Whisky Friday - Bourbon time?

So it's been a little slow on the whisky front, the last little while. Between the 9-5 job, my energy-sapping 1 year old and the never-ending house maintenance and weekend activities, it so happens that I don't get to indulge as often as I would like.

True "first world" problem to be having, right? Right.

Anyway - I'm in a bit of a whisky mood tonight, after my customs duty run-in (stay tuned), a long day at work and thinking about sending and receiving samples for the first time to a "whisky friend", making sure I have enough "empties" etc.

To that end, I consumed half a 50ml sample bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon whilst making dinner - my first bourbon in years, over a decade, in fact (long story short - bad experience with a certain Jim Beam in my mid-teenage years put me off the stuff for the next.. what is it now.. some 14 years later).

Surprisingly good! Nothing like the horrible, standard J.B. of yore although the nose had just a little of that unmistakable, sickly sweet edge to it that I had associated with Jim Beam all those years ago. Perhaps my maturing taste buds and ability to handle spirits have helped somewhat in yielding tonight's pleasant Wild Turkey dram experience - I guess I'll never know - but at least the overriding feeling at the moment is one of satisfaction and optimism for a future that includes bourbon whiskey in my tasting repertoire, and maybe even in my whisk(e)y cabinet!

Of course no sooner was the Wild Turkey downed, when my trusty whisky calendar (on two devices, no less) informs me that I ought to be doing a 3 month follow-up on the Dalmore 12 I've reviewed previously - so it's currently "breathing" while I write this and I'll be posting an addendum to that review shortly.

As I mentioned earlier - I had my first customs run-in on merely my second importation of whisky from the U.K. and ended up paying the duty this morning to "free" my precious aqua vitae from the clutches of Australia's finest Border Control and Revenue Raising department. It wasn't pretty. But an error in calculation on their part saw me save at least AU $30 so a minor victory to me, shall we say? I could understand slugging a shipment of dutiable alcohol for an alcohol re-seller but 2 bottles for private consumption? Really? Seems you just can't win because if you buy local, you pay through the nose with all the taxes and duties and local excises passed on, and if you dare import (the cheaper option even with 70 GBP shipping!) - it's still a game of Russian Roulette when it reaches the border.

End rant. Sorry. At least I'm not Candian though, eh? Those poor guys can only get what their Government allows them to have, and not for a fair price either - I do feel very sorry for whisk(e)y lovers in Canada. To you my fellow ex-colonials, I raise my glass in defiance and hope for the future! Slainte!

Review - English Whisky Co Chapter 6 (sample)

"English Dessert Dram"


Opened March 27th, 2012 from a 5cl (50ml) sample bottle.


Nose: Custard, vanilla essence, melting moments, ice cream, confectionery, icing sugar. So sweet. Incredible nose. No alcohol bite. Most amazing confectioner's nose. If there's any malt present on the nose it's the sweetened "Horlicks" variety. Soft, refined and fragrant. I'm blown away.
With water: Seems to dull the confectionery sweetness a little and introduces some faint earthy, malty aromas.


Taste: A little tingly at first in a very sweet arrival, just as the nose promised. Some soft citrus there, malt sweetness developing, oak spice comes through as does the obvious Bourbon influence - sweetened cream, icing sugar, vanilla bean.
With water: Brings out more woody spice notes and tones down the sweetness.


Finish: Ephemeral, soft, dissolves like melting moments. Dry sweetness and developing baked white fruits (apple pie crust?) in a short but warming finish.


Balance: Nothing out of place. Superb.


A dessert dram that would compliment vanilla ice cream, creme brulee, cheese cake etc. Elegant and refined for such a young spirit.


Score: N23 T23 F22 B24  (92)




Round Two (@ 1 month, 2012-04-28)


Nose: Icing sugar, barley sugar lollies, menthol, waxy green leaves


Taste: Chewy sweet barley sugar, woody spices, vanilla, 

Finish: Bitter oak tannins, malt, menthol, citrus oils

Balance: Very well integrated as previously established, hardly a thing out of place.

This whisky has definitely opened up after a month at half level in the sample bottle, taking on a whole new character with much more of the barley malt and spirit coming through. There is a noticeable "fuzziness" on the palette however, hinting at oxidation in early stages but without taking too much away from this good whisky. Citrus oils in the finish are a new development adding a new dimension to the sweet confectionery experience.

Verdict

This is a really good whisky. While the balance is fantastic, after the second tasting however I felt that there is something holding this whisky back from true greatness - it has definitely lost something from the first tasting - just 4 weeks since opening it is no longer the classy, sweet confectionery "bomb" it was upon opening.

At 4 weeks, is this now a more "true" picture of the whisky? Is the whisky too young (lacking integration) and therefore prone to losing its "charms" too quickly? I have no way of knowing for sure. I think several drams from a full sized bottle over a few months, with slower oxidation and bottle aging would be required to put this to the test. Based on my first experience upon opening however, I would not hesitate to buy a bottle "just to be sure" - and nor should you if you love a sweet whisky - an unforgettable lesson in American oak influence.

Score: N21 T20 F21 B22  (84)

Final (average) score: N22 T22 F21 B23 (88)

Baranows Lounge - A Melbourne icon

Image (c) Baranows Lounge

When I first heard that I would be in Melbourne just before Easter for a conference, I couldn't help but think to myself, "here's an opportunity to finally visit a whisky establishment of some repute"! Given the rather tight schedule I knew I wouldn't have time to visit more than one bar on my first day in Melbourne (the only available opportunity I would have), so I had chosen ahead of time to visit none other than Baranows Lounge in Hawthorn, inner-east Melbourne.

At this point I'll mention that I've just come fresh off the plane from Brisbane with some kind of a cold going on and my nose is dripping like a tap.  Not a good look. And definitely not an ideal "nosing day" for whisky, either. Such is life though - I should be so lucky to have a first world problem such as this! So anyway, I pick up some tablets from the nearest chemist and I'm on the road again. A runny nose and congestion won't stop me from sampling what Baranow's has to offer.

Baranow's Lounge from the street.
Image (c) Google 2012

A short time later on a train to Glenferrie station in Hawthorn, some quick Subway lunch (it's after 2pm and I haven't eaten since breakfast at about 6:30am!) and a short amble up the street I spot the target on the corner of Burwood Road and Glenferrie Road - a rather inconspicous old building which could have been home to an accountancy or a suburban law firm. The discreet signage above the front door was the only obvious give-away that a cigar and whisky lounge awaited within.

Baranow's Lounge has a healthy and ever-growing reputation, primarily built around proprietor Wal Baranow's extensive selection of fine cigars that is unrivalled. Whisky aficionados are also impressed by the extensive selection of whiskies behind the bar, a large proportion of them fine Scotch single malts but also a healthy selection of international and local whiskies on hand. Being a whisky fan, I won't talk about the fine cigars (not that I could anyway, I know absolutely zilch about them!), so then, onto the whiskies.

Whisky, anyone?
(Apologies for the dodgy quality of my phone camera!)

They say first impressions are everything and I'm certainly not disappointed as I pass through the luxurious lounge setting to the bar - and what a sight! Easily the largest whisky shelf I have ever seen behind any bar, it goes all the way to the ceiling! Immediately attention-grabbing - Elements of Islay bottlings (Port Ellen!), Ardbegs, Malts of Scotland (various), Lark, Bakery Hill, Yamazaki and even English Whisky Co. Well done Baranows. I'm in heaven.

As the euphoria wears off a little, I realise it's kinda quiet - it's about 2:30pm on a Monday; probably not altogether unexpected I should think, I'm so lucky to be here and not in the hustle and bustle of Melbourne's CBD!  I spot some movement on the far end of the bar which extends into what looks like the cigar section and so I introduce my presence to (whom I would later discover to be) Wal Baranow himself.

Nifty ladder on sliding rails. Necessary to reach the top.

"Are you here for the cigars or the whisky?" he queries. "Uhh the whisky, just admiring your fine selection of malts, I'll go sit down for a while at the bar and drool over consider what I might like to drink, thanks". He pours me a glass of complimentary ice water (not for the whisky of course, I haven't ordered anything yet). "Okay no worries, let me know if you need anything" he says. What a nice fellow. I wonder if he's the manager, here all by himself on a quiet day?

I've decided on my first dram. I call Wal away from his cigars after mulling over his very extensive - nay, mind blowing whisky list ("it's not up-to-date, there's more here" he reckons - "my son takes care of the whiskies these days, he knows a lot more than I do now!"). Unfortunately for Wal I send him all the way up to the top shelf for the Compass Box 'Spice Tree'.

"So, are you the manager here?", I put forth matter-of-factly after he's poured my dram and supplied me with some spring water at room temperature. He's a really good bloke - I'm really curious to know. "No", comes the sheepish reply - "I'm the unfortunate owner".  Oops. Sorry Wal! But kudos for manning the station on a very quiet day, it's been really great to meet and be served by the very hospitable proprietor of Baranows; a pleasure I will not soon forget.

The Spice Tree is quite a dram, by the way. I had heard lots of good things about it and had to give it a go. Wal was interested in the story behind the bottling (referring to the Scotch Whisky Association deeming the original release "illegal" as the maturation process involved wood use [inner staves] which is outside the bounds of what can be considered allowable under U.K. law for the production of Scotch whisky - which they have since been able to work around, by coopering barrels with heads made of different woods to achieve a similar effect).

Unfortunately I have misplaced my tasting notes for the Spice Tree. I remember quite well however the jammy fruits, sultanas and raisins in particular and exotic spices in a perfectly balanced, mouth-watering delivery of complex and sumptuous spirit. Great legs too. I'd give it in the vicinity of 9/10 in a heartbeat.

I really enjoyed that, I must say. I'm on the tail end of it, when my old friend whom I last saw a couple of years back joins me on his way home from work - he appreciates the nice setup here - we talk whisky, and about business as I ponder my next dram - ah yes, something peaty for sure. That'll fix my cold right up. Elements of Islay? Yep! I ask how much for the 'Pe3'. I shouldn't have. As with full bottles of the famed Port Ellen malt, I cannot afford a dram of it today (well, to clarify, I was unprepared to spend that amount on a single dram). But that's okay. One day. The Caol Ila though is highly recommended by Wal (as is the sherried Mortlach 16 year old Flora & Fauna, in terms of his favourite whiskies - but I digress). The 'CI1' it is then.

Impressive 'Elements of Islay' range and Ardbegs behind.

I wanted peaty, I got peaty. Intensely peaty. But fantastic. And not one-dimensional. Cask strength. Cough drops and butterscotch. Over 50% from memory (it could even have been in the 60's). I wrote down the ABV but alas, my notepad is missing. Wouldn't rate it as highly as the Spice Tree, but it would have been somewhere in the 8.5-9/10 vicinity.

The time's really getting on now so I decide to wrap things up after only two drams.

After some great chit-chat with Wal (he had some great tales about his travels to Scotland visiting distilleries) and a great catch up with my old friend (and still peat-infused from the robust, warming Caol Ila), it's time for me to hit the road [and to end this ridiculously long blog post], back to the CBD to catch my bus down to the conference venue some 1.5 hours away or so. It's been a fantastic afternoon and the time has just flown by while enjoying my favourite recreational activity, in the company of great people and in a great setting. Cheers to Baranows, thanks Wal, keep up the great work and I will definitely be dropping in again as soon as I can. I might even try the Port Ellen.

Image (c) Baranows Lounge

P.S. You can find Baranows on Twitter @BaranowsCigars and on Facebook page Baranows-Lounge.