The Cask Whisperer Bruichladdich Amarone Cask Whisky Review!

Another private cask from Bruichladdich Distillery? Sure, why not! This one is a little different, though...

Like my previous review of the Octomore Farm 9-year old Octomore, this is a private cask bottling that was distilled at Bruichladdich. But while that Octomore came from James Brown's private stash, this one is a little different. This private cask belonged to "The Cask Whisperer", which was a nickname for the legendary Jim McEwan after he picked up a reputation for talking to maturing casks of whisky on a regular basis. Whisky warehouses can be cold, dank, almost spooky places, so I don't think we can blame him for a little anthropomorphism (there's your word of the day) during those long days on the shores of Loch Indaal. For those who aren't aware, Jim has worked in the whisky industry for over 55 years, and was a vital part of the team that resurrected Bruichladdich Distillery back in 2001. He officially left Bruichladdich in 2015 after the distillery's sale to Remy Cointreau, and technically retired, although he's since been heavily involved in the creation of Islay's latest addition and ninth operating distillery, Ardnahoe, and a few other consultancy roles since - including a gin distillery here in Australia. We should all be thankful that he hasn't disappeared altogether, and it's no surprise either, he still lives next door to the distillery!

It would seem that he had quite the stash of private casks slumbering away in those cold, dank warehouses on Islay, and the first release of "The Cask Whisperer" featured six single cask bottlings: two Bruichladdichs, two heavily peated Port Charlottes, and two super-heavily peated Octomores. As you might have guessed, wine & sherry casks feature heavily in these six bottlings, but none were merely finished in said casks, they were all fully matured, and all were first-fill casks, meaning they last held their previous contents and haven't previously been used for whisky maturation. And of course all were bottled at cask strength and without chill filtration or added colouring. I couldn't tell you why, but they were bottled and distributed by a Swiss liquor merchant by the name of Reto, proprietor of the Whisky Newmarkt shop in Zurich. All six bottlings were released in April 2019, and as you might expect they're extremely difficult to get a hold of if you're located outside of Europe. There's a glaring difference in the label details from what we've come to expect from recent Bruichladdich official bottlings - the wine varieties, and in some cases the wine makers themselves, are named right there on the labels in plain language. No need for any confusing acronyms, subtle hints or vague descriptions here!

This particular Cask Whisperer bottling is a nine-year old unpeated Bruichladdich that was fully matured in an Amarone Italian wine cask. Amarone is a dry red wine produced in the Valpolicella region of Verona in Northern Italy, roughly halfway between Milan and Venice. The word Amarone actually translates to "the great bitter" (amaro meaning bitter), and the grapes are traditionally air-dried for around four months before crushing, and are dry fermented for up to 50 days - meaning there are no residual sugars left in the wine. They're typically aged for a minimum of five years and usually in French oak, so we can assume that to be the case here. This single cask was distilled in 2009 and yielded 349 bottles at a cask strength of 51.9% in 2019, and while it sells for around $180 AUD from the aforementioned shop in Switzerland, that obviously excludes international shipping and local customs charges. I was lucky enough to grab a sample of this whisky from an Australian whisky lover who was residing in Switzerland at the time these bottlings were released, and it's very safe to say that I would never have seen one otherwise! Let's see how it goes...

The Cask Whisperer Bruichladdich 9-year old, 51.9%. Islay, Scotland.
Jim McEwan's private cask, distilled 2009, fully matured in a single Amarone wine cask, bottled 2019. Non-chill filtered, natural colour, 349 bottles. Distributed by Whisky Neumarkt in Zurich.

Colour: Amber.

Nose: Interesting! A nice mix of mild 'laddie lactic sweetness & malty-ness and dry, sour wine and oak. Slightly yeasty, with musty & sour red grapes, a little tannin, and some dusty golden malt hiding behind it.

Texture: Medium weight, richly flavoured but dry overall. Very little heat.

Taste: Much less wine-forward here, with a nice toasty, malty sweetness, and a surprising touch of wood ash too - maybe due to cask charring? A bit of spice and wine tannin again as well, but they're subtle and quite pleasant - and I'm no wine lover by any means.

Finish: Medium length. Buttery & spicy oak, more light wine tannins. A little yeasty too, almost like a subtle Vegemite / yeast extract funky-ness that is very enjoyable. More musty red grapes and a bit of chilli flake spice to finish.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Notes: A tasty dram, of course! It does remind me of some of the older Bruichladdich bottlings that I've tasted, particularly the WMD II Yellow Submarine, but there's more character and more balance in this private single cask bottling. In fact this Cask Whisperer is very well balanced, despite being fully-matured in a first-fill wine cask, with both cask & distillery character showing through at different times. That shouldn't be a surprise of course, we all know that Jim McEwan was and still is a true master of his craft, and he wouldn't release a sub-standard cask with his name printed on the label. It's an honour to taste one of the legend's private casks, and it's a great move of his to sell them on. There have been plenty of private casks and independent bottlings of Bruichladdich over the years, but none of them came from the distillery's master distiller himself!

If memory serves this is only the second Amarone cask single malt that I've tasted, and the first was a cask-finished Arran, so there's no comparison really. Nonetheless this one is very enjoyable, and I'm not a red wine fan by any means, so it's been very well done. Bravo as usual Jim, and thanks for all of your hard work over the last 55+ years!

Cheers!

Belgrove 'Any Port In A Storm' Rye Whisky Review!

One of my all-time favourite Tasmanian whisky producers, who is responsible for my favourite non-malted barley whisky, in this case with a little help from my all-time favourite Tasmanian whisky producer, Heartwood. Exciting stuff!

Belgrove is a tiny Tasmanian farm distillery located just outside the town of Kempton, about 45 minute's drive north of Hobart. Situated in a small stone building on mad scientist / farmer proprietor Peter Bignell's family farm, Belgrove is easily one of the world's most sustainable distilleries, if not the most sustainable. From making his own bio-diesel for use both on the farm and at the distillery, and growing his own rye grain on said farm, to direct-firing his still with the used fryer oil from local food outlets, and using water from the farm's own dam or collected from the roofs of the distillery & farm buildings, with any subsequent waste water then recycled and put to use on the farm. Oh, and the spent grain is then fed to the farm's sheep after distillation, who provide fertiliser for the crops in return. Peter also made his own copper pot still, and re-coopers, toasts and chars his own casks, and is a keen sand- and ice-sculptor in his spare time. He has a degree in agricultural science, and has also studied physics, chemistry and microbiology. The term 'multi-talented' doesn't quite cover it, so "mad scientist" will have to do! I've covered the distillery in more detail here, following my inaugural visit to Belgrove back in 2016, and it is an experience that I cannot recommend highly enough. This is not a polished or rehearsed corporate visitor's experience, this is a no-frills working farm distillery that is absolutely unique, and you'll see, learn and taste - and be able to buy - things at Belgrove that you absolutely will not find anywhere else. Just make sure you email ahead to schedule your visit, as all tours are by appointment only.

While he does dabble in single malt whisky and a number of other spirits - from a white spirit distilled from ginger beer named Ginger Hammer, to experimental rye whiskies where the rye was smoked with sheep dung, or where the cask itself was smoked with peat rather than the grain, and many others - rye whisky is Peter's main focus. Although a couple of mainland distilleries have since followed suit, for quite some time Belgrove was producing Australia's only rye whisky, and this is still the only distillery in Australia to grow, malt (where applicable), mill, mash and ferment their own rye on site, which is also then distilled, matured and finally bottled on site. And as you can probably guess, nothing here is chill filtered or artificially coloured, or mucked with in any way. These whiskies and the other Belgrove spirits have the sustainability, terroir and "trace-ability" that larger distilleries can only dream of! While American rye whiskeys such as Rittenhouse and Michter's are only legally required to be made from at least 51% rye grain, with corn, wheat and/or barley making up the balance, Belgrove's rye whiskies are made from 100% rye, generally all malted in Peter's converted industrial tumble-dryer. Likewise American rye whiskeys are required to be matured in virgin oak casks, while Belgrove is almost unlimited in that regard. Each release is as unique, funky and quirky as the distillery itself - and the man behind it. I'm not a fan of bourbon or corn whiskey / whisky, generally finding it too sweet and too woody, while I find rye whiskey / whisky to be more up my alley thanks to the spicy and often earthy notes that the rye grain imparts, generally with less sweetness and less overt impact from virgin oak. Belgrove's rye whiskies have without doubt been some of the best that I've ever tasted, and are a big step apart from your typical American rye whiskey. And also from the other Australian rye whiskies, for that matter - to date, none of those have been made from 100% rye.

The majority of Peter's rye whiskies are aged in ex-malt whisky casks, from 50- to 200-litres in capacity, sourced from other Tasmanian distilleries such as Lark, Overeem, Old Kempton (formerly Redlands Estate) and Sullivan's Cove, among others. Others are matured in Australian wine casks, such as Pinot Noir or Shiraz. But this particular Belgrove rye whisky has been matured in something very special. Regular readers won't be surprised to hear that I'm a huge fan of Tasmania's Heartwood, one of Australia's few independent bottlers, and the cream of the crop in my opinion. I've visited the mad alchemist "Mr. H" a few times now (see here and here for more details), as well as reviewing nine of his whiskies so far with a tenth not far away - quite possibly more than any other whisky blog. This Belgrove rye whisky has been matured in an ex-Heartwood malt whisky cask, specifically the cask used for the 'Any Port in a Storm' blended malt (reviewed here) that was released back in 2015. That very tasty whisky was a mix of 95% 15-year old Sullivan's Cove and 5% 7-year old Lark single malt, and had been fully-matured in first-fill ex-port casks. So this is essentially a Belgrove rye whisky that has been matured in a second-fill port cask that previously held Tasmanian malt whisky, but the fact that the previous contents were a Heartwood whisky immediately put that cask on a different level. This is actually the second Belgrove rye whisky to be matured in an ex-Heartwood cask, with the first being bottled in mid-2018 which was matured in the sherry cask used to finish / marry Heartwood's "Release the Beast" that was bottled in 2014. This particular Belgrove, from the ex-Heartwood Any Port in a Storm cask, was bottled in November 2019, which puts it in the range of 3-4 years of age, at a cask strength of 62.7% ABV. At the time of writing it's surprisingly still available for purchase from Belgrove's website for $230 AUD, and also for $240 AUD from The Old Barrelhouse - the source of the picture below. The sample for this review came from a fellow whisky geek, and fellow Belgrove fan. Let's get to it!

Belgrove Rye Whisky, ex-Heartwood cask. NAS, 62.7%. Tasmania, Australia.
Distilled from 100% rye grain, grown on Belgrove's own farm. Matured in ex-Heartwood 'Any Port in a Storm' malt whisky cask for 3-4 years. Cask strength, non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Medium gold.

Nose: Minty, sweet and spicy. Dry rye spicy-ness, and some dank old stone buildings with packed earth floors. Some honey, sweet mint, and sweet stone fruit - apricots and nectarines in spiced honey. More dry spice and sweet fruit. There's a little alcohol nip, but it's a young whisky at nearly 63%, so that's to be expected.

Texture: Medium-heavy weight, rich & fatty. A slight heat, but not excessive for the strength.

Taste: More sweet stone fruit in honey, then a flash of mint before the dry rye spice comes through. Dry, lightly toasted rye bread with a few spices - ginger & all-spice - mixed in, and a little fresh chilli.

Finish: Long length. The raw chilli carries through, then the spices and toasted rye bread return, followed by that dank, earthy, dusty, old stone walled farm building - which is exactly where this whisky was matured. Some woody cologne, roasted nuts - peri peri peanuts, and honey behind the spicy rye grain.

Score: 4 out of 5.

Notes: Very good stuff. In more ways than one, Belgrove is Australia's Springbank. With those dank (dunnage warehouse) notes, the grain (rye) character, and the texture and character showing through nicely. This whisky takes you straight back to the distillery, that old, dirty stone building on the working farm in the middle of Tasmania. Right through to the smell of the farm, the rye mash, and the dusty old bond store (warehouse). Excellent stuff, and the unique and incredible story behind it just adds to the experience. This particular Belgrove is delicious. Yes, it's a little raw, but for a young whisky at nearly 63% it's full of depth and character that many significantly-older whiskies can't manage. I'd say the ex-Heartwood cask has added a bit of extra sweetness and stone fruit, but don't go looking for any overt port cask influence - which is no criticism by any means. It's allowed the character of the spirit itself to shine through, and all the better for it. Great stuff Peter!

The previous ex-Heartwood cask Belgrove rye (the ex-Release the Beast cask) had more overt cask influence and more complexity, and was a little less "raw", but that just makes for a different experience. You'd be hard-pressed to find any Australian whisky - rye or otherwise - that is this unique, and that shows this level of character.  And when you remember the who, where and how of its production, this is one absolutely unique Tasmanian whisky experience. If you haven't tried a Belgrove whisky before, and you don't mind a quirky, flavoursome and characterful dram, you need to track one down. And if you're heading to Tasmania any time soon, you'll need to setup a distillery visit. Just make sure you have some luggage space to spare!

Cheers!

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Whisky Review!

A reasonably priced 15-year old single malt from an often-overlooked Highland distillery - although it could also pass for Speyside geographically. My first time trying it too!

Dalwhinnie, pronounced "dell-winny" and derived from the Gaelic for "meeting place", has to be one of the prettiest malt distilleries in Scotland. But that's not really down to the buildings themselves, but to its location in the village of the same name. Dalwhinnie sits at the south-western end of the strikingly beautiful and very dramatic Cairngorms National Park and the Grampian mountains, just over an hour's drive south of Inverness. The scenery in the area is absolutely stunning, with massive mountain ranges, often sporting snow caps, waterfalls and very little intrusive human development. Apart from the A9, at least, which is the main highway from the Highlands to the South of Scotland, and also of course the distillery. Dalwhinnie Distillery is owned by Diageo and is one of their six "Classic Malts", with this 15-year old expression being the flagship bottling, joined by an Oloroso sherry-finished 'Distillers Edition' and the controversial 'Winter's Gold' expression - controversial because it's recommended to be served very chilled - "straight from the freezer, and in a chilled glass". Although that might be intended to bring the whisky down to the ambient temperatures at the distillery - it can be bitterly cold at almost any time of year, and is also three hundred metres above sea level. I haven't tasted that last one myself so I'll reserve judgement, but there are certainly a growing number of Scotch whiskies that are "designed" to be served chilled, and this was one of the first. That said, even the flagship 15-year old that we're looking at today is said to be "great when chilled". A good choice for the Australian summer, then? I won't be testing that out, though.

Dalwhinnie's main claim to fame is their worm tub condensers, a more traditional type of spirit condenser which results in a weighty and more sulphurous (meaty / vegetal) new make spirit, which sit directly in front of the distillery, basically in the car park. Thankfully they're elevated and shielded to protect them from rented campervans and confused tourists. Interestingly - and tellingly - in 1986 they actually removed the worm tubs and replaced them with modern shell & tube condensers, but the spirit was affected so dramatically that they switched back to worm tubs in 1995 - albeit with a slightly more modern design than the originals. Normally a distillery's condensers would be found inside or at the back of the still house, and certainly not visible from the main regional highway, but Dalwhinnie was built to face the now-defunct railway line and not said road, and the lyne arms coming from their single pair of pot stills actually run through the roof before connecting with the condensers. The distillery was founded in 1897 but was originally named Strathspey, then being re-named under new ownership only a year later. Just as well too, because aside from being the name of a small village on the south-western coast of Scotland, Strathspey is also a term often used to refer to the centre of the Speyside region and the upper part of the River Spey, which although technically in the same region is not particularly close to Dalwhinnie. So I'd say they avoided some future confusion by renaming the distillery after the village that it calls home.

The distillery actually uses very lightly peated malt in its production, much like northern stablemate Clynelish, and likewise you'll struggle to find any discernible influence in the finished product, particularly after 15 years of maturation. That may seem like a fairly high age for an entry level expression, and in today's whisky world it certainly is, but that is partly explained by two factoids: one, that the heavier, sulphurous new make spirit produced by those plain stills and their worm tub condensers can take a little longer to mellow and mature, and two, that the cold conditions at the distillery - and the externally-located condensers - mean that with the sharp drop in temperautre the spirit vapours rapidly condense back into liquid, resulting in even less copper contact during that crucial part of the process. Which is probably why those temporary shell & tube condensers had such a negative and marked effect on the spirit. Much like the other Diageo "Classic Malts" Dalwhinnie 15-year old has almost no information available on the type of casks that it was matured in. Aside from the age, the strength and the fact that it's a single malt Scotch whisky, you won't find any real details out there. That lack of transparency usually means that it has been matured in ex-bourbon casks, most likely refill, and it is of course chill filtered and artificially coloured. Points must be given though for the slightly higher bottling strength of 43% ABV, rather than the legal minimum of 40%, particularly with this being the entry level Dalwhinnie expression. It's also a reasonably priced malt for its age, at around $95 AUD on Australian shelves. Let's give it a shot!

Dalwhinnie 15-year old, 43%. Highlands, Scotland.
Presumably matured in refill ex-bourbon casks, no information available. Chill filtered, artificially coloured.

Colour: Gold. Probably not a huge amount of colouring added in fact, which is nice.

Nose: Hmm, like a cross between Clynelish & Craigellachie. Rich honey, But not overtly sweet, red apples, and a little dusty vegetal note - that'd be those worm tubs, then! Some light mint around the edges, with dried bitter lemon and dried flowers (potpourri). Dried herbs (sage?) and a little gravy powder come through with more time.

Texture: Light weight, dry, vegetal and lightly spicy. More Craigellachie than Clynelish now. No heat at all.

Taste: More savoury honey and dried bitter lemon, some drying wood spices too - think powdered cinnamon and powdered ginger, plus a little cayenne pepper. More dried flowers around the edges, along with that dusty vegetal note.

Finish: Short length. More spice - particularly powdered ginger now, and that dried bitter lemon, along with some burnt toffee and a little lime juice under that savoury honey and bitter root vegetables.

Score: 2.5 out of 5.

Notes: A perfectly enjoyable dram, and it's not the typical Speyside style that we expect from the region so it's definitely more suited to the Highland classification that they've given the distillery. The nose did remind me of both Clynelish and Craigellachie, but the Clynelish had disappeared by the time it landed on the palate, it was more Craigellachie there but with more dryness and less weight. Which makes for a very easy drinking dram, without it being too boring in character. It all falls over in the finish though, the ABV doesn't help of course and it just doesn't have the staying power. It's a pleasant and interesting experience though, and I can actually see it working well on the rocks (ice) like they suggest. And I wouldn't say that about many drams, so maybe there's something to their claims. Even as it is it hit the spot quite nicely on this hot & humid summer's day.

For the price it's a reasonable offering, but it's almost exactly the same price as the Clynelish 14-year old and only a few dollars less than Craigellachie 13-year old, both of which are bottled at 46% and have more of a presence on the palate and finish. There was a 30-year old cask strength Dalwhinnie in 2019's Special Releases from Diageo, so I think I'll need to get my hands on a dram of that for my next Dalwhinnie experience - since it'll be over $1,200 AUD I don't have the disposable income to buy a bottle, and there are hardly any independent bottlings to be found.

Cheers!