Nieuws

Enjoy another sensory journey with our April Outturn as we explore bold and balanced flavours. And be sure to download the pdf of this month’s Outturn from our website to read the latest instalment of our yearlong look at whisky and sherry, as well the background to Cask No. 53.456 chosen by Canadian member Mathieu Dureau.

LEMON AND LIME SHORTBREAD

CASK NO. 35.348

REGION:  Speyside

CASK TYPE:  2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  10 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Sweet, fruity & mellow

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Green apples and mango coconut smoothies were followed by vanilla malted milkshakes. Reduction added papayas as well as lemon and lime shortbread.”

PUSH PINEAPPLE, SHAKE       A BEE

CASK NO. 39.284

REGION:  Speyside

CASK TYPE:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  11 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

BOTTLE NOTE:  “The busy bees collect pineapples, guavas and apples to make marmalades and chutneys, while others create crème brûlée and coconut sponge.”

 

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

CASK NO. 46.140

REGION:  Speyside

CASK TYPE:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  12 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Spicy & sweet

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Presented with flowers and coconut and almond white chocolate truffles before we enjoyed malted milk biscuits, and a lemon, lime and chilli sorbet.”

 

GARBANZO’S CAJUN TRAIN RIDE*

CASK NO. 78.65

REGION:  Highland

CASK TYPE:  2nd fill oloroso butt

AGE:  9 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Deep, rich & dried fruits

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Our journey began in a sooty, treacly old train carriage with worn leather seats and corduroy curtains. In the buffet car, we snacked on Cajun-seasoned French fries, turmeric-roasted garbanzo beans, dried mango and black cherry.” *Giving Spirit bottle – sales profits will go to charity; read more here

BRAMBLE RAMBLE

CASK NO. 68.106

REGION:  Highland

INITIAL CASK:  Ex-bourbon hogshead

FINAL CASK:  1st fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead

AGE:  14 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Deep, rich & dried fruits

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Crème brûlée, chocolate fudge sundae and peaches in syrup confronted tannic oak, burnt heather, aniseed balls, PX, espresso and charcuterie.”

 

‘POUDING CHÔMEUR’ AT  THE SHACK*

CASK NO. 53.456

REGION:  Islay

INITIAL CASK:  Ex-bourbon hogshead

FINAL CASK:  1st fill American oak hogshead

AGE:  9 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Peated

BOTTLE NOTE:  “An escapade to a sugar shack in a room smelling of burning firewood with lots of maple syrup.” *Cask chosen and name/tasting note by Canadian member Mathieu Dureau

 

A FLASHING BLADE

CASK NO. 144.4

REGION:  Sweden

CASK TYPE:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  7 years

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Heavily peated

BOTTLE NOTE:  “A swooshing Swedish blade of raw peaty energy! Medicines, minerals, peat ashes, brine and suggestions of bonfires, cured fish and raw iodine.”

BROWSE APRIL OUTTURN HEREThe Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada
Suite 160
104 – 1240 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB  T2N 3P7
403-969-8225
curious@smws.ca
www.smws.ca

 

Fettercairn Reveals Refreshed Domestic And Travel Retail Ranges 

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Fettercairn, has launched refreshed ranges in both their domestic and global travel retail markets as they look to continue their ongoing momentum.

Marking the start of their bicentennial year, Fettercairn will now offer a refreshed domestic range and exclusive global travel retail range, which each comprise of three whiskies that showcase Fettercairn’s unique tropical house style at different maturations.

The domestic range will enjoy Fettercairn 12 Year Old, 16 Year Old and 24 Year Old and global travel retail will exclusively offer Fettercairn 14 Year Old, 17 Year Old and 25 Year Old.

These updated offerings will provide consumers with new age statements to try and easy to understand ranges at different maturations, price points and purchase points, aligning to both the target drinker and shopper.

Each of these whiskies have only been finished in American White Oak ex-bourbon, perfectly showcasing Fettercairn’s unique tropical house style and how it intricately changes with time, over the varying maturation periods.

The domestic range will continue to open with Fettercairn 12 Year Old, a 40% ABV which captures the very essence of the Highland distillery and offers the perfect introduction to the flavours of Fettercairn.

With tasting notes of sweet and fruity nectarine and tropical fruit, followed by subtle roasted coffee, clove and ginger, Fettercairn 12 Year Old leaves a memorable finish of sultanas and black toffee. A versatile whisky, Fettercairn 12 Year Old also makes for a great cocktail base, particularly for refreshing highballs or fruity sours.

Fettercairn 16 Year Old has previously been a limited, annually released expression with a variety of different finishes. From 2024, Fettercairn 16 Year Old will shine confidently on its own, enjoying a finish in ex-bourbon casks and will be non chill-filtered, with natural colour at 46.4% ABV.

Bottling at 16 Years Old and moving to an ex-bourbon finish only, has been a deliberate and purposeful decision by Whisky Maker Gregg Glass and Distillery Manager Stewart Walker. Fettercairn 16 Year Old offers curious whisky lovers natural progression from the 12 Year Old and the opportunity to experience a deeper tropical house style. Grilled pineapple and vanilla notes give way to passion fruit, rich honey and Turkish Delight in this expression, with a finish of mandarin, cacao and moist ginger cake.

Completing the core domestic range is a completely new expression, Fettercairn 24 Year Old. Natural colour and non-chill filtered, Fettercairn 24 Year Old is 46.5% ABV and the pinnacle of the core range, ideal for those looking for the richest flavours, coupled with higher age statement. Fully exploring the depth of Fettercairn’s house style, this expression captures sweet and cooked tropical fruits, Madagascan vanilla and red liquorice, with a sweet, spiced finish.

The innovative Fettercairn 18 Year Old will continue to be available annually in select domestic markets, on a strictly limited release. Finished in 100% Scottish Oak, Fettercairn 18 Year Old is the first release from the award-winning Scottish Oak Programme, led by Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass. Fettercairn’s Scottish Oak programme was created to ultimately create a circular economy for the whisky industry as a whole, where local and sustainably sourced Scottish oak, can be used in whisky making.

For global travel retail, Fettercairn will now offer an exclusive range featuring a 14 Year Old, 17 Year Old and 25 Year Old, all of which are non-chill filtered, natural colour and available in 70cl format. 

Fettercairn 14 Year Old showcases the ripe and fresh side of the tropical house style with orchard fruit flavours intertwined with delicate sweet spice for a truly special drinking experience.

Second in the range, Fettercairn 17 Year Old shows the house style at a transformative stage, with deeper, richer notes combined with honey, crème brûlée and coconut.

Fettercairn 25 Year Old completes the range and offers a glimpse into Fettercairn’s rare and aged treasures. This whisky offers the depth of sweet and cooked tropical fruit, with notes of passion fruit, warm vanilla and fresh baked bread, with a sweetly spiced finish.

The refreshed ranges will be available from April and mark the beginning of celebrations for Fettercairn, who will celebrate their 200th anniversary throughout 2024 from specialist and luxury retailers

Domestic Range:

Fettercairn 12 Year Old.40% ABV.  RSP $66 / £52

Fettercairn 16 Year Old.46.4% ABV. RSP $110 / £87

Fettercairn 24 Year Old.  46.5% ABV. RSP$635 / £500 

Exclusive Global Travel Retail Range:

Fettercairn 14 Year Old. 46% ABV. RSP $89 / £70

Fettercairn 17 Year Old. 47% ABV. RSP $153 / £120

Fettercairn 25 Year Old. 46.3% ABV. RSP $667 / £525

 

Phil is on vacation and will return on the 24th …

Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “Oak is vital for the Scotch whisky industry. It’s the only wood that we are legally allowed to mature our new make spirit in to make whisky. There are different types of oak, mainly American oak and European oak. And oak is what actually gives the whisky its colour and gives it a lot of its flavour.”

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Glenlossie 10 yo 2010/2020 (54.3%, James Eadie, recharred hogshead, cask #2479, 343 bottles)
Glenlossie 11 yo 2008/2019 (59.6%, The Single Malts of Scotland, hogshead, cask #1358, 301 bottles)
Glenlossie 19 yo 1997/2017 (50.9%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask #DL 12017, 140 bottles)
Glenlossie 22 yo 1997/2019 (51.2%, Maltbarn, bourbon cask, 161 bottles)
Glenlossie 23 yo 1992/2015 (51.7%, Sansibar, Samurai Series for Spirits Shop Selection, bourbon, 317 bottles)
Glenlossie 19 yo 1992/2012 (51%, Feinkost Reiffercheid, Romantic Rhine Collection, sherry octave, cask #892622, 69 bottles)
Glenlossie 16 yo 1970 (43%, Sestante, Italy, 75cl, +/-1986)
Glenlossie-Glenlivet 24 yo 1993/2018 (54.4%, Cadenhead, warehouse tasting, hogshead)
Glenlossie-Glenlivet 23 yo 1993/2017 (56.8%, Cadenhead, Single Cask, bourbon hogshead, 216 bottles)
Glenlossie 20 yo 1997/2017 (52.2%, Signatory Vintage for Acla da Fans, hogshead, cask #6773, 309 bottles)

There is more to Japanese Whisky than just Nikka and Suntory, such as Hatozaki. Now available in the US is the Hatozaki Omakase Rye Third Edition Mizunara Cask Finish for a suggested retail price of $95 (750ml), the new limited-edition expression showcases the profound aging and finishing techniques of Kimio Yonezawa, 4th generation Master Distiller & Blender. This whisky is an American-inspired rye, not a Japanese malt, crafted in small batches of no more than 10 casks. The blend, consisting of at least 51% rye, is aged in new charred oak and then finished in traditional Mizunara casks.

Produced at the Kaikyō Distillery on the shores of the Seto Inland Sea, the Hatozaki Omakase collection was born of Yonezawa-san’s vision to create elegant and genuine whiskies that reflect the character of his family distillery’s unique terroir and maritime influences. Honoring the age-old Japanese concept of “Omakase,” known as “chef’s choice” in Japanese dining, the “Omakase” collection mirrors the idea of trusting the maker’s intuition – allowing for delightful experimentation of flavors and new exploration.

““I am honored to introduce the newest blend in our Omakase Collection to the US market,”” says Yonezawa-san. ““I was excited to experiment with the flavors of rye, a popular category with American whisky drinkers, and see how they would respond to native Japanese oak influence. We are thrilled with the final blend and confident it will be a surprising and rewarding choice for the seeker of exciting new whiskies to try.””

In that spirit, Kimio Yonezawa presents an innovative new blend consisting of rye whisky, that is aged in new charred oak and then finished in Japanese Mizunara casks, the rare Japanese white oak sourced from the Hokkaido and Tohoku forests. This expression will be limited to less than 3,000 bottles, each numbered and sold exclusively in the US market.

The new product joins Hatozaki’s core range including: Hatozaki Finest Whisky ($45.99 ,750ml. bottle, 40% ABV) a blend of premium malt whiskies aged for up to 12 years in imported bourbon casks, imported sherry casks and native Sakura casks, the Japanese cherry wood; and Hatozaki Small Batch Whisky ($65.99, 750ml., 46% ABV), a vatting of 100% malt whiskies aged in imported bourbon casks, imported sherry casks, and native Mizunara oak barrels, yielding a rich profile of sweet cereals and malty dried fruit, with a light touch of smoke and honey on the finish.

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Bourbonola is a nod to the long history of the Lexington Brewing Company. By that, I don’t mean the modern company, which was established in 1999 and is very much a creation of the late period of the Craft Beer 1.0 era.

There is an earlier Lexington Brewing Company, one that got its start in the 1890s. Like many breweries around the country, the company struggled to survive Prohibition. As part of its efforts, they introduced a cola called “Bourbonola.” One can see the ads painted on the sides of buildings in old timey photographs of early 20th Century Lexington, Kentucky. There was no actual bourbon in the old Bourbonola, of course. It was Prohibition. But it was an effort to produce an alternate, non-alcoholic product intertwined with Kentucky’s sometimes boozy culture.

The modern, Alltech-owned Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company has revived Bourbonola as an RTD mixer. They’ve taken a blend of cherry and vanilla colas, and mixed in enough Town Branch Bourbon (I’m told it is the cask strength version, although that isn’t in the official materials) to raise the ABV to 12%. That is double the norm for RTD mixers and on par with a glass of wine. As you’ll soon learn, that makes all the difference.

The Mixer
This is the best RTD mixer I’ve ever had, flat out. It’s simply not that hard to do a mixer, so convenience can in no way make up for simply putting Coca Cola and a tiny amount of Jack Daniel’s in a can, for example. The other day I did a mixer of a crafty ginger ale (I forget which one; see the bourbon chosen for mixing) with Elijah Craigh Barrel Proof. I did this on the fly, taking a swig from the bottle and then refilling it with the cask strength bourbon. The result was better than half the RTD mixers I’ve had: in my improvised, parking lot concoction, the soft drink wasn’t boring and bourbon strong enough to make its presence felt.

Bourbonola is different. The choice of cherry and vanilla colas is perfect, because the cherry flavor adds a twist, while the vanilla enhances the bourbon. The latter is strong enough to make its presence felt and packs more of a wallop than most beer, and that is what any sane person should want from a mixer.

Get a four-pack and try it out this summer. If the roots of this mixer are your bag, you won’t regret it.

The Price
A four-pack goes for $14.99.

ralfy review 1022 Extras – Controlling our own malt-narrative.

Spring has sprung, offering the perfect opportunity to revel in the rich tapestry of tastes that tantalise our taste buds. Join us for an exhilarating exploration of the fundamentals of flavour, where we delve into the five taste qualities: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami, igniting a flavour journey like no other.

At the heart of our adventure lies whisky, the ultimate flavour magician, ready to dazzle your taste buds and leave you spellbound and thirsty for more! The diversity of flavours whisky can conjure is so extensive that we can pinpoint whiskies that perfectly encapsulate all the fundamental tastes.

If you’re thirsty for more knowledge, dive into our latest article by Kami Newton, where he uncovers the secrets of our senses, taking you on a journey beyond the glass.

Each dram goes much further than taste alone; it’s a complete experience for the palate, as Kami rightly says: “We see. We touch. We smell.” Taste is a grand place to embark on your flavour journey, but with flavours as intricate as these, it can only ever be a fraction of the story.

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The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

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