Nice for every day, I have some Black Grouse in a decanter at the moment
I havenât seen Black Grouse here (Florida), but that sounds tempting.
It is, the normal blend is combined with selected peaty malts,creating a rich dark russet whisky with a soft,smoky nose and sweetness on the palate.
That would hit the spot right about now, despite (or because of) the fact that Iâm at work!
Since we are on the subject of single malts, maybe somebody out there could give me some adviseâŚback in the early 80âs my favourite was plain old Glenmorangie but in those days it was completely different. It actually had an orange/citrus overtone which was very pronounced and totally unique, nothing quite like it. Back in the 90âs they moved the distillery to another location tall stills and allâŚsince then itâs never been the same and that orangie magic is missing. I know they do really expensive versions now and probably some are still from that original batch, any ideas if any reasonable similar ones are still available?
Gorgeous whisky @fog.
Have you tried any of the other Suntory whiskies? Hakashu and Yamazaki are great, but Hibiki 17 is the finest whisky I have ever tried - it goes for silly prices now so is unaffordable for me.
Because of a long-term decline in domestic sales, quickly followed by a surge in demand from abroad (particularly the US and UK), Suntory just havenât made enough, so theyâve withdrawn their age-statement whiskies and thereâs likely to be none for sale outside of the collectorâs market until well into the 2020s. A real shame - although Hibiki Harmony will continue to be available and enjoyedâŚ
Try calling the distillery, Steve. Iâve dealt with them before, and found them to be lovely, helpful folk.
I havenât tried Hibiki 17, but high demand can be a problem for smaller Scots distilleries too. When Not-That-Michael Jackson was still with us and writing about whisky, he was urged by his publisher to name his all-time favourite. A sensible man of excellent taste, he chose Lagavulin â and things went bonkers. By its very nature, Lagavulin couldnât simply ramp up supply. Prices doubled, seemingly overnight.
@bhoyo I love Lagavulin 16 too, and I remember when MJ made that statement, and prices did get silly for a while.
Lagavulin is now owned by Diageo, the worldâs biggest drinks company (it sits within Diageo Reserve, the companyâs premium brands portfolio), so I believe they are now able to keep up with demand quite easily, though itâs still about ÂŁ50 for 70cl.
Lower prices? Iâll drink to that. Itâs now about $68 here, which is down from a high of $90+ not so long ago.
I particularly like Dalwhinnie, Oban, Macallan. Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, and Glenlivet and Balvenie are perfectly adequate for my taste. I can drink Caol Ila and Springbank but not for long. The heavier Islays are a little more than I can enjoy; I donât turn them down, but I donât seek them out either.
Perhaps @Rod_Smith could comment on the use of sherry barrels in whisky maturation?
I note my preference for such whisky⌠notably the Macallan
Used Sherry barrels have long been prized for maturing whisky, although Iâm not quite sure how it came about.
Spirits are usually matured in used oak. If you put them in new barrels, the spirit tends to leech harsh compounds from the wood (whereas if you put wine in a new barrel the wood tends to absorb harsh tannins from the wine). At the least distilleries season their barrels with water considerably to avoid this (sometimes just leaving them out in the rain), but using barrels that have previously held a wine (or other spirit) which which then gently augments the spiritâs flavour makes sense.
I know that Macallan favours used Sherry barrels (by convention 600L American oak), and Glenmorangie (rhymes with orangey) make a series of different âcask conditionedâ whiskies (or at least they used to), including one from barrels from Château dâYquem in Sauternes, which must alter and sweeten the flavour considerably I would think.
Sherry butts cost distilleries something like ten times the price of ex-bourbon casks. Under Rooseveltâs âNew Deal,â in order to create jobs and stimulate the economy, American whiskey makersâ were permitted to use their oak casks only once. Much of Scotlandâs whisky is matured in ex-bourbon casks, as sherry casks are very costly. Rod is right that Macallan uses exclusively sherry casks to mature its whisky (one reason why itâs so expensive). The U.S. from time to time talks about reforming the law to allow bourbon casks to be re-used, which would present a major headache for Scottish distilleries.
The use of Sherry barrels came about because in the 18th century Sherry and Rum were the preferred tipple in Scotland. When the Whisky industry started to expand around this time, due to Scotland having no domestic forrests, Sherry, Rum and Wine casks were utilised as these had already been landed probably in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
And right you are!
In an effort to minimise my spirit intake, I donât often drink Whisky these days, mostly only when Iâm north of the border, and only very rarely when down south - usually in the company of Whisky loving friends. When I do drink Whisky itâs always neat, and usually Lagavulin, or if on holiday on the west coast, The Macallan 18YO or Laphroaig. A quick look in the drinks cupboard and it looks like the current open bottle is indeed Lagavulin 16YO. However, I also rather like Highland Park, Dalwhinnie and The Balvenie.