Now is the winter of our (dis)content…
One of favourite aspects of Winter’s cold days and colder (and longer) nights is that it’s pretty much Whisky O’clock all season round.
Now we aren’t ones to gather in the middle of field around a bonfire to dance naked for the Winter Solstice like some, but we’d be (almost?) tempted if these tipples were on offer!
High West Distillery — A Midwinter Nights Dram
American Blended Rye Whiskey
750ml, 49.3% ABV
Owner: Constellation Brands
High West are one of our favourite distiller/blenders from the USA, located in the state of Utah, synonymous with high proof spirits (or more accurately pretty much the exact opposite of this). High West, like most blenders tend to use a lot of MGP sourced stock to make their concoctions (and in some instances blend their fiery young spirit in for good measure).
This particular bottling is a delicious limited release take on the flagship expression, High West Rendezvous Rye, finished in French oak port barrels, with no chill or carbon filtering.
Three very Rye heavy mash bill aged spirits are blended to form this drop — for those playing at home we have:
A 95% rye, 5% barley malt from MGP.
A 53% rye, 37% corn, 10% barley malt from Barton Distillery.
And a 80% rye, 10% corn, 10% barley malt from Barton Distillery.
Nose: Jersey caramels, Ribena, Pecans glazed and baked in maple syrup and brown sugar (great in salads too!) and a spicy tickle on the nose hinting at a deep French oak woodiness/pepper.
Palate: Super full and syrupy with blackberries and gingerbread cordial, apple pie pastry and spices (cloves and cinnamon) and a handful of dried fruit pinched from the counter top when the fruit cake cook isn’t looking.
Find it here (or at least the more readily available Rendezvous Rye)!
Bowmore 15 Darkest
Scotch Single Malt Whisky
700ml, 43% ABV
Owner: Beam-Suntory
Bowmore hardly need an introduction being one of the oldest distilleries on Islay and with production capability of up to around 2 million litres per year.
Established in 1779 the distillery has had a long and interesting history and has traditionally tried to source as much barley from Islay as possible and malt as much barly as possible onsite — unfortunately due to production outstripping supply this has necessitated the sourcing of barley and maltings from the mainland, a position most Islay distilleries find themselves in these days.
This particular expression was originally released in January of 2007 and is matured in a combination of both bourbon and sherry casks, then finished for three years in Oloroso sherry casks, which (along with a healthy dose of caramel food colouring :P) gives rise to the name.
Nose: Sherry notes of dark sultanas and currants dominate the nose filled with Christmas-y spices, coffee and hot (dark) chocolate. The faintest hint of salt and smoke.
Palate: (Boozy) Auntie’s Christmas pudding i.e. sherry, sherry, sherry and a dash of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg with some fruit (one of the days five servings!) in the form of sultanas. Freshly sawed pine logs, and freshly sawed pine log on an open fire.
Glenmorangie A Midwinter Night’s Dram (2015)
Scotch Single Malt Whisky
700ml, 43% ABV
Owner: Moet-Hennesey
This was a limited release made by the house of Glenmorangie in 2015 to a) pay homage to the tradition of the Master Distiller creating a special whisky for the workers (The Sixteen Men of Tain) with a bit more ‘mongrel’ in it to help fight off the ‘great Scottish winters’ b) remind everyone of that super weird Shakespeare play that everyone misquotes and c) sell more, premium priced, whisky ;)
This translates into a mix of the classic Glenmorangie bourbon barrel aged delicate Highland spirit mixed with the same spirit further aged in Spanish Oloroso casks, ala Glenmorangie Lasanta, which in all fairness, works a treat. There is a newer version (2017) floating around but I am yet to get my grubby little paws on it to compare to this one :(
Nose: It’s always a challenge when a whisky seriously channels mulled wine like this does as most mulled wine is made by poor uni students who are trying to hide how bad the underlying red wine is. Think of this as the rich, full fee paying student’s parents red wine with spices, with a decent piece of dark Christmas cake and the incense said student burns in their room to hide their wacky tobaccy habit from their rich parents.
Palate: A peppered, Jaffa infused hot chocolate with candied orange, Christmas nuts (the ones no one eats the rest of the year like walnuts and Brazil nuts) with a sweet and salty butter hint (like a fresh croissant with strawberry jam).
Glenfiddich Winter Storm
Scotch Single Malt Whisky
700ml, 43% ABV
Owner: William Grant and Sons
Love that one of the oldest and most staid Single Malt houses have embraced an experimental series of finishes. This is the third edition in the series following on from the IPA and XX releases and saw Glenfiddich ‘Malt Master’ Brian Kinsman place samples of various Glenfiddich spirits of varying ages and barrel maturation in French oak Ice-wine casks from Canadian wine producer Peller Estates until finally settling upon some 21 year old stock which stood up to the intensity of the oak and the sweetness imparted on the barrels by the Ice-wine.
Nose: Golden Circle tinned fruit, a packet of Allen’s family mix and some dry white wine in the bottom of an abandoned glass (where did she go?).
Palate: Like a soft rose water flavoured Turkish Delight overlaid on top of tropical fruit juice and classic Glenfiddich green apple/pear malt. Finish is surprisingly full and drying (wine cask influence?)
Highland Park 17 Year Old — The Dark
Scotch Single Malt Whisky
700ml, 52.9% ABV
Owner: Edrington
Highland Park — one of the distilleries I have hardest time with. When they nail it, absolutely astonishing. Which makes it so hard to take when they dont…
Fortunately this one is a winner. Part one in a two-part series, this is the Autumn/Winter version released in the UK last year and followed recently by the Spring/Summer version, Highland Park 17 Year Old — The Light. I don’t think either of these have made it to our shores yet officially, but we can only hope. Not immune to a bit of marketing malarkey either, our friends from Orkney have done an excellent job nonetheless in the presentation of this whisky, with the dragon on the bottle ripped from Norse sagas that ‘embraces both the high sun of summer solstice and the low sun of winter solstice’, pictured as the circles at the top and bottom of the bottle. 28,000 bottles (I just want one, ok two).
Nose: Has the delicious gentle pine resin notes from Hakushu 12, mixed with cinnamon sugar, dark fruitcake, and pain au chocolat (buttery chocolate gooey goodness)
Palate: Flavours build on the themes presented in the nose with the pine forest, cinnamon sugar and chocolate pastry notes combined with coffee beans, Highland Park peat heathery-ness and Peppermint Crisp bar, all presented in the boozy, generous warmth expected of an almost 53% whisky.
Find it here! One day…hopefully…
