Whisky or Nothin at all...

I learned a valuable drinking lesson the other night.  Currently, I am on the road in New Zealand situated in New Zealand's sunshine capital.  The city of  Nelson is a bay town resting on the Northern coast of New Zealand's South Island.  The region is known more for its beers and wineries but imported scotch whisky can  be found in most local bars/liquor outlets.

The climate here is warm and perhaps because of this many of the drinks downtown tend to be on the sweeter side. Cider is more popular than beer and chalk board drink specials exist without shots of Tequila or Rum and Coke.   Beware drink names that sound like Arnold Swartzenegger films 'Grenade',Tropical Bliss, Punchy' are to be avoided no matter how alluring the price is.  Unfortunately, I learned my lesson the hard way.  I slurpped down my 'No Prinsoner'  thingy with melancholy, longing for the hard smoky taste of a Laguvilin or the brisk caress of my beloved Oban.

I sat at the bar feeling a little dissatisfied with my self and I am now convinced that when drinking alcoholic beverages you should always do so with palate NOT wallet in mind.  I just don't understand drinking things that are colored like flowers, rainbows, and bubblegum.  The drinks I prefer and continue to appreciate are not meant to be hidden behind 'cherry liqueur, this' or 'syrup flavored, that.'    Appreciate the scientific end product of a good beer, wine or wiskey straight up as it was meant to be consumed.  Do not dilute, infuse, or corrupt your beverage as a marketing ploy. As a whisky loving, French friend of mine has said: "Whisky or nothing at all..." She is absolutely correct my friends.

Palates Welcome

ZA/CH

An Old Friend with a Big Nose

The Bowmore 12

From: Scotland, Islay

Age: 12 Years

Cost: $50

40% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 7/10

When accustomed to frequent galavanting and public displays of disorder, one grows lonesome in their absence. One nostalgically recons back to times as a troubadour and attempts to recreate those storied memoirs with much frivolity. That is when I reach for my scotch glass.

The Bowmore 12 year is a comfort to the senses, most specifically the nostrils. Its amber, Islay flavor is pleasant and roomy on the tongue yes, but, for me, it is the smell that is intoxicating. Inhaling the fumes of sweet nectar, I am flung back in time to a nostalgic place of adolescent euphoria. A place safe and warm and tender in my mind. They say scotch drinking if a very olfactory experience. The bouquet of floral aromas from the Bowmore 12 clearly showcases the importance of the nose.

Now a days, without my illustrious partners-in-crime to compare notes with, I take to amusing myself with new friends. Men of class and style, known for always speaking truth even in lies. They are prolific scotchohiles and misogynists. They are the Mad Men:

"...You don't know how to drink. Your whole generation, you drink for the wrong reasons. My generation we drink because it's good. Because it feels better than unbuttoning your collar. Because we deserve it. We drink because it's what men do."

Now sit back, pour yourself a glass of Bowmore 12 year, and remember the good ol' boys who are still trying to run amok, like you, avast in this wild, wild world.

And, as always...

Palates Welcome,

CH/AZ

The Candaian

Glenora: Glen Breton Rare

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

From: Glenvile, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada

Age: 15 Years

Cost: ~$100

46% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 9/10

Let me paint you a picture: it's a sunny day in the month of May. The birds are whistling their tunes of contentment, the clouds drift lazily along. A warm summer breeze brushes through your hair. You are sitting in your favorite Adirondack chair after a long day on the trail. You have that feeling of utter contentment that only these type of days bring. You are on top. The steady, thankful ache of muscles makes you feel strong. In away, It is the sharp mix of pleasure in pain. You feel like smooth, gently melted butter.

That is the feeling I want to impart to those who thirst for this 'Canadian Single-malt Whisky'.

Un pettit histoire: Glenora is the only single-malt distillery in North America. Located on Cape Breton Island in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, this unique distillery has a lot to offer. Founded twenty some-odd years ago at this specific location, Glenora is idyllic. In the shelter of a terrain reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands, Glenora uses heavenly pure mountain spring water to enhance its beverage.

The texture of Glenora is of silk caressing your tongue, accentuated by a rising, but pleasant heat. With a taste that fills your mouth, the single-malt whisky courses through your entire body with a smooth tingly feeling. At the finish, you feel elevated, aware.

Being the first distillery 'onemalt' has reviewed from a personal tour, the bias, at least from this writers taste buds, is slanted. Until further review can be made take this analysis with a grain of salt and a sifter of scotch.

Peace, Love and Prosperity

--CH/AZ

Quinceañera and the Epiphany. The Dalwinnie vs The Glenlivet

The Glenlivet 15                                     vs.                  The Dalwinnie 15

French Oak Reserve                                                     From: Grampains Mountains,
From: Banffshire, Scotland                                            Highland Scotland

Age: 15 Years                                                             Age: 15

Cost: ~$50                                                                  Cost: ~50-55

40% Alc./Vol                                                               43% Alc/Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 6/10                                                   'onemalt' Rating 8/10

The Glenlivet 15 is the vain older brother of the Glenlivet 12.  The 15 is a good scotch but it feels a little over done.  While it is smooth and delicate, (aged in a Limousine French Oak) it only has one dimension, there is no subtlety's, there are no tricks.  It leads one to believe that older does not always mean better. I am sure that the ageing process has a lot to do with fancy chemical interactions between different ingredients in the barrel, but until I become a 'bona-fied scotch snob' (a BFSS)  I will simply say, that a good scotch needs balance and it does not always come simply by waiting an extra three years.

Comparing the two. These two 15 year olds were our first exploration beyond our 'modest'  12 year mark (except for the 14 year old Oban, yet to reviewed).  Mainly it was our first time buying something a little more expensive.  This splurge offered some keen perspective into what really goes into a good scotch and how to really appreciate a complex taste relative to its age.  We bought the Glenlivet before we were given the Dalwinnie by our good friend George, and our expectations were high.
My Scotch epiphany did not really sink in until after we had tasted the Dalwinnie.  I personally, was blown away by the contrasts in quality, character, and complexity that the Dalwinnie had compared to the Glelivet 15.  Please, read on......

The Dalwinnie 15.
A gusto of wind sails this malt aroma around the senses finishing with a kick-butt blast of flavor.  This Dalwinnie has a very interesting experience from start to finish.  All stages of this drink are different.  The smell (ahhh) is light, refreshingly light, but then slowly the scotch dabs your tongue  with  a sweet, almost oily smooth taste.  It gallops from a fresh spring breaze into a dynamic-full of classic Highland smoky taste.  A taste that defines the Dalwinnie.

The taste really comes to a full pheonix after the liquid is gone.  Your mouth balloons with a crisp bite that leaves one eyebrow a-cocked glancing back down at the bottle.  You ponder to yourself, "This does not taste like it looks" "there must be a secret ingredient?"  After my first drink I grabbed the bottle curiously looking for an explanation of the flavor spectrum that just 'Vrmooomed' through my mouth.

The Dalwinnie is smoky, a characteristic of most Highlands scotches. This is one of six other malts considered a 'classic.'  I don't know how it got this distinction but it is on the package label.  I also know that the Glenlivet 15 is not on this list.  I am curious to examine the other six classics with my new perspective on age as it pertains to taste.  This tasting has shown me how artful a good scotch can be, subtle yet complex, light, but powerful, similar ages can yield different qualities.  I am hooked.  Well on my way to becoming a BFSS!

Please tell us what you think of the Dalwinnie and Glenlivet (15's), leave a comment.

Palates Welcome

ZA/CH

Perfected by the Sixteen Men of Tain

Glenmorangie: The Quinta Ruban

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

From: Coy Tain, Ross-Shire in Scotland

Age: 12 Years

Cost: ~$50

46% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 7/10

It is 4:15 on a Monday. The sun is shining, the streets are flooded with snow melt, and I am blasting the Dub Step. Why? Because its time to get back to SCOTCH BLOGGING!

A little background: Tain was a town granted its charter in 1066. Seven hundred and seventy-seven years later a group 16 legendary men decided to create a single malt scotch. Descended from William Wallace himself, they had been suckled by wolves and trained by Chuck Noris (yes, Chuck Noris can time travel) to prevent the end of the world in 2012. These 16 men instead founded the Glenmorangie distillery in Tain and perfected the Quinta Ruban for our tasting pleasures today.

The Quinta Ruban (also meaning red wine estates of Portugal) refers to the port casks used to finish this sharply sweet tasting liquid. This is another scotch that is non chill-filtered, like the Ardbeg, so it has a higher alcohol content.

The taste is aggressive but velvety, coating your mouth as honey does a beehive. The port casks really give it a nice sweet smoky flavor. However, I have to say it gives off a strong acrid back-draft similar to the Ardbeg, which makes me think that this is due to its non chill-filtered nature.

I will leave you now with a poem

In haunted highland hills abounding

There is no greater sound resounding

Then the call of the Clansmen slain

Leading to the statement confounding

But brighter frontiers for the Scotts remain

Perfected by the sixteen men of Tain

Palates Welcome.

CH/AZ

A Double Barrel Sweetheart

The Balvenie DoubleWood

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

From: Dufftown, Banffshire in Scotland

Age: 12 Years

Cost: ~$50-$60

43% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 8/10

The Balvenie DoubleWood is a tender lover. Smooth and sweet with bold, deep flavors. She is a vivacious vixen with sightly curves and an easy laugh: Come in and stay a while. Warm yourself by the fire.

This scotch gets its name from the use of two casks in the maturation process. First, the classic Whisky Oak Cask 'imparts gentle, warming layers'. Second, the Sherry Oak Cask gives the DoubleWood a sweet, fruity flavor. Many years of maturation is done in the first cask while only a couple of months are spent in the second. When all is said and done, this 12 year old beaut is something worth savoring.

The experience of the drink is quite enjoyable. The Sherry Cask gives the DoubleWood a subtle sweet, fruity beginning, setting the tone for a smooth flow. The middle has a sultry, sensual bite that is sharp and complex in character. As advertised, the DoubleWood has a smooth rounded finish that is very satisfying on the tongue. This is a sweeter scotch but is by no means overpoweringly sweet.

This is 'onemalts' first exploration into two cask territory and I think the style deserves to be revisited.

Tomorrow is pay day and as we know, pay day is scotch day. Palates Welcome.

CH/AZ

Ole Reliable. Who Does it Right for 187 Years?

The Glenlivet 

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

From: Banffshire, Scotland

Age: 12 Years

Cost: ~$50-$60

40% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 8/10


If my boots were made for walkin', The Glenlivet was made for drinkin'  This 12 Year old beauty has been a long time staple of the single malt world.  This stuff is smooth ladies and gentleman from the second it touches your tongue til' the pour of another glass.  My (whiskey jar) seemed to fill itself after my first gulp.   The aromatic almost refreshing after taste had me coming back for more.  "This stuff taste like sweet velvet" I said to myself.  The golden brown liquid has a complex taste, but it is subtly smooth, leaving a very full and satisfied feeling in the mouth.  


I will definitely revisit this scotch again. With a large variety of ages and availability hopefully I won't have to wait long. A reasonable price for the quality of the malt beverage makes 'The Glenlivet' a great gift for that classy someone.  Special thanks to Lee Ann for introducing me to 'The Glenlivet 12'.


Palates Welcome,


ZA/CH

The Royal with Cheese

Cragganmore

Single Speyside Malt

From: Ballindalloch, Banffshire in Scotland

Age: 12 Years

Cost: ~$50-$60

40% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 7.5/10

The Cragganmore scotch is one of the more bad ass scotches that we at onemalt have tried. To borrow some words from the bombastic and prolific co-author of this blog, the Cragganmore "makes me feel like I'm driving a Cadillac convertible on my way to pick up Uma Thurman in a Quintin Tarantino movie."

This scotch is strong and rugged and will put hairs on your chest. It's macho bite is immediately noticeable. However, it smooths out relatively quickly and leaves you with that feeling of calm but powerful purpose expressed so well by the great John Trivolta. The Cragganmore is one scotch which will make you want to get up on the dance floor and boogie. Remember to thank the distillers after you get down and disco with the beautiful Mia Wallace. The Cragganmore's smooth after taste will tingle on your tongue 'til the break of dawn.

This Royal comes fully loaded with cheese and does not apologize for it. So light up that stogy and fill up the glass. Your night just got a little more class.

Palates Welcome.

CH/AZ

What does a Scotman's Scotch taste like? "The Ultimate".. so they say.

Ardbeg "The Ultimate" Islay Single Malt  

From: Islay, an Island off of South West Scotland

Age: 10 years

Cost: ~$40 - 50.00

46% Alc./Vol. - stronger than most

'onemalt' Rating: 6/10

The Scot's and particularly the Scot's of Islay, regard Ardbeg as the "best whisky in the world."  Most whiskies, are chill-filtered (not yet sure what that means) and have an Alc/Vol at 40% maybe 43% BUT, 'The Ardbeg' is non chill-filtered giving it a stronger than average Alc/Vol percentage of 46, and bit of a bite!  The people of Islay say this makes for a stronger whisky with a more complex character.  I say, that stronger does not always equate to better!

Tasting characteristics are; sharp, unique in flavor, rough at finish.   This whiskey is a quick swig and would go well with a brisk ocean breeze - as I am sure the salty people of Islay are well accustomed.  It starts with a flash of flavor but it hits like a ship, going down the hatch.  This is a scotch appropriate for a flask, and I am pleased that Colin and I did just the thing as we carried it up Mt. Killington during the first snowfall, early last October. For a warm belly on a cold day I'd recommend the Ardbeg but keep it away from those who like smoother sea's.  Overall rating 6/10.  Palates Welcome.

ZA/CH

An Everyday Scotch...

Stats:

McClelland's Highland Scotch

Distilled in Glasgow

Age: ~5 years

Cost: ~$25

40% Alc./Vol.

Rating: 5/10

You know how your mother has her special bottle of red for wine and cheese parties? Then she has her "everyday" bottles of wine to take the edge off on week nights. The McClelland's Highland scotch is just that.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Highland's sharp taste. It has the color, the sting, and the warming touch of heart-burn. Maybe a bit too much heart-burn. The characteristics of a good scotch are there, but it doesn't have the rich flavors of better single malts. There is something manufactured, artificial about the smoky Highland taste...

The most appealing part of Scotland's most mass produced brand is its price. If you went broke spending your money on $50 and $60 bottles of scotch, you could still afford McClelland's Highland Scotch to curb your addiction. At $22 (before tax) it has to be the cheapest bottle out there... by far.

As payday approaches I look forward to a better bottle of scotch. Come next week, it's back to McClelland's I suppose... Such is the life of a poor Americorps wage worker with expensive hobbies.

Palates Welcome

-CH/AZ

Introduction to onemalt scotch blog.

Welcome to 'onemalt' Scotch Blog.  Based out of Burlington, Vermont this is a commentary on two scotch drinkers discoveries of the refined world of single malt scotch drinking. The single malts are preferred, discriminating to the top of the shelf on a working mans budget.  However we are open to persuasion on both ends of the price spectrum.   As long as our pay checks permit is, we are tasting one new bottle every two weeks.  Follow our scotch commentary on 'onemalt' scotch blog as our palate's expand and refine.

Our Scotch exploration has just begun, we started with Single Malts and have tried 6 different brands to date.  Here is a list of we have in our cabinet:

Ardbeg. 10 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky.  $40-60 range.
Cragganmore.  12 Years Old. Single Speyside Malt. $50 - 60 range.
The Glenlivet. 12 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky. $50 - 60 range.
The Balvenie, DoubleWood. 12 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky. $50- 60 range.
McClelland's Highland.  5 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky.  $20 - 25 range.
Oban. 14 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky. $60 - 70 range.

Keep following for recommendations or to recommend.  Palates Welcome.

ZA/CH