NOT Single Malt Report: Kilbeggan Blended Irish Whiskey

Distillery: Cooley (and soon, Kilbeggan Distillery)
Brand: Kilbeggan
Type: Irish Blended Whiskey
Current Owner: Beam Inc.
Age: at least 3 years
Maturation: ex-bourbon barrels
Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Here's an Irish Whiskey that I didn't sample on my three visits to Éire.  It's a whiskey full of stories with relatively happy endings.

In 1757, the McManus family opened the legal Old Kilbeggan Distillery in the Irish town of......Kilbeggan!  John McManus, the first distillery manager, joined a group that rebelled against the British and then was promptly executed.  The Codd family buys the distillery in 1794 and expands it, doubling the capacity.  Success followed for over forty years until a large (drinking) abstinence movement and an economic downturn almost puts Kilbeggan out of business.  The Locke family took over in 1843 and ran the distillery for over 100 years through booms and busts.  US Prohibition, economic depression, and the Irish Revolution shook up the company, but it survived even through the second World War.  A crash in the Irish Whiskey industry finally brought the distillery to a close in 1957, its 200th anniversary.

For the next thirty years, local folks help keep the silent distillery and its equipment clean.  In 1988, the independent Cooley Distillery company purchased the Kilbeggan brand.  Then in 2007, on its 250th anniversary, Old Kilbeggan Distillery began distillation again, using a 19th century pot still.  Cooley plans to have the distillery produce pot still and single malts in the near future.

For now the Killbeggan blends are made at Cooley, using single malt and grains.  For over 20 years, Cooley was the leading (and often only) independent distillery in Ireland.  Several months ago, Beam Inc. purchased Cooley, ending their independence but expanding their potential product reach.

For those disappointed by the sale to the fourth largest beverage company in the world, consider that the two Scotch distilleries owned by Beam -- Laphroaig and Ardmore -- have put out tremendous product during Beam's ownership.  See, I'm not totally anti-capitalist.

---

Last month I had a Saturday night to myself, so I took a walk down to our local decent Irish pub, Gallaghers, to watch two baseball games and two basketball games simultaneously while trying out Irish blends.  I was successful in that endeavour.  One of those blends was Kilbeggan.  The bartender actually opened up a brand new bottle for me so I got the top of the juice.

NEAT:
Color -- basic whiskey gold
Nose -- paint + varnish + notebook paper but in a good way; give it some time and simple fruity sweetness slips in
Palate -- coarser than Powers, breakfast cereal (Frosties!, or Frosted Flakes for the Yanks), toffee, and granulated sugar
Finish -- moderate, lots of grain whiskey with sugar

WITH WATER:
Nose -- moderated into near silence
Palate -- gets considerably more sugary sweet
Finish -- gets considerably more sugary sweet

So, she don't swim so well.  But neatly, Kilbeggan will appeal to those who'd like those elements in the Nose notes.  I don't mind it, but wouldn't pay much for it.

pre-2010 bottle

On a final note, the super Oliver Klimek (of dramming.com and the Malt Maniacs) had a great post on an abrupt shift in the Kilbeggan character.  In 2009, he tried it and loved it.  In 2010, he bought a bottle, noticed its changed label and really noticed the changed whiskey.  Seems as if Cooley has had to up the grain whiskey content in the blend in order to spread the malt out further, all to meet the rising demand for Kilbeggan.  Oliver recommends that folks seek out the old pre-2010 bottles with the other label (see pic on the right) for a superior blended whiskey.  I look forward to trying that one someday soon.

Okay, so maybe the whiskey itself doesn't sound like it had the happiest of endings, but its end hasn't yet arrived.  But for now, the current bottling...

Availability - Many liquor stores
Pricing - Decent at $18-$22
Rating - 75

Palm Springs: Sunnin', Thriftin', and Booze huntin'

As you can tell from the blog title, my mysterious place of seclusion was Palm Springs.  I was not there alone; nay, it was my Kristen's and my first opportunity to celebrate her birthday.....six weeks after the fact.  Interesting, Kristen always has birthday months.  What a lucky lady.

She's a big fan of Palm Springs, having twice previously stayed at the hipster hotel known as The Ace.  Girl just needs a pool and she's set for the weekend.  I don't take to the sun so well.  I wear SPF BURKHA with a four-foot sombrero and still, like a pizza crust, I'm burnt in fifteen minutes.

This time we stayed at The Movie Colony Hotel.  Very mid-century modern.  In the 50s and 60s, the Rat Pack and other celebs used to crash there all the time.  The pool was great, our terrace was awesome, there was free breakfast, free happy hour, and the mood was all very informal.  And it's right next to the main nightlife strip.

Rye and I

We ate.  Birba has great salads and pizzas.  And drinks.  I had Bulleit Rye (is nice) and something that should have been Buffalo Trace Bourbon but wasn't...yet may have been better.  I'll report on this someday soon.  The next night we wound up at Matchbox because we were unable to decide on a place to go and hunger-brain was taking over.  Either we were irrationally famished or they had the best salads in memory.  And great pizza.  I did a beer flight that only proved what I already knew: Delerium Tremens (the beer, not the alcoholic neurological disorder) wins.

We thrifted.  Kristen loves peeking around antique shops to enhance our home's aesthetics.  We're on the search for light fixtures and coffee tables.  We left with glitzy coasters and stellar martini glasses.  Priorities, you know.

So while the search continues for our needs, Kristen's memory will be haunted by a brass lamp that was beyond our budget and impossible to fit in the car.  Alas, there's a 1978 Bunnahabhain whose existence troubles me as it's beyond my grasp.  So I can relate, somewhat.

Speaking of which......whisky.  I went dusty hunting.

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Hunting Dusties

"Dusties" are old, out of circulation liquor bottlings that can be fortuitously discovered in little liquor shops off the beaten path.  Whisky collectors around LA have well cleaned out most of the 1000 or so liquor stores in this county.  I've found a couple of shops with old bottlings, yet their prices are much too high for my means.  More on this in a sec.

While Kristen sunned on Saturday afternoon, I took ol' Agnes (my Accord) around Palm Springs to find some affordable dusties.  I hit nine liquor stores, seven of which had unreasonable irrational pricing.  I realize that Palm Springs is a vacation town, so there will be a bit of a premium in touristy areas.  But I went where the locals shop.  The further into town, the worse the pricing.  I even found a place that sold Macallan Cask Strength for $126.95.  It's a $55 whisky.  An eighth location had a great selection of pricy current bottlings.

But the ninth place (actually the first store I found) had a reasonable selection and the best prices.  Picked up a bottle of Wild Turkey Rye 101 Proof (now discontinued and unavailable in LA) for $20.  And I bought a bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask at $10-12 less than LA prices (which brought it within my 2012 budget).  I also picked up a few 99 cent (yup) minis that will likely gain their own posting.  This location may have a dusty or two, depending on one's definition of dusty.  I look forward to returning to this shop in the future, but only if I'm better financed.

Tips for Dusty Hunting in 100 Degree Heat
1.) Eat before you start.
2.) Bring multiple bottles of water.
3.) Have it mapped and planned.
4.) Stay away from shops near tourist spots and airports.  They get picked through first and their prices are bloated.
5.) Liquor shops next to grocery stores never seem to be priced well which is odd since grocery stores usually have booze on sale.
6.) Grocery stores have no dusties.
7.) Many of the dusties you'll find will be priced much too high.  That's why they've never sold.
8.) After an hour, your heat-warped mind may be lured into buying a $9.99 bottle of Glen Vomit.  Resist.
9.) Keep your purchases out of the sun and under the A/C.
10.) Most trips will end in failure.  Accept this as an element of seeking treasure.

(Source)

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The Palm Springs getaway was a success.  We returned to our home refreshed and ready for Monday. Let's do this week right.

Into the Sun

Heading to an undisclosed location for the next three days.  Will report any interesting findings upon my return...

NOT Single Malt Report: Hankey Bannister Original Blended Scotch Whisky

This is a hankie

(source)

This is a bannister

(source)

This is Hankey Bannister

I hope that cleared everything up.  End of report.

...

...

Or not.

...

Brand: Hankey Bannister

Ownership: Inver House

Content: 30% malt whisky: 12 to 15 malts including Balblair, Balmenach, Knockdhu (a.k.a. anCnoc), Pulteney, and Speyburn

Type: Scotch Blended Whiskey

Age: (grain) 3 years; (malt) 4-5 years

Alcohol by Volume: 40%
Bottle Code: L20 05 11

The history for Hankey Bannister is a little blurry.  Their official website doesn't actually name the founders, Beaumont Hankey and Hugh Bannister, in their history pages (only showing their first initials in the bottom right corner of the page).  Inver House (their owners) state this on their site:

In 1757 society figures and suppliers of fine wines and spirits Beaumont Hankey and Hugh Bannister were inspired to create a superior Blended whisky for Their illustrious clientèle, among them The Prince Regent, William IV and George V. So they hand-selected fine and rare scotch whiskies for quality and crafted them with care to create the smooth, light and perfectly balanced renowned in society for over 250 years.

The thing is, blends weren't sold until 1860.  Dominic Roskrow's 1001 Whiskies You Must Taste Before You Die (yes, I bought it) notes that the first known reference to Hankey Bannister blended scotch was in 1882.  It also mentions about the two supposed founders, "The two gentlemen are strangely anonymous, and little is known of their lives." (373)

Ultimately, the company did exist and the whisky currently exists (I drank it), but its origin and founders may be debatable.

Currently their range also includes a 12yr, 21yr, and a 40yr.  The 40yr contains whisky from closed distilleries and won the World's Best Blended Whisky at the WWAs in both 2008 & 2009, so apparently it's scrumptious.  It also costs $600.

That's why I'm a-tastin' the cheap youngin' of the range.

The "Original" is made of about 30% malt, the rest is grain.  Most of the distilleries listed above are superb, though I'm betting that Balmenach is used the most.  Balmenach distillery (owned by Inver House) cranks out two million liters a year without any official single malt bottlings, so it's all going to blends --> Hankey Bannister is Inver House's flagship blend.

I picked up a 50mL of Hankey Original without knowing any of this info.  I only knew that it's a blend that costs just under $20.

NEAT:
Color -- Middle Gold
Nose -- Sweet grains, ethyl, coconut?, cheap perfume, brown sugar, sweat
Palate -- All young grain whisky, sugary sweet, vanilla, cinnamon
Finish -- A little rough at first sip, then a bit sticky and fruity

WITH WATER:
Nose -- Grainy, grassy, vanilla
Palate -- Creamier, mild, otherwise the same as neat
Finish -- Improved but brief, sweet, vanilla

HIGHBALL:
Buttery coconut, very similar to Lauders.

This one needs several moments in the glass.  If sipped immediately after being poured, it's harsh.  But give it a few minutes and it improves to something between J&B and Lauder's.  Not much more to add about this.  It ain't terrible.  And if you can find it for under $15, then it makes for an acceptable mixing whisky.

Availability - Most liquor stores

Pricing - Good at $14-$20 (no need to pay more than 20 for this, someone has it cheaper)

Rating - 71

NOT Single Malt Report: Famous Grouse Blended Whisky

This is a grouse:

(Source)

This is Famous Grouse:

This is a grouse hugging a bottle of Famous Grouse:

Easy way to tell the difference:  In Scotland they shoot grouse.  But they sip Famous Grouse.

This is a grouse with braised cabbage:

Sorry, that was cheeky.

The red grouse is not in fact the national bird of Scotland -- that's the golden eagle -- though the Edrington Group tried to campaign for their whisky's bird during the voting in 2004.  But the red grouse is very prevalent in Scotland and very popular to bag on the hunt.  In fact the first day of the "shooting" season has been named The Glorious Twelfth (as in August 12th).

Anyway, whisky.

According to Charles MacLean's excellent Scotch Whisky: A Liquid History, The Famous Grouse blend was created by Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd around 1896 in Perth, Scotland.  Ownership and management remained in the family until the 1970s when Highland Distillers took over.  In the late 90s, a group led by Edrington purchased Highland Distillers.

Today, The Famous Grouse remains The Edrington Group's flagship brand.  It's amongst the top 10 best selling scotch blends in the world.  And it's been #1 in Scotland since 1980.

Its recipe include malts from Macallan, Highland Park, Glenrothes, and Glenturret (all Edrington properties).  Its visitor center resides at Glenturret's little distillery in Perthshire, but much of its blending occurs at Glenrothes.  They've now expanded the brand to Black Grouse (peated), Snow Grouse (blended grain), Naked Grouse (includes sherried Macallan and Highland Park), Gold Reserve (12 yr), and a pair of blended malts.

Brand: The Famous Grouse

Ownership: The Edrington Group

Distilleries: include Macallan, Highland Park, Glenrothes, and Glenturret

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky

Age: minimum 3 years

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

With so many potentially nice ingredients in The Famous Grouse, I don't know why I waited so long to try it out.  Though a full bottling of this may be in my future, I picked up a 50mL mini to give it a spin...

NEAT:
The color is a darker gold than most blends, approaching a maple syrup hue, likely due to caramel colouring.  The nose is full of oak, maybe a touch of sherry and dried fruit, vanilla bean, soil, and cinnamon.  The texture is very soft and creamy.  A decent palate with almost no cheap grain notes.  Instead there's vanilla, coconut, custard, and sugar cookies.  It finishes sweetly, molasses and caramel, much more pleasant than most blends I've tried.

Maybe this is mental shorthand, but the Grouse is remarkably similar to the Macallan 10yr Sherry Oak I'd tried in the UK.  Slightly simpler and weaker, but...

WITH WATER:
The nose becomes prune-ish, dusty, oaky, with some sulphur sneaking in.  Seems like water stirs up the sherry wood.  The palate stays sweet and creamy with vanilla and salt.  It finishes quietly with more of the vanilla and salt.

I'm going to double-down and say that it now noses like that Mac 10 Sherry.

HIGHBALL:
Keeps some of the character through the club soda and ice.  It's a little buttery, some grain whisky slips through, as well as some caramel.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Last year, I brought back a mini of the Mac 10 Sherry from the UK.  When I'd polished it off I didn't take any notes, but I was surprised at how sleepy it was for a young whisky, and how significantly less exciting it was than the 12yr.

In the UK, Famous Grouse sells for half the price of Mac 10, but it has enough similarities to make it a frugal alternative.

What I like about Famous Grouse is that it tastes less of cheap grain whisky than most sub-$20 blends I've tried.  Its malt content holds up much better.  I know "Wow, It's Okay!" won't make for a good marketing blurb, but it's a full step more enjoyable than any of the blended scotches that I've reviewed this month (up to this point).

Trader Joes has a one liter bottle of it selling for $19.99.  I'm intrigued.

Availability - Wide, though much wider in the UK

Pricing - Good at $18-$20

Rating - 74

The Flailing Writer Goes Gardening (part two)

Gardening update!

Parsley --  Rather unhappy plant.  Either it didn't like my planting job or disapproves of its place in the sun.  Or it wasn't cared for well at its previous destination.  All or most of its original foliage was dead within two weeks.  BUT!  All new healthier looking limbs have grown in since.  Perhaps its temper is improving?

Chives -- Besieged with black aphids.

I mean totally covered.

Happened within the last couple of days.  I will try the ol' soapy water spray attack tonight.

Basil -- Still sad, but not dead!

Oregano -- Healthy and under control.

Thyme -- Grew like crazy.  Started to flower.  Kristen and I lopped off the flowers.  Hopefully it hasn't gone to seed...

Cilantro -- Holy mole sauce!  It's fro'ed out!  We have to keep trimming it back.  Totally awesome.

Pepper -- New leaves are slowly sprouting all over.

Zucchini -- Like the cilantro, it has taken well to the balcony.  Tons of big beautiful leaves.  Perhaps some blossoms coming through.

Tomato Plant tips:
1.)  Keep an eye (and a finger) on the soil.  These guys get very very thirsty.  I don't think I've been watering them enough.  I'm starting them on a daily watering regimen as of today.

2.)  Put your stakes or cage in the ground BEFORE the plant starts getting big.  I did not do this.  Getting the cages in and around the plants wasn't fun.  A limb or two were lost.

3.)  Prune the suckers!

These little branches sprout up from the crotch of two normal branches.  They don't fruit, thus they suck away precious goodness that should be going to the tomatoes and blossoms.  Pluck them off with your fingers.

4.)  Also remove any and all stems near the soil.  This will help prevent bacteria and fungus from spreading up the plant.

5.)  Wash your hands afterwards.  As great as tomato plants smell, they're poisonous.

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Who knows what awaits in Part Three???

NOT Single Malt Report: Lauder's Blended Scotch Whisky

I know that you've checked out those lower lower lower shelf whiskys when no one's looking --  Dunlivet, Scoresby, Clan MacGregor -- thinking, "How bad can whisky in a big green plastic bottle be?"  But you never manned-up because you value your life.

I, on the other hand......well, one thirsty afternoon I spotted a mini of a particular scotch blend for ONE DOLLAR AND FORTY-NINE CENTS.  Like I'm not going to buy that.

So when you look at the bottom whisky shelf and wonder, "What can I buy for $10???"...... Here's an answer.

Lauder's!

Swanky-looking UK bottle

US Ad Sheet

Brand: Lauder's

Ownership: Sazerac Company (formerly Barton Imports)

Distilleries: ???

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky

Age: 36 months

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

I've combed the Internet and searched through all of my books, but I can't say I've found much on Lauder's or Barton Imports.  Sazerac Co. bought Barton's a few years back and seems to specialize in plastic-bottled booze.  See their product lineup here.

The Lauder's bottle brags about the following:
"Highest Awards, Gold Medal, Paris 1878"
"Gold Medal, Chicago 1893"
"Gold Medal, Edinburgh 1886"

Note that's 1878, 1886, and 1893.  Most of the distilleries from that era are no longer in existence, thus the current blend recipe likely doesn't resemble the one from 134 years ago.  Also the malt content in inexpensive blends is likely at an all-time low.

BUT just because they have a completely different blend now, bottled in green plastic, selling for $9.99 doesn't necessarily mean that it's terrible.  It's just not going to win any awards in Edinburgh in 2012.

Also, this is cute:

So with a lack of accessible data, I'm going to go straight to what counts.  The sensory experience.

NEAT:
Color -- Light Gold
Nose -- Decent, moderate molasses, vanilla, caramel sauce, a hint of spearmint
Palate -- Cheap vodka kick, must have come from some seriously overused oak, a little vanilla, angel food cake
Finish -- Quiet, furry (to use a Jim Murray adjective), sweet cream, but mostly bitter

WITH WATER:
Nose -- Muted, mellow, like over-watered Glenfiddich 12, more grains jump out
Palate -- Light vanilla & caramel, not hideous
Finish -- That kick of cheap vodka again, otherwise silent

HIGHBALL:
Palate -- Buttery, some coconut

Overall, it's surprisingly harmless and better than I'd expected.  Probably better than some blends twice its price.  I'm looking at you, Cutty.  The odd Popov-Vodka-style palate characteristic and the dead finish keep it from being a surprise winner, but this is by no means crummy.  Ultimately, it's probably best for mixing since the nose is reasonable and the palate is mostly mild.  And it's $10.

Availability - Many liquor stores, often in the bad part of town

Pricing - Good at $9-$11

Rating - 70