NOT Single Malt Report: Single Cask Nation's MGP 8 year old Straight Rye, cask #52

My wife likes MGP-distilled rye, I like MGP-distilled rye, and we have the folks at Willett to thank for that.  But Willett is far from the only company that ages and bottles whiskey from Midwest Grain Products WonderFactory™.  In honor of my wife's birthday, I will review four MGP ryes from four different companies this week.  She actually had first dibs on all of these, and she provided her own notes and rankings.  On Friday, after my reviews are complete, I'll reveal her rankings and compare our findings.

---

First up:  A single barrel of 8 year old MGP rye bottled by Single Cask Nation.  This sample arrived via a swap with my friend Linda who has provided me with a number of great (or at least entertaining!) American whiskey samples recently.  She prefers bourbon over rye, but she and her husband, Brett (with whom I swap scotch samples), are SCN members and are happy to try all sorts of whiskies.  Thanks, Linda!

Distiller: Midwest Grain Products
Bottler: Single Cask Nation
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey
Region: Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Age: 8 years
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Maturation: New American oak
Cask: 52
Limited bottling: 131

Alcohol by Volume: 60.9%

NEAT
The nose is sooooper woody.  As in pulp and bark.  Underneath that it's salty, buttery, and briney.  Next, there's dried cheese, pickles, and something slightly eggy.  Distant dark fruit notes mingle with halvah.  With time, it develops varnish, coconut hand lotion, and fresh oregano notes.

The palate is pretty darn hot.  But there are more familiar rye notes here than in the nose.  Definitely some dill.  Cherry popsicles, marzipan, caramel, and vanilla.  Some generic barrel char.  20 minutes in, a big green herbal note appears.

On the finish, there's heat.  Lots of heat.  Gotta work through that.  Then sugar, peppery rye, sawdust, caramel, and a hint of orange peel.

This was tough.  I have never added water to a barrel proof MGP rye, but this time I felt it was necessary.

WITH WATER (~50%abv)
The nose is nuttier, think almonds and cashews.  Less heat.  Eventually that egg note fades out.  Slight floral note meets a larger vanilla one.  Still some sharp wood/bark notes.

The palate is earthier and more peppery.  Much less heat, though it holds onto the sweetness.  Some drying tannins.  Hints of mint and lemons.

The finish is also less hot, though more drying.  More mint and pepper.  Cherry candies.

COMMENTS:
I know it's sexier to sell (and buy!) whisky at full strength, but some whiskies work better at lower proofs.  This whiskey was very hot and difficult at full strength.  In fact, I didn't want to drink anymore of it while doing this tasting.  When I drank the last quarter ounce the following day, I couldn't finish it off and started feeling like I was already tired of drinking rye this week.  But by adding water and dropping it to 50%abv during the tasting, I found that it cleaned up reasonably well.  The C grade whisky became a low B-.  Not that that's a great grade for an MGP rye from an MGP-biased reviewer, but it's better.  So if you bought this cask from SCN and it's not really doing anything for you, add water, maybe even generously so.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - actually, I have no idea. It doesn't appear in SCN's current or archive bottle pages. If you remember the price, let me know and I'll update this.
Rating - 80 (with water only, 5-10 points lower when without water)

Single Malt Report: Springbank 17 year old 1997 Sherry Wood (2015 release)

Springbank has released a number of teenage "Sherry Wood" cask strength casks/batches over the past few years.  The one I'm reviewing today is the most recent 17 year old, the one with the perky red packaging you may have seen from time to time.

(Source: official site)

In addition to the Sherry Wood releases, there have also been a number of recent 16 to 19 year old Bourbon Wood, Port Wood, and Rum Wood batches/casks.  And the main complaint that some of us have with those is how deliriously high they've been priced in the United States.  As in, $300+ for a 19 year old (see here and here for two stores with the median price).

As I've demonstrated repeatedly, single malt whisky prices have gone up rapidly in the US.  But in Springbank Distillers Ltd's case it's an example of the distillery NOT being responsible for the increases, rather it's the importer/distributor with the heavy hand.  For example, (as per Wine-Searcher Pro's Average Wine Prices/History model) Americans are currently paying 47% more for Springbank 18, 53% more for each of the two Green releases, and 77% more for Longrow 18 than the Scots and Brits are.  Do tell, Pacific Edge Wine and Sprits, what in the greasy f**k?

With all that being said, this 17 year old Sherry Wood is only 16% more expensive here than in Continental Europe.  And its average US price is nearly the same as the older but lower-ABV and more widely available regular 18 year old.  In fact, it's $20 cheaper than the regular 18 at a local store.  So, perhaps this one slipped through Pacific Edge's hooks?

Distillery: Springbank
Brand: Springbank

Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.
Region: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt

Age: 17 years (April 1997 - January 2015)

Maturation: "fresh and refill sherry butts and hogsheads"
Limited Bottling: 9,120 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 52.3%
(From a purchased sample)

NEAT
Its color is a medium gold.

A reassuring grungy industrial Springbank-y note burns brightly in the nose.  It meets a mild dry sherry and a gentle mossy peat, as well as loads of cherry shisha and toffee pudding.  It's at alternate time plummy and minty.  There are smaller salty oceanside and anise notes.  After 20 minutes in the glass, it picks up a sharp lemon zest note, as well as vanilla bean and a little bit of barbecue.

The palate begins malty, with a side of fresh cherries and blueberries, then moves to limes and a zesty herbal-liqueur-like bitterness.  Delicate sherry notes.  Softly sweet plums, prunes, and black licorice.  A slight spicy zing.

A drier sherry in the finish.  Malt, distant smoke, a bitter rumble.  Also a nice spiciness that feels like a long-aged rye finished in sherry casks.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The anise note grows in the nose, as does the peat.  The sherry gets a little more sugary.  Dried berries and cherries.  Earthy molasses and orange zest.  The "Springbank-y" note remains, as does the toffee pudding.

The palate is sweeter and spicier.  Small floral notes meet up with the zesty bitters.  A hint of smoke.  Dark berries and dried apricots.

Those dried apricots continue into the finish.  Sweeter fruitier sherry (or European oak) notes show up alongside peat residue.

COMMENTS:
This smells and tastes like a combination of the official 12yo Cask Strength and 18 year old, but richer.  I've read a number of reviews online that comment/complain about the lack of sherry notes in this one.  Dunno what they're talking about, the sherry and European oak (and probably some US oak) are all present and accounted for in the whisky.  Perhaps everyone's used to Glendronach and Glenfarclas sherry bombs.  Here those notes are more moderate, which is great because the Springbank spirit can still be heard.

For a change, I agree with Whisky Advocate's take on a whisky......except for this sentence: "This bottling also wins plaudits for affordability."  Wat?  I don't care what the market is like, $170 does not qualify under "affordability" for one bottle of mass produced liquid.  My god, the delusions.

Anyway, this is great whisky.

Availability - Probably a few dozen specialty retailers in the US
Pricing - $160 to $190 in the US
Rating - 89

Single Malt Report: Springbank 16 year old 1991 Rum Wood

I'm a little surprised and disappointed by my experiences with the first two rum cask Springbanks I've tried.  Grade-wise, the first one was a low C and the second was a borderline C+/B-.  Those aren't whisky fails, but come on, this is Springbank.  My expectations are higher.  Perhaps they're too high since I'll be enjoying the excellent Springbank 12yo Calvados Wood alongside all three of the whiskies I'm reviewing this week.  Perhaps (perhaps!) what's needed is a secondary maturation approach (not a finish), like the Calvados Wood.  Then how about a 16 year old Rum Wood?  Eight years in ex-bourbon barrels, then eight years in "fresh Rum" barrels...

Distillery: Springbank
Brand: Springbank

Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.
Region: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt

Age: 16 years (June 1991 - August 2007)

Maturation: refill bourbon barrels for the first 8 years, "fresh Rum" casks for the other 8

Alcohol by Volume: 54.2%
Limited Bottling: 5,100 bottles
(From a purchased sample)

NEAT
The color is a light yellow gold, paler than Monday's 9yo.

The nose leads with peaches, clementines, and flower blossoms, which is a surprise after my experiences with the other two ex-rum Springbanks.  Toasted grains in the background and wee hints of brown sugar and vanilla.  Pie crust.  After 20 minutes, a bright madeira note develops.

A bit of heat on the palate.  Lots of limes and lemons.  The peat reads more roasted than smoky.  A combination of vanilla extract and tapioca pudding.  The sweetness increases with time.  Eventually notes of roses and peaches appear.

Vanilla ice cream leads off the finish.  Tart limes and lemons, that drift a bit acidic at times.  Sweet rum and a peppery heat.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The nose gets even fruitier, like Balblair fruity, picking up some honeydew notes.  Demerara rum around the edges.  Cow Tales candy.  Milder floral notes.

Melon, peaches, and watermelon Jolly Ranchers candy in the palate.  Hints of vanilla and toffee.  As per these notes, it gets more desserty.

The shorter, though similar, finish has louder sweeter fruit and a bit of toffee.

COMMENTS:
Whew.  A good ex-rum Springbank that works well with or without water.  I like the strong fruit notes, and can definitely appreciate the light rum touch.  The peat is barely there, so sometimes this reads a little more Highland/Speyside than Campbeltown.  It doesn't hold a candle to the Calvados Wood, but it's still a solid B-grade whisky.  It would be nice if Springbank gives this rum cask maturation approach another spin again, and not charge $200 for the result.

Availability - Scarce
Pricing - all over the place, from $180 to $350
Rating - 86

Single Malt Report: Springbank 9 year old 2001 Demerara Rum Cask by Cadenhead

In honor of my 900th(!) post, I'll be doing a week of Springbank.  Because.

At some point last year, one of y'all commenters referenced something about seeking out rum cask Springbanks.  Well, I reviewed one last May and that did not go positively.  How about we try again with TWO rummy Springbanks in a row?

The first is this single cask of 9 year old Springbank matured entirely in a Demerara rum cask, which was probably an ex-bourbon barrel judging by the bottle count.  It was released by Cadenhead, an indie bottler who has the same ownership as......Springbank!  So the hope is Cadenhead would have a leg up on the honey casks.

Distillery: Springbank
Region: Campbeltown, Kintyre

Independent Bottler: Cadenhead (their website never works)
Range: Wood range
Type: Single Malt

Age: 9 years old (2001 - October 2011)

Maturation: Demerara rum cask (which may have previously been an ex-bourbon barrel)
Limited bottling: 228

Alcohol by Volume: 57.1%
(Many thanks to Lee Zaro for this sample!)

NEAT
A sticky young rumminess shouts out first in the nose.  That's then joined by estery florals and pear eau de vie.  A medium molasses note meets a hint of peat.  Golden Delicious apples and granulated sugar.  It's very bright, but it's mostly new distillate of some sort.

The tight simple palate starts of mostly as peppery ethyl heat.  Raw new make, all grassy, sweet, and floral.  Then some salt and a little more smoke than on the nose.  A little bit of vanilla bean in the background.

The finish is mostly apple eau de vie and floral esters, a soft bitterness, and a nudge of peat.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
On the nose, the eau de vie switches over to kirschwasser.  Maybe even something like peated cherries.  Then a little bit of caramel, molasses, and cassia cinnamon.  Some cereal notes finally peek through.

This is curious.  Tea?  The palate takes on a grassy macha-like note, as well as a grassy-but-bitter roasted mate note.  The peppery heat remains, but there's more sugar this time and just a hint of malt.

The finish is almost identical to its neat form.  Maybe with a little more pepper, but otherwise quieter.

COMMENTS:
This is the youngest Springbank I've ever had in terms of character, not in terms of numbers.  I'm not entirely sure why they bottled it at this point, but luckily I like eau de vie and other unaged brandies.  I recommend at least trying it with water.  The nose is the highlight, by far.  The odd tea stuff in the hydrated palate sort of works for me, but will likely not work for everyone.

Speaking of everyone, the online tasting notes for this whisky vary so widely it seems like everyone's drinking something else.  See Serge's notes, the whiskybase crowd's notes, and the official ones.  The only set I can relate to are the writeups by the two German whiskybase fellows.  But I will agree with Serge in that this whisky is a curiosity.

Availability - Scarce
Pricing - well over $100 at this point in time
Rating - 80 (I suppose)

The Autumn Whiskies: Clynelish Batch 2, That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Ah, the spoils of my contest victory:

All commentary aside, I would like to thank Master of Malt for my prize!  I really do appreciate it.  Now, onto the commentary.

In the three years that passed between receiving this bottle and opening it, I reviewed three whiskies from That Boutique-y Whisky Company (TBWC).  And none of those three whiskies were good.  The first batch of Allt-à-Bhainne was oh so ugly.  The second Aultmore batch was a mess.  And the first batch of Loch Lomond grain whisky was basically gin.  The catch here is that all three reviews were courtesy of 3cL samples purchased from Master of Malt.  And I've found a lot of weird issues with MoM's samples of their own whiskies.  So this would be the first time I'd be reviewing a TBWC whisky directly from the bottle.

I also came to this review irritated with TBWC's entire approach towards their whiskies.  As I wrote in a previous review:
No age statement. Check.
No indication of maturation or casks used. Check.
500mL bottle. Check.
Priced higher than whiskies bottled by more established companies who offer their products with age statements and maturation information and 700mL bottles. Check.
Oh, but the ultra-relevant cheeky labels! Check.

In this instance the label featured a dialogue starring the I Can Has Cheezburger cat and referencing Batch 1's label.  Indeed.  But MoM did send this to me for free and it is Clynelish, so I put aside my preconceptions and gave it a chance.

Distillery: Clynelish
Owner: Diageo

Independent Bottler: That Boutique-y Whisky Company
Type: Single Malt
Maturation: yes

Age: damfino
Bottled: 2013

Region: Highlands (Northern)

Alcohol by Volume: 50.6%
Limited Release: 319 bottles

NEAT
The nose begins with big oaky notes of caramel and butter.  But then there's the pine sap note I also found in the other TBWCs.  Alongside that are alternating notes of citronella candles and orange peel.  After 20 minutes notes of Valentine's Day heart candies and grapefruit-scented hand lotion appear.  After 30 minutes, here comes some maple syrup.

A solid combo of cocoa, caramel, and citrus leads the palate.  Then vanilla bean and pine sap.  Grapefruit lotion curls around a slight tannic bitterness.  This is much sweeter than the van Wees 23yo.

Big orange and lime notes make up most of the finish.  Some pepper in the back of the throat, then the tannic bitterness.  Very warming and very sweet.

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
The maple syrup remains in the nose, joined by simple syrup and vanilla.  Perfumed and mossy.  Sawdust, limes, and a broadening herbal note.

The bitterness gets a little cleaner in the palate.  There's vanilla, sugar, caramel, a light floral note, and some citric tartness.

The simple finish is tart, sweet, and bitter.

COMMENTS:
These notes were taken from the middle of the bottle.  The first third of the bottle was rough going, very sharp, bitter, and loaded with the pine notes.  Gradually the oak kicked in and the rest of the whisky opened up.

Like the other three TBWCs I've tried, this is likely a young whisky (<10yrs) though aged in a very active (new oak?) cask or casks.  The nose is better when neat, but the palate brightens up with the added water.

While I wouldn't call this a great whisky, it works.  It's the best of the four TBWCs I've tried and competes quite well with the much older Clynelish I reviewed on Thursday, though it loses in the complexity department.  But, sadly, this 500mL bottle of young whisky (long since sold out) was priced higher than the 700mL bottle of old whisky (which took longer to sell through).  Such is the state of this strange marketplace.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - it was around £60
Rating - 82

That time I won a whisky

April 2013.  It was a different time, a time in which I was still reading a zillion blogs, including a number of "blogs" written by retailers.  One of the retailer blogs I perused was that of Master of Malt.  From time to time the MoM blog would hold contests and give away whisky bottles to the winners.  Sometimes those contests revolved around who could provide the best caption to a silly bit of photoshop.

On the 12th of that April, I was a stressed out wreck working at a job I hated.  Most mornings I snuck peeks at whisky blogs.  Sure enough, MoM was holding Caption Contest #4.  The prize for the best meme-style caption would be a bottle of Clynelish Batch 2 from That Boutique-y Whisky Company.  Here was the photo:

The moment I saw this, I knew exactly what I'd submit, if I'd actually submit anything.  I'd never entered their contests because I figured the prizes were limited to UK residents.  But I could see the caption very clearly in my mind and, crap, I was miserable.  So during my lunch break, I typed it up and sent it in.  And then forgot about it, because life went on.

On April 23rd, the MoM blog posted "Winner of the Caption Contest!".  I scrolled down, looking at the honorable mentions.  There were fun jokes about apes and dogs and Darwin and pooping and drinking.  All pretty solid silly stuff.  Then I saw the winning submission.

It took a moment for it to process but then ... .... Holy sh*t, that's mine!  I, I won...something.  I'm a winner!

Sure enough, MoM emailed me that day.  Then less than a week later, my bottle arrived.

I opened the bottle up this past Autumn, about a year and a half after it arrived.  Tomorrow, I'll review my winnings.

The Autumn Whiskies: Clynelish 23 year old 1991 van Wees The Ultimate

It remains a mystery.  A 23 year old Clynelish bottled by a reliable independent company, with a rave review from Serge, selling for €70(!!!!), remained unsold at European retailers for months.  Seriously, how does that happen?  Though I don't like buying blindly, I could not pass this up.

To put a finer point on what a bargain this was, consider that many of the needlessly mythical 1997 Clynelishes are going for TWICE the price of this older scarcer vintage.  In this case we have indie bottler, van Wees, to thank.  Their "The Ultimate" series is often both well priced and of good quality.

Distillery: Clynelish

Independent Bottler: van Wees (The Ultimate)
Type: Single Malt
Region: Highlands (Northern)

Age: 23 years (October 29, 1991 - November 11, 2014)

Maturation: Hogsheads
Cask numbers: 13213 and 13214
Bottle: 296 of 507

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
(Sample pulled from the middle of my bottle)

With all of that in mind, I was very unimpressed with this whisky when I first opened the bottle.  It was a swirl of odd musty notes and burnt plastic.  And this wasn't just from the first pour.  The upper third of the bottle was very difficult.  But gradually, very gradually, it began to clear up...

NEAT
The nose leads with lots and lots of lemons.  Other fruits roll in and out: peaches, tangerines, pears, and a hint of banana.  There's also quite a bit of honey and barley on top, with small notes of cocoa powder underneath.  After 30 minutes in the glass, the whisky picks up notes of sugar snap peas and watermelon rind.

At first the palate proves simple.  A jumble of citrus fruits meet pepper meets baking spices.  Then a small musty dusty note in the background.  But after 20+ minutes in the glass, the whisky opens up.  A big spry fresh herbal note bolts forward, followed by honeydew, Angostura bitters, and a wisp of smoke.  It's never sweet, but it does have a slight plastic note.

In the impressively long finish, the citrus fruits take a backseat to toffee, fresh tobacco, barley, and the musty dusty note.  Like the palate, it's never sweet.

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
The oak moves forward in the nose with small notes of caramel, vanilla, and pencil shavings.  But the fruit (grapefruit and watermelon rind) remains.  New curious notes of parsley, cilantro, and burnt barley appear, as does a brief floral note.

Fresh parsley and thyme hit first in the palate, then cucumber skins.  It's slightly bitter and has a whiff of mossy peat.  A bit of the plastic note lingers.

Those vegetable and bitter notes carry into the finish.  It also picks up the watermelon rind note form the nose and gets slightly sweeter overall.

COMMENTS:
As you may have gleaned from the notes, this is a quirky whisky.  Actually, the nose is great, period.  The palate presents more of a challenge.  Not only does one need to get to the middle of the bottle to find the good spot, but once one pours it in a glass it needs a lot of air to really open up.  Once there, though, it can be very entertaining (positively or negatively, depending on one's palate).  The plastic and strange musty notes never really left this whisky and they're what keep this whisky from soaring.

Availability - Scarce
Pricing - it was priced €70-€80 last year
Rating - 84