House of Hazelwood - Whisky from the Gordon Family private collection [Tasted #639 - 642]

As I think I've mentioned a few times on this blog, Glenfiddich is the whisky that got me into whisky (an abnormally large percentage of my posts from 2012 were about the distillery), and a whisky for which I've always had a soft spot. Over time that extended to sister distilleries Balvenie & Kininvie, so it's fair to say I'm a fan of what parent (and still family-owned) company William Grant & Sons produce. 

It shouldn't be a surprise then that when I was asked if I wanted to try some well-aged releases from House of Hazelwood, the latest venture from the Gordon Family (owners of WG&S), a very emphatic yes quickly followed.

Depending on when you began your whisky journey, "Hazelwood" could mean a few different things - a limited series of releases dating back to 2001 (with the first released only to WG&S employees, and the second being the first official bottling of Kininvie single malt), or a 2016 series of blended releases found largely in duty free, bottled in 500mL format as an 18, 21 and 25 year old.

It's the Hazelwood brand's most recent incarnation we're here to discuss though, and arguably its most exciting. To learn more, I sat down with Director Jonathan Gibson for a virtual tasting recently.

Jonathan explained that Charles Gordon (great-grandson of William Grant, father of the current WG&S Chairman & influential character in the company's history) began collecting casks not for commercial release, but for the family's personal stocks decades ago, and built the collection to the point that it simply became "too large". No doubt buoyed by whisky's immense rising popularity, the family decided it was time to bottle and sell these, and hence the House of Hazelwood collection was born, with a plan to release 8 new whiskies every 6-9 months.

 

(A point I found interesting is that the casks that go into the House of Hazelwood collection don't contain old Glenfiddich, Balvenie or Kininvie. The distilleries are diverse and varied, and the majority of the whiskies are blended, blended malt or blended grain whiskies.)

 

I asked Jonathan (who himself came from Compass Box) about the cask management - he explained some are actively managed, and others are left alone. Some are blended at birth (like the aptly titled "Blended at Birth"!) and others blended later in life.

The company (under the WG&S umbrella, but run as a separate company to the distilleries) launched in June 2022, and has recently officially launched in Australia, largely following a model of selling direct to consumers. With some luck Hong Kong distribution won't be too far behind.

Having covered the background, it was time to dive into a tasting of the 4 releases House of Hazelwood had kindly sent me:

• 33 Year Old "The Tops" Blended Malt Whisky (details)
• 44 Year Old "The Unknown" Blended Scotch Whisky
• 1965 56 Year Old "Blended at Birth" Blended Scotch Whisky (details); and
• 37 Year Old "A Breath of Fresh Air" Blended Grain Scotch Whisky

House of Hazelwood 1965 "Blended at Birth" Blended Scotch Whisky (47% ABV, Blended Scotch, 56yo, 1 of 192 bottles, Scotland, £4,500)

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A blend containing Girvan grain whisky, blended into the cask at birth and bottled a whopping 56 years later.

Colour: Deep amber

Nose: Dunnage warehouse, menthol, orange and almond.

Palate: Quite nutty initially - almonds, almondmeal and almond cake. Orange and grapefruit notes show up soon after, followed by herbal jelly. With some time in the glass, a brandy fruitiness emerges.

Finish: Long and lingering, with a slight fruit spice towards teh end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). A very solid start, and a whisky that evokes those "old whisky" notes (as opposed to "old bottle") the way very few can.

House of Hazelwood "The Tops" Blended Malt Whisky (51.6% ABV, 33yo, 1 of 523 bottles, Blended Malt, Scotland, £1,450)

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Containing a blend of Speyside malts, matured in ex-Sherry casks.

Colour: Dark copper-brown.

Nose: Cherry, berry fruits at first. Rich, but beautifully clean sherry notes follow with juicy oak and some coffee grounds.

Palate: Spiced oak, caramel, hunidor, followed by more cherry, some sherry-soaked raisins, and rum & raisin ice cream.

Finish: Lasts incredibly long, with a fruity, rum & raisin finish with a hint of residual oak.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). Exactly what you want in a sherried Speyside - clean but noticeable sherry, with the oak in-check.

House of Hazelwood "The Unknown" Blended Scotch Whisky (43.3% ABV, 44yo, 1 of 143 bottles, Blended Scotch, Scotland, £3,000)

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Distilled in 1978 and blended in 1989, "The Unknown" underwent an extensive secondary maturation for a further 33 years in a single refill butt

Colour: Bright yellow-gold.

Nose: Fresh vanilla pods in a fruit salad - pear, peach, apple predominantly.

Palate: More vanilla - creamy, with the same fruit salad notes from the nose, adding in nectarine and some citrus. There's a light, delicate mouthfeel and an underlying sweetness you find with some old grain whiskies.

Finish: Medium to long in length, with vanilla-laced smooth oak notes.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100 (Martin).

House of Hazelwood "A Breath of Fresh Air" Blended Grain Whisky (46.4% ABV, 37yo, 1 of 417 bottles, Blended Grain, Scotland, £3,000)

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Colour: Morning sunrise golden

Nose: Strawberries, Butter Menthol lollies, creamed honey and an underlying butteriness.

Palate: Light, with the buttery notes continuing alongside some rum-like esthers, heather & honey.

Finish: Medium in length, with a sweet buttery shortbread note that gains some dryness towards the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100 (Martin). A delightful example of the unique characteristics old Grain whisky can produce.

House of Hazelwood whiskies are available now in UK and Australia, purchased directly from the official website, with further distribution to follow. The collection is expected to grow every 6-9 months (with another 8 bottles added), and we can't wait to see how the future releases shape up.

Cheers,

Martin.

Thanks to House of Hazelwood for the samples, and to Jonathan for his time.

Tasted #400: Balvenie Fifty (50) Year Old (Cask #4570)

In keeping with the theme of reserving the hundredth tasting posts for rare and/or old whiskies (#200 was a 60yo Glenfarclas, #300 was a 65yo Macallan), "Tasted" post #400 is a 50yo OB Balvenie, bottled by the distillery in 2014.

Unfortunately I didn't win the lotto, so I didn't go and drop $47,000AUD on a bottle. This (very, very generous) sample bottle came courtesy of a (very, very generous) benefactor. Often when I have a rare, old or expensive whisky (sample or bottle), I'll try to save it for a special occasion. With this one though, that occasion was "I have a Balvenie 50!" and it was tasted that first night. It was a Monday.

One of two 50 year old Balvenies released in 2014, this was the less sherried of the two, and was distilled on 28th May 1963, with only 128 bottles produced.


Balvenie Fifty Year Old Cask #4570 (45.9% ABV, 50yo, Speyside, Scotland, Cask #4570, $47,000AUD)

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Colour: Dirty dark copper-gold (awesome).

Nose: A slightly OBE-like mustiness at first, quickly developing into rich citrus (tangerines primarily), with deep earthy oak and some sweeter perfumed notes. Cranberries, molasses, spiced honey, cinnamon all show too. After some time, there's some milk chocolate and peanut butter cups.

Palate: Slightly earthy / asparagus notes at first. Then spiced honey, vanilla, sweet oak. Some whole ripe oranges and spicy cloves, then a toffee sweetness with some creamed honey.

Finish: Medium to long in length. Sherry-soaked pears, more cloves, lots of cinnamon, and some oaky tannins at the very end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. Not a sherry bomb, nor an oak bomb. Yes there's noticeable oak there (the whisky did spend 50 years in the stuff..) but its not overpowering, and on the whole all the notes are incredibly balanced. A beautifully made whisky that has stood the test of time.

Thanks again to the incredibly generous whisky legend who sent me this sample all the way from the UK.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #301: William Grant & Sons "Rare Cask Reserves" Araid 21yo...and your chance to win a bottle!

Everyone knows Glenfiddich, the world's best-selling single malt (or second best when The Glenlivet takes over - it's always close), and many know The Balvenie, Grants, Monkey Shoulder and Tullamore D.E.W. Plenty of you would know Kininvie and Girvan too.

...but did you know William Grant & Sons (responsible for the aforementioned whiskies, bar Glenlivet) also produce a series of blends which they typically release in travel retail (aka Duty Free) markets only? 

This is one example (a 26yo blend from closed distilleries), and this bottle we've tasted here is another - a 21yo blended Scotch, bottled on 19/4/2015 and limited to 3,400 bottles. Whilst the distilleries (grain and malt) aren't mentioned, we can probably assume there may be some Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and/or Kininvie in there, and most likely some Girvan grain whisky too. There wouldn't be any Ailsa Bay as the distillery doesn't currently have any 21yo whisky yet.

We've recently collaborated with DFS Hong Kong, who are giving away one bottle of this whisky in Hong Kong via our Instagram page. You can find the link to the competition here (entry is open to HK residents aged 18 years or older only), but we wouldn't be involved in promoting a competition for a whisky we didn't like...so what did we think? Read on...

William Grant & Sons "Rare Cask Reserves" Araid 21yo blended Scotch whisky (43% ABV, 21yo, bottle #973 of 3,400, blend, Scotland, $1,290HKD)

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Colour: Honey with a (very) slight pinkish hue.

Nose: The sherry influence hits you straight away - very pronounced. Flint / matchheads initially, then damp earth, cola bottles and whole oranges.

Palate: The sherry influence continues - earthy with a slight hint of sulphur, but also strawberries and hints of port. There's oak (but not too much), cherries, and even some grapefruit zest. Overall it's incredibly smooth (we wouldn't mind a little more ABV, but it doesn't feel "thin" at all). Caramel creaminess rounds out the palate.

Finish: Short to medium (longer would be better), with a slight earthy smoke that stays to the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A very enjoyable blend, and one that sherry heads will enjoy, but not exclusively - there's something here for everyone.

Entry in the competition (run by DFS) must be via the @TimeforWhisky Instagram, and will be open until 19th June.

Cheers,

Martin.

Kininvie 23 year old Australian Launch party (Tasted #221 - 224) (#101drams)

We have a soft spot for William Grant & Sons here at TimeforWhisky - not only for the great range of whiskies they put out, nor because of the fantastic events they run, but because of the truly awesome people who make up the brand. So it goes without saying that when an invite arrived for the launch of the 23 year old in Sydney, at a time I was actually going to be in Sydney, I was going to be there without hesitation. The fact that it would be the first whisky event that both Hendy and I would cover jointly just made it even better.

Kininvie has been a distillery of personal interest to me for years. Back in 2009 when I was starting my whisky adventures, dad and I toured Glenfiddich, and learnt about Kininvie, which began distilling in 1990 and, at the time of our tour, was only available as a single malt to a select few (distillery workers, or those who paid a pretty penny for a bottle on the secondhand market). When I started my #101drams charitable challenge, a Kininvie had to feature.

Fast forward a few years to 2013, and Kininvie was released as a commercial (albeit still reclusive) single malt. Available as a 17 year old in the travel retail market, and a 23yo (in very limited quantities) in Taiwan, word quietly spread that Glenfiddich and Balvenie had a sibling, which neatly nestled in between the two both physically and in terms of flavour profile.

(I have to be honest here - despite being on my #101drams list, I actually tried Kininvie 23 year old Batch 001 exactly 12 months ago, thanks to the very generous folks at Whisky+Alement in Melbourne, but hadn't yet added the tasting notes to the blog. I've included them at the bottom of this post, along with the Batch #003, which is the release recently launched in Australia.)

The theme of "reclusiveness" was to feature heavily throughout the night, starting with the choice of venue - Magazin. The brainchild of the team behind Grasshopper (Sydney's first Small Bar), the underground private members' bar, located on Darlinghurst's William St, is known (or rather not known) as one of Sydney's most reclusive and exclusive bars. Just don't call it a speakeasy (truly, think classy, futuristic underground cocktail den with a smart layout and quality, modern finishings).

Upon entering the bar, we were handed a delicious Old Fashioned (made with Monkey Shoulder and chocolate bitters), and were warmly greeted by Laura and Mark of William Grant & Sons, who were hosting the night. A brief glance at the menu revealed a few goodies in store - including two single cask Kininvies.

After greetings and our fantastically-chocolatey cocktails, it was time for Laura to introduce the crowd to Kininvie, which William Grant & Sons designed to give grassy and floral notes, to provide a malt whose profile nestled neatly between the fruitier Glenfiddich, and the richer, more honied Balvenie. Laura also explained that Kinivie (whose stillhouse is also physically nestled in between Glenfiddich and Balvenie) means "end of the field", and was a personal favourite of Janet Sheed Roberts, granddaughter of William Grant, and who lived to the ripe old age of 110.

The Kininvie stillhouse - taken during Steph's and my visit to Balvenie in July this year.

Before long, drams were handed out (along with matched canapés) and it was time to start tasting...

Kininvie 1999 single cask American Oak (55.7% ABV, 15 to 16yo, Speyside, Scotland, not commercially available)
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Nose: Light and floral, with a slight earthiness.
Palate: Citrusy-zing initially, with some contrasting meaty BBQ notes. Sweet. A drop of water toned down the sweetness and amped up the earthy notes.
Finish: Long, meaty and earthy
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. It's pretty special to be able to try a Kininvie, let alone a single cask Kininvie. Off to a good start!


Kininvie 1990 single cask European Oak ex-sherry cask (59% ABV, 24 to 25yo, Speyside, Scotland, not commercially available)
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Nose: A lovely sherry bomb. Rich red berries and Christmas cake, with some hints of furniture polish and the same earthiness from the 1999.
Palate: Citrusy still, but more oranges and tangerines this time. Still very earthy. Cherries and some cocoa. Coffee and more Christmas cake.
Finish: Medium to long with Brazil nuts and cocoa.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. Interestingly, this reminded me a LOT of a very heavily sherried cask-strength 11yo Yamazaki single cask I tried recently.

After a short break and a dram of the 17yo Kininvie, it was time to try the whisky we were all at Magazin to celebrate - the Kininvie 23 year old Batch #003.

Kininvie 23 Batch #003 1991 (42.6% ABV, 23yo, Speyside, Scotland, $210AUD / £120)
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Nose: Sweet toffee apples and some vanilla. This has definitely had a fair bit of American Oak maturation.
Palate: Smooth. Sweet toffee apples dipped in rich caramel. A hint of oak.
Finish: Short to medium, with notes of toffee apples to the end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A lovely dessert whisky.

So how did the Batch #001, tasted 12 months ago to the day, compare?

Kininvie 23 Batch #001 1990 (42.6% ABV, 23yo, Cask #4107, Speyside, Scotland, no longer available) - tasted in October 2014.
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Colour: Orange gold
Nose: Slightly more Glenfiddich than Balvenie, with citrus, pears, orange peels, boiled lollies, and after time, stronger apples and pears.
Palate: Orange marmalade on burnt toast. Spicy (paprika). Nutty.
Finish: Long, drying and tannic. Spice, pepper and tabasco.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100.

With the tasting officially over, it was time to catch up with the many Sydney whisky folk I used to see regularly, but now hadn't seen in over a year. A really great night spent enjoying a rare and little-known whisky in the perfect setting.

Kininvie 23 Batch #003 is available in Australia at specialist bottle shops, priced at $210AUD (350mL bottle). If you miss out on getting a bottle in Australia, we notice Master of Malt still have both Batch #002 and #003 releases available (the latter by the dram too), as well as the older Hazelwood 105.

Cheers,

Martin (words) & Hendy (photos).

Tasted #203: Glenfiddich "The Original 1963"

When I asked Richard Blanchard; one half of the William Grant & Sons Whisky Specialist duo (the other being the elegant Laura Hay), what inspired the recently launched Glenfiddich "The Original 1963," he suggested three things:

1. Perhaps something different;
2. Originality, especially in this day and age where there are a significant number of single malt expressions; and
3. Mad Men.

The last suggestion certainly resonated and timed well, with the final season of Mad Men having been aired in May this year. In fact, "The Original 1963" is an expression that had been intended to reflect the original Glenfiddich single malt expression (known as 'straight malt' in the 1960s) and it was fairly new and most likely unheard of in the earlier 'Mad Men' / Don Draper days. During the 'Mad Men' era, between the 1960s and 1970s, blended whiskies were far more popular than their single malt whiskiy counterparts. Thus when Sandy Grant Gordon, the great grandson of William Grant first promoted Glenfiddich (or perhaps the entire single malt category) in 1963 outside Scotland, he had most likely set a catalyst for the single malt whisky category as a whole.

The reincarnation of Glenfiddich's straight malt, labelled as 'The Original 1963' was the handiwork of Glenfiddich Head Distiller, Brian Kinsman. The reincarnation involved the sampling of the original straight malt from 1963 and the following of the original archived recipe.

Glenfiddich The Original (40% ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, $94.99AUD)

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A clean, youthful Glenfiddich that takes its profile from the use of both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon barrels. The flavour profile is true to Glenfiddich though slightly more delicate. If this is anything like the straight malt introduced by Sandy in 1963, then I would have returned the Canadian Club blended whisky back to the cupboard and spend the rest of the night with this lovely dram.

Colour: Gold

Nose: What is Glenfiddich without the Glenfiddich pear? Then there are notes of baked apples, vanilla and fresh spring flowers. There is also some biscuit note in there.

Palate: The nose translates well to the palate. Though the palate is young yet buttery (especially when compared to the core Glenfiddich expressions - 12, 15, 18). The pear is there, honeyed pear perhaps, complemented with an overlay of vanilla and popcorn? Youthful yet refreshing.

Finish: The finish is slowly drying with gentle lingering spices.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100.

Martin's take: 
I also had the pleasure of sampling this dram at L'Arrière-Cour (aka Backyard), a bar in Taipei recently, where I also picked up a bottle, because 1) I'm a Glenfiddich tragic and 2) Single Malt whisky in Taiwan is cheap! My thoughts as follows:

Colour: Golden sunset

Nose: Definitely some classic 'fiddich notes, but a lot more sherry than you expect on a regular 'fiddich expression. Lots of raisins too, but with an overarching freshness.

Palate: Creamy, smooth and silky. Very drinkable. Cereal, oats, sweet vanilla icecream along with honey. A little bit of breakfast (honey-covered oats) with dessert (sweet vanilla icecream) all in one.

Finish: Short to medium, sweet and spicey, with some milk chocolate at the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100.


Cheers,
Hendy (and Martin).

The Balvenie Masterclass with David Stewart (Tasted #187 - #191)

It's no secret that we're all huge fans of The Balvenie here at TimeforWhisky - Steph, Hendy and myself. For me personally, Glenfiddich may have been the malt that got me into whisky in the first place, but The Balvenie has since taken the mantle as my favourite whisky in the William Grant and Sons stable.

It was therefore with much excitement that I went along to Tiffany's New York Bar at the Intercontinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong last Friday, to meet The Balvenie Malt Master (and industry legend) David Stewart. We've mentioned David a few times in this blog before (when we met Sam Simmons, and when we were fortunate enough to try a 1973 40yo The Balvenie pulled from the warehouse just weeks earlier), but this was the first time we'd met him. David had been in Shanghai to launch the new range of single barrel releases (12, 15 and 25) and luckily for us, made a brief stopover in Hong Kong for a few events.

This event was attended by a mix of media and industry, and was a full house, with every seat at every table taken with people keen to hear David talk about the whisky he's worked with (most of the time, creating) for an incredible 53 years.

Starting off with a dram of The Balvenie 12yo DoubleWood, guests chatted and explored the exhibits placed around the bar, showcasing the various elements that make up The Balvenie (copper from the stills, wooden staves from the oak barrels, malted barley, even some peat etc...) while enjoying substantial canapés from Tiffany's New York Bar kitchen.

After half an hour, it was time to take our seats and soak up some of David's wisdom. David started by talking us through some of the background of The Balvenie (being one of only 6 Scottish distilleries that still performs its own in-house malting, using Barley grown from their own fields around the distillery, as well as barley brought in from elsewhere) and his background within it - from starting off as a teenager, through to being William Grant and Sons' master belnder, through to his current (part-time) position as The Balvenie Malt Master.

David also explained the significant variety The Balvenie has in their "core" lineup - wine finishes (21yo Portwood), rum finishes (14yo Caribbean Cask), DoubleWoods (12, 17), single cask (15) etc.. something for everyone.

After the introduction, it was time to start tasting. We've tasted all of this lineup before (here, here and here) but it's always a special experience to taste a range with the Malt Master who created it (and hey, re-visiting a line-up like The Balvenie's core range is never a chore)! First up, the 12yo...

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 (40% ABV, 12yo, Speyside, Scotland, $488HKD / $87.99AUD)
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Aged in American oak ex-Bourbon casks and finished in first fill sherry casks for between 6 and 9 months.
Colour: Light, golden honey
Nose: Big honey, and some vanilla. Trademark ex-Bourbon cask aged whisky really. Has a slight hint of a fuller, richer nuttiness too.
Palate: Initially light, but growing in intensity. Some citrus, lots of vanilla and plenty of honey, but not just average honey - richer, creamier, honey. Manuka honey almost.
Finish: Medium length, sweet and with some spice at the very end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A dram you'd happily sip every day.




The Balvenie Carribean Cask 14 (43% ABV, 14yo, Speyside, Scotland, $980HKD / $115.99AUD)
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Interestingly, The Balvenie have introduced a number of rum-finished 14yo releases in the past - Golden Cask, Cuban Cask and this Carribean Cask. David explained that they mainly differ in the rum used, and that the casks for the Carribean cask are filled with rum for 6 months at The Balvenie, before being used for finishing.
Colour: Orange gold - darker than the 12.
Nose: Rounder, fuller and more sugary than the 12. Plenty of toffee, but no spice and hardly any of the honey that was so evident on the 12.
Palate: Fuller, richer than the 12. A lot of Demerara sugar and some brief citrus notes. Still some honey, but it's in the background, not the foreground like with the 12.
Finish: Medium to long length. Toffee-like sweetness.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. Very different to the 12 but equally enjoyable.




The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 (43% ABV, 17yo, Speyside, Scotland, $1,468HKD / $163.99AUD)
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Made using a similar method to the 12 - ex-American Oak aged whisky finished in first fill sherry for 6-9 months.
Colour: Golden - somewhere between the 12 and the 14.
Nose: The honey is there, but it doesn't hit you in the face like the 12 does (not that it's a bad thing in the 12!). It's sweet, but there are also some vegetal notes.
Palate: Smooth, oaky and lots more caramel and toffee than honey or vanilla. A hint of BBQ meat (?) - a nice complex palate which still retains trademark The Balvenie characteristics.
Finish: Longer, oakier, and extremely moorish.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. Fantastic.

The Balvenie 21 Portwood (40% ABV, 21yo, Speyside, Scotland, $1,968HKD / $229.99AUD)
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Finished (for only ~4 months) in 40yo 600L port casks. One of David's favourites.
Colour: Noticeably red-amber.
Nose: Rich, with lots of sultanas and toffee.
Palate: Big and bold (I'd love to try the 47.6% duty-free version!). Lots of Christmas cake, sultanas, and some mulled wine, but with a backbone of vanilla all the way through.
Finish: Sweet, honied, but with cake icing at the very end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. Please, could I have another?


Finally, it was time for the pinnacle dram of the night - The Balvenie Thirty. No fancy finishing with this one, just good old fashioned aging of a quality spirit in high quality wood (bottled non-chill filtered).

The Balvenie Thirty 30yo (47.3% ABV, 30yo, Speyside, Scotland, $6,480HKD / $899.99AUD)

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Non-chill filtered (anything below 46% from The Balvenie is chill-filtered) and laid down to rest in the 80s.

Colour: Rich amber.

Nose: Furniture polish and leather. Honey. 75% cacao chocolate. Whole oranges, mandarins, even some almonds. So much going on. So complex. So wonderful.

Palate: Big mouthfeel, oily, lots of citrus and honey, with a constant undertone of oak (though not overpowering), brazil nuts and hints of leather.

Finish: Long, subtle honey and vanilla - almost back to the key notes from this same whisky in its youth! Much smoother though, and much longer. Slight hints of bitter dark chocolate at the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. Marvelous, the sort of dram you'd enjoy every day if you could afford it! Complex and robust, but also very approachable.

After an interview with David (which will be up on the blog soon), it was time to head home, content in the knowledge that I'd just thoroughly enjoyed 5 of my favourite drams with the man who's been making them for longer than I've been alive. A fantastic evening.

Time for Whisky would like to thank Telford for the invitation and for putting on such a wonderful event.



Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #167: Glenfiddich Age of Discovery "Dawin Edition" Red Wine cask 19yo

Considering this whisky is the first in my #101drams list, and I actually purchased this bottle around two years ago (and took these notes about 9 months ago), it's taken me way too long to get this post up (2 years and 2 months after tasting the Age of Discovery Bourbon Cask, in fact).

Oh well, better late than never...


Glenfiddich Age of Discovery "Dawin Edition" Red Wine cask (40% ABV, 19yo, Speyside, Scotland, $158AUD)

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Colour: Dark gold
Nose: Instantly recognisable as a 'fiddich. Pears (stewed this time), but slightly dusty and more earthy than other 'fiddichs. Sweet too - would have guessed there'd be some bourbon-matured stock in it if I'd nosed it blind.

Palate: Big, sweet, citrus zest. Fills the mouth well for 40% ABV. Quickly changes to a drying, berry flavour, with mouth-puckering tannins

Finish: Dry! Relatively short. Tannic but smooth to the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. I really enjoyed this. It starts off like a regular Glenfiddich, then takes a massive detour, while remaining just as enjoyable.

Cheers,

Martin.

The Balvenie Craft Bar Sydney & The Balvenie TUN 1509 (Tasted #143)

The Balvenie Craft Bar is back once again, this time in Sydney to celebrate fine Australian craftsmanship along with the well handcrafted single malt Scotch whisky we all love, The Balvenie.

Hosted in the spacious and elegant Zenith Interiors in the heart of Surry Hills, the exclusive Balvenie Craft Bar is only open for a limited time (literally - between today and Thursday 20 November 2014, between 4pm and 6pm) and will showcase workmanship from a host of craftspeople including Keith Marshall, bike maker of Kumo Cycles, Allan Tomkins, guitar maker and many others.

 

What's more, The Balvenie range is also being showcased along with all the fine products on point -- transforming the space into a Museum of Craft of sort. Tonight, we were graced with:

• The Balvenie 12 YO DoubleWood;
• The Balvenie 14 YO Caribbean Cask;
• The Balvenie 17 YO DoubleWood; and
• The Balvenie TUN 1509 (taking over from its older brethren, the TUN 1401 series)

The Balvenie TUN 1509 was a nice little surprise, having seen the clever packaging with its use of infographic (to visualise the level of spiciness, oakiness, delicacy and sweetness) a few months back -- tonight, we got to taste the first batch of the 1509.

Balvenie Tun 1509 (47.1% ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, $420AUD)
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Colour: Gold
Nose: Plenty of bourbon in this batch with the unmissable oakiness, vanilla, salted caramel. Rich
Palate: Warm, silky and rich, raisins, butterscotch and loads of spices
Finish: Long, hint of toffee, old oak, slightly leathery
Rating (on Hendy's very non-scientific scale): 91/100. My first Tun and quite an exciting one this was.

The TUN 1509 outrun is fairly limited with just 200 bottles globally and around 60 bottles allocated to Australia (notwithstanding the three bottles emptied tonight). Nevertheless, if you do get your hands on one, this is a particularly exciting release -- given a mix of around 6:1 ex bourbon / sherry casks selected by David Stewart (35 ex bourbon to 7 ex-sherry) with the output giving out plenty of surprises.

For tickets to this exclusive Balvenie Craft Bar event, please visit the Balvenie Facebook page or visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-balvenie-craft-museum-tickets-13251267899?aff=es2&rank=1 to register.

- Hendy.

Glenfiddich Tasting with Ian Millar in Hong Kong (Tasted #131 - 136)

Spend a bit of time reading this blog, and you'll realise I'm a bit of a Glenfiddich fan. Whilst I don't still have the collection I once did (it's tucked safely away in storage back in Sydney), I still enjoy a Glenfiddich every now and then, and it'll always hold a special place as the dram that got me into whisky in the first place.

So it goes without saying, that when Steph and I were offered two spots at a private Glenfiddich tasting to be held the following week, led by none other than Ian Millar (Glenfiddich's global brand ambassador), I was more than a little excited.

Turns out, Ian was in Hong Kong for a very brief visit to judge the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition, and had just enough time to host a few tastings, including this one - held for Oxford and Cambridge University Alumni. Now Oxford nor Cambridge Alumni I am not, but after telling a friend of a friend about this blog over a friend's birthday lunch, she mentioned the upcoming tasting and said there may be a free place, and would I be interested? 

So on a Tuesday Steph and I made our way to LKL Private Club in Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong (a club that seems to be so private, it doesn't exist on "Facebook Places") where we were greeted with a glass of English sparkling wine (which was surprisingly good), before a brief discussion with Ian. After not too long, and with the club at full capacity, it was time to begin the tasting.

Given the audience were not all whisky aficionados or industry types, I wasn't expecting anything other than the standard 12-15-18yo lineup (which would have been fine with me - I was just happy to meet and experience a tasting led by Ian). My interest was piqued though, when (in addition to the 21 and 30yo), I spotted this bottle with scant detail but a tell-tale label:

..but more on that later.  Ian took the stage and talked us through a little of his lengthy career in the whisky industry, which included time at Blair Athol, Mortlach, Dalwhinnie, The Balvenie and Glenfiddich to name just a few. Before getting into the tasting, Ian explained that one problem with tasting whisky in the tropics is not so much the heat, but the air-conditioning! True enough, when we picked up the Glencairns, they were icy, and the whisky inside wasn't exactly what you'd call "room temperature" either, so a little rubbing and cupping of the glass was in order before each tasting (just the glass this time, no rubbing of the whisky itself).

Ian also left us a few pearls of wisdom about the distillation and production of Glenfiddich, including some humorous ("New Make - it's great after the first pint") and some interesting (the 18 can contain malts as old as 28yo, with up to 38yo whisky going into the 30). Ian also told us about the oldest whisky he ever tried (a 1923 Balvenie, which was "atrocious") and mentioned an upcoming Glenfiddich release in the next 18 months that's so good, there's "no other way of putting it - you will shit in your pants".

Can't wait. But for now, it was time to work our way through the whiskies in front of us, starting as so many Speyside tastings do, with the 12yo.

Glenfiddich 12yo (40% ABV, 12yo, Speyside, Scotland, $368HKD)
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A mixture of 85% American Oak and 15% European oak matured whiskies.
Colour: Golden sunset
Nose: Pears and vanilla ice cream
Palate: Some chocolate (milk, not dark), pears, apples and a hint of cinnamon.
Finish: Medium length, sweet, with residual cinnamon spice.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. Still a solid, reliable, fantastic whisky. No wonder it's the world's number 1 selling single malt.

Glenfiddich 15yo Solera (40% ABV, 15yo, Speyside, Scotland, $598HKD)
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Next up the 15yo Solera, which I was lucky enough to try direct from the (Solera) source in 2009.
Colour: Golden sunset
Nose: Pears again, but more creamy. Still sweet vanilla notes you'd expect from a Bourbon matured whisky,
Palate: More chocolate, more spice than the 12yo. More rounded, more "chewy", more full. Still a hint of Glenfiddich's signature apples and pears.
Finish: Medium to long, more cinnamon spice and less sweetness than the 12yo.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100.

Glenfiddich 18yo (40% ABV, 18yo, Speyside, Scotland, $898HKD)
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Old faithful. Originally tasted way back as #3 on this blog, albeit in 43% guise. Contains 20% European Oak matured stock - up from the 12yo's 15%.
Colour: Vibrant gold orange.
Nose: Sweeter than the 15, with more chocolate, but bitter, dark chocolate this time.
Palate: Creamy, rich, lots of dark chocolate, but also some (minor) earthy characteristics I don't usually associate with Glenfiddich. Smooth, and just fantastic.
Finish: Medium length, with notes of dark, 70% chocolate.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. The same rating I gave it almost two years ago - how about that!? Consistent whisky, that's for sure, even with a lower ABV now.

Glenfiddich 21yo (40% ABV, 21yo, Speyside, Scotland, $1,888HKD)
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I'd heard word a at a previous tasting that the 21yo wasn't able to be sold in the US due to its ties with Cuba, and the name "Havana Reserve". Ian explained that the naming issue was actually due to a perceived conflict with Pernod Ricard's "Havana Club", and that the US sales restrictions were actually intentional - they knew it couldn't be sold in the US from the outset, and went ahead anyway. Apparently the French market loved it! 
The 21yo sees three rums put into Glenfiddich's own casks for 6 months, then the 21yo finished for four months (tasted every week...because they can). 
Colour: Orange copper.
Nose: Toffee, demerara sugar.
Palate: Sweet, sugary, rich. Smooth, very smooth. Almost too much so. I'd love to try this at around 46-50% ABV. Some maple syrup.
Finish: Long, syrupy.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100.

Glenfiddich 30yo (40% ABV, 30yo, Speyside, Scotland, $4,900HKD)
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30% European oak, 70% American oak.
Colour: Deep dark copper.
Nose: Strong notes of toffee and chocolate. A hint of pear, but it's subdued and almost non-existant.
Palate: Dark bitter chocolate, hints of sherry matured whisky showing through. Red berries, tobacco, even some leather. A real complex mixed bag - which I love.
Finish: Long, leather, cranberries and dried fruits.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100.

Glenfiddich Private Vintage 1972  single cask 33yo (51.9% ABV, 33yo, Speyside, Scotland, no longer available)
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Ah, we're in for a treat with this one. A single sherry cask put down in 1972 and bottled in 2005 for the Taiwanese market. How would it compare with my 32yo Private Vintage bottle first tasted way back in 2012?
Colour: Light gold. Perhaps not from a first-fill sherry barrel then?
Nose: Toffee, banana chips. Smooth and not a hint of alcohol burn, considering it's ~52% ABV.
Palate: Full, rich mouthfeel. Toffee, chocolate, leather. ABV spot on for my tastes - enough to let you know it's not 40%, but not too much that it overpowers the various notes.
Finish: Medium to long. Some saffron, slightly earthy. Overall rich, fantastic and unmistakably Glenfiddich.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. Yep, that good.

After another dram of the 18yo and a good long chat Ian (who was extremely personable, a trait it seems many of the William Grant & Sons ambassadors share, including Sam Simmons and James Buntin), it was time to call it a night, happy to see that one of my favourite distilleries is still producing whisky that's just as enjoyable as I remember it.

Cheers,

Martin.