So far, so good

Depending on which list one checks, there are somewhere around 100 active distilleries, and some inactive/closed (about 26) whose bottled gold is still available. Up to this point we have tasted single malt drams from Imperial (closed), Mannochmore, Glenfarclas, Bowmore, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Glen Garioch, Glenmorangie, Longmorn, Auchroisk, Clynelish, Balvenie, Glencadam (closed), Dalwhinnie, Talisker, Glen Moray, Strathisla, Tomintoul, Aberlour, Dalmore, Yamazaki, Glenfiddich, Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenlivet, Isle of Arran, Bunnahabhain, Bruichladdich, Aberfeldy, Ardmore, Mortlach, Oban, Old Pulteney, Tobermory, Benromach and vatted whiskies (now called pure malts) from Compass Box, Famous Grouse, Johnnie Walker and John, Mark & Robbo’s Easy Drinking Whisky.

Let’s see, at three distilleries per gathering that will take us about 31 more tastings and 5 more years. 

It’s a dirty job…

Taster’s Choice

For our fifteenth tasting we’ll add our 37th, 38th and 39th single malts to the list. 

Purse your lips for the letter B and get ready to taste single malts from the distilleries of Benriach, Benrinnes and then switch to D for Dallas Dhu.  Part of the inspiration for this grouping comes from the Los Angeles Whisky Society web site (www.lawhiskeysociety.com), which had some excellent ratings of two of our three picks. The site is quite nice and worth a few minutes to review.

The 1980’s were a rough period for the Scotch industry, with a glut of product flooding the market and prices plummeting; many distilleries were closed in this period.  The only bright spot to these closures was that a lot more single malts suddenly became available because less of their volume was being used in blends. Dallas Dhu closed in 1983.

Our dram was distilled in November 1975, bottled August 2003, making this a 27-year old rarity.  It is a 1975 Signatory single cask Dallas Dhu 45.9%ABV, bottled in 2003 Cask # 2357, which created only 242 bottles.  Previously the oldest whisky we had tasted were 18-yr. olds, Macallan, Famous Grouse, Yamazaki and Talisker

It was given an A- rating by the LA Whisky Society (LAWS), with these notes by member, Adam: Nose of bright fruit, with roses, candy notes, and wood.  Palate is initially sugary-sweet, with more of the nose, along with caramel swirled in.  Bubblegum/fruit pops in-and-out, and the palate hits a really pleasurable, mild-fullness on the crossover and through the finish, which is mild but lengthy.  I really like this.  It’s nuanced yet big, especially for a non-sherried lighter whisky.  Pairs excellently with a good brie and crackers.  A whisky whose flavor doesn't grow old and has surprises in each sip.

The original Gaelic, “Dai leas dubh “means “Field by the Black Water Fall” or “Black Water Valley” and is pronounced dallas DOO.

Although just south of Forres in northern Scotland, Dallas Dhu, established in 1899 is labeled a Speyside distillery, although it seems far distant from the Spey river valley.

Binny’s exclusive, $108 plus shipping

LA LAWS

Our next selection is also exclusive to Binny’s and an A- rated whisky by the LA Whisky Society (LAWS).

Benriach, literally “the Hill of the Red Deer” (some say, “Specked Mountain”) is a Speyside distillery just south of Elgin, in the north of Scotland. Established in 1898, the distillery was closed after only two years because of the “Pattison Crash” which was a credit disaster that affected almost all of the whisky industry causing wide spread business closings.

Benriach was closed until 1965, but in all the years preceding, it functioned as a maltings facility for Longmorn its sister facility.  In 1978 Benriach, Longmorn and other distilleries were bought by Seagrams.  By 1983 because of a shortage of reasonably priced Islay whiskies and Seagrams’ need for these powerful flavors in their blends, Benriach began making heavily peated malts.  In 2004 Benriach was acquired by a South African consortium and production, which had been cut to just 3 months per year in 2001, resumed full time. This same group also recently bought the GlenDronach Distillery from Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky business of Pernod Ricard.

Since 2004 new bottlings have been released.  Their current offerings (which have won numerous International Wine & Spirits Competition Awards) include: Heart of Speyside, 12-, 16-, 20-, 25-, 30- and 40-year olds.  There is also a peated line, which includes Curiositas 10 and Authenticas 21.  In addition there is a line of wood finish whiskies.

I tasted Curiositas at Binny’s during WhiskyFest and have to say I was not impressed.  On the palate there was peat only with no balance and a short finish.  I gave it a 70-75.  I have much higher hopes for our bottling.

Our Benriach gets some nice tasting notes from the LAWS: Quite an onslaught on the palate with smoky sweetness that’s all over the place—but in a great adventurous way. Lots of smoke and peat, finishes hot but with a sweetness that compensates.

Available exclusively at Binny’s, $54 plus shipping

Smelling Bees

Benrinnes has a “Great nose of sweet iced tea.  The palette is spiced peaches.  Very smooth and light.  A nice start to an evening.  Apricot nose.  Taste is light and fruity.  Very simple,” say some of the tasters at LAWS.

Our last “B” distillery is Benrinnes and the LAWS give it only a B rating, but it still deserves some careful consideration. In Gaelic Ben means mountain and Benrinnes is in the shadows of Ben Rinnes, 840 meters high, and draws its water from the mountain streams along with Aberlour, Alt-a-Bhainne, Dailuaine and Glenfarclas.

Benrinnes, used mainly for blending, goes into A&A Crawford, J&B and Johnnie Walker.  The only official bottling is a Flora & Fauna 15-yr. old. The 15 is described in the 2009 Malt Whisky Yearbook as “heavily sherried nose with figs in syrup. Rich and sweet in the mouth like a dark rum.  Sweet and rich throughout with figs on the finish.”

David Wishart places Benrinnes in his Cluster B section which is: medium-bodied, medium-sweet, with nutty, malty, floral, honey and fruity notes, similar to Benromach and Aberfeldy, which we have recently tasted.

Benrinnes, like Springbank, is partial triple distilled malt*.

Benrinnes is also one of the few distilleries still using worm tubs instead of condensers to

convert the distillate vapors into spirit. Thirteen other distilleries still use worm tubs:

Balmenach, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Edradour, Glen Elgin, Glenkinchie, Mortlach , Oban, Old Pulteney, Royal Lochnagar, Speyburn, Springbank (wash still only) and Talisker. Worm tub condensation and partial triple distillation tend to give a more oily malt, perhaps as a result of greater contact with the copper of the “worm” and the additional copper contact of going through the still again.

$64.99

*Partial Triple Distilling–Too complex to describe in depth, but briefly, instead of running the spirit through a wash still and a spirit still once, as is usually done, the spirit is run through the wash still twice and the spirit still once.

“Scotch whisky is made from barley and the morning dew on angel's nipples.”

—Warren Ellis

“I want a tattoo over my heart that reads TRY HARDER YOU LAZY PARAMEDIC SHITBAG OR I WILL HAUNT YOUR BEDROOM FOREVER”

—Warren Ellis

Warren Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English author of comics, novels, and television, well known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and his writing, which covers transhumanist themes (most notably nanotechnology, cryonics, uploading, and human enhancement).

Benrinnes 1990, 15-yr. old, 43% ABV

1975 single cask bottling Dallas Dhu 45.9%ABV, bottled in 2003 Cask # 2357

Benriach, 12-yr. old, Chateau D’Yquem Finish, 58.9% ABV, vintage 1994

Glenfarclas 12-yr. old, 43% ABV