Royal Brackla 14 year old 1998 Gordon & MacPhail for Binny's

Two years ago, Bacardi released three age-stated (12, 16 and 21yo) official Royal Bracklas, which is good. They bottled them all at the legal minimum 40%abv, which is bad. Seriously, why would they do that, when they released the age-stated Aultmore series entirely at 46%abv during the previous year? That's a weird step backwards.

Previous to the official releases, one had to go to independent bottlers, like G&M, to explore Royal Brackla single malt. Today's G&M Brackla was bottled exclusively for the Binny's chain.

There are two things I really appreciate about reader Florin (a prince). That he'd blindly buy a Royal Brackla in the interest of experience and science and propping up Chicago's economy. And that he'd give to me this sample that was clearly intended for MAO. It's been four years now. I hope MAO can find it in his heart to forgive me for his drinking his whisky.

Distillery: Royal Brackla
Region: Highlands, just on the other side of the western Speyside border

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Age: 1998 - 2012 (I think)

Maturation: probably American oak
Cask number: 58
Exclusively for: Binny's

Alcohol by Volume: 56.5%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No

NEAT
The nose is fun. Glue, lemongrass, ground mustard seed, green grapes and pineapple. Some late caramel and burnt wood. The hot palate starts on banana, vanilla and orange peel. Then it "develops" into unripe stone fruit, green woody bitterness, mild sweetness and a cayenne zing. Meanwhile, the finish spins off into a different orbit. Bitter char, vanilla, chlorophyll. Fake plastic sweetness.

Now, I'll dunk it down to the official bottlings' strength:

DILUTED TO ~40%abv
The nose still exists. Lemon, fried plantain and something phenolic (diesel?). Then grapefruit and grass clippings. Again, the palate seems to be from a very different whisky. Bitter melon rind, bitter oak. Vanilla, sugar, sour berries and a hint of soap. It has a nice texture, though. Its pencil lead finish is bitter, sour and acidic.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
If whisky were only for smellin', I'd recommend this odd thing. The palate is challenging, but rarely in a fashion that leads to success. Too much bitter oak and indistinctive vanilla oak for me. But that's better than the finish proves to be a bit of a horror show, with or without water.

This seems like a cask that was nosed, rather than tasted, when it was offered by G&M, then chosen by Binny's. The Chicago retailer may have had more success with an earlier bottling, and I hope their current Brackla is better than this one too.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 71

Strathmill 23 year old 1989 Blackadder Raw Cask

Where my Strathmill fans at?!

I've tried a grand total of two Strathmills, both of which were part of Signatory's budget "Vintage" range, but neither of which were any good. Yet, this site has a complete absence of Strathmill. So here's a review of the first cask strength Strathmill I've ever tried. It's from Blackadder's Raw Cask range has had more hits than misses for me, so I'm cautiously optimistic. Thank you to aaron197172 of Booze Dancing for gifting me this sample.

Distillery: Strathmill
Owner: Diageo

Independent Bottler: Blackadder (Raw Cask)
Region: Speyside (Moray)

Age: 23 years (October 1989 to June 2013)

Maturation: Refill Sherry Puncheon
Cask number: 10308
Bottle: 77 of 305

Alcohol by Volume: 53.3%

NEAT
It has a light yellow gold color and Raw Cask Shmutz®. The mellow nose starts out with light beer, anise, rubber and plastic toys. Saline. Walnuts. Lots of barley throughout. The palate is very grassy and leafy. Fresh savory herbs, cocoa powder, a little bit of white fruit. Slightly drying. With time it picks up fennel seed and rye seed notes. The finish has a lot of roasted character, and an occasional burnt note. Dried herbs and a hint of cigar smoke. A copper/blood note. Barley.

The label recommends "a little added water". Sure, what the hell.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
The nose has become very herbal; think dried basil and sage. That's met with lemon and pineapple. A little dusty. Big on barley, still. The palate is a little sweeter and spicier. Dried leaves. Light bitterness. Wood spice. Armagnac-ish. The finish gets grassier. Mixes chile peppers and gummi bears. Cigar ash.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This one plays close to the barley and its lack of sexiness makes it feel slightly old school. At full strength, this Strathmill works better on the palate. Once water was added to the whisky, I preferred the nose. Its lean, low-oak style appeals to me, and I would have given it a higher score, but the finish is a little short and flat. Still, this was MUCH better than I'd expected.

Availability - Still at some European retailers four years later
Pricing - $150-$180 (ex-VAT, w/o shipping), and that's why it's still available
Rating - 82

Cocktail Recipe: Ginza in June

I've never liked whisky cocktails. No cocktail improved the drinking experience that the whisky itself offered. Sweet vermouth was one of the main culprits. Just two drops of sweet vermouth in a cocktail ruined everything. Its cloying nauseating flavor spread through the drink like a drop of ink a glass of water. (That's a metaphor I promise to overuse.) Then, one day last winter, I discovered a solution: Don't Use Cheap Sweet Vermouth.

I mean, the real solution was Carpano Antica Formula and Luxardo cherries. Since then, I've been drinking a lot of Manhattans. During some stretches, I'm drinking Manhattans more often than single malts. I finally found a use for American whiskey! 😬

Then, in October, as I was opening my current bottle of Nikka Whisky from the Barrel (NWFTB, not NKOTB), I had an idea. What if I created something along the lines of a Manhattan or Rob Roy with my beloved NWFTB? I'd go easy on the Carpano Antica in order to highlight the quality of the whisky.

And it worked on the first try. The Carpano Antica merged with the whisky, pushing the grain aside and moving the malt to the fore. Plenty of spice, not too much sweetness.

* * * * *

Because this drink is utterly bourgeois with its expensive Italian vermouth and cherries, and it includes the whisky I travelled with during both of my Japan trips, I chose to name it after the bougie-est corner of Tokyo I explored this year.

With its Rodeo Drive-inspired lineup of Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo, Dior, Fendi and on and on and on, Ginza is the epitome of rāga, one of the three forms of suffering (or poisons or fires) in Mahayana Buddhism, stemming from the desire for wealth and the ownership of physical, sensory things.

The gorgeous weather on June 14th made that corner of Chuo feel even more posh. So, inspired by the sugary romance of "Danke Schoen" ("I recall Central Park in Fall"), I named my cocktail, Ginza in June.

* * * * *

And now, the recipe.

Ingredients:

1.5 fluid ounces (or 45mL) of Nikka Whisky from the Barrel

0.5 fluid ounces (or 15mL) of Carpano Antica Formula

2 generous dashes of Angostura bitters

2 drops of marasca syrup (from the Luxardo jar)

1 Luxardo Maraschino cherry

Instructions:

1. Fill a tall mixing glass with ice cubes (not crushed ice).

2. Pour the first four ingredients over the ice in the mixing glass.

3. Stir clockwise 24 times. (Lucky number hachi multiplied by my lucky number san)

4. Plop the cherry into the most faux-proletariat glass you own.

5. Strain the cocktail into your prole drinking glass.

And:

— Feel free to up the whisky content to 60mL, but make sure the whisky-to-vermouth ratio remains 3-to-1. Also remember that NWFTB is 51.4%abv. So be cautious.

— For more zip add more bitters.

— I don't recommend adding more than 2 drops of the syrup because it will take over the drink.

— Feel free to apply less sweet vermouth. I don't recommend adding more if you want the whisky to fly high.

— If you don't have NWFTB on hand (and who does, really) I recommend high quality blended malts that have little or no peat. Compass Box (speaking of bougie) Spice Tree may do the trick.

Kanpai, my lambs.

Killing Whisky History, Episode 7 - Bell's Extra Special and Bell's Extra Special

Considering how emphatically my iPhone, iCloud and iMovie all shit the bed this week, I am surprised to have a Killing Whisky History episode up today. But here it is, a less-than-seven minute (woohoo!) chapter on a pair of Bell'ses: one bottled between 1980 and '82, the other between 1964 and '76. Thanks for watching!

Japanese Whisky? Nikka Whisky from the Barrel

As a father of a new baby, I have two choices for doing multiple reviews each week. Either I do a number of tastings in one sitting. Or I forfeit sleep at night. Regarding the former, to quote one of Mathilda's favorite expressions, "That's a bad idea." So I've been doing the latter.

When I started the series this week, I underestimated what I was getting myself into. On Monday, I asked "What is Japanese Whisky? And does it matter?". On Tuesday, I reviewed Nikka Pure Malt Black. On Wednesday, I reviewed Nikka Pure Malt White. Today, if the post makes any sense, I'm reviewing Nikka Whisky from the Barrel.

The previous two Nikkas were blended malts. Today's Nikka is a blended whisky. The Pure Malts were bottled at 43%, while this blend weighs in at 51.4%. None of these three Nikkas include the term "Japanese Whisky" on their labels. The Pure Malts were both rumored to have some sort of Scotch malt content, while Whisky from the Barrel has never (to my knowledge) been accused of such. But why should we assume it doesn't have Scotch whisky in it? Because what constitutes "Japanese whisky" is uncertain at this point in time and because the label is missing that term, anything could be possible.

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Nikka Whisky from the Barrel is my favorite blended whisky. I've reviewed it before. I've gone through more bottles of it than any other whisky over the past three years.

It's my desert island whisky. It may not be the best whisky on the planet, but it's always very pleasurable, always great in a pinch and somehow works even better in a tumbler than a glencairn glass. Also, on two occasions I bought it in Japan for less than $20/bottle, which gives it an astronomic quality-price-ratio.

In fact, the bottle I'm reviewing today was purchased during my Japan trip this past spring. I only bought one because my suitcase exploded. For real...

...

...okay never mind. I had photographic evidence of the terrible violence caused by too many whisky bottles. But I can't find it amongst my 1200+ photos and it's past midnight here so you'll have to take my word for it.

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Ownership: Nikka
Type: Blended Whisky
Region: Japan (and others?)
Distilleries: Miyagikyo and Yoichi (and others?)

Age: ???

Maturation: ???
Bottling code: 6/08G241515

Alcohol by Volume: 51.4%

TASTING NOTES
The nose is malty, leafy, full of honey and roasted almond notes. Wood (mesquite and sandalwood) smoke. Burnt beef. Pound cake with orange syrup and mint leaves. When in a tumbler, it has notes of currants, roses and eucalyptus.

The palate is moderately sweet, citric and spicy: brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice and lime juice. Some older toffeed malt swimming around in there. Sea Salt. Vanilla bean. A medicinal hint. It has a thick mouthfeel and shows very little of its ABV.

It finishes with citrus and salted caramels. Brown sugar and the nose's wood smoke. Hints of melon liqueur and bitter greens.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This whisky is perfect for pouring too much into a tumbler and then totally underestimating the alcohol strength and then going for subsequent rounds and then wondering why it feels like someone parked a Buick Enclave on your back at 5:30am.

And though this isn't my best bottle of NWFTB, it does help make a stellar cocktail. And I'll share that recipe......someday.

Is this whisky delicious? Yes.
Is there Scotch in it? Probably not.
If there was Scotch in it would that affect my opinion of the whisky? No.
If the words "Japanese Whisky" appeared on the label, what would those words mean? I don't know.

Availability - Japan and Europe, more prevalent than the Pure Malts
Pricing - 500mL - $20-$25 Japan, $45-$55 Europe (w/shipping)
Rating - 87

Japanese Whisky? Nikka Pure Malt White

On Monday I pondered the definition of Japanese whisky. On Tuesday, I reviewed a whisky blended in Japan, by a Japanese producer, which may have had Scottish-distilled malt in it. The whisky was Nikka Pure Malt Black, and nowhere on its labels was the phrase "Japanese Whisky". Today, I'm reviewing one of its siblings.

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I'd always thought Nikka Pure Malt White was supposed to have had Caol Ila in it. With no idea where I'd originally heard that rumor, I did some googling. I found a couple European retailers claiming there was Caol Ila in the mix. At least a dozen bloggers' reviews say the same. Nonjatta references the CI rumor, but states quite plainly: "This one, the white, is a bit different: it is based on whisky from Islay in Scotland." The comment section in Whiskynotes's review furthers this discussion. But there's no official source for any of this.

But then there's The Whisky Exchange 2015 interview with Nikka's European brand ambassador, Sayumi Oyama:

"[On rumours there is Ben Nevis in Nikka Pure Malt White] We try to use only Japanese whisky, but I think today it is necessary to use malt from other countries."

First off, what Ben-Nevis-in-Pure-Malt-White rumors are they talking about? The Ben Nevis rumors were about Pure Malt Black. The White rumors were regarding Islay malt.

Secondly, I'd say the brand ambassador's answer is a big YES. About something.

Like Pure Malt Black, there's no reference to "Japanese Whisky" on the Pure Malt White bottle. So what is it?

It's remarkable.

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Ownership: Nikka
Brand: Pure Malt
Type: Blended Malt
Region: Japan (and others?)
Distilleries: Miyagikyo and Yoichi (and others?)

Age: ???

Maturation: ???
Bottling code: 6/02E400907

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

TASTING NOTES
Avert your eyes. Loquacity approaches.

The nose spins orange peel, mint leaves, dried apricots, almond cookies and damp peat smoke together. Beach air, black licorice, green apples and Kasugai peach candy. A box of Werther's Originals in a dusty closet.

The palate has an consistent undercurrent of baking spices and mizunara(?) wood spice. An exotic smoked sea salt. Umeboshi (yes, that again) and plum wine. A light cherry candy sweetness. Hints of burlap, eucalyptus and malt.

There's a lovely fresh herb and Kilkerran-like forest floor (flor?) combination in the finish, which meets up with a mineral note. The smoky sea salt finds equilibrium with a subtle sweet note. And then at the end of end, a moment of OBE-esque funk.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Yes. I opened this bottle up on Sunday night, took my first sip and said, "Oh. Oh this is fabulous." And I don't say things like that.

What it reminds me of is not Caol Ila or any other Islay malt, but rather Yoichi. Good Yoichi. The Yoichi that corrupted some of us before the age-stated stuff went out of production and quintupled in price. Yet, Pure Malt White also has big time fruit notes on the nose and curious spices everywhere.

Because it's not a cask strength thing, Pure Malt White works best when a father captures a rare silent moment. I won't call it meditative (because it's whisky) but it needs quiet.

I don't know how they did it, nor why no one in Scotland has been able to design a standard blended malt of this quality. At 43%abv.

PLEASE NOTE: I have seen Pure Malt White's reviews around the internet and they all make me look totally insane. So please just pass this review off as hyperbolic nonsense. That's okay. Let me cuddle up within my madness.

Availability - A dozen or so European shops, unsure about its status in Japan
Pricing - $60-$100 in Europe (w/shipping, 500mL bottle)
Rating - 90

Japanese Whisky? Nikka Pure Malt Black

On Monday I wrote about the knotty state of Japanese whisky. Today I'm reviewing the first of three Nikka whiskies which may or may not contribute to that industry's mishmash.

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That Nikka uses Ben Nevis's malt whisky in their Japanese-produced whiskies is no secret. From the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016:

Ben Nevis is an important supplier of whisky for the owner's (Nikka) blends and for 2015, 50% of the newmake will be sent directly to Japan, primarily to be part of the popular blend, Nikka Black.

Now Nikka Black, or rather Black Nikka, is a blended whisky that's found in probably every corner liquor store and Seven-Eleven in Japan. And there's been a whole series of spinoffs and special blends baring its name over the years. But Black Nikka is not Nikka Pure Malt Black.

Nikka Pure Malt Black is an all malt blend, or vatted malt or blended malt. There has long been a rumor that Pure Malt Black contains Ben Nevis malt amongst its ingredients, but where and when that rumor started, I don't know. And though it is blended in Japan and the bottle exhibits more kanji than English characters (because it is made in Japan), it does not list "Japanese Whisky" anywhere on its labels. So I can't say if there's any subterfuge going on here.

In all my liquor store scouring in Japan this year, I found only one store with Nikka Pure Malt Black in stock. The 500mL bottle was all of $25 (with a great exchange rate). The product can also be purchased from a dozen European retailers for at least twice that price (with shipping).

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Ownership: Nikka
Brand: Pure Malt
Type: Blended Malt
Region: Japan (and others?)
Distilleries: Miyagikyo and Yoichi (and others?)

Age: ???

Maturation: ???
Bottling code: 6/04G420907

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

TASTING NOTES
The nose starts off mossy and leafy. Nutty liqueur and cherry bubblegum. Fudge and a young-Ledaig-ish peat. With time it picks up lemons and clementines. Dried lavender and umeboshi. The autumnal palate is leafy and lightly sweet. Tobacco and vanilla ice cream. Key lime pie and an ethyl bite. The peat is softer here than on the nose, reading as hints of soot and antiseptic. It gets sweeter and tangier with time. The finish is simple and sweet. Vanilla, limes, ginger beer. Almost no peat.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Picture a mix of Johnnie Walker Black Label and the former Yoichi NAS, but better. Some parts feel young, and others oaky, but none are too loud. There are subtle sherry cask notes, and the peat doesn't overwhelm. I can't tell if there really is Ben Nevis or any other scotch whisky present, but I do think <10yo Yoichi pulls most of the weight. Ultimately it's a well blended thing and I like it.

Availability - Some Japanese retailers and a dozen or so European shops
Pricing - $25ish in Japan, $50-$80 in Europe (w/shipping)
Rating - 84