Ninth Tasting

Ninth Tasting

Mavericks and the Mainstream

This month we pit some young upstarts against the mainstream Scotch-making establishment,

all producing first-rate vatted whiskies. The two controversial upstarts have links to mainstream whisky making, but the way they blend, target and market their whiskys is very different from the traditional. One reason for comparing these drams is to investigate a segment of the whisky market that, so far, is still reasonably priced and yields some excellent tipples, as an alternate to single malts. (Vatted whiskys are “married” single malts, with no grain whisky added, as it is in blends.)

The malts in question are: John, Mark and Robbo’s The Rich Spicy One, Famous Grouse Malt 18 and Compass Box’s Flaming Heart.

John Glaser, a forty-something Minnesotan is the sole whisky maker of Compass Box, the boutique company he founded in 2000 after quitting his job as a marketing director for Johnnie Walker. At Compass Box, he’s introduced some of the first innovations in decades to the craft of making and blending Scotch – and in so doing, has won both accolades and scorn from the conservative guardians of the whisky industry.

In 2005, Compass Box developed a Scotch called Spice Tree, which he aged in used bourbon casks, as is standard in the industry, but with an character-adding innovation borrowed from the world of wine. Glaser, who is quite a connoisseur of wood, fitted the casks with “inner staves,” planks of new French oak toasted to order and inserted inside the barrel, which gave the whisky a unique richness and spice.

“You cannot make great Scotch whisky without great oak,” Glaser says. The staves in the Spice Tree casks were “a quality of oak that is never used in Scotch whisky.” Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible called the whisky “beautiful ... an entirely different whisky in shape and flavour emphasis.”

But the Scotch Whisky Association, a watchdog agency for the world of Scotch, took a different view. The industry association asked Compass Box to stop selling Spice Tree, threatening a lawsuit based on their judgment that the use of inner staves is “not permissible,” simply because it is not part of the traditional Scotch-making process. After trying unsuccessfully to negotiate, Glaser discontinued Spice Tree.

The Whisky we will taste is Flaming Heart, Second Edition, 48.9%ABV, Ltd. Release Bottling FH16MMVII natural color, non-chill filtered. Primarily, It is made up of single malts from distilleries of Port Askaig, Islay, (Caol Isla and Bunnahabain single malts) and Brora, a far northern Highlands whisky, in ages from 10-16 years. Aging is in first-fill and refill American oak casks and a second maturation in new French oak, or bourbon casks with new French oak heads.

The maker describes the flavor as “Peaty, smoky notes enhanced by rich, sweet, spicy (clove) undertones from new French oak aging”.

AWARD

Compass Box was awarded its fourth Innovator of the Year award from Whisky magazine, for this whisky.

RATINGS

Flaming Heart is rated 93 by Jim Murray, with these tasting notes; Nose: Arousing and rich, the smoke rumbles below the curious theme of licorice and lychee; deep and different. Palate: Hard to pinpoint the leader; is it that throbbing peat or something more ethereal and honeyed? Either way it’s a sublime experience.

John Hansell, Editor of Malt Advocate magazine rates Flaming Heart Batch #2, 92.

Dave Broom of Whisky Magazine rates Flaming Heart 7 3/4 out of 10

Nose: Impressive, manages to be light, creamy, oily and smoky at the same time. Ice cream on a seaweed strewn beach, macadamia nut.

Palate: Smoke to start, then immediately sweetens into fat ripe fruits. A peppery attack then smooths

and softens.

Finish: A bit cloying which disturbs the balance.

Comment Worth a try but not the most subtle or refined of the range.

Arthur Motley of Whisky Magazine rates Flaming Heart 8 3/4 out of 10

Nose: Jelly babies, ripe banana and pineapple and a persistent and brooding wood smoke. Strawberry jam, sweet mint and creamy vanilla.

Palate: Creamy and viscous with a lovely meld of sweet and smoky flavours. Smoked almonds and wood smoke, more of those jelly babies.

Finish: Jam and smoke. Relatively short.

Comment: Delicious combination of intense sweetness with moreish smoke.

Other Compass Box whiskys are: Hedonism, Oak Cross, The Peat Monster, Asyla and the Canto Cask Series.

Some say the experimentation of John Glaser led to the creation of our next whisky company in 2005 as well as the creation in 2007 of Monkey Shoulder, a vatted whisky from the family-owned distillers of Balvenie and Glenfiddich, William Grant & Sons.

(not available locally)

Dave, Mark and Robbo’s Easy Drinking Whiskys was an experiment in marketing and blending that sought to demystify the names and the brands behind the names of traditional whisky and so make Scotch whisky more accessible to novice drinkers.

Instead of names like Glen-this and Crag-that which have no meaning to the novice whisky drinker, they sought to come up with popular flavor profiles and name them accordingly.

Thus were created The Rich Spicy One, The Smokey Peaty One and The Smooth Sweeter One.

Dave “Robbo” Robertson and his two buddies decided to make the leap into whisky making history by flaunting tradition, albeit under the umbrella of the Edrington Group which also partially owns Macallan where Robbo was the Master Distiller.

For the Rich Spicy One, Mark challenged Robbo to create a whisky that tastes like two of his existing favorites, Macallan Gran Reserva and Exceptional Single Cask 1 (ironically, Robertson's creations from his previous job). It took several attempts, but the 8th finally cracked it, giving a bold, intense flavor, packed full of rich spiciness. A mix of malts from whiskies distilled at Highland Park, Bunnahabhain, Tamdhu and Glenrothes, curiously matured in sherry casks.

Alas, their experiment was only partially successful. Yes, they created some terrific whisky, but in May of 2007, the product line was pulled in Great Britain, where it never gained great acceptance, but was continued for the U.S. market. As a very nice substitute for Macallan this is a bargain at about $30-35.

The Rich Spicy One, 40%ABV

REVIEWS

Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2007 rated The Rich Spicy One 90-95

SUPERB / Highly Recommended

Tangy aromas of pork rind, bacon fat, cream and almond paste, make for luscious early-on sniffing. Palate entry is chewy, rich, honey sweet and just a tad spicy in a peppery manner; at midpalate, the flavor profile shows off an oily/buttery side that greatly complements the baked, honeyed sweetness. The aftertaste is long, oaky sweet and even vanilla-like. Best Buy.

For Whisky Magazine, Michael Jackson gives it an 8 out of 10

Nose: Nutty. Sherryish, clean. Attractive.

Palate: Syrupy. Full of flavour. Good oak extract, sherry, malt, fruit.

Finish: Ginger. Bitter chocolate.

Comment: The best of the three [The Three bottlings of John, Mark and Robbo’s]. A hint of The Macallan?

Also for Whisky Magazine, Dave Broom scores it at 7 3/4/ out of 10

Nose: Chewy and thick. Crème brûlée, nuts, pecan pie, dried peels. With water it's like a just-baked fruit cake. Sultana, buttered muffin, clootie dumpling.

Palate: Rounded and honeyed. Balanced grip mid-palate walnuts and caramelised fruits. Chewy.

Finish: Mix of dried fruits and caramel.

Comment: Substantial, weighty and easy drinking!

Dr. Whisky’s (Blogger) TASTING NOTES for the The Rich Spicy One:

Velvety effect in the nose, so creamy and...low-down, if you get what I mean; I can smell it in my teeth. Strong sherry influences. Raisins and dried apples, nutty, and VERY inviting. Toffee and rich melted milk chocolate. A slight citrus presence, like the peels, not the pulp, and when I stick my nose in catching the vapours off the sides of the glass, it is a touch waxy, or even soapy.

I love the way this stuff FEELS in the mouth. Syrupy and chewy. Must be even more so right out of the freezer (taboo? not to these guys). Sweet and spicy. Buttered toast. Cloves and cinnamon. Sherry flavours without any of the oakiness... weird, but good! Develops into a nice nutty finish that fades softly.

Dr. Whisky’s SUMMARY:

Makes an impression that is both, um, rich and spicy. Feels so amazing on the tongue and the coconut oil effect lasts, leaving your mouth feeling coated in flavour. Lots of sherry casks, for sure (contains Highland Park, Bunnahabhain, Tamdhu and Glenrothes). An obvious Macallan influence, with similar richness at a much more friendly price. How? Who cares... THANK YOU!

Finally we have Famous Grouse Malt 18, 43%ABV. Like Johnnie Walker, the Famous Grouse logo graces the labels of both blends and vatted malts. Famous Grouse admits to having Highland Park and Macallan in its recipe, but reveals no more. It is marketed by the Edrington Group, which also owns Glenrothes, Glenturret and Tamdhu, so one may suppose that these singles may be a part of the recipe. What originally started as “Grouse” brand whisky, was a blend that local grocer Matthew Gloag of Perth created to serve his customers starting in 1900. The famous “Grouse” brand gained in notoriety and by 1842 Gloag was invited to cater a dinner in honor of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s State Visit to Scotland. In 1905 it was officially trademarked as “The Famous Grouse.” Six vatted malts are produced by Famous Grouse: a 10-, 12-, 15-, 18-, 21- and 30-year old. The 12 and the 18 are marketed in the US. The Famous Grouse brand is the largest selling blend in Scotland.

Famous Grouse also has a new expression called Black Grouse, which it launched in 2007 for the Swedish market. It is a combination of their existing blend plus selected Islay malts. It won a Silver Medal in the Blends category at the 2007 International Spirit Challenge awards.

AWARD

Famous Grouse Malt 18 has won these awards:

San Francisco World Spirits Competition-2006 and 2005 Gold Medal

International Spirits Challenge-2007 Bronze Medal, 2006 Gold Medal, 2005 Sliver Medal

The Chicago Beverage Tasting Institute-2005 Gold Medal

REVIEW

Jim Murray rates Famous Grouse Malt 18 at an 84. He states, “Mildly flawed sherry, but the honeyed melt-in-you-mouth malt on the palate is such a treat”.

“We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whisk[e]y. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good.” – Horace Hutchinson

John Mark and Robbo’s The Rich Spicy One (40%ABV)

Famous Grouse Malt 18-year old (43% ABV)

Compass Box Flaming Heart, Second Edition, Ltd. Release Bottling FH16MMVII (48.9% ABV) natural color, non-chill filtered

Ninth Tasting - John, Mark and Robbo’s The Rich Spicy One,

Famous Grouse, Compass Box

Thursday, May 22, 2008

May 22nd, 2008 meeting wrap up

Our 9th meeting was at the Kennedy household, hosted by Judi and was attended by Mary, Dan, John, Pat, Judi, guest Bill and Myself. We tasted John, Mark and Robbo’s The Rich Spicy One. 40%ABV, Famous Grouse Malt 18, 43%ABV and Compass Box’s Flaming Heart, Second Edition, 48.9%ABV, Ltd. Release Bottling FH16MMVII, in that order.

All our whiskys that evenings were vatted malts. We also tasted two bonus drams: Johnnie Walker Green 15, 43%ABV, provided by Bill and Monkey Shoulder 40%ABV, provided by yours truly.

Since their source single-malts were not listed on your hand out, the details of these two are listed here: Johnnie Walker Green-Talisker, Caol Isla, Linkwood and Cragganmore. Monkey Shoulder-Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie.

Monkey Shoulder is not available in the U.S. and Flaming Heart is not available locally.

Certainly the best bang-for-your-buck, was The Rich Spicy One which was very Macallanesque and only goes for about $30. I’ve seen it at the Wine Merchant in Clayton and at Lucas Liquor. I gave it marks for sweetness, fruitiness, spiciness and a restrained smokiness. Overall I’d rate it an 80-85.

The Famous Grouse 18, was quite good and also is a bit Macallanesque but seemed to have more caramel and nuttiness to it with less spice and a bit of vanilla. I’d give it an 80-85 too.

Being an Islay fan, the Flaming Heart was fantastic. To me, even though there was smokiness to it, it wasn’t overwhelming like a Laphroaig or Lagavullin. It had mellowness to it that I guess could be attributed to the Brora or Bunnahabain, or perhaps the French oak aging. I’d rate it 90-95.

John described the Monkey Shoulder as, “ambrosia,” and I can’t disagree. It was a very subtle blending of flavors that I find hard to describe. I’d also rate this 90-95. Like John, Mark and Robbo’s Easy Drinking whiskies, it is marketed more at a youth market and is heavily promoted in upscale bars in the UK. Check out the website at:

http://www.monkeyshoulder.com/

They describe the flavor profile as:

Nose: Light and delicate vanilla notes. Floral, malty, soft and slightly honeyed. Taste: Smooth and rounded. Hints of malty sweetness. Vanilla. Barley sugar. Marmalade.

Jim Murray rated Monkey Shoulder 93 in the 2006 Whisky Bible.

It was a great addition to the festivities, to have Bill attend. He added quite a bit to the background information on all the whiskies tasted and discussed. Hope you all enjoyed meeting and talking with him.

I look forward to our next dram-fest!

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