Auchentoshan 12 Years

Photo provided by The Whisky Exchange

Replac­ing the now extinct 10 year old is this sump­tiously pack­aged 12 year old ver­sion of the triple-distilled Low­land. Hap­pily they’ve improved on the 10, being richer, spicier and with more sherry influence.

The 12 year old is smooth, fresh and nutty with a golden honey appearance.

It has a Crème Brulee smell with a burst of cit­rus and the sig­na­ture nut­ti­ness and green leafi­ness of Auchentoshan.

To taste the palate is smooth and sweet with hints of tan­ger­ine and lime. To fin­ish, it is a gin­gery and slightly dry­ing with a pleas­ant lin­ger­ing nuttiness.

Tasting note by The distillery tasting notes

Review: Amrut Indian Whisky

Focus on Amrut Indian Whisky
Impressive whiskies for their age (around 4 years). And many will be surprised to discover that these whiskies were produced in India. Well done! (Note that prices are approximate, as they are not yet for sale in the U.S.)

Amrut, 46%, $40
A mouth-coating whisky, and oily in texture too! Ripe vanilla malt, peaches & cream, polished oak, roasted nuts and a hint of coconut cream pie. Soothing, creamy finish. A pleasant “anytime” dram. Smartly bottled at 46% to appreciate its fine textures and subtle nuances.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 80

Amrut, Limited Edition (bottled 2007), 61.9%, $60
Similar to the standard Amrut, except that it’s drier and spicier, with suggestions of bourbon. Not as creamy as the standard expression, but a bit more sophisticated.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 82

Amrut, Limited Edition, Peated, (bottled 2008), 62.78%, $70
Good balance between ripe barley, rum-like sweetness and damp kiln smoke. Dried oak spice, bourbon char, brine, and anise add complexity, peaking on the finish. An interesting contrast to the other Amrut whiskies. This whisky could pass for a youthful Islay malt.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 84

I also informally tasted a new Amrut whisky at WhiskyFest Chicago back in April. (Distillery reps were in attendance.) It’s called Fusion. It contains 25% peated whisky, 75% unpeated whisky. The unpeated malt is Indian, while the peated malt comes from Scotland. It’s bottled at 50%. Very enjoyable!

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WhiskyCast Episode 202: May 30, 2009

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Feis Ile: three Ardbegs and one Bunnahabhain

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WhiskyCast Episode 202: May 30, 2009

Bowmore Feis Ile and cask samples

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Whisky + Arthur’s Chat + You = Money for Parkinson’s Research

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First Bottle of Kilchoman Whisky Auctions for over £5000

The first bottle of whisky from Islay’s newest distillery fetched a lot of money. Details below from their press release.

First Bottle of Kilchoman Whisky from Cask No.1 Auctions for over £5000

A limited edition bottle of Kilchoman Distillery’s first ever single malt from cask number one, filled in December 2005, was sold at auction for a staggering £5,400.  The winning bid was made by Niels Ladefoged, originally from Denmark and who lives in the UK.  The bottle of the three year old single malt has a unique design and is the only one of its kind.  All proceeds of the auction will go to Islay charities. 

The bottle and its presentation was exclusively designed for the distillery.  The bottle is contained in an attractive box that was hand made by Howard Proctor, who is also a member of Kilchoman’s production team, and features a watercolour on the label, painted by Nicola Wilks, an artist from Otter Ferry Argyll with three generations of family connections with Islay. 

The auction took place at Kilchoman Distillery’s Open Day on Thursday 28th May at 12.30pm, during Feis Ile, the Islay Festival of Malt & Music. The week long island festival has helped raise further awareness of Kilchoman’s very first single malt that will be launched on 9th September this year. 

Anthony Wills, Founder & Managing Director of Kilchoman Distillery said: “We are delighted with the winning bid and a huge congratulations to Niels Ladefoged.  Our thanks go to all those, both local and international, who made their bids for such a wonderful piece of whisky history.  The money raised from the auction will go to Islay charities.   The response from our auction has been encouraging and we look forward to an exciting year ahead and the launch of our very first single malt.”

Niels Ladefoged said:”I am delighted to have secured the very first bottle of Kilchoman Whisky and even more so that the proceeds are going to local charities. I have been fortunate enough to come to the island for many years, and I think it is one of the most welcoming places in the world. I know how hard people work with the charities and it is an absolute honour to be able to help in a small way. I feel the first bottle exemplifies the enterpreneurial spirit of the island in general, and Anthony Wills and the Kilchoman project in particular.”

The much anticipated single malt has been getting seals of approval from a very young age.  The one month old Kilchoman spirit has received a remarkable score of 94 out of 100 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2008, rating it as a “superstar whisky that gives us all a reason to live!” In April 2009, the two year old spirit sold out on the first day of the Limburg Whisky Fair in Germany. 

Kilchoman Distillery prides itself in taking whisky back to its roots and is the first distillery to be built on Islay for 124 years.  A visit to Kilchoman Distillery gives everyone the opportunity to see all that is best in the grass-roots traditions of malt whisky distilling – from barley to bottle.  The distillery location, Rockside Farm is said to grow the best malting barley on the island.

For more information on Kilchoman Distillery, announcements and events please telephone 01496 850011 or visit www.kilchomandistillery.com. 

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Review: Glenmorangie Sonnalta

Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX, 46%, $70
The first of Glenmorangie’s new “Private Collection” line of whisky for Travel Retail. This one is finished in Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry. With PX being so rich and intense and Glenmorangie spirit is so subtly complex and delicate, does the sherry dominate here? No, it doesn’t. Still, this is viscous and very textural for a Glenmorangie. I’m picking up rhum agricole drenched with honeyed apricot, toffee almond, chocolate covered raisin, glazed citrus, and cherry pits, all leading to a leathery, tobacco tinged, finish. A visceral whisky with plenty of grip. Great for after dinner.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 90

P.S. I’m waiting to get confirmation on the price. My press release didn’t specify, but I have been seeing it listed as this price from various sources.

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Three young Bowmores (one old… err…)

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