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theScotchlife

Enjoying Scotch Whisky and a few other things

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Pinwinnie Royal Scotch Whisky

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Once in a while, someone pulls out an old whisky that they got from a parent or friend that is so old no one is sure where it came from or what it is. Some time ago a family friend who knew of my interest in scotch offered me an old and odd bottle of whisky. The graphics were obviously dated and the bottle looks like it had aged more than the actual whisky. The name read Pinwinnie Royal Scotch Whisky and still had the advertising/marketing information with it. I was eager to try it and was very surprised to find it a very drinkable whisky.

This Easter I had it again at his house and googled it and promised him I’d find out some information about it. Turns out it’s a long discontinued whisky that was handed over from the original Pinwinnie distiller to Inverhouse and has since been discontinued. From the packaging and marketing, I think it is from the late 1960’s.

The whisky is surprisingly good, very soft and rounded. When I nosed it I thought it may be a Speyside product, I was happy to see I was somewhat correct in that. I actually enjoy drinking it and actually get a kick out of it being a bit odd. I love finds like this one, they are uncommon and for someone who is inquisitive its a fun pursuit to find out information about it. If you have any, enjoy, there isn’t any left! And yes, I do intend on getting the rest of the bottle from him, if not, I will just keep visiting.

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Oban 14 notes

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Fortunately for us, the good people at Oban are not reality show actors, but some fine folks who have developed a fine whisky. The distillery is described by MJ’s guide to single malt scotch as a small town with a small distillery. MJ’s guide makes reference to Oban not being (previously) taken serious in comparison with the other powerful highland signatures. The Oban 14 is aimed at changing that suggestion.

It noses light, but pleasant. There are notes of seaweed and references to the sea in MJ’s book on this product and I really cannot add to it, except to say I haven’t eaten or smelled seaweed lately. I do find the nose delicate and pleasant.

In tasting it, which I do after a generous nosing that on this one made my mouth water, the whisky delivers a quick flash of excitement that quickly goes away clean. Tastes are light, but I do note some citrus, maybe a bit of a grapefruit, there is no complexity or bitters but a very nice and clean whisk of liquid. It is almost like sitting on the beach, watching an energetic burst of tide come and go. Who doesn’t like that?

I was smoking a Gurkha Regent Torpedo with it, not because I thought it was a great pairing, but because I was tired from doing home projects for two days. I did feel that the two worked nicely with each other and would not hesitate to recommend the two together.

This whisky would be great with lighter foods, seafoods, and would be great just enjoyed by itself.

I really liked this whisky, and now that summer is coming I was hoping for some refreshing new tastes from Scotland to enjoy. I think that I have definitely found one.

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The Edinburgh Malt – Glenkinchie 12 yr notes w/Diamond Crown Cigar

Edinburgh, one of those towns in Scotland that is on the must see list and now a must see distillery, Glenkinchie. Of all of the regions of scotch that I have tasted whisky from, the Lowlands, is the one I have the least amount of experience with. The lowlands do not produce the major stars in scotch whisky today, yet produce some lighter, sweeter whisky. In fact, there are only a couple of working distilleries (Auchenotoshan being the other) with some possibilities of a future operation. Rosebank is a collectible but no longer existing distillery of the Lowlands.

Not knowing what to expect of this whisky I approached it with high curiosity. After a few tastes I was intrigued and pleased. I really enjoy the fact that this whisky had a complete different side to it. I also noted some light tobacco coming through the finish which spurred me to go to the humidor and grab the lightest, smoothest cigar I had. I pulled out a Diamond Crown, Connecticuit wrapper. Hardly a cheap cigar. Yet I thought of what I had, it was the best match.

The Glenkinchie is light, grassy and soft, slightly rubbery on the palate. It has a noteable finish, staying on top of the tongue with some pep that is not annoying or heavy. There is no bitterness in it at all. I find a bit of saltiness on the finish after drinking it for awhile.

As far as being paired with the Diamond Crown, I wasn’t as pleased as I thought I would be. The DC did its job, smoked wonderfully and is one of my favorite cigars. It was not an adversarial meeting of the two, but there was no magic. The next day I tasted the Glenkinchie and did not have a cigar. I found this better. I think this makes a good sippin whisky. I would enjoy this whisky with some good dry cheese or fruit. Its a good dram. I might also recommend this with seafood, boiled shrimp especially.

Cheers!

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Cortez Natural Maduro

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This is an amazing boutique cigar that I picked up recently. This cigar smokes like a premium cigar but at everyday prices. There is not a lot of information on these cigars yet in way of reviews buy I must say it is about as pleasing as you can hope for. It is a well mannered medium to full cigar that delivers complex flavors from the first light. I smoked this with a Dalwhinnie 15 and they did not interfere with each other. This smoke is well made. The presentation is perfect. You can find them online at http://www.cortezcigars.com

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Dalwhinnie Single Highland Malt 15yr. notes

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I received a three pack recently from Loch Fyne of the UK. It contains Glenkinchie 12, Dalwhinnie 15, and Oban 14. They are three scotch whisky’s that represent the “lighter” side of scotch.

The Single Malt Whisky Flavour Map, put together by Diageo and David Bloom places the Dalwhinnie 15 at dead even between the smoky and delicate sides and solidly in the Light category (as opposed to Rich).

When I first nosed it I noticed some highland characteristics, Macallan like which lies on the far end of the Rich category but on par basically with being between Smoky and Delicate. After tasting it I understood.

This is a really good whisky and is quite light on the palate. But it is not light on flavor by any means. To me it is quite floral and exhibits great fruit like ability. Its described as a good aperitif in MJ’s single malt scotch guide. The whisky is self-titled as The Gentle Spirit, I agree.

I was tasting this while outside just enjoying a post lunch smoke and it actually complemented, to an extent, the medium flavored cigar. The cigar is a Cortez, a boutique type cigar with headquarters in New Jersey (of all places!).

If you are trying to find a place to start drinking scotch, you would do yourself good to start with this excellent spirit.

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Dalmore Gran Reserva – A Cigar smoker’s essential scotch whisky

The Cigar Malt

I’m almost at a loss here because I could talk in wild rambling circles about my experience of meeting Richard Paterson in Las Vegas at the Nth event recently and sharing a cigar with him and the new upcoming re-release of The Cigar Malt by Dalmore. There are some things that defy words, or maybe the right vocabulary just escapes me, whichever, this is simply a whisky you must own if you smoke cigars and consider yourself a scotch drinker.

So there was once, The Cigar Malt, then, because of a mis-perception of what the scotch was all about (people actually believed they put tobacco in the scotch) they renamed it, The Gran Reserva. Well, then cigar smokers who enjoyed it said, WHAT they HEY! Where did it go, well, nowhere actually. So, I do not have the final marketing notes yet but rest assured that The Cigar Malt will find its way back onto this wonderful whisky. In the meantime, The Gran Reserva isThe Cigar Malt. Make sense? Well just go buy it. Damn.

In Michael Jackson’s Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch it is described as a “complement rather than a contrast” to a cigar. If you are not sure what that means, fire up a cigar and pull out an Ardbeg Corryveckran and you may get it. Please, only choose this combination if you know what you are doing. You might want to have a side of bacon ready. If you are an Ardbeg fan, you know what I mean!

The Gran Reserva whisky is comprised of a blend of single malt highland whisky’s between 10 and 20 years old. It, to me, is as balanced as a complex whisky can get. And surprisingly this is not an $80 USD whisky but drinks much better to me than some that command that price. I tend to favor a medium to full cigar that delivers good flavor. I tend to always like a puro Nicaraguan cigar but am surprised by some blends with the Nicaraguans also. This whisky may drown out a light cigar like a Montecristo #2 or Macanudo but certainly would be a better experience than a Glenlevit or Johnny Walker (pick a color).

Here are some of the notes from Michael Jackson’s Guide on the whisky:

Palate – Rich, rounded. A hint of rum butter, then dryish and firm. Hard caramel toffee. Hint of burned sugar. Faint smoke. Never cloying. Finish – Light, smoky, wood bark, ground almonds, dryness.”

I put that in there for those who actually like tasting notes, I’d describe it as frickin perfect!

As Richard would say, Slainte Mhath!

A must have for any cigar smoker
The Cigar Malt[/caption

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La Reloba Sumatra – My Fathers Cigar

For those who aren’t familiar with the Don Pepin branding, No, my father did not smoke this cigar. In fact, he was a non-filter Camel smoking man for 60 years. He did not die of cancer. Go figure.

Anyhow! This is a cigar that has been in my humidor since the last great smoke out in NY held by Cigar Aficionado. It was one of the many given out to those who attended and tonight was its lucky night. I should say that tonight was MY lucky night.

I had previously smoked a Gurkha regent while cooking tonight and after smoking a few of those have become familiar with them and do enjoy them. I’m not so sure if I will reorder but would not hesitate if I found a deal. The La Reloba, however, has just hit my MUST GO BUY list. Since I didn’t actually pay for this cigar I was unsure if it was a $7 to $8 cigar. To my surprise this beauty is made for the $5 to $6 dollar range (depending on your local taxes of course!).

To me this is everything a staple, mild/medium cigar should be. Smooth draw, great burn and good flavor. I even loved the way the ash burnt perfectly throughout and when the ash dropped off it showed off by sticking the landing straight up (see the picture). There is also a version of this with a habano wrapper.

This has the potential to be the favorite t-shirt kind of cigar. No need to fret, just pull it out and smoke it, regardless of the occasion. I’ve had a few cigars the past day or so that peppered my tongue relentlessly and this was a great departure from that.

I enjoyed it was a glass of The Dalmore’s Gran Reserva, which was made by Richard Paterson as a complement to cigar smokers, and I am beginning to believe I am not going to find a cigar that does not go well with this dram.

Well enjoy, buy yourself some La Reloba Sumatra’s, some Dalmore Gran Reserva and have yourself a wonderful time.

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The Glenrothes 33yr 1972 distillation (Signatory) Cask Strength

The Glenrothes 33yr 1972 distillation (Signatory) Cask Strength, Cask #12368 549 bottles made. 56.6% ABV

This is one of the Master of Malt sample size orders from the UK.

The nose reveals light fruits, beautiful complexity, very smooth, very mature. It makes me want to taste it. Very complex nose.

The taste reveals a nice little kick, some heat. Very rounded. Very complex. Heat subsides and then the sides of the tongue pick up slight flavor. More nutty than anything. Does not taste as old as it is. Slight bitter.

2nd tasting …. same taste, top of tongue nothing, walnuts finish, some wood. No sweetness. Slightly salty.

After water is added…… still complex nose. Candies come out with water… just slightly. Carmel, walnuts again. An excellent and unusual dram.

I turned to some outside blog notes from http://www.whiskynotes.be for some outside opinion on this one.

I was glad to see they also found an unusual aspects to this whisky, I was doubting my own palate but found their reviewing experience similar yet they had more exacting notes. The one thing that they brought up was beeswax. I’ve chewed beeswax as a kid since my dad had a hobby honey bee hive that complemented our suburban garden, and concurred with the taste.

This isn’t a whisky I would go purchase but appreciate it because it shows me a very different expression than that I’m use to from The Glenrothes.

14 January 2013

I’m tasting this again after some time. The only thing different about tonight is that I let it breathe for about an hour, due to an unexpected event, and revisited it. I still concur with my earlier notes and actually find this to be more pleasing this time. Not sure if it was due to the breathing or just having a more mature palate. You can still find this on some websites for around $400 USD. If you are a big Glenrothes fan it could be that special bottle you’ve been waiting for!

Cheers!

 

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Macallan 22 yr (1988) Cask Strength Signatory collection tasting

I’ve just had a very awesome tasting! Unfortunately, this expression seems to be sold out, everywhere. I got the sample from Masters of Malt of Scotland but they appear to be out of the full bottle. But I must say a few words on this Macallan. The last Macallan I tasted that left a grand impression on me was the Masters of Photography sample given to me by Jay Liddell at the Nth event. Also at that event the 21 year fine oak was in a chocolates and whisky class and I remember the 21 being a massive hit with everyone.

This 22yr is no slouch! I had just tasted a 33yr Glenrothes, which I will write on later, and while it was complex and a bit hot, this Macallan came in like the 21yr, a smooth operator.

The 22yr nosing was very elegant. Not so much complex. Some fresh oak? Maybe some grass. Very nice.
Taste wise, mmmm, mmmm, mmm, ummmhmmm, (I’m listening to my recorded notes) oh, ho, ho, that’s good, oh my goodness. Like a nice pat of butter with a slight bit of pepper, a dusting, just perfect! Rounded, elegant, literally as on the tip of my tongue, a very toffee expression.

One reviewer called this oily and a dry finish. I will go with that. Not very heavy to me, but somewhat oily. I did notice a dry finish on the top of the tongue.

Nevermind the details! If you have this expression, count yourself lucky. If you get the opportunity to taste it or buy it, go for it!

Cheers!

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