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Subject: Your Malt Madness site is great! Johannes, Great site. You must not have been keeping notes when you tried Mortlach (it's
greyed out). It's not that common here in Ottawa, but my wife bought me a Mortlach 9 year old Signatory
bottle that ranks right up there (and unfortunately is now empty). I've heard it described as tasting like a bagpipe bladder. Mmmm. I'm drinking daily now, on doctor's orders. Guess I know why my doc is always so busy. If only I could figure out a way for my health insurance to pay for it. Keep up the site, It's fun and informative.
(Reply by Johannes: A Bagpipe bladder??? Hmmmm. I wish I had a doctor like yours.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subject: Bagpipe Bladder & Chocolate Hi Johannes, Thanks
for the reply. My name is French (Breton), but I'm an anglophone. The bagpipe bladder reference comes from a book by Bernard Poirier called Whisky With Dinner. He believes that with the assortment of single malts available,
there is really no reason to drink wine before, with or after dinner. He also recommends single malts for cooking and goes on to match up the various brands with assorted meals. Perhaps you know this already. Scotch whisky has been my preferred drink for many years now, but I only recently started paying atttention to the flavours. Drank mostly Glenfiddich and Glenlivits, (and Black Label) though I do have a Glenmorangie 10 year old bottle in the basement, but I really don't remember it. The Mortlach 9 year old Signatory was the source of my amazing discovery. Bernard Porier also describes it as "musty". You found it a bit too sherried, and that was more my impression of Glemorangie Port Wood Finish, but as I mentioned, my taste buds are far from educated. Something I really have enjoyed though is to follow the Glenmorangie Port with a Talisker. Wow does the iodine hit you!! (Reply by Johannes: Talisker and Glenmorangie Port sounds like a great combination. If you like the iodine in Talisker you should try Laphroaig 10 - one of the most extreme malts I know.) I have read on a few web sites about eating chocolate with single malts. Have you tried this? (Reply by Johannes: No - And I'm not going to! I like to keep my experiences pure. This means no chocolate! I've never tried it, but the taste of chocolate is so overpowering that I can hardly believe it would improve the tasting experience. If I do need to eat in between, I generally use plain white bread.)
I'll keep watching your page for updates. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subject: More ramblings Hi Johannes, I'm not a wine drinker
either, although it is almost 10 years since I visited family in Paris and was served a very unusual wine at dinner. It was thin, watery, but seemed to have a lot of sediment in it. I quite enjoyed it and - surprise -
no headache. In school we had a weekly competition (trivia etc.) with the loser buying a bottle of wine to drink Friday afternoons in the lab. This one joker brought in a bottle of Retsina, which I found quite pleasant
in a sort of turpentinish way. My dad is a painter so I grew up smelling turpentine. Maybe it was the association. In any case it's been years now since I had wine and why would I start again having discoverd sms?
Same with coffee. I go for the really strong flavoured stuff like "French Roast". All this to say I do seem to prefer strong flavours. Next bottle will be Laphroig as you so kindly recommended. As for
the chocolate, I have read about this in a few web sites. I think the idea is to use the whiskey to make the chocolate penetrate your sinuses and give you a head explosion (rush) of chocolate. Sounds orgiastic, but so is a
good Scotch alone. Have you encountered Torbjorn Olausson in your surfing? He has quite a few comments on the www.scotch.com website. Seems knowledgable and recommends the chocolate business. Any way I'll give it a try some
day and let you know. I agree with you though, a good Scotch hardly needs a chocolate enhancement. All the best, Davin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subject: You were right! Johannes, Why didn't I listen to you? You recommended the Laphroaig 10
to me. Have you tried the 15? In the part of Canada where I live, all liquor is sold through a government owned retailer. Unexpectedly, they have excellent service and knowledgable staff. In any case they told me they have the Laphroig 15 on order for delivery in the next week or so. Should I wait for it or just go for the 10?
You rate the Talisker 18 cask strength as a potential number 2 on your list (making Talisker 10 number 3?). In taste, how does it compare with the Talisker 10 which I love so dearly? (Reply by Johannes: The 18 C/S has the power of the 10 combined with an almost Macallan-like complexity and balance. I love the 10 for it's individuality and character, but when an island whisky like Talisker or Lagavulin spend some more time in the barrels the seaweed, smoke and peat are joined with sweeter, more woody tones. This generally makes for a better balanced and harmonious malt. Most island whiskies I've tasted so far were at their best at 16 - 18 years. The few older ones I've tasted had gotten too bitter and woody for my tastes. Sadly, I haven't been able to find a full bottle yet.)
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #1: Laphroaig Mmmm... Hi Johannes,
Thanks for your suggestion to try Laphroaig 10. Wow, it is 'extreme'. I do enjoy the strong iodine, but find this one a bit more like medicine than Talisker. I tried to get the 15 year old Laphroig as I mentioned
before, but had to settle for the 10. The clerk at the liquor store told me people were lined up when the 15 was released, and it all sold within minutes. I'll be passing through several duty frees in the next month and
a half, and will look for the 15 or the 10 cask strength there. I tried following the Laphroig with a Talisker 10
and found it tasted like water after the Laphroig. So much to learn. Obviously order of sampling is important. The liquor clerk told me another uncommon scotch that sells out very quickly when they get it, is
Te Bheag, a Gaelic blend. Apparantly it's based on Talisker. It's not on your list, so I guess you have tried less that 700ml of it. Do you know it? Found a magazine today called Whisky. It's the first issue; edited by the likes of Michael Jackson, Charles MacLean and Jim Murray. The cover story is about a soccer player (Rob Wainwright) whose favourite drink is Wild Grouse. Someone should direct him to your page! Anyway Johannes, I thought I should thank you again for your direction and fill you in on my incursion into Laphroig territory. I'll continue to update you on my progress. Any more suggestions? (Reply by Johannes: As far as suggestions go: laphroaig is about as extreme as you can get. A malt that's just as powerful, but with a lot more balance, is Ardbeg. The 17 yrs. is absolutelu wonderful. Or try the Talisker 18 yrs. Cask Strength.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #2: Glasses & Stuff Hi Johannes, I think I am graduating from the first level of my whisky education. I just posted a note on whiskyweb (http://www.whiskyweb.com/howff/) advising someone else on tasting whisky. That's why I am writing you, as the first thing I told him was to check out your Malt Madness site. Hope you don't mind. I still visit your site regularly for updates. (I also mentioned you site in a letter to Whisky Magazine.) My current whisky is Springbank 12 year old. Nice bottle!! Have purchased refills of Talisker and Glenmorangie 10 year old and will probably do the same when my Laphroig is finished. Also bought the Te Bheag but haven't tried it yet. Let me know when you've tasted yours so we can compare notes. I travel from time to time with my job and will be in Washington (then South America) in a few weeks so am hoping to get some more exotic malts at the duty free shops. Anyway, thanks again for speeding up my education. I'll keep you posted on my progress. (Reply by Johannes: Glad you're promoting my site. The more visitors the merrier. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #3: My latest adventures and queries. I had a great experience a few weeks back in progressive drinking. It began with a couple of glasses of Highland Park 12 year old followed by a Glenmorangie 10, then a
Glenmorangie Port Wood, each one benefiting from the taste of its predecessor. Then I switched to Te Bheag (just loved it), then on to Talisker and finished off the evening with Laphroig 10 year old. What a crescendo!! The Te
Bheag was so delicious, I went straight to it the next evening, but somehow it just wasn't the same without the build up. My recent trip was a bit disappointing Scotch-wise. Now I can appreciate Canadian Scotch prices and
availability. In Canada most Scotches are less expensive than the duty free prices in USA or Barbados. In Guyana, bar price for the only single malt, Tormore 10 year old, was $16.50 US while Johnny Walker Blue
was $22.00 and both had been sitting in the sun for who knows how long. In Canada a whole bottle of JW blue costs only $199.00 Canadian or about $134.00 US, compared to the $200.00 you list it as in Amsterdam. On
the other hand, a bottle of rum could be had for just over $4.00. So, I tried most of the Guyanese and Barbadan rums. Now I know why I like Scotch. My current whisky is Macallan 12 year old which you rate only one point lower than the 18 year old. That's good information as the price differential is huge. Have you tried the Glenmorangie 18 year old? It has just become available here, and I expect will sell out soon. It is just a dollar shy of being twice the price of the 10 year old. Also, Balblair, Glenburgie and Glentauchers are all currently on sale at about 40% off. I think they are dumping their stock and these whiskies will soon be unavailable in Canada. These are not common names; have you tried any of them? Anyhow, I do go on. Really I just wanted to keep in touch and encourage you to keep working on your site. (Reply by Johannes: On the Macallan: I do think the price difference between 12 and 18 is way too big, but you should really try the 18 some time. Too expensive for large quantity consumption, but something very different. Or try the Mac 10 yrs. cask Strength - a lot like the 18 in character, but more reasonably priced. It's pretty hard to find, but certainly worth the effort. I haven't tasted the 'Morangie 18 "by the bottle" yet, but you'll find a report on a tasting session with 5 different Glenmorangies on my site. I haven't tried any of the 3 other malts you mentioned yet. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #4: Duty Free / Dallas Dhu Hi Johannes, I did have
some new whisky experiences to add to my knowledge. For a start I have confirmed my opinion that duty free does not mean less expensive. With a few notable exceptions I found duty free prices in Europe about 20% higher that
full retail here in Ottawa. But the selection was unparalleled. After much heart-wrenching turmoil, I bought two bottles of Dallas Dhu. The first, a Signatory 19 years bottling, the second a
Rare Malts Selections 21 year
old cask strength from (not duty free). I was told these are very difficult to find now, but excellent quality so I took a chance. Now what do I do? Should I just open them up and start enjoying them, or are these really worth saving for a special occasion? What do you think?
I was delighted to see that you have added a new tasting session to your Malt Madness pages. I also checked out your new dynamic prototype pages which are great. Honestly though, I like what you have already, and
being the selfish guy that I am, would rather see you put your time into adding content rather than rebuilding something that is already great. But... I'll stick with you however it evolves. Thanks for directing me to your
Glenmorangie
tasting session. I've read all your tasting notes, but had forgotten this page. I had the opportunity to try the Madeira, Sherry and Port Wood versions while away, and agree that the Madeira is very unique. I still like the 10 year old best, but enjoy them all.
I was working with a Scotsman on this trip, and he introduced me to Famous Grouse (which he claimed was named after his mother-in-law). I learned to like it rather quickly. The free whisky flowed quickly at the duty frees
in Heathrow, so quickly I hardly had time to enjoy the finish. I tried the Distiller's Editions of Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie and Glenkinchie, which were all wonderful. The Cragganmore especially was excellent, but I'll buy it
here in Ottawa and save a good 30% over duty free prices. All the best, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #5: Tasting Report Lagavulin 1979 Hi Johannes,
Got in about midnight last night. Compared to Canada the shop in Utrecht - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subject: Off The Booze
Hi Johannes, I have also been off the booze pretty much since I got back due to conflicting medication. Will be back at it in a week or so! I managed to find 2 bottles of Lagavulin 1979
at a small liquor outlet so when I'm up and at it, I'll compare with the 1980 and let you know. Have found a small group of Balvenie fans here ion Ottawa and will go tasting with them in a few weeks - my first Balvenies.
I read in Whisky Magazine about a bar in Amsterdam called De Still. Take care, Davin Reply by Johannes:
At this moment I'm having an unofficial tasting session with (of course) the wonderful Lagavulin 1979 Ximenez... I've had three tastings now, and it should rate around 90 - 91 points. De Still in Amsterdam used to be my favorite malt hang-out - untill I discovered L&B's. Regulars all have their own little malt safe there,
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subject: Beta version Malt Madness in Dynamic HTML Just spent 20 minutes on your site. Will give it a go again tomorrow. I re-read your ratings and am glad to see you
rate the Macallans above Glenmorangie Port Wood. I like both, but the Macallan wins by far and is similar enough that I won't buy the PW again. I'm also delighted that the Lagavulin 1979 has turned out to be a hit. I
still haven't tried it, but when I do, I'll compare it to the 1980 and give you the word. I haven't opened the Ardbeg yet either. Actually I've done very little drinking since I got back. I tried a Chivas Regal 12 yo
a couple of days ago. It's a definite addition to your world's worst whiskies listing. Started out bitter then faded into bland, alcoholic nothingness. I joined a Malt List
(http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/announce.html) last week and have two messages, one of which originated right here in Ottawa. Reply by Johannes: About Glenmorangie Port and Macallans: I like them all a lot, but compared to the Macallans the Glenmorangie just has a little less 'depth' and harmony between the different taste components. Very nice, but it's just too darned expensive. I don't think the Chivas Regal 12 blend is too bad, but for that kind of money you can get a good quality single malt like Glen Ord 12 or Glen Moray 12. Good thinking on the "real live drinking places". I've alrady toyed with a similar idea - Tips for good whisky bars - but my personal geographic location was a problem. I'll keep working on your idea - using guest editors might just prove to be a great solution. I'll get back to you on that one. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subject: Comments on the new website Hi Johannes, Just did a
bit more surfing and I'm very enthusiastic about your new Malt Madness site. I love the map. I like a satellite photo as it shows everything, not just the "important" stuff. I like being able to relate
the areas to each other. Now I know where Speyside is in relation to the others. Excellent work! I look forward to more browsing. My favourite site just got better. As for the tips for good whisky bars (and shops)
your geopgraphic location could be an asset. Who better to provide links for travellers to Amsterdam? I'm forever noting people on bulletin boards asking where to buy or drink whisky in some city or another. Maybe if
you told the local shops and bars about this you could convert mention on your site into a few free drinks. As long as you don't go commercial and really do recommend just the best of the best. As I continue to browse your
site I'll send more comments, but so far it's better than ever. Thanks for a great site and good luck with your other projects. Davin Reply by Johannes: About your "Bar" idea: I could perhaps use the experiences of external "Foreign Barfly Correspondents" like yourself to cover more ground. I have e-mail contacts all over the globe, so I could invite some people who's judgment I trust to add their favorite watering holes to the list. About "Going commercial". As a matter of fact, I have been thinking of a way to incorporate some kind of advertising in the site. But I only want to do it if it doesn't interfere with the current style and structure of the site - and my very personal opinions. As a matter of fact, I get a lot of requests from whisky shops to add them to my link list, but I won't do that until I've had a chance to test them out - either by visiting the shop or buying one or more malts online. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #6: Is Lagavulin 16 quality changing? Hi Johannes,
Hope you are well and well oiled. Just surfed through your beginners' section again. Still stuff there to learn. Had another birthday, and some new, previously unsampled malts arrived. It's great to have someone
else do the selection. Otherwise my taste buds would never get off Islay. Anyway I have gone surprisingly quickly through a 12 yo Tamnavulin. Quite enjoyable - almost Cragganmorish to my palate.
I noticed that you rank Glen Ord 12
fairly high on your list. I just discovered Glen Ord in New York a couple of weeks ago and really like it. It was a pleasant surprise to get home and find it is the least expensive malt available at the LCBO ($35 compared with $65 for Lagavulin 16, $45 for Laphroig 10 or Glenmorangie 10). My next venture will be into the Balvenies, so I was checking out their UK web-site and saw that you're getting even more famous. I followed their link to your site. May send them my own tasting notes in a few weeks. Anyway congratulations on being recognized yet again.
About three months ago, the price of Lagavulin 16 rose from $54.00 to $65.00 Canadian. At the same time I have heard reports that recent bottles are less extreme in flavour so as to make it more of a mainstream
whisky. Since I don't drink it regularly I thought I'd write to you, the Lag man of Amsterdam. Have you noticed any changes in flavour? If so I'll run out and buy a couple of older bottles from the low volume
liquor stores. Hey! I just found an advantage to the government having the monopoly to sell liquor. They have to serve all communities, so there will be stores in the boonies, with old stock! Looking forward to more
Malt Madness, and in the mean time wait for you take on recent Lagavulin 16. All the best, Davin Reply by Johannes: Yep, I'm affraid Lagavulin 16 is changing. Although it is quite natural for minor differences to appear between different batches of 'commercial' bottlings, the changes I perceived over the last 18 months (4 bottles) pointed in a specific direction - that of the 'Distiller's Edition'. The differences are small, but Lagavulin is consistently becoming 'friendlier' and 'more accessible' - more Bunnahabhain and less Laphroaig, to put it simply. It still kicks ass and it still ranks number one on my personal hitlist, but I think I prefer the uncompromising version I first tried around 9 years ago. I just hope the trend doesn't continue. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subject: I'm back! Hi Johannes, Arrived back from Rome on
Wednesday night, but am in major jet-lag. I can't begin to thank you for the tasting session in Amsterdam. It was amazing and I have notes to prove it! I'm glad it was as much fun for you as well. When I get back to normal,
I'll type out my notes an send you an prE-pistle. Wow, was I ever feeling no pain when I left your apartment, but thanks to a well trained liver I was sober in about two hours. Remarkable! I'm glad you liked the Pike Creek.
Personally I like it the least of the three, preferring the Gooderham and Worts and also the strangely mossy Lot 40. None of them, however, are in the Scotch whisky league so your score of 40 compares to my own assessment,
although you will find the Gooderham and Worts much more drinkable. Thanks once again for a very enjoyable whisky tour. Davin
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prE-pistle #7: Malt Madness Meeting 2 Have just returned to Canada from a most enjoyable working three weeks in Europe where my
exposure to unusual malts and ability to discern flavour subtleties went through logarithmic growth. It began in the Netherlands with a visit to Rob Stevens' Whiskyslijterij De Koning
in Den Bosch (officially known as 's Hertogenbosch.) With 1100 whiskies on display Rob's shop has all the elements of a living whisky museum. This becomes especially true when you finally think you've seen everything, so he invites you back to his tasting room where the really rare stuff is kept. Then, while you're 'nosing' samples of malted barley, he casually mentions he could double his selection if he chose to. In my home town, Ottawa, Canada, all liquors are sold through a government owned outlet called the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). On a really good day you may find 40 government-issue malts in stock. Dutch regulations preclude tasting during business hours, but that didn't prevent me from arriving back in Amsterdam with a serious case of Ardbeg-mouth. And I'll never be able to say again that I've not tasted the old-style peat monsters. If you're visiting the Netherlands take the opportunity to visit Whiskyslijterij De Koning. Den Bosch is about an hour's train ride from Central Station in Amsterdam, and well worth the 40 Guilders return fare.
Day Two ended in Amsterdam with a total annihilation of the Dutch reputation for parsimony. But let me tell you how it began. On a previous trip I had spent an enjoyable and educational afternoon with Johannes van
den Heuvel, the creator of this web site. Johannes is an eccentric, but generous Amsterdam malt maven and he is every bit as much an original as is his site. In any case I had arranged for another private tutoured tasting,
but first Johannes took me on a walking tour of the Amsterdam tourists never see the whisky shops. Gall and Gall near Dam Square impressed me with neither their prices nor their selection, but Whiskyslijterij De Koning is a hard
act to follow. We then wandered through seedier areas stopping here and there to peruse the stock, with Johannes feeling obliged to purchase something at every shop. Finally we came to M. Boorsma at Ferdinand Bolstraat 112
which had an impressive array of whiskies and excellent prices. Anyone wanting to purchase whisky in Amsterdam would be well advised to seek them out. Anyway I picked up a Laphroaig 15 yo as my contribution to the
evening and we were on our way to Johannes' place to begin the ritual. Johannes believes in what he calls head to head tastings. Two whiskies are sampled at a time to allow for comparison. He is also the guy who taught
me to smell the empty glass after the alcohol has evaporated to get another perspective on the flavours, a process I have since found very informative. The highlights of this session were a Longmorn Glenlivet 1963
(what Johannes calls his Craig Daniels Longmorn, named for its donor), the Laphroaig 15 yo and a 1991 Ardbeg from Signatory
(which occasionally reminded me of my dog). The Longmorn was sweet but earthy with a mild honey-floral nose, immediate but fading astringency, an orchestra of complex, changing, grassy/floral flavours on the tongue and a sweet finish. The sweetness increased with water. The Laphroaig 15 was milder but more flavourful than the 10 yo with a sweet tobacco flavour that migrated instantly to the back of the throat.
I made detailed tasting notes which are posted below because, most importantly, I found the confidence to share my tasting experiences with others. Johannes has posted the results of our session elsewhere on this web site.
I told a colleague who was supposed to join us at the tasting, but was unable to, that I was almost embarrassed at Johannes' generosity, so I'm also a little more embarrassed to see how much credit he has given me in his tasting
report. Now this was just supposed to be a tasting session, but Johannes pours a pretty generous dram, so by the time we had finished our 14th, you can imagine my condition. I could barely walk to the subway. But it was
then I learned the benefits of having a well-practiced liver, for full sobriety returned within a couple of hours and I learned that if I limit my intake to 14 generous drams I can avoid a hangover altogether as next morning I was
up and ready to move on to London. Below are my notes on the head to head tastings. Be aware these were written in progressive states of inhibriation! 1a. Scapa 1989 Ultimate 8yo 43% 1b. Glen Rothes 1985 2a. Balvenie Portwood 21 2b. Suntory Kakubin 3a.
Laphroaig 10 yo 3b.
Laphraoig 15 yo 4a. Longmorn Glenlivet 1963 40% 4b. Glenfarclas 105 60% 5a. Ardbeg 17 yo 40% 5b. Ardbeg 1991 Signatory 43% 6a. Laphroaig 15 - 43% (reprise)
6b. Macallan 10 yo cask strength 57% 7a. Courvoisieur VSOP 7b. Lammerlaw 10 yrs. (whisky from New Zealand) --- London - the next day. Cadenhead's
was the first stop on this leg and frankly, it was only because I was in the neighbourhood. On two previous visits I had found the staff rude, and disinterested, but this time someone else was minding the store, and we soon were into an animated conversation. Unfortunately there were no Ardbegs in stock so I left empty handed, which is not my wont. I wonder if the proprietor misunderstood me, or vice versa, because when I got home I noticed an Ardbeg listed on their site, so I needlessly went home empty handed. In Milroy's, Doug McIvor and I discussed the relative merits of various Ardbegs.
Actually I didn't know it was McIvor until I got back to the hotel and opened the new Whisky Magazine. In any case he brought me up to the main floor bar, purportedly to look up Michael Jackson's notes on the Ardbeg 1975
and the 30 yo. Well, reading quickly turned to sampling and Doug left me to discuss the two with the barmaid who made sure I took long enough to really savour them. I had already picked up a 30 yo from Rob Stevens, so
left Milroy's with the 1975 tucked under my arm. Evenings the following days passed quickly as my colleague and I sampled dozens of miniatures from Whiskyslijterij De Koning and Milroy's. Another Longmorn Glenlivet (12 yo
which Craig Daniels has since told me he prefers), Scapa 1988, Glenfarclas 30 yo, Rosebank 1988, Bruichladdich 10 yo cask strength, 2 varieties of Poit Dhubh, Mortlach 15 yo and on and on. Some tasting notes are more complete
than others, but you get the idea. My palate just grew and grew and grew. A pleasant surprise was a McMichael Islay Scotch Whisky I picked up at Marks and Spencer. Probably a young Laphroaig.
The final acquisition came in Rome where I picked up a Macallan 7 yo, as it is unique to Italy. Well, I bought a bottle for about $15 US, but was kept so busy I had no chance to open it. It's an interesting
package though. More whimsical than the standard issues. Much of the labeling is in Italian and the picture shows a man rolling out a barrel clearly marked Macallan 7 years old. The neck label is signed Armando
Giovinetti special selection. I have told Johannes I'll bring it with me to Amsterdam next trip. In the end Canada is richer by two Ardbegs, a Caol Ila, a Port Ellen, and the 7 yo Macallan. And right now my liver is
getting a well deserved week off! Davin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #8: This & That Johannes wrote about large increases in prices in his latest report. I have
noticed no difference in prices here in Canada, but it may take time to trickle down through the government bureaucracy. Most prices were jacked up for Christmas, then dropped 3 to 5 dollars in Feb or March. There is only one
retailer in Ontario and one in Quebec, though each has hundreds of outlets. The prices are published and remain very stable for at least 3 months at a time. Every malt is equally available all the time, as you can have
any malt transfered to your local store in about 3 days. The selection is limited to about 50 of the most common commercial malts and new additions are rare. One or two special malts are released every couple of months or
so but these tend to sell out very quickly. For example when they brought in Laphroaig 15 it was all gone in under 3 hours. Te Bheag lasted about 5 days before all supplies were exhausted. When I selected my favourite
commercial malts, I had to leave out my real favourites as they are not available here. I listed Quebec and Ontario prices, so no retailer can cry favouritism, though around here, they wouldn't even notice. On a happier note, though, I think I have found a contact who can get the new Ardbeg 10 yo into Canada legally, and LCBO is releasing a Gordon & MacPhail Ardbeg in September.
I tried the Glen Scotia 14 yo when I was in London and yes, I did enjoy it. All the best, Davin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #9: Rating Single Malts This July 2000 Malt Madness update began as a e-mail exchange with Richard Block, a student in Texas who is surviving his student days drinking 1,000+ day old blended Scotch. I've had my
share of blends and found that a perfectly vile blend can be rendered somewhat drinkable by the addition of a portion of Laphroaig 10. Richard and I got onto the subject of rating whiskies, and I have to say, I'm beginning to
wonder about the value of ratings. I use Michael Jackson's book to help me decide about new malts, but I know how to adjust his scores to my tastes, and he has a pretty comprehensive list. I know he grossly over-rates
the sherried whiskies, and grossly under-rates the Lowlanders and apιritif types. We're trying to develop a consistent scoring system for Malt Madness, but tasting is so personal I wonder if we will ever do it. I also have to
ask, why do we rate whisky? We can remember anything that's truly memorable, so the reason to score whiskies must be to help others decide if they should buy an unknown bottle or not. If this is the case, since taste is
so subjective, probably a scale of 0 to 10 is all we really need. I like the way Whisky Magazine rates the whiskies on a 1 to 10 scale (with quarter points allowed so it is really a 40 point scale). It's interesting that the same
whisky will occasionally be rated differently by the same taster in different contexts. I guess this shows they're being honest, and I was delighted to see them publish the details of a tasting where the illustrious Michael
Jackson mistook the blended Famous Grouse for Macallan and Macallan 10 for Bruichladdich. Jackson attributed his error to the fact that there is a lot of Macallan in Famous Grouse. "Not so" says Craig. Tamdhu and some Highlanders
with a touch of Macallan as top dressing. But the rumours of Macallan in FG have started and I'll bet a lot of posers will be tasting it there "spontaneously." Richard scores his whiskies on a scale of 0 to 100. "As
you know, I'm not down on blends," he says, "so I rate 'em as I see 'em. Most of the crappy ones rate 5 - 15, some of the better ones ... 30 - 60, the really good ones in the 70's to low 80s, the best in the
90s and Royal Salute 21 --- 96!!!" I too would like to have the subtlety of nose to be able to use the whole 100 points, but in the mean time I have to say it's pretty rare for me to award the same score to a whisky at
different tastings. Overall, though, the distribution is pretty consistent. (Comment by Johannes:
For me, 'ratings' are a helpful way to quantify a nosing and tasting experience, making it easier to give a certain malt its rightful place in the cosmic order of things. I think we can all agree that preferences in the field of taste and smell are personal (and cultural) by definition. I don't care too much for cooked carrots or spinage, but there seem to be people out there who like it.
Without realising it, I have become part of a whisky tasting group here in Ottawa. We don't have a name and we don't rank the whiskies we drink. Mainly John, Al, Richard and I get
together for camaraderie and to enjoy a few malts, usually at the Barley Mow. The most recent evening was memorable mostly for the sullen waitress, and her inability to understand the need for nosing-type glasses. We
tried, among others, Benrinnes (very spicy), Longmorn (mmm... , sweet and peaty) and Benriach (OK), then finished off with several Lagavulins, which Richard had ordered on arriving, then left untouched in order to save our palates
for the more delicate others. Next event is August 11 when we will retire to a local park with bottles and bags to spend a day playing wino. When we achieve face-down drunkenness, our wives will pick us up and drag us
home. Richard (Block) thinks I'm too old for this tomfoolery. Then he reconsiders "Oh wait a sec... you're never too old for a dram of Lagavulin!!!!" I'll let him know around the middle of August. I waded into
the "self-styled connoisseur" controversy by dropping a line to Bowmore's Derek Gilchrist asking him how I could become enough of a connoisseur to enjoy their malts. I had an immediate reply from one of his colleagues saying
he was on vacation but would reply on return. Perhaps if he was ready for vacation his scathing attack on Internet malt groups was just a symptom of burn-out. For those who don't read it until 3 years from now, this issue has
been well covered on all the malt discussion groups and should be in their archives. Essentially, in a response to a query regarding unpleasant flavours in some Bowmores (and I have to admit, I can't taste them) Mr. Gilchrist said
that many of the self-styled connoisseurs on the Internet don't know what they're talking about (this, by the way, is true), and that there were no problems with Bowmore products. He went on to say that Bowmore will take legal
action against websites that post negative comments about Bowmore products. My comment that if his nose was as snotty as his attitude, it's no wonder he needs a chromatograph to identify his Bowmores, elicited zero comments when
posted to the MALTS-L group. (Comment by Johannes: Legal action? What a load of bollocks! I don't consider myself an 'expert', but I know what I like and I know what I don't like. I happen to be rather fond of older Bowmores, but if I find a disappointment like the uninspired 'Surf' version I'll make sure to air my opinions about it. Sue me!) This may be a symptom of the burgeoning number of discussion groups. Anyhoo, I'm taking the month of August off. Will do some camping with my son and malt buying in Cape Cod and Vermont. Also expect to do a lot of tasting
getting the palate ready for the fall and the beginning of the new drinking season. May slip in a few Belgian beers, another vice introduced to me by Johannes! All for now, Davin
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Hi Johannes and all, Well here is my latest prE-pistle. It's a head to head tasting between the old Glenfiddich "Pure
Malt" and the new Glenfiddich 12 year old "Single Malt." I honestly espected this was little more than a labelling change so was surprised to detect some distinct differences. Primarily the 12 year old is still
the same old bland Glenfiddich, but with a little more body, a bit more flavour, and a drier nose. This head to head was conducted in two stages. First, the undiluted 40% abv malts, then after lunch and a break, the
diluted versions. I was careful to keep the dilutions the same. Glenfiddich no age statement Glenfiddich 12 year old 'Til next time, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
prE-pistle #11: Bowmore Darkest - The Confusing Malt As others have noted, Bowmore released a new malt, called Darkest, in mid-1997. By mid-2000 it had made it to these colonial shores where it was stirring up
a bit of a controversy. While others were detecting unexpected and unwelcome flavours, I found the freshly-opened whisky quite appealing, then noticed rapid deterioration and changes as the bottle aged. Patrick had the
same experience, while the bottle Louis was working on was quite stable. I've dubbed Bowmore Darkest the 'Confusing Malt' for it seems to lack consistency among bottles and, for Patrick and I, changes from one dram to the
next. Craig reported elsewhere the darker coloured and more intense earlier bottlings he had tasted were superior to a recent version. Then a correspondent from Germany, where all contents must be listed on the label, noted
that colour was not a good indicator of anything, since the German labels show caramel colouring as one of the ingredients in Darkest. My Darkest usually begins with the trademark Bowmore, dusty, antiseptic, peat-smoke
nose. It's a sherried malt and sweet, but I can't detect sherry in the nose, though I do get a fleeting whiff of cordite. It's sweet and slightly soapy on the tongue, developing more in the front of the
mouth. The middle, often becomes fruity, and more recently there has been an overpowering fruity bath soap. This soap becomes much more dominant as the flavour moves to the back of the throat. A few drops of water
sweeten up the nose and add a touch of berries. Initially water ruins the palate though, as the soap and a hint of metal move to the fore. The smoke returns in the middle as the soap now begins to dissipate. It's
warm and marginally spicy on the tongue. The warmth but not the spice continues into the throat followed by a smoky, fading finish. The empty glass has a wonderful, strong, smoky, medicinal aroma with just a hint of
sweet malt. I said I'd not buy another bottle because of all the disappointing drams I've had from this one, but since individual bottles seem to perform differently, I think I'll pick up a mini or two if I can find any. Perhaps
leave one half-full for a couple of months then do a head-to-head with a freshly opened one. (As an aside, I like comparing minis with the full-sized bottle as you can be pretty sure of getting different batches. I've
found some great differences in some instances.) Sweet and Sherried Malt Tasting Preparing for the matrix lead to a number of re-tastings, one of the most enjoyable being a four-day comparison of sweet and sherried malts.
Balvenie 10yo 43% abv (81) Balvenie 12yo Doublewood 43% abv (82) Balvenie 15yo Single Barrel
50.4% abv (85) Balvenie 21yo Port Wood 40% abv (84) Glendronach 12yo (sherried) 43% abv (80) Glendronach 15yo 40% abv (76) Macallan 12yo 43% abv (81) Macallan 15yo (82) Macallan 18yo
(85) Canadian Whiskies With the introduction of a few boutique brands, Canadian whiskies have begun to find their way into the
glasses of more and more connoisseurs. The first wave featured Gooderham and Worts, a traditional rye whisky, and Lot 40 which is a personal favourite pot-still rye. A newer entry is a pair from Kittling Ridge, a Niagara
winery, which has introduced "Barrel Select" and "Three Grains" rye whiskies, both of which are excellent. My ventures into Canadian whisky have brought me into contact with Montreal connoisseur Marty Brunet and we recently spent
a pleasant afternoon in Montreal visiting SAQ liquor stores (Societee d'Alcools de Quebec). Marty also took me to a little stemware shop called Vinum Design at 1400 Rue City Councillors, where I purchased four more of
the Glenmorangie-style tasting glasses. They had a good selection of single malt glasses including some in crystal, and an excellent range of prices. Vinum also had an interesting wine tasting game with bottled
scents for players to identify. It was tempting, but so close to Christmas I dare not buy anything for myself. We finished the afternoon off at L'Ile Noire Whisky Pub on Ontario Street, where I tried the Rare Malts
Clynelish 21yo 58.9% abv cask strength. Marty said some taste mustard in it, but I found none. It was spicy, but surprisingly smooth. The alcohol was way in the background. Uncharacteristic for a cask
strength whisky. No tasting notes, the company was too engaging, but it's a definite must to try again. Historic Canadian Single Malts When one thinks of single malts, one thinks of Scotland, but for more than a century they have been produced, albeit not as
well, outside Scotland also. France's Armorik (http://www.whisky-breton.com/warenghem.htm) is a Breton single not heard of often, and Lammerlaw was produced in New Zealand. Canada also has produced its own share of singles over the years. Early Canadian
single malts available until the time of Prohibition included brands called Old Perth; Old Perth Malt Whisky (from different distilleries); Mountain Dew; VVO Canadian Scotch Whisky and Seagrams Pure Malt Whisky. Probably the
most interesting name for a Canadian single was Ogopogo, produced until the 1980's by British Columbia's Okanagan Distillery. Ogopogo took its name from a Loch Ness-like sea monster that is still sighted once or twice a year
in the long narrow Lake Okanagan. It's winter in the north - downtime for some distilleries and slow time for the rest. But for us, The Malt Mad, it's the peak of the season. Davin
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prE-pistle #12: New Years Resolutions New Years resolutions, you know those promises you make on January 1 and forget by
about the fifteenth. Well this year my resolution was to taste a new malt every week. To add some incentive I issued a challenge to the Malt Madness team to join me. I figure if Michael Jackson can taste 500 malts
in a year, we can taste at least 52 that are new to us. To qualify the malt must be new to the taster, some kind of tasting notes must be made, and a provisional score (subject to future validation and adjustment) must be
assigned. I won't say who took up the challenge, but there are several of us in on it now. For January my new malts are Strathisla 1985 from Gordon and MacPhail; Arran nas; Milroys Talisker 1988 8yo, Littlemill nas; and
Lochindaal 10yo. Strathisla 1985, Gordon and MacPhail 40% - Provisional score: 80
Arran nas, distillery bottling, 43% - Provisional score: 75 Talisker 1988, 8yo, from Milroys, 45% - Provisional Score: 91 Littlemill nas Distillery Bottling, 40% - Provisional Score: 82 Lochindaal 10yo 43% - Provisional Score: 73 That's one month down, eleven to go. Coming in February two
Connoisseurs Choice Ardbegs, the 1975 and 1978, and two others yet undecided. Davin
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prE-pistle #13 - February & March Malt Update Beginning with this update, I am using a proper nosing glass, purchased as
Cadenheads for nosing my malts, and a proper tasting glass for, well, you know what for. Most of these malts have been tasted 3 times, usually on consecutive evenings. I'm hoping in weeks to come to do some head to
heads and tasting panels with my new malts, but for now the punishing grind of the 52 Challenge is unrelenting. Ardbeg 1975 Connoisseurs Choice - 40% - Provisional Score: 88 Ardbeg 1978 Connoisseurs Choice
- 40% - Provisional Score: 84 Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15yo - 40% - Provisional Score: 73 Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve 18yo - 40% - Provisional score: 71 Glenallachie 1991 Sherry /Cask, Signatory - 43% abv. Caol Ila 15 yo Flora and Fauna - 43% abv Bowmore 21 yo 43% abv - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #14 - Yes, I still drink whisky Hi fellow Malt Mad, This is a crazy travel year for me, and I still have major mouse arm, hence my recent silence. Many more malts tasted including some odd ones. Ankara from Turkey
(not too bad and at $6.50 a major bargain), Clontarf from Ireland (this comes in a strange package that includes 3 different whiskies in stacked bottles made to look like they are in one bottle. The single malt is only ok,
the gold blend is crap but the black label blend is not so bad if you like rye whisky.), and Aleksjandr a single rye from Latvia that tastes like nothing more than Drambuie with a licorice cigar in it. New malts include Royal
Lochnagar (liked it), Imperial (ok) and a host of others. I hope to get a decent update, prepared before I'm off again in September. Davin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #15 - Yes, I still drink whisky (Part II) To help keep track, with this update I've started numbering my new malts as I pass the half way mark in the 52 Challenge. 13. Clynelish 1991 10 yo Signatory (bourbon barrel).
43.0% abv. 14. Rosebank 1990 10 yo Signatory. 43.0% abv. 15. Glen Grant nas. 40.0% abv. 16. Tomintoul Glenlivet 12 yo.
43.0% abv. 17. Royal Lochnagar 12 yo. 40% abv.
18. Old Pulteney 12 yo. 40.0% abv. 19. Glen Garioch 8 yo. 40.0% abv.
20. Imperial 1979 G&M. 40.0% abv. 21. Linkwood 15 yo G&M. 40.0% abv. 22. Mortlach 10 yo Scottish Wildlife. 43.0% abv. 23. Speyburn 10 yo. 40.0% abv. XX. Springbank 10 yo. 46% abv. And now on to Odd-Ball Whiskies I Have Known. Since the 52 Challenge is really a (very pleasant) training exercise I thought I would venture into some odd-ball whiskies from strange places that may or
may not be trying to be Scotland. Picked up some rather oddball notes. My favourite was Sullivans Cove (no apostrophes in Tasmania?) and the hands down loser was Viskijs Alexsandrs, a liqueur-like dram that the liquorist put
considerable effort into telling me not to buy. She was right. 24. Latvijas Viskijs Alexsandrs. 40.0% abv. 25. Clontarf Single Malt Irish Whiskey. 40.0% abv. 26. Glen Breton Rare Canadian Malt Whisky. 40.0% abv.
27. Redbreast 12 yo Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey. 40% abv. 28. Ankara Malt Viski 5 yo. 43% abv. 29. Tasmania's Old Hobart Pure single malt. (NAS.) 40% abv. 30. Sullivans Cove Australian Premium Single Malt Whisky nas
. 40% abv. That's it for now. Coming next update? Davin
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #16 - My scoring System It's been a difficult struggle coming up with a meaningful scoring system. Well, thanks to prodding from Johannes, discussions with the MM Team, and some common sense comments from
Richard Block, my reservations are now reconciled with the need to communicate simply. A personal scale of 50 to 100 for scoring malts is the result. The basic criterion is enjoyability. Does this malt give me
extraordinary pleasure? If yes, higher marks, if no, lower ones. Thus an interesting malt like Glendronach 12yo, which many would score lower gets a decent 80 points from me as it offers something pleasant I've not
tasted elsewhere. Glenfiddich Special Reserve, on the other hand, is rather mediocre on my palate and so comes in at 63. In establishing scores, complexity is a desirable feature if one wants to contemplate a malt, but
enjoyment need not come from contemplation alone. It's the initial blast of smoke on a cold winter's night that makes Ardbeg 10 or Laphroaig 10 so enjoyable, but for Ardbeg 17yo or Laphroaig 15, the subtle, slowly emerging
complexities bring new enjoyment through intrigue, development and anticipation. So, complexity contributes to enjoyment, but is neither necessary nor sufficient to garner a high rating. I've noticed my tendency to rate the
sherried malts a bit lower than some others do, and the smoky Islays a bit higher. Check out the other correspondents' opinions before you take mine for gospel. Then taste a few whiskies and compare your own impressions
to ours. Are your tastes more like Craig's or Patrick's? One thing I am confident about is that the combined matrix scores are a whole lot more predictive than those of any single whisky writer. In validating my
scores, I set out all my rated whiskies on a spread sheet, then did a lot of re-tastings to make sure they all made sense in relation to each other. You will note that some of my earlier scores have changed. For
example I had previously rated Talisker 10yo at 90. Now it's at 95. I used to rate all my malts on a scale of 0 to 100. While preparing scores for the 50 to 100 matrix range I converted older scores by this simple
formula: old score divided by two then added to 50. My Talisker score may now be a tad high, as it is right up there with Ardbeg 17yo, my current favourite. Each malt has been tasted several times, though in many
cases from a single bottle. Lately I have taken to comparing minis (nips) with large bottles which has lead me to conclude that not all whiskies (Glenmorangie 10 for example) stay the same from one batch to the next. In
these cases I have given the benefit of the doubt, incorporating traits from each bottle. It's not perfect, and scores will no doubt change from time to time, but it's a start and with seven people's opinions to choose from I
hope this matrix will help new maltsters in making early selections, and more experienced ones in seeking out new experiences. Davin
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #17 - 52 Challenge Complete!! Well, it's December 29, 2001 and my 52 Challenge is complete. Thanks to all the Malt Madness team, and to various correspondents who encouraged me and helped me to say I DID IT!!!
That's right, during 2001, I tasted, wrote notes for, and gave at least a nominal score to an average of one previously untasted malt per week. Some of the malts I've tried have been uncommon, even esoteric. Others have
been so commonly available you must wonder why I hadn't tried them already. Well, my local liquorist is the government, and 'though they are making huge improvements, the selection here in Ontario is still rather small.
Anyway here's the latest: 31. Glen Breton Rare (2001 release) nas 43% abv ODB Anyway, back to Glen Breton. 32.
Hart Brothers Single Speyside Malt, 10 yo 43% abv, distilled 1990. 33. Mortlach, James MacArthur's 10 yo 43% abv. Distilled 1984. 34.
Mortlach 12 yo 1988 Signatory 43% abv natural colour 35. Springbank 21 yo 46% abv 36. The Glenlivet 15 yo 40% abv G&M 37. The Glenlivet 18 yo 43% abv ODB 38. An Cnoc 12 yo 40% abv ODB 39. Aberlour a'bunadh Batch No 6 - 59.9% abv ODB 40.
Auchentoshen Three Wood 43% abv ODB sherry finished 41. Glen Deveron 12 yo 43% abv ODB |