product.

Single malt whisky had existed since legal whisky production began, but what made Glenfiddich's 1963 foray into single malt unique was the decision to promote and market it, worldwide, with the same effort put towards blended whisky. This sudden, risky maneuver wasn't blind chutzpah. It was prompted by necessity.

In 1963, Distillers Company Limited ended its grain whisky contract with William Grant & Sons, putting Standfast's production at risk. William Grant's great-grandchildren adapted just as he did when circumstances became difficult. They built their own grain distillery, Girvan, within the year. And Glenfiddich 8 year old Pure Malt made its debut.

Thought it took a few years, the gamble paid off. In 1964, Glenfiddich Pure Malt (or Straight Malt in the US) sold 4,000 cases. In 1974, it sold nearly 120,000 cases. Around 1,200,000 cases of Glenfiddich's single malt were exported in 2017. With its jump on the rest of the marketplace, Glenfiddich has been the number one selling single malt brand for 54 of the past 55 years. As recently as 2007, Glenfiddich had 18% of the single malt export market, which was more than the 2nd and 3rd single malts combined. As of 2016, they still held 12.5% of the market.

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In addition to trailblazing the single malt marketplace, Glenfiddich was the first single malt to show up in Duty Free shops, in 1968. The distillery was also was the first in Scotland to build a visitor center, in 1969.

The distillery has outsourced its malt supply since its floor maltings were closed in 1958. They've used the same water source, Robbie Dhu, since the 1880s, but their production levels have increased slightly, approximately 173x. The distillery now has 32 stills (some of which remain direct-fired), 32 Douglas Fir washbacks and two stainless steel mash tuns. The fermentation time is either 60 or 72 hours (depending on one's source).

Though Glenfiddich's entry level single malt has kept the same bottle shape for more than five decades, its name and label design has shifted more than a half dozen times. It's been known as a Pure Malt, Pure Single Malt, Straight Malt, Unblended and Single Malt, though it's always been 100% malt whisky from the same distillery. It went by the same Special Reserve or Special Old Reserve name for at least 30 years, but is now labelled as "Our Signature Malt". It's been an NAS, 8yo, 10yo and 12yo whisky at different times. Its balance of sherry to bourbon casks (15/85 in 2008) has also likely changed a bit over the years.

Glenfiddich 12 year old was the first single malt I ever tried, 20-ish years ago. I've been curious to find out how the liquid has changed, so I collected eight bottles from batches produced over the past four decades. Now I'm going to open them up and drink 'em. Gird your loins, it's going to be a 'Fiddich February.


Sources:
--MacLean, Charles. Whiskypedia. A Compendium of Scotch Whisky. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 2010.
--MacLean, Charles. Scotch Whisky, A Liquid History. London, UK: Cassell Illustrated, 2005.
--Ronde, Ingvar (Ed.). Malt Whisky Yearbook 2018. Shropshire, UK: MagDig Media. 2017
--www.scotchwhisky.com

Friday, February 1, 2019

Killing Whisky History, Episode 21: Glenfiddich early '90s versus today's Glenfiddich 12

Welcome to a special February full of Special Reserve! I'm devoting this entire month to four decades (two centuries!) of Glenfiddich's entry level single malt. We know it now as their 12 year old expression, but it's had other names. Special Reserve, Special Old Reserve. Pure Malt, Straight Malt, Single Malt, Signature Malt. 8 year old, 10 year old, ??? year old.

I'm kicking it all off with this video, a comparison of early 1990s Glenfiddich Special Reserve and the current version of Glenfiddich 12.


On Monday, it's all about Glenfiddich's history. Then, starting on Wednesday, I'll work backwards from the newer bottlings to the dustier stuff. The Teens back to the Seventies. It's the best way to spend National Children's Dental Health Month, really.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Ardmore Triple Wood

In their attempt to fashion Ardmore like its southern sibling Laphroaig, Beam Suntory gave it a matching expression with the same name: Triple Wood. Laphroaig Triple Wood is the least Laphroaigy Laphroaig (though I've yet to try the loathed Select), thus my concern about them dressing up another young spirit in three layers of oak.


Distillery: Ardmore
Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Age: NAS, thus it's a minimum of 3 years old
Maturation: "American Oak barrels, quarter casks and puncheons"
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? probably
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The color is light gold with a greenish tint. The nose begins with band-aids and tropical fruit punch, then there's oregano, disinfectant and calamine lotion. LOTS of peat. Vanilla bean and apricot jam = hamantaschen? The peat strikes hard in the palate as well, showing up as dark, gritty, bitter smoke. And moss. Not all is darkness though. There are bananas and fresh ginger, as well as hints of prunes and fruit juice. The finish is the least sweet part of the package. It's all smoke, soil and ginger.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Peat, eucalyptus and pine sap on the nose. The quarter casks start barging in as the smell of new oak wafts up. Bitter smoke, smoked meat, peppercorns and simple syrup on the palate. It finishes warmer, more acidic and very smoky.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Three notes I wrote at the bottom of the page:
--It kinda works
--Peatier than Laphroaig Triple Wood?
--No water please

When I tried Ardmore Triple Wood side-by-side with the carpentry-free Aultmore 12yo I liked them equally, even though they're so very different. This Ardmore surprised me, especially with its big crazy nose.

It's not an easy whisky, and I normally don't complain about that. But it comes in 1 liter bottles only, and I can't see getting through even half that quantity without getting tired of it. It also left me wondering what a puncheon (alone) of modern Ardmore would taste like. How about it, Ardmore? I'm just going to keep chucking ideas at you, Distillery, until I run out of bad ones.

Availability - Travel retail and a few dozen European shops
Pricing - $50-$60 for 1000mL
Rating - 83 (no water please)

Monday, January 28, 2019

Aultmore 12 year old

In late 2014, Bacardi Limited plopped three (Craigellachie, Royal Brackla and Aultmore) brand new and two rebooted (Macduff "Glen Deveron" and Aberfeldy) single malt ranges onto the scotch market all at once. It was nice to see five un-sexy distilleries' names suddenly appearing on shelves and retailer websites. The launch was called, "The Last Great Malts", a term that carries the weight of sadness and loss, rather than joy. Luckily marketing blather trends towards falsehoods and there have been numerous (three?) great whiskies released since.

I've read a few positive reviews of the Aultmore range, and have meant to try at least one of these whiskies for some time. I've tasted a grand total of two Aultmores before today, so I have no preconceptions about this sample.


Distillery: Aultmore
Ownership: Bacardi Limited (via John Dewar & Sons)
Region: Speyside (Moray)
Age: minimum 12 years
Maturation: refill hogsheads
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The color is gorgeously pale, like me! The nose is almost entirely barley, yeast, soil and wet sand. Some hints of farm and mezcal float about. The palate has a good balance of mild sweetness and mild herbal bitterness. It's very malty, with small notes of bananas, tart citrus, vanilla, roasted seeds and nuts. More barley in the finish, along with grass, pineapple juice, bananas and chili oil.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Now the nose has barley, chalk dust, homemade applesauce and cat piss (for you wine fans). The palate hasn't changed much. There's a madeira-like sweetness to it, as well as plenty of grass and herbs, and something sort of phenolic. The finish is shorter and grassier, with less sweetness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Clean as whistle, this one. It is, to steal MAO's term, unadorned. Congrats to the blenders for fashioning a single malt that tastes like malt. The 46%abv/NC/NCF presentation need also be highlighted.

There's an absence of excitement to it, and I guess there's something sort of thrilling about that. If you're looking to take a vacation from all the oaky oak that has slithered its way into most modern releases, this whisky is a decent destination. It would be a quality starter malt, in lieu of Glens Fiddich and Livet, but it carries a 50% premium over those whiskies in the US. Is $60 now the going rate of a starter malt?

Availability - Many specialty whisky retailers in Europe and USA
Pricing - $50-$75 (USA), $35-$55 (Europe, ex-VAT)
Rating - 83

Friday, January 25, 2019

Ben Nevis 26 year old 1986 The Nectar of the Daily Drams

This might be the earliest and oldest Ben Nevis I've tried, so I'd love to know more about. But, for a independent bottler frequented by whisky geeks, The Nectar of the Daily Drams provides less information about its whiskies than does Diageo. This bottler lists the bare minimum of age information, no cask type, no cask number, no cask outturn and I'm not even sure if the words "single cask" appear on the bottle.

I had this same issue when trying to get more details about their 1996 Ben Nevis I reviewed last January. We're long past the days wherein the absence of this information could be an oversight. If anyone knows more about this whisky, or why the bottler is mum on so much, please feel free to share in the comments section below. Thanks!

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: The Nectar
Series: Daily Drams
Age: 26 years old (1986-2012)
Maturation: ex-bourbon cask(s?)
Alcohol by Volume: 51.8%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Vanilla almond cookies with mango juice, on the nose. Vanilla bean, cream soda, nutmeg, limes and brine follow. A surprising amount of heat on the palate, considering the age and moderate strength. In fact it reads like a whisky one-third of its age. Tart, peppery and mineral, with limes, lemons and a little bit of malt. It's very simple and very sweet. The salty malty finish has the palate's citrus fruits and more sugar. And that's about it.

DILUTED TO ~43%, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose flattens out. There's vanilla, orange peel, guava and cardboard. More cardboard in the palate, along with cracked pepper and woody bitterness. Short moments of vanilla, almond and orange appear from time to time. The finish is all vanilla, woody bitterness and lime zest.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Despite this whisky's age and bottling strength, it got trounced by Wednesday's Ben Nevis. This 26yo comes across like an ultra-modern whisky with a lot of vanilla in the nose, but very little maturation in the palate. Perhaps it was re-racked from a dead cask to an active one? Because it falls apart upon diluted, I recommend just drinking it neatly. It'll be familiar but unimpressive.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - €100+
Rating - 81 (neat only)

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Ben Nevis 21 year old 1992 van Wees The Ultimate, cask 2312

The Signatory warehouses are lousy with 1991-1992 sherry butts full of Ben Nevis. They've released 43 of those casks, so far. But they don't seem to be much into sharing them with van Wees, the Dutch importer who bottles their The Ultimate series from Signatory casks (allegedly). van Wees has released 0 1991 Ben Nevii, and 2 1992 Ben Nevii. Having a sample of the older of the two makes me a happy man. Time to drink it.


Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: van Wees
Age: 21 years old (3 July 1992 - 16 August 2013)
Maturation: sherry butt
Cask #: 2312
Outturn: 695 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Oh yeah, that's the stuff. Old funky musty cask basement warehouse on the nose. Macintosh apples floating in smoked lemon juice. Dates stuffed with dried herbs and cinnamon candy. The palate begins with tart fruits, honey and almond butter. Dark chocolate, figs and weed. Tangy citrus, herb (take that as you may) and a pinch of sugar in the figgy finish.

DILUTED TO ~43%ABV or ⅓ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose becomes more herbal. And now there's asphalt, brine, dingy smoke, limes and cinnamon. The palate is more herbal too, somehow. Bitterer and mustier basementer. Nuts and tart citrus. It finishes tangy and tart. Almonds, vanilla and herbal bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Thicc thick. 💚 it. I don't know how a 1990s single malt can be made to taste like a 1960s blend infused with figs, lemons and marijuana smoke, but it happened here. Nooooo complaints, other than I had but only a sample of this. The whiskybase crowd is much less excited about this than I. Oh well. It can't be said that Ben Nevis is always (or ever) like this particular creation, but I do fancy this distillery.

Availability - Possibly a few retailers in Europe?
Pricing - €100+
Rating - 90

Monday, January 21, 2019

Ben Nevis 18 year old 1996 Chapter 7

Last January, Diving for Pearls was All Ben Nevis All The Time. And it was soooooooooooo (un)popular, that I feel drawn to do another week of Ben Nevis in January 2019 in honor of January 2018. Each one of the three Ben Nevii this week is very different than the other two, which resulted in a very curious Taste Off. Starting with the youngest...

Chapter 7 is a Swiss independent bottler about whom I know nearly nothing. They began bottling whisky in 2014. There's a purdy official website. And Whiskybase shows no releases more recent than 2016. But they did bottle a Ben Nevis which has to account for something good. Let's see how their bourbon hogshead fared.


Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: Chapter 7
Age: 18 years old (1996-2015)
Maturation: ex-bourbon cask
Cask #: 2 / (19/14)
Outturn: 272 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 51.8%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The nose is a party, leading with pineapple, bacon, roses, cantaloupe and human muskiness. There are smaller notes of fresh cilantro and active American oak in the background. More roses pop up over time. Party palate, too! Papaya and guava, then tropical fruit Skittles? Citronella, peppery heat, hints of roses and bitter cocoa. It finishes with the same note of fruit + fruit candy. Some bitter cocoa and a peppery zing last the longest.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Simpler fruit notes in the nose, plantains and orange candy. Honey and fabric. A gentler, balanced palate now. Caramel, herbal bitterness, guava and a little bit of sugar. The long finish mirrors the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I have never nosed anything like this before, whisky or otherwise. Dilution brings order, but I prefer it at full (albeit moderate) strength. Variety, spice of life, etc. The palate lacks the nose's complexity, but the tropical fruit and tropical fruit candy mixture is much appreciated. I'm uncertain if I'd want an entire bottle of this drunken food fight, but I am entertained. ❣Ben Nevis❣

Availability - Possibly a few retailers in Europe
Pricing - €100-€120, I think
Rating - 87