Keepers of the Quaich

When I saw this come across my email, I had to see more…. the following is from their website – www.whiskyofthegods.co.uk

“Thor is the first release in the Highland Park Valhalla Collection and like its namesake, shares many of the legendary Norse god’s larger-than-life characteristics.

The most renowned of all the Norse gods, Thor was the protector of Asgard and was feared by his enemies and other gods alike. His powerful hammer, Mjolnir, which we have depicted on the bottle, was said to create a thunderous and terrifying sound when used in battle; legend has it that Thor’s handiwork can be witnessed first hand on Orkney.

Distilled where sea turns to ocean, Highland Park Thor is a meeting point of nature’s forces, resulting in a perfect marriage of classic fragrant Highland Park smoke, balanced with a beguiling inner complexity and natural strength. Aged for 16 years and bottled at 52.1% abv, Thor is limited to 23,000 bottles worldwide.”

Bop and I wondered if they were trying to capitalize on The Avengers but I think Orkney’s proximity to the Norwegian countries and its heritage may actually be what has led the distillers to honor it.  Thoughts?  Regardless, I cannot wait to try it….  Gold Eagle Liquors in Libertyville may have one bottle left…. $200 on sale this month for $175…
APPEARANCE:Rich amber, with an iron ore glow.

NOSE:Concentrated and forceful, with an explosion of aromatic smoke, pungent fresh ginger, antique copper, stewed plums, and golden syrup. With water, earthy notes emerge, like a garden after a heavy rain shower.

PALATE:Thor’s high strength grabs the palate and refuses to let go. Initially dry, with fiery gingerbread then vanilla, blackberries, fresh mango, peach and hints of cinnamon. As its big flavours swirl around the mouth, some softer, sweeter notes develop, giving Thor and unexpected layer of complexity and depth.

FINISH:The finish thunders on, leaving behind lingering notes of sweet vanilla and an intense spiciness.

Interesting reddit forum thread here. Some good insight here I think and something we should all be considering at our tastings – particularly new members and guests I’d say. –Bop

[–]ambiguo42Campfire Aficionado
I also tend to get a longer finish and better flavor if I hold the whisky on my tongue for a few seconds before swallowing.

[–]DaBake[S]
I’ll try that right now, thanks!

[–]NibrocNZ
A guy who was running a whisky tasting one said that we should honor the craftsmanship of scotch by holding it on the tongue for 1 second for every year. Have fun. I usually do this now for my second sip.

[–]DaBake[S]
I’ll say this, it really allows you to pick up a lot more of what’s going on. So much more depth and complexity from just a few extra seconds. Learning something new every day.

[–]texpeareModeration in moderation
I usually have to hold the Scotch on my tongue for at least a few seconds before I feel like I can taste everything that’s going on. Older whiskies take longer to “open up” for me & sherry cask usually takes longer than Bourbon cask. If you hold it for a while, the finish will probably last longer too.

Here’s an article from Travel Retail’s On-line Digest (written by Doug Newhouse). I particularly like the portrayal of whisky-making as a fine art. Some items included are a 1946 Macallan and one of the 60 Johnny Walker bottles made for Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee of 1952 which retails for $198,500 (it’s worth it just for the bottle/decanter combo). If you might be passing through the Changi Airport you can participate in the extension of this event or perhaps a North American stop may be on a future “tour”. –Chancellor Bop

DFS and CAG launch MOS Mark II event
Written by Doug Newhouse
Friday, 09 March 2012 05:49

The established partnership between the Changi Airport Group and DFS Group is to stage Master of Spirits II for serious connoisseurs and collectors in Singapore between March and April.

This second expression of the successful DFS Group signature theme is expected to attract passionate connoisseurs and collectors from around the globe to interact with ‘the world’s rarest and most exclusive spirits’ at the highly anticipated Master of Spirits II. This latest event will kick off DFS Group’s Master Series for 2012 and comes exactly one year after the Master of Spirits theme was successfully launched at Changi Airport’s CIP Terminal One. At that event, passengers were able to view and purchase a special selection of the rare wines and spirits’ products that were featured at the event, following an earlier prestigious launch.

Philippe Schaus, Group President of Merchandising and Marketing for DFS Group, said: “This event is a dream rendezvous for connoisseurs and collectors to awaken their imagination and share a moment with the undisputed masters of fine spirits, wine and Champagne.”

He added: “As the world’s leading luxury retailer, we are thrilled to work with the industry’s most prestigious brands and offer their most exclusive and rare collections at the Master of Spirits II.”

Adding his comments, Harold Brooks, President of Global Merchandising for DFS Group said: “This year, we selected 84 products from 50 of the world’s top brands as well as a number of very rare and exquisite specialty wines; together these items are worth millions of dollars in value. “This includes many of the world’s most exclusive collections, limited editions and numbered selections, many of which were created exclusively for Master of Spirits II.”

DFS adds that some of the products on show simply exude ‘supreme exclusivity’, such as the Johnnie Walker Diamond Jubilee blended by John Walker & Sons. This is described as ‘an exceptionally crafted limited edition of 60 crystal decanters, distilled by appointment of Her Majesty the Queen in tribute of the 60th Anniversary of her reign.

DFS says that ‘other masterpieces’ are treasured for their preservation of traditional brewing technique, with Luzhoulaojiao National Salute not only a premium Chinese spirit, but a historical gem amongst the very first group of liquor to be honoured as ‘a national intangible cultural heritage’. The retailer adds that certain masterpieces are also valued for their connection to the arts, such as the 1946 Macallan with Platinum Prints which celebrates the two very different but highly revered art processes of photography and whisky-making. Each Macallan 1946 bears a printed label from the work of renowned photographer Albert Watson.

DFS added: “Finally, some of the masterpieces presented at Master of Spirits II are vintage wines which are loved for their magnificent taste – the Cheval Blanc 1986 is a stellar ‘first growth’ of Saint-Emilion which is ample-bodied yet subtle, mellow, yet delicate and sure to be unforgettable,” it says.

The luxury retailer says that this journey of luxurious discovery at the Master of Spirits II will begin on March 31, where guests will be encouraged to experience master classes, exclusive exhibitions and an elegant gala gathering, as well as discover an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share a moment with esteemed masters, brand ambassadors, connoisseurs and guest speakers.

This ‘journey’ will continue through the month of April at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 where global travellers will have an unrivalled opportunity to share in the luxury experience. Changi Airport Group’s Executive Vice President Lim Peck Hoon said: “We are delighted to co-host the Master of Spirits II exhibition with DFS Group. As a major international passenger hub, consistently ranked as one of the best airports in the world, Singapore Changi Airport aims to deliver a memorable and first-class airport experience.

“Through Master of Spirits II, we hope to guide travellers on an enthralling journey to discover DFS Group’s exquisite and diverse selection of masterpieces on display at Changi Airport.” DFS concludes that Master of Spirits II in Singapore is the first stop in 2012 for its Master Series, which also includes ‘Masterpieces of Time’.

My birthday this month was on a Saturday and late on the Friday before my group at work surprised me with a cake and a gift: Balblair 1989! I shared it with about 15 people and I had 4 drams myself. When we were finished there was about one finger left in the bottle. One really neat thing is they selected the Balblair based on the results of querying through our tasting notes on this site.

I have never been party to finishing a newly opened bottle in one session but this was really close as the Balblair was just that good. Two guys said they never liked alcohol of any kind before, but were happy to toast me on my birthday, and said they very much enjoyed this expression.

One notable flavor, early in the palate, was banana which was fun. Also the late palate had a nice shock to it like a menthol would. It was so impressive I decided to feature it at the 1Q12 tasting.

I received this email from Abhainn Dearg. They are justifiably proud of their initial 3 year old bottling. Abhainn Dearg is the brand new “Highlands Island” distillery currently building its stocks.

The three years waiting is almost over and the first release of Single Malt from Abhainn Dearg Distillery can be pre-purchased via the website from this evening.

There are only 2011 bottles in total and are for sale at £150 each with postage, packing and insurance of £12.50 UK, for those in Europe or further afield, please contact the distillery for shipping costs.

Each 500ml bottle will be individually signed by distillery owner Mark Tayburn
Bottles are numbered and each bottle is comes in a stylized teak case with an Abhainn Dearg wooden plaque on the front

46% Volume
Non Chill Filtered
Natural Cask Colour
Single Cask Bottling
Bottled by Hand

If you wish to reserve a bottle, please do so quickly as stocks will soon run out!

Kind regards,

Judy

Abhainn Dearg Special Edition 3 year old

Those of you familiar with the Internets won’t be surprised to find out that Brother Tao is also a fairly avid Redditor.  For those of you not familiar, Reddit is a community/bulletin board/discussion site.  Anyway, I’ve been finding some interesting posts and discussions on a sub-reddit r/scotch.  Perhaps we should consider giving it a link on the Single Malt Scotch Links sidebar.

The discussion is perhaps not at a professional level, but there is a lot of enthusiasm among younger participants, and isn’t ambassadorship part of our charter?

Subreddits are all /r/subreddit so you can find this at http://www.reddit.com/r/scotch

Just ran across this. Some brothers may be interested. Paterson is the hyper guy in the mixed drinks with single malt videos we were talking about a few quarters ago. I’ll copy the post but you can find the whole thing at http://fountainheadchicago.com/the-dalmore-whisky-dinner-sept-13th/

On Tuesday September 13th, Master Blender Richard Paterson will be with us for a terrific dinner pairing 6 amazing Dalmore whiskies with some of the best food Chef Sarah has to offer. The special treat of this dinner will be the chance to taste the King Alexander III, the only single malt that is aged in six different woods – wine, Madeira, Sherry, Marsala, Kentucky burbon, and Port casks. More information about the pairing menu to come soon.

Richard Paterson became a Master Blender at the young age of 26 and has travelled the globe as an ambassador for Whyte & Mackay, one of Scotland’s leading makers & distributors of Scotch whisky. He has won numerous awards and in 2008 he published his very own book, Goodness Nose. He is known for being a charismatic presenter on the subject of whisky, able to discuss both the history of the industry & the necessary steps to taste & appreciate whisky properly. We are so thrilled that he will be joining us at Fountainhead for this fantastic dinner.

You do not what to miss this night of delicious food, drink, & discussion!

Tickets are $40 & dinner begins at 7:00 in our Barrel Room.

Please purchase your tickets today at Brown Paper Tickets.

the Ardbeg Committee was notified by Ardbeg of a new release available June 1. Ardbeg Alligator. thanks to the initiative of Bother Hoopie I was able to obtain a bottle. Keep on the look out as more may be available on Sep 1. below is some info I could find on it from some early tastings. Brother lakeview and I will post our tastings soon. I will share it with the KOTQ group in a future meeting!

My findings: the real highlight was a chance to try one of Ardbeg’s newest creations side by side against one of their most legendary drams. Ardbeg Alligator is to be the next committee bottling, released on the 1^st June and is the latest in a new line of wood experiments from Dr Bill Lumsden. A number of heavily charred (level 4) first fill bourbon casks have been maturing since 2000, peated to the standard Ardbeg level of 55ppm. Having tried some of Ardbeg’s heavily toasted cask experiments (single casks 1189 and 1190 from 2009’s Feis Ile) we were itching to see how the heavy char affected the whisky. Here’s our thoughts:

Ardbeg Alligator – Committee release – 51.2% – around 10,000 bottles

Nose: Immediate spicy, fruity notes, with rolled oak shavings, BBQ charcoal, stewed apples, white pepper and hints of strong tea and fresh bourbon. With a dash of water the whisky really comes alive with wonderful rich vanilla tones, chocolate orange notes and hints of copper. Sterling stuff.

Palate: Big, resonant and dry, leading into more of the chocolate orange notes, sweet vanilla, hints of Five Spice and more stewed apple. Then the smoke arrives, soft, aromatic and gentle at first, giving this a superb complexity.

Finish: The sweet vanilla develops alongside the soft smoke for a very lengthy and pleasing finish.

Overall: What a mega whisky. We were critical of the last committee bottling (Rollercoaster) and its apparent lack of consistency and overly youthful tones, but Alligator is just brilliant. Rich, complex and spicy, it puts Ardbeg right back up there in terms of how to construct a highly drinkable and complex smoky whisky. Miss this one at your peril.

What unique problem did Glen Elgin face at the end of the Victorian era?

Last distillery built in Speyside for 60 years at the end of the whisky boom of the 1890s. Designed by notable distillery architect Charles Doig, work on the buildings began shortly before the 1898-99 collapse of Leith whisky blender, Pattisons, famously drove a buoyant market for malt whisky into recession. Local legend has it that many of the workers went unpaid and that the steeplejacks only got their money when they threatened to demolish the chimney stack. Glen Elgin’s next act was to impoverish its creators, who were forced to sell it for perhaps a quarter of its cost (13,000 BPS to 4,000 BPS) within a year of its eventually beginning production in May 1900.

What is unique about Glen Elgin’s distillery configuration?

In walking around the distillery you are struck by the contrasts in old and new, big and small. The distillery has a huge storage capacity for malted barley. The 36 malt bins can hold 400 tonnes – more than the 3 other distilleries in the Elgin group combined. However the ISR (intermediate spirit receiver) which collects the spirit from the stills is very small and has to be pumped empty 3 times a day.

What interesting job did one person have full-time back then at Glen Elgin?

Until the 1950s the distillery was entirely operated and lit by paraffin. All machinery was driven by a paraffin engine and a water turbine. It was a full time job to keep the paraffin lights burning.

Known as an important component of the White Horse blend.