TimeforWhisky pays a visit to Diageo Sydney (and talks George Dickel's Australian launch)

A few weeks ago, my good friend Marty (half of the very highly incredibly successful Mighty Car Mods) passed on a contact he'd made at Diageo who looks after their American Whiskey portfolio in Australia, and suggested I get in touch.

I did just that, and before I knew it, I was sitting at the Diageo Sydney workplace bar, on a beautiful Sydney day overlooking the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, talking whiskey and enjoying a George Dickel 12 "signature serve".

Hold up...George Dickel? Some may know it as the "other" Tennessee Whisk(e)y, and (in my case) as a large supplier of barrels to various Scottish distilleries (due to the American law, no doubt enacted at some point to ensure the viability of the American Oak industry, that states that the barrels used to age Bourbon / American Whiskey can only be used once).

So..I knew George Dickel was a Tennessee whisky, but that was about all I knew. In chatting to the guys from Diageo (who I have to say were incredibly passionate about the portfolio, which always makes for fantastic conversation), I learnt a lot more about the brand, including some pretty fascinating facts like:

• Only 25 people work at the distillery to make the whiskey
• ...and they do so without any machines or computers; and
• Like a number of good rivalries, the distillery attempted to buy out the competition (i.e. Jack Daniels) shortly after prohibition, only to be refused. The refusal spurred the distillery on to return to their roots and re-produce their Tennessee whisky from the 1800s, and that's why we have George Dickel Tennessee Whisky today.

So about that signature serve? Pretty simple really - Dickel No.12, on the rocks, with an orange peel....and a fantastic drink it was too. Smooth, rich but still easy enough to drink on a warm Sydney day. I can see myself enjoying a few of them over summer! Full tasting notes for the No.8 and No.12 will be posted shortly.

Dickel isn't widely known in Australia, but that may change with the official release of both Dickel No.8 (40% ABV, aged for at least 5 years) and Dickel No.12 (45% ABV, aged on average for 8 years) on-premise from 1st November. The No.8 will also be available at several bottle shops around Australia, with limited numbers of the No.12 also available.

I've been a big fan of Jack Daniels for a while (as you can probably see from this collection) and I have to say I'm really enjoying George Dickel too. Whilst the brands obviously have some similarities, I really do think there's enough of a difference (especially in focus and marketing - with Jack having a heavy music influence and Dickel more of a craft influence) that the two should be able to happily co-habit the back bar of any decent Australian bar.

Exciting times.

(We also spent a good chunk of time talking about Bulleit Bourbon, the fantastic Bulleit 95 Rye, the upcoming 10yo and the new pre-batched Bulleit cocktails - think classy RTDs that actually taste good. To be covered in a future post.) 

Cheers, 

 - Martin.

Tasted #43: Talisker 30yo

Talisker - known by many (often incorrectly as a "peaty Islay dram"), loved by many. The ubiquitous 10yo dram from the Isle of Skye can be found in most bottle shops and bars around Australia, and at the $60-$70AUD it usually goes for, is an excellent value single malt.

What a lot of people don't realise though is how many current Talisker releases there are - and how many can be found in Australia. As well as the 10yo, the 57˚ North (NAS), 18yo and new(ish) Storm can all be found at various bottle shops in Australia. Add to that the new(er) Dark Storm, Port Ruighe (pronounced "Port-ree", tasting notes due soon), Distillers Editions and the older releases like the 25, 30 and 35 etc...Talisker has an impressive portfolio of single malts.

Having tried a few Taliskers and loved every single one of them, when the chance came up to try the 30yo (without shelling out $649 for a bottle), I jumped at it. Steph and I split up the dram and got on with the tasting... (obligatory photo from my visit to the Talisker Distillery in 2009 below).

 

Talisker 30yo (45.8% ABV, 30yo, OB, Isle of Skye Scotland)
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Nose: Fresh cut grass, surprisingly light on the sea air / peat I get on the 10yo. I know older, peated whiskies tend to lose some of the peatiness with age, but I expected at least some on the nose. I also got slight notes of seaweed, vanilla and a hint of salted caramel. 

Palate: Wow, salty. Really salty. Light and extremely easy-drinking, but the salt really dominates. No fruity notes here - some bacon, and the slight vanilla notes still evident, but if this dram was a highway, the vanilla notes would be a Smart car and the saltiness a Mack truck...

Finish: Medium-length, with lingering salt, very subtle smoke and slight ashiness at the very end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. Out of curiosity, I saved a little and compared it back to back with the 1L bottle of 10yo I have at home. Whilst the 30yo is certainly a LOT more complex (as you'd expect), I'm a little shocked to say I actually preferred the 10yo (which I rate 91/100)! I wouldn't have picked the 30yo as a Talisker at all, and while it has complexity equal to its 30 years, and is an enjoyable dram for me the salt just dominates everything - to the point of excess.

I'm heading to a Talisker tasting this week at Shirt Bar, where I'll be comparing the 10, Port Ruighe, Distillers Edition and Storm. Can't wait.

Cheers,

 - Martin.

PR #14: The Macallan 1824 Series launches in Australia from November

The Macallan has always a bit of an odd one for me. When I was first getting into Scotch, I'll admit I wasn't a huge fan. Even when pulling together my #101drams list, I included the 21yo Macallan as the previous ones I'd tried I hadn't been hugely fond of (not that they were bad whiskies, just not up there with my favourites). That was before the 1824 Series though.

Anyone who's been following the world of Scotch Whisky lately (or anyone who's been to a decent bar in a major city in the past 3 years really!) would know that whisky (Scottish single malt in particular) has experienced a huge rise in popularity. As a result stocks of aged malt whisky have been reduced, to the point where distillers have realised something needs to be done, lest they run out of aged whiskies in the near future (terrible thought, I know).

The answer? NAS (No Age Statement) whiskies. Whilst not a new thing, Macallan are the first major Scottish distillery to release a core range with no age statements (and others are following suit). Previously NAS Scottish whiskies have either been from smaller distilleries, or special releases like the excellent The Balvenie TUN1401.

NAS doesn't necessarily mean "young" (in fact, I'd hazard a guess that there are some seriously old whiskies in the new 1824 series, especially in the Sienna and Ruby). The thing is, with whisky, an age statement has to refer to the youngest whisky in the bottle. If you bottled a Macallan which contained 95% of its content from a 50yo cask, and 5% from an 8yo cask, guess what? That's an "8 year old" whisky. You can see why NAS is a growing trend.


At Oak Barrel's Whisky Fair 2013 recently, I was lucky enough to try the range ahead of its Australian release. While I didn't take any notes (detailed tasting notes to be posted in the coming months when I taste the range again), I did remember the Sienna and Ruby as seriously enjoyable whiskies - especially the Sienna.


..but enough from me. Here's some more info on the whiskies from Beam/CCA:

The Macallan has unveiled The 1824 Series, a range showcasing two of its greatest strengths; oak sherry casks and natural colour. The luxury single malt whisky brand, distributed by Beam Global Australia, is delighted to launch three expressions in October including Amber, Sienna and Ruby. 

Grounded in an unwavering commitment to sourcing the very best oak sherry casks, the most expensive in the industry, The 1824 Series showcases the signature style of The Macallan, embracing the defining elements which have made it one of the world’s truly great single malts. 

Bob Dalgarno, The Macallan Whisky Maker, has created expressions by identifying the natural colour formed during maturation in different casks types to create the character informed by these colours. The expressions are Amber, Sienna and Ruby, all names reflecting the actual colour of the whiskies in the range, but also describing naturally occurring mineral and metals. 

This innovative approach to whisky making is the first to derive the final character from the natural colours drawn into The Macallan from the oak sherry casks over the years of maturation. It has allowed Bob Dalgarno to assess the broadest range of casks delivering an unrivalled range of natural colours. The casks chosen for the range deliver a gradation of colour from light to dark, with the wood character defining each expression’s flavour, moving from lighter, lemon citrus to richer, dried fruit notes. As the whiskies become darker and richer, so the pool of casks able to deliver this character becomes smaller and rarer. 

Bob Dalgarno, Whisky Maker, The Macallan, said, “The Macallan world of colour is the true inspiration of the 1824 Series. Using colour to drive and define a whisky differs dramatically from the conventional age approach, allowing us to explore different casks and take a more flexible approach to our stock. We have been able to work creatively with the full range of matured stock available, rather than working to a pre-determined character based on age. For me, the key thought in this range is that great single malt doesn’t need to be 30 years old to taste like a 30 year old.” 

By drawing on his broadest range of skills in cask selection, Bob has been unshackled by the need to draw on casks selected first and foremost for their age. His expert skills ensure consistency through the effective management and selection of the casks which provide the spectrum of natural colour and character essential to The Macallan. 

Commenting on this latest innovation, Ken Grier, Director of Malts, Edrington said “As some 60% of the aroma and flavour of The Macallan derives from the oak maturation casks, this new range is a genuine opportunity to demonstrate the critical role of these exceptional casks and also to challenge perceptions about bottling at arbitrary ages. Taking colour as the basis for shaping these whiskies, an industry first, is testimony both to the innovative approach to whisky making and to the long experience of our Whisky Maker. This truly is Bob’s work at its very best.” 

Cheryl Tang, Brand Manager, Beam Global Australia states “The 1824 Series showcases its signature style of The Macallan, embracing the defining elements of natural colour and exceptional sherry casks which have made it one of the world’s truly great single malts. The series is one of the most anticipated new releases in whisky times and we are excited to introduce the Amber, Sienna and Ruby to the Australian market.”

The Macallan 1824 Series will be available in major liquor outlets and leading bars nationally from November 2013. RRP for the 700ml series are; The Macallan 1824 Amber, $105 per bottle, The Macallan 1824 Sienna, $160 per bottle and The Macallan 1824 Ruby, $220 per bottle.

The full range is being released in Australia this November. I'll be tasting the range again soon, so will post detailed tasting notes then. In the mean time, here's a photo of me (a younger me, I should point out!) at the home of this very whisky:

Cheers,
 - Martin.

Distilleries of the United Kingdom - Part 1 (Oban, Talisker)

Every year since I was 8 years old, my dad and I have taken a fishing trip somewhere within Australia. Over time, the distances covered gradually became longer, and the fishing time less and less (we're both car nuts and love the open road, so neither of us were too upset at the shift). We eventually stopped calling them "fishing trips", and recognised them for what they were - road trips (there was a time when it wasn't unheard of for us to cover 1,000km each day).

In 2009, after building up a hefty balance of Frequent Flyer points from work travel, I decided we needed to step it up a notch and take the road trip overseas. Where to? Germany of course (conveniently timed with not only that car-nut mecca known as the Frankfurt Motor Show, but also Oktoberfest). Nürburgring, Autobahns (we hired a brand new E92 M3 for a week, because it was ridiculously cheap), bierhauses...it was going to be the ultimate boys' trip.

Being a bit of a Frequent Flyer geek though, I didn't want to waste 128,000pts each on a simple trip to Germany, when for 140,000pts Qantas offer a fantastic round-the-world airfare. And so it was that we were off on a trip which took in China, Dubai, England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, Spain, Estonia, USA and yes, SCOTLAND!

(..and here you were thinking this post has nothing to do with whisky ;)).

At the time admittedly I was still finding my whisky feet, but I knew what I liked (which at the time, remember this was 2009, was Speyside and "none of that iodine crap") and so we set off to visit as many distilleries as we could. We didn't tour or taste at all of them (and some that we did didn't allow photography), and I certainly didn't take any notes expecting to write a blog post 4 years later....so these posts will mainly consist of photos, for nothing other than viewing pleasure (and to make me get cracking on planning a return in 2014 2015). 

First up - Oban and Talisker. Enjoy!

 

 

Cheers,
 - Martin.

Tasted #41 & #42: Jack Daniel's "White Rabbit Saloon" and Old No. 7 (#101drams)

Thanks to a recent Master of Malt order (yes they're FINALLY shipping to Australia again), I've managed to get my hands on a number of harder to find #101drams whiskies. First up - Jack Daniel's "White Rabbit Saloon". Turns out I've amassed a bit of a Jack Daniel's collection over the years (including a rare-ish Green Label, bottled from the bottom row of barrels in the JD barrelhouses), so I was keen to add one to the list (if anyone knows where I can sample the Sinatra Select, please let me know!)

The White Rabbit Saloon is a limited release JD released in 2012 to commemorate the White Rabbit Saloon in Lynchburg Tennessee, over 120 years ago. It was actually sold at Dan Murphy's for a while, but seems to be gone now. From what I can tell, it's similar to regular Old No.7, but bottled at 43% ABV (vs 40%). So we could expect it to have a similar flavour profile then, right? I've tasted it back to back with a fresh bottle of Old No.7, so let's see...

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Nose
White Rabbit Saloon: Rich, big, strong honey and butter notes. Slight hint of banana, but it's subtle. Actually a pretty amazing nose!
Old No. 7: Same notes as the White Rabbit Saloon, but just "less". There's only a 3% ABV difference so you wouldn't think the difference would be too noticeable, but it really is. It's like a fair amount of water has been added to tone everything down. 

Palate
White Rabbit Saloon: Lighter than the nose suggests. Fruitier too. The banana notes are still there (and still subtle), with some coffee and honey notes towards the end. There's a bit of a rye character too - which is surprising given the low percentage of rye in the JD mash bill.
Old No. 7: Again, light. More banana notes and more spice than the WRS (again, interesting given the mash bill on these is, as far as I know, the same).

Finish
White Rabbit Saloon: Shorter than I expected. Vanilla dominates. Pleasant, just over very quickly.
Old No. 7: Pretty much as per the White Rabbit Saloon, with a bit less on the vanilla front and a bit more final spice notes towards the very end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 
White Rabbit Saloon: 90/100. 
Old No. 7: 88/100. That 3% ABV really does seem to make a difference.

Cheers,

 - Martin.

Tasted #40: Glenfarclas 40yo (#101drams)

Glenfarclas 40yo has been on my list for a while now, mainly because there aren't too many 40yo whiskies in this price bracket (so I'd at least have a chance of trying it somewhere), and because I'd enjoyed the Glenfarclas' I'd tried previously. Also, why not give myself an excuse to seek out a 40yo whisky?

At The Whisky Fair Sydney recently, Glenfarclas were generously tasting their standard range, right up to and including the 30 and 40yo. I thought it would be fitting that whisky #40 from my #101drams list was a 40yo...

Glenfarclas 40yo (46% ABV, 40yo, OB, Speyside Scotland)
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Nose: Flint and spice. Flint? Yes, odd. Not quite the leather and oak I was expected from a dram of this age, but nonetheless, a nice nose.

Palate: More flint? Smoke too - that was unexpected. I was pleased to see this wasn't an overpowering sherry monster (given that most Glenfarclas whiskies are heavily sherried), but was well balanced, also showing some sweeter citrus notes.

Finish: Very lengthy (I think that was going to be a given), and still with that smoke! Not overpowering peat smoke or anything of that nature, just a subtle undertone of smoke, let's call it campfire smoke. Some of the aged leather and rich nutty notes started to come through towards the end too.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. An enjoyable whisky - no question, but if I'm honest, not quite what I'd expected. I actually preferred the 30yo.

Cheers,

 - Martin.

Tasted #39: Glenlivet XXV 25yo (#101drams)

A few weeks ago Steph and I were generously invited to the worldwide launch of The Glenlivet's "The Guardians' Chapter" at Sydney's Tetsuya's restaurant. While the star of the show was no doubt the three "Guardians' Chapter" whiskies (see link for tasting notes), the night was capped off with a two Glenlivet XXV 25yo drams...which just happened to be on my list!

The Glenlivet XXV 25yo (43% ABV, 25yo, OB, Speyside Scotland)
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Colour: A dark, rich, deep copper, completely distinct from any other original bottling (OB) The Glenlivet we tried on the night. I love it when whiskies look like this dark and "complex" without any caramel colouring.

Nose: Maple syrup, oaky but not overpowering. Rich, with a noticeable sherry influence.

Palate: Initially feels like it's carrying more than 43% ABV. Not harsh, just a big mouthfeel. Sharp flavour with strong berry undertones, and the sherry influence is again noticeable. Some toffee notes but for me, the berry notes were the strongest.

Finish: Lengthy as you'd expect, with the sherry notes remaining right to the end. Perfectly balanced though. I really couldn't think of a better way to cap off what was an amazing night. Sitting around, chatting to other whisky fans, while Steph and I clinked a final glass of this - heaven.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A whisky with the substance to match it's packaging and prestige.

Cheers,

 - Martin.

Jack Daniel's - Celebrating Jacktember and "Raising a Jack to Jack"

Last week Brown Forman Australia invited guests to "Raise a Jack to Jack", to celebrate the month known as "Jacktember" at Sydney's brilliant Tokonoma.

No-one knows Jack Daniel's actual birthday, so each year the whole month of September is re-named "Jacktember" and set aside to celebrate Jack's birthday via a range of events around the world. In Sydney, guests enjoyed Jack Daniel's cocktails, Gentleman Jack, and a very special Jack Daniel's cake from Hartsyard (which was incredible), along with a seemingly never-ending stream of Tokonoma's fantastic canapés. 

It was great to meet the broader Brown Forman crew, and share a Jack with a few old friends too. It's good to see that even with the end of the Jack Daniel's Embassy (which was an awesome program), Brown Forman still know how to throw a great party!

Cheers, 

 - Martin. 

Tasted #38: Caol Ila 25 year old (#101drams)

The rise and rise of the Whisky bar in Australia has certainly helped me work my way through my list. This tasting comes thanks to Sydney's Baxter Inn...

Caol Ila 25yo (43% ABV, 25yo, OB, Islay Scotland)
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Nose: Big peaty hit - I'd expected it to be a bit more muted given the age, and the tendency of big Islay whiskies to "soften" with age. 

Palate: Sweet - raising and apples initially, but eventually turning into hints of leather. There's the age showing!

Finish: Long as you'd expect from a 25yo whisky, but mild and pleasant, without the lingering, heavy peatiness of say an Ardbeg Corryvreckan. Which is consistent with Caol Ilas in general - being slightly more muted overall than the heavy-hitters like the Corryv. Pleasant. 

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A nice whisky for sure, but not as significantly different (or significantly better) than the standard 12yo in my opinion.

Cheers,

 - Martin.

Tasted #37: Yamazaki Puncheon Cask

To date, one of my top three whiskies is the excellent Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel. It's also incredibly hard to come across these days, being released in only very limited numbers in 2011 and 2012 (with 2013's release due out in November).

The Yamazaki Puncheon cask is also from an ex-Bourbon barrel, of sorts. A Puncheon is a larger type of barrel, in this case 480L (compared with a typical hogshead of ~230L), commonly used in the American whiskey industry.

So what does that mean for the whisky? Well you can assume that since there's more liquid in the barrel, there's going to be less wood contact overall, and so some of the flavours might be a bit muted compared to the Bourbon barrel. To be honest apart from that I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I knew I hadn't met a Yamazaki I didn't like, so in I went (on the off chance that I didn't like it, I was pretty sure I could follow up with something more to my liking given Whisky + Alement's excellent selection (see right).

Yamazaki Puncheon Cask (NAS, 48%, Japan)
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Nose: Light. Slight fruit notes. Sweet but not to the dessert-like extent of the Bourbon barrel. No spice notes either.

Palate: Light on the palate - I'd have picked it as a 40% rather than a 48% ABV. Similar vanilla ice cream notes as the Bourbon barrel, but toned down, and less sweetness overall.

Finish: Still sweet, but again - lighter, fruitier. Sharp, but overall, a bit "less" than the Bourbon barrel.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. To be fair, almost anything going up against the TUN 1401 I tried just before this was going to struggle. Not a bad whisky by any stretch of the imagination, but not a touch on the 2011 Bourbon barrel.





Cheers,
- Martin.

Glenfiddich "The Pioneers" Cocktail Competition

It might have been a Monday night, but you couldn't tell from the way Sydney's Old Growler was heaving under the weight of another fantastic William Grant & Sons / Glenfiddich party.

We were all there to celebrate the Glenfiddich "Pioneers" cocktail competition and crown the winner. In a nutshell, some of Australia's best bartenders were asked to devise two "pioneering" whisky cocktails, inspired by a famous innovator or entrepreneur. The finalists' cocktails were then entered into the competition, and have also become part of a book to be distributed with bottles of Glenfiddich in the coming months (we've seen the full book and it looks great).

The ten finalists spent the final day of competition in Northern NSW before flying back to Sydney (by chopper of all things) for the announcement of the winner. While waiting for the announcements everyone enjoyed four (very different) cocktails from the booklet, along with fantastic canapés including Scotch Eggs and kangaroo.

The four cocktails on offer were:

• RED RIGHT HAND (my favourite) - Glenfiddich 12 Year Old stirred with Antica  Formula, Campari and Joseph Catron Apricot (Evan Stanley, Black Pearl, Melbourne)
• DOUBLE BUCK - Glenfiddich 15 Year Old shaken with cinnamon sugar and floated on a layer of Cherry Brandy (Blake Schill, Ravesi's, Sydney)
• THE STAGS JULEP (Steph's favourite) - A minty concoction of Glenfiddich 12 Year Old  with salted caramel (Daniel Monk, The Toff in Town, Melbourne)
• WISE OLD SAGE - A tall drink with Glenfiddich 12 Year and pear juice with a sage leaf garnish (James Connolly, Rockpool, Perth).

After plenty of the aforementioned food and cocktails, it was down to business as James Buntin (who should be no stranger to readers of this blog) announced the four winners:

• 1st – Evan Stanley, Black Pearl, Melbourne
• 2nd – Adam Bastow, Black Coffee Lyrics, Surfers Paradise
• 3rd – Chad Hanson, Eden Dining Room and Bar, Adelaide
• 4th – Phoenix Naman, Palmer and Co, Sydney

Evan and Adam will travel to Scotland to visit Glenfiddich (which speaking from experience is a brilliant experience) whilst Chad and Phoenix will take part in a Central Australian outback challenge involving outback quad-biking and of course Glenfiddich.

We all continued to enjoy cocktails and Glenfiddich well into the night and apart from a brief incident involving a candle and someone's handbag (which luckily Steph noticed well before the owner!) it was a fantastic night. Another success for the WG&S / Weber Shandwick team.

Cheers,
 - Martin.

The Whisky Fair Sydney 2013 review (#101drams)

In Sydney each year we have three main whisky shows - The Whisky Show (July), Whisky Live (August), and The Whisky Fair (September). In 2012 Steph and I attended the first two, but for some reason missed out on The Whisky Fair (perhaps we thought two was enough? Crazy talk...) This year we righted that wrong.

Whereas Whisky Live is mainly about readily-available whiskies, aimed not necessarily at the whisky enthusiast, and The Whisky Show is a mix of enthusiast drams and readily available whiskies, The Whisky Fair is very much aimed at real whisky enthusiasts, with plenty of drams you won't see anywhere else. While the show does include plenty of well-known distilleries, the drams they offer are typically from the upper end of the portfolio - e.g. William Grant & Sons were offering The Balvenie 17yo Double Wood, Glenfarclas were tasting the 40yo, Pernod Ricard had a wide selection from their portfolio, including Longmorn and the excellent The Glenlivet Nadurra, and Think Spirits were offering The Dalmore King Alexander III.

But while those are all excellent whiskies, it was the rarer, more "boutique" drams I was really excited to try - and the The Oak Barrel didn't disappoint, with their cavernous CBD store occupied by the likes of the Balcones (will the popularity of this Texan distillery ever stop growing?), FEW Spirits, masters of experiment Koval, Belgrove (making its aged Rye debut), and Australian independent bottler Heartwood, with their incredible 72.5% "The Convict Redemption". Not to mention an Overeem bottled especially for the fair, thrown in for good measure.


With so many drams on offer it was hard to know where to start, so first order of business was to get around and say hi (over a dram or two) to all the friends Time for Whisky has made over the past year.

Whilst there genuinely wasn't a bad dram in sight, it's pretty hard to list every one we tried, so in no particular order, these were the more unique, interesting, quirky, or downright fantastic drams we enjoyed:

• Belgrove - I'd read a bit about Belgrove and was genuinely keen to try it. Peter Bignell (distiller and owner) talked us through his Tasmanian Rye - made via a real self-contained production process, with the ryecorn home-grown on his farm, the pot still built from scratch, heating from home-made biodiesel and cooling from his own dam! Both unaged and (minimum) 2 year barrel aged varieties were on tasting, and both were very impressive. One to watch.
• Balcones - I'd tried the Baby Blue Corn Whisky earlier and was keen to try the rest of the range. Luckily H&R Craft Beverages were at the show, with not only the Texas Single Malt (a #101drams whisky) and Baby Blue, but also the True Blue 100 proof and Brimstone. A quick taste of each confirmed what I'd suspected - that the Baby Blue wasn't just a fluke - all Balcones' whiskies are fantastic.
• Heartwood, along with Belgrove, was the other Tassie entrant I was particularly keen to visit. (To my knowledge) the only Australian independent bottler of Australian whisky, Heartwood bottle a range of Aussie whiskies, at cask strength, and sell them in 500mL format with names such as "Vat out of Hell", "Release the Beast" and "Velvet Hammer". But it was their 72.5% "The Convict Redemption" that stole the show. Tim (owner and Lark Distillery board member) was passing around drams to comments such as "wow", "full bodied" and "flavoursome" - presumably mostly from people who didn't realise they'd just tried a 72.5% ABV whisky. That's how smooth this whisky really is. Steph tried it, and (no stranger to cask strength whiskies, having recently gotten into SMWS bottlings) guessed it to be around 55-60%. A stunner.
• Limeburners Single Malt West Australian-whisky (another #101drams whisky)
• Overeem - a Tassie favourite of mine, with 200mL bottlings of their Oak Barrel exclusive cask for only $44. We're big fans of the Port cask Overeem (and also the Sherry), and can't wait for their next release.
• Brown Forman were again on hand, this time with the most impressive stand they've had in a long time. Sure Woodford Reserve and Jack (Unaged Rye) were there, but so were some of the rarer Woodford Master's Collection (including the Four Wood). As if the stand wasn't packed enough, brand ambassador Stuart had also managed to whip up a batch of barrel aged Old Fashioneds!

  

...hold up - 6 distilleries/whiskies mentioned, and not one of them Scottish? Such is the quality of world whisky I guess! But on the topic of Scotland, half-way through the show a bagpipe procession formed, and James Buntin of William Grant & Sons (a.k.a The Whisky Ambassador) prepared the highlight of the show - fresh haggis, served with neeps and tatties, and a Glenfiddich 14yo Rich Oak.

After a quick haggis break, it was onto all things Scottish:

• While I'd tried The Balvenie 17yo Double Wood before, I'd never tried it injected into a chocolate truffle. An amazing match.
• Innis & Gunn beer. Beer? Well all whisky is basically beer at some stage in its life, right? This Edinburgh-based brewery had a few varieties on tasting, but it was their 6.6% ABV "Original" that really impressed me. Aged for 77 days in American Oak, it was honied, smooth and perfectly balanced. Couldn't leave without buying a few bottles!
• Dalmore King Alexander III - a brilliant (#101drams) dram, complete with impressive artwork (below). Who knew the Think Spirits guys had so much talent?
• Macallan - the full 1824 Series was on tasting, ahead of its November release in Australia. The Sienna was Steph and my pick of the bunch.
• Scotch Malt Whisky Society - it wouldn't be an enthusiasts' whisky show without SMWS! Andrew (NSW Ambassador, Director and Australian Cellarmaster) and Murray (Australian tasting panel member and super friendly bloke) were busily handing out drams and converting people to the joys of single cask, cask strength whisky. On taste were a number of gems, including the incredibly light but flavoursome 21.27 (39yo Glenglassaugh), a sublime lightly-peated Ardmore (which was recommended to me by one of the other stalls) and a Craigellachie which I sadly missed (of particular note as they don't even bottle this as an OB Single Malt!).

 

It was hard to believe 4 hours had passed so quickly, but sadly it had, and on that note we said our farewells and walked out into the unusually hot Sydney September. If we can only attend one whisky show next year, this will be it without a doubt. Congrats to Dave and the guys from The Oak Barrel for putting on such a fantastic show.

Cheers,
Martin.

Time for Whisky attended as guests of The Oak Barrel.

"My take on Whisky" - by Steph

While Steph (my wife) has been a regular contributor to this blog in the form of support, joining me at the many, many tastings/events/tours, and allowing my growing Whisk(e)y collection to take over the living room, this is her first post. Hopefully the first of many!

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be immersed in all things whisky at this point in my life, I would have given you an odd look and walked the other way. Whisky had the reputation, at least with me, of being an old man’s drink that even my father wasn’t interested in. When Martin, my boyfriend at the time (now husband) ordered  a dram at Marble bar a good few years ago I turned my head in revulsion and demanded to know why he would choose to drink something that smelt (and presumably tasted) like Iodine?! My taste buds have shifted since that day.

Whisky tastings are a great way to spend a weekday night, and a nice way to explore different varieties. I love it when the structure of tastings change and evolve because I am so sick of hearing how whisky is made!

I love whisky fairs now that we know so many of the people there. I love the energy, passion and humour of many brand ambassadors that we have been lucky enough to get to know. I particularly love when stands have high quality chocolate sitting alongside the bottles of whisky (HELLO Glenfiddich!) I am always frustrated when exhibitors discredit me and my interest in whisky and talk solely to my husband. Gender inequality much?

Coincidently, many whisky fairs often occur around the time of my husband’s birthday (October) which allows me the opportunity to observe what he enjoys before I make an excuse to use the ladies while I race around to the shop and buy him what he covets (I bought him 4 bottles in 2012). It makes birthday present shopping a breeze!

My favourite time to drink the stuff is on a rare Friday night that I happen to be home alone. I put on my pyjamas, cue up a girly rom-com, and explore our liquor collection. I'll either stick with my old favourite (Lagavulin 16), try something that I know I like (Laphroaig PX cask, Balvenie 15, Gentleman Jack) or explore something different (e.g. One of the Glenfiddich special editions, a Scotch MaltWhisky Society interestingly-labelled bottle - Pulled Pork with Chocolate Mousse - anyone?)

These days I still can’t handle the strength and bitterness of new make (please don’t tell me it’s smooth because how can something so strong that it burns my throat be ‘smooth’?) and I do add a few drops of water when the alcohol strength shocks my system. I prefer the aged whiskies, particularly when they are aged in a sherry, sauternes or port casks.  I appreciate a good Islay whisky as I have developed a taste for the smokiness.

I am thoroughly enjoying this journey into whisky and the great people that we are meeting along the way. I am proud of my husband for his dedication to his blog, which is opening up more opportunities for him to be further immersed into the whisky world, while taking me along for the ride.

- Steph.