Photograph: Ben Matthews
This post is syndicated (?) from WhiskyCast

WhiskyCast Episode 97: June 24, 2007

John Glaser of Compass Box is one of the whisky industry's leading innovators, and in this episode of WhiskyCast, we'll find out what he's working on in his blending laboratory. There's also new spirits legislation in Europe that should clarify some of the rules about whisky production, a road race for bourbon-loving runners in Kentucky, and an update on what may really be the Southern Hemisphere's first peated whisky after all...


Photograph: Ben Matthews
This post is syndicated (?) from WhiskyCast

WhiskyCast Episode 96: June 17, 2007

Time to travel down under to Australia, where fall has turned into winter, and it's whisky season. 15 years ago, Bill and Lyn Lark started Australia's first malt whisky distillery on a lark (pun intended). Since then, they've produced the Southern Hemisphere's first peated single malt whisky, and helped spawn a series of distilleries that have put Australia on the whisky map. In the news, new whiskies from Isle of Jura, Templeton Rye celebrates a "quasquicentennial", and a lack of rain in Lynchburg, Tennessee has the folks at Jack Daniels nervous.


Photograph: Ben Matthews
This post is syndicated (?) from WhiskyCast

WhiskyCast Episode 95: June 10, 2007

It's a rare road trip for WhiskyCast, with a special episode taped on location at the Brandy Library in New York City. We'll get an update on the new Benriach series of finished 15-year-old single malts from Steve Fox of Preiss Imports, the US importer for Benriach. By the way, if you don't like caramel coloring or chill-filtering, raise a glass in Steve's honor if you try one of these malts...he's the guy who convinced Benriach to drop them. In the news, we'll hear about a $10,000 Macallan sale and plans for a new distillery in western Scotland.


Photograph: Ben Matthews

Balvenie 15 years Single Barrel

Bal­ve­nies 15 years old is a bot­tled 50,4% Cask strength. It is a so called single bar­rel which means that the whiskey comes from a single bar­rel (bourbon).

Because a Bal­ve­nie 15 always comes from one bar­rel the strength and taste will dif­fer from bot­tle to bot­tle. The process is very tough and only the best bar­rels gets selected to be a Bal­ve­nie 15.

The Bot­tles are num­bered and signed by the Mas­ter Blender David Stew­art. He only selects a max­i­mum of 350 bot­tles. The selec­tion has a major blend of bour­bon and smells and tastes both vanilla and honey.

Nose
Again, closely related to the Founder’s Reserve. More vanilla, with the honey a degree lighter than some pre­vi­ous bot­tlings. Even so, this is just wonderful.

Palate
An explo­sion of bit­ter­sweet flavours. Incred­i­ble depth and com­plex­ity with the trade­mark Bal­ve­nie malti­ness. Lots of spicy peat notes.

Fin­ish
Amaz­ingly long with some chewy smoke, even a hint of liquorice. Some choco­late for good measure.

Com­ment
Arguably the ulti­mate Spey­side dram, though the Glen­fid­dich Sol­era gives it a close run. A kalei­do­scope of flavours.

- Jim Murray

About the whisky

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Photograph: Ben Matthews
This post is syndicated (?) from WhiskyCast

WhiskyCast Episode 94: June 3, 2007

There's been a lot of talk about India and whisky over the past few months, and in this episode, we'll get the local perspective on India's whisky tastes, tariffs, and the Whyte & Mackay deal from India's only Malt Maniac, Krishna Nukala.