High West Distillery & Saloon, Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, unveils the ninth rendition of A Midwinter Night’s Dram, a limited release of High West Rendezvous Rye finished in Ruby and Tawny port barrels. “A Midwinter Night’s Dram is easily our most anticipated limited release blend of the year. It’s High West’s Rendezvous Rye […]
High West Distillery & Saloon, Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, unveils the ninth rendition of A Midwinter Night’s Dram, a limited release of High West Rendezvous Rye finished in Ruby and Tawny port barrels.
“A Midwinter Night’s Dram is easily our most anticipated limited release blend of the year. It’s High West’s Rendezvous Rye finished in both Ruby and Tawny Port barrels for an additional 1 to 2 years,” said Master Distiller Brendan Coyle. “This year’s release, Act 9, provides notes of dark fig and blackberry layered over that wonderful spice character that great Ryes have to offer. We recommend sipping this spirit neat to experience its many layers of complexity.”
TASTING NOTES: Provided by High West
This limited-edition blend of straight rye whiskeys opens with notes of muddled blackberries, honey-poached figs, chocolate covered cherries, toasted marshmallow, gentian root, star anise and hoisin sauce. On the palate, it offers refreshing sugar plums, blackberries, spiced bitter orange peel, toffee cookies aside an orange tea, fresh dates, cinnamon strudel, brown sugar glass, and dried thyme leaves. The finish yields aromatic bitters, pink peppercorn, violets and mint.
Cost & Availability
A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 (49.3% Alc/Vol) will be available beginning October 1st. The spirit can be purchased at High West General Store in Old Town Park City and at High West Distillery on Blue Sky Ranch in Wanship, Utah, for $99.99 per bottle. For more information and where to buy High West products near you, visit highwest.com.
This is the first of what is going to be an ongoing series for BourbonGuy.com. As you might imagine, I get a lot of press releases in my inbox. I thought it might be neat to periodically share some of those that I find the most interesting along with a little commentary on them. I hope you enjoy these posts. I spend way too much time reading whiskey news to not share.
Four Roses Announces Mini Bottles of Two Bourbons
NEWS: After quietly retiring their 50 mL bottles of Four Roses Single Barrel, Four Roses announced this month that they will be offering 50 mL bottles of both their Small Batch and Small Batch Select Bourbons. These bottles are available at most retailers that sell the 750 mL bottles. Locally they sell for $5.99 for the Small Batch and $7.99 for the Small Batch Select.
COMMENTARY: This is the kind of thing that I wouldn’t have usually found that interesting, except for one thing. I never was able to get a Four Roses bottle on the Whiskey Party Lights that I made. Single Barrel had a small cork. No way to hang it from the lights. According to Brent Elliott, these new minis will have screw caps that I’ll be able to drill through. What’s that? You don’t have any Whiskey Party lights? You should make some, it’s a fun and easy project.
Samuels House Now Available for Overnight Accommodations
NEWS: Rob Samuels, Managing Director of Maker’s Mark and grandson of the brand’s founder, has opened the historic Samuels home for rent. Currently operated under the name Samuels House, it was built around 1820 by Samuels family forefather John Samuels. The property remained with the family until the 1950s. Now, back in family hands, it has been renovated and opened for rent to overnight guests. According to the press release: “Although equipped with modern conveniences and luxury amenities, the house’s original detail and character have been preserved to showcase the history of the Maker’s Mark dynasty. Never before seen personal family artifacts, including the deep fryer used to create the iconic red wax tendrils and a hand-made bar with whisky spanning 150 years of Samuels family distilling, ensures a really special experience for bourbon enthusiasts.”
COMMENTARY: If I had the money, I would love to stay here while visiting Bardstown. Not sure I can swing $1250-1500 per night on a freelancer’s budget, but if you do, this seems like a fun way to spend that cash. I love old houses and, for me, the whiskey history would just be icing on the cake. And man, do those sofas look comfy.
MGP Distillery Gets a New Name
NEWS: As of September 29, 2021, the consumer brands portion of the MGP distillery will go by the name of Ross & Squibb Distillery. The new name highlights the history of the distillery location. According to the press release: “Ross” is inspired by the legacy of George Ross, who in 1847 founded the Rossville Distillery, located on what is now the Ross & Squibb Distillery campus. Considered one of Lawrenceburg’s original distilleries and one of America’s last Prohibition-era distilleries, Rossville Distillery produced some of the finest rye whiskeys in the world and was the inspiration for the Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey brand. “Squibb” calls back to the historic Squibb Distillery, founded in 1869 in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and later purchased in 1921 by George Remus, King of the Bootleggers® and inspiration for the George Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey brand.” Bulk production of whiskey and other spirits will continue onsite under the current name, MGPI of Indiana, LLC.
COMMENTARY: What does this mean for the whiskey consumer? Probably not a lot. I know I’m not going to rush to update the MGP tag at the bottom of this page. I’m almost positive that in casual conversation I’ll still use the quick MGP instead of the longer Ross & Squibb. Though you may see written references to Ross & Squibb on the site if I quote from a press release for one of their products. Basically, this is a consumer-facing example of the merger of MGP and Luxco. As the Luxco portion of the combined company now handles the consumer brands that MGP brought to the merger (Remus, Rossville, etc), it only makes sense from a marketing perspective to brand everything they can to help tell their story. Does this mean we can look forward to the future announcement of an upcoming visitor experience in Lawrenceburg, IN? No word on that yet, but it wouldn’t terribly surprise me now that the distillery has a consumer-friendly name and logo.
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The huge letters atop several buildings in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, still say ‘SEAGRAMS,’ but the famed GNS and whiskey-maker is now Ross & Squibb Distillery.Back in January it was announced that MGP Ingredients, based in Atchison, Ka…
The huge letters atop several buildings in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, still say 'SEAGRAMS,' but the famed GNS and whiskey-maker is now Ross & Squibb Distillery.
Back in January it was announced that MGP Ingredients, based in Atchison, Kansas, had acquired St. Louis-based Luxco. Nothing much seemed to happen after that. In Kentucky, it was business-as-usual at Luxco's Limestone Branch in Lebanon and Lux Row in Bardstown, as well as at MGP's Indiana distillery. Until Wednesday, when it was announced that the oft-renamed Indiana joint will be known henceforth by two names plucked from its past, Ross & Squibb.
Sort of.
The press release says this: "Luxco will rename the 174-year-old, Lawrenceburg, Indiana, distiller of its branded spirits Ross & Squibb Distillery™ as it joins the Luxco family of brands. Effective immediately, the distiller of George Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey will go by its new name."
The 'sort of' part comes later in the release where it says this: "MGP will continue to produce bourbon, rye, whiskey, gin and grain-neutral spirits from this facility under its current name: MGPI of Indiana, LLC."
It's a lot to unpack.
Luxco is a 63-year-old company. For most of that time it was a successful regional rectifier, a non-distiller producer with most of its business in St. Louis and vicinity. Along the way it picked up a few small national brands such as Ezra Brooks Bourbon, Everclear Grain Neutral Spirit, and Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream Liqueur. For many years, it bought almost all of its bourbon from Heaven Hill. Before that, its David Nicholson wheated bourbon came from Stitzel-Weller.
The bourbon boom has been good for Luxco. In 2014, it acquired a one-half interest in craft distillery Limestone Branch, now the home of Yellowstone Bourbon. In 2018, Luxco opened Lux Row, a major distillery. For the year that ended October 31, 2020, Luxco generated approximate net revenues of $202 million and 9-liter case volume of 4.8 million.
At the time of the sale to MGP, Luxco was still owned by its founding Lux family and Donn Lux, formerly chairman and CEO of Luxco, is now a member of MGP's board. He and his fellow shareholders also are now $475 million richer.
MGP is public but tightly controlled by its founding Cray family. Cloud Cray started it in 1941, buying a small distillery which he enlarged to make ethanol for the war industries. It was known as Midwest Grain Processors. After the war, it continued to make ethanol for beverage and industrial use, as well specialty proteins and starches extracted from wheat. His son, Bud, who succeeded him, just passed away last year at age 96. Bud's daughter, Karen Seaberg, chairs MGP's board today. For calendar 2020, MGP reported net income of $40.3 million on sales of $395.5 million.
MGP has long been one of the country's largest distillers of grain neutral spirits (GNS, aka vodka) but has struggled with the low margins typical of commodity production. Its 2011 acquisition of the Lawrenceburg distillery, which makes GNS but also makes whiskey, was a bid to move into "higher value-added products," as they put it. So instead of commodity GNS, the company now also sold commodity whiskey, a minor improvement. It toyed with the next step up, selling branded products, but progress was glacial. Buying Luxco seemed to solve that problem at a stroke.
Maybe it will, but today's branding exercise needed work. That massive, red-brick distillery and maturation facility just downriver from Cincinnati will be called by its new name if you buy one of its branded products, such as Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey (which is pretty good, but perhaps not $60 good). If you want to buy contract whiskey, bulk whiskey, or GNS, it's still MGP. And if you're in town and need directions, ask a local how to get to Seagram's, because they all still call it that.
Confusing, right?
As for the new name itself, the 'Ross' part is a reference to George Ross, who is believed to have established a distillery there in 1847. He called it Rossville despite there being no town of that name in the vicinity. Then again, maybe it was 1857, as Seagram's claimed (see photo, above).
Regardless, Ross was out of the picture by 1875, when James Walsh & Company, a Cincinnati rectifier, bought the place. The Walsh operation was huge and it owned or controlled several distilleries in the region. The offices were in downtown Cincinnati but the main rectification plant was in Covington, Kentucky, at the other end of John Roebling's new bridge over the Ohio River.
Peter O'Shaughnessy was Walsh's partner and his three sons took the company over after Walsh and their father retired. They operated Rossville as a medicinal whiskey bottler during Prohibition. When Prohibition ended they sold it to Joseph E. Seagram and Sons Inc., aka, Seagram's. The Canadian distiller made it their principal U.S. distillery. They bought a grain silo in nearby Aurora to supply it. The O'Shaughnessy brothers then built a new distillery nearby and gave it the Walsh name, but it didn't last long. The enlarged and improved Seagram's plant produced Seagram's Seven Crown Blended Whiskey and Seagram's Gin, two major brands.
It was Seagram's for 70 years, the longest name tenure in its claimed 174-year history.
The 'Squibb' part of the new name refers to brothers W. P. and G. W. Squibb, who bought a Lawrenceburg distillery called Dunn and Ludlow in 1866. In 1885, their Squibb Distillery installed a column still and made other improvements to increase its capacity to 330 bushels per day. It was a major distillery until Prohibition closed it. Near the end of Prohibition, Schenley bought it and another shuttered distillery nearby, combining them under the name Old Quaker, a popular pre-Pro brand Schenley had acquired.
For MGP, the significance of the Squibb name is its association with George Remus, the notorious Cincinnati-based bootlegger who briefly owned Squibb as part of his phony medicinal whiskey scheme during Prohibition. MGP has been selling a George Remus Bourbon (also good, about $40) as part of its fledgling effort to add profitable branded products to its portfolio.
Schenley and Seagram's were two of the post-Prohibition 'Big Four' distilled spirits producers and Lawrenceburg was the only place they had big distilleries side-by-side. That made Lawrenceburg "Whiskey City," a legacy the local community has recently embraced. In that context, Ross & Squibb is a great name because it salutes those two local whiskey giants, Seagram's and Schenley, without trespassing on anyone's intellectual property.
Schenley stopped distilling at Old Quaker in the late 1980s when it became part of what is now Diageo. They continued bottling until the warehouses ran dry. The bottling plant was sold and for a short time continued to operate as a separate company. Everything else was either demolished or converted to other uses.
Seagram's Lawrenceburg kept going even after Seagram's itself was dissolved and sold for parts in 2000. The facility first went to Pernod Ricard, which sold it to CL Financial, which sold it to MGP, after first selling the bottling plant to Proximo. Through all that and more, it never closed.
MGP now has six distilleries, in Atchison (KS), Lawrenceburg (IN), Lebanon, Bardstown (KY), Mexico, and Washington, D. C., where it last year bought a quirky little gin maker called Green Hat.
We just got our first glimpse of how this new MGP/Luxco mash-up will work. It has a few bugs. Maybe better luck next time.
The arrival of Autumn is always signalled by Diageo, Scotland’s largest whisky producer, announcing the line-up for their annual Special Releases programme. Each year these bottlings are designed to highlight rare or old whiskies from within Diageo’s e…
The arrival of Autumn is always signalled by Diageo, Scotland's largest whisky producer, announcing the line-up for their annual Special Releases programme. Each year these bottlings are designed to highlight rare or old whiskies from within Diageo's extensive portfolio of maturing stocks and are eagerly anticipated each year since the series was first started with just three expressions in 2001. The 2021 collection marks the 20th anniversary of the Special Releases.
This year is one of the smaller recent collections and sees just eight bottlings. The eight have been put together to show the stories of whisky from different environments and terrains across Scotland. This incorporates a set of mythical creatures that reside in the sea, lochs and mountains and can be seen on the packaging. The 2021 collection is subtitled Legends Untold as a result. The striking artwork has been created by illustrator Ken Taylor.
As with all previous years the whiskies are all bottled at their natural cask strength and colour. This year's selection has again been curated and hand picked by Dr. Craig Wilson, one of the Master Blenders at Diageo. The Diageo Special Releases 2021 : Legends Untold will be available in limited quantities via specialist whisky and luxury retailers in selected markets worldwide (including Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, UK and USA) and www.malts.com. They can be purchased individually or as a set.
"We have delved into the core characteristics of several classic distilleries for Legends Untold. The mythical creatures of this year’s collection represent the true expressions of these distilleries and we have taken inspiration from them."
Dr. Craig Wilson.
Our tasting notes
Cardhu 14 years old
The Scarlet Blossoms of Black Rock
Speyside / 55.5% ABV / Re-fill American oak with ex-red wine cask finish / £120
The colour is pale lemon yellow and the nose is packed with aromas of green apple and honeycomb. These are joined by hints of milk chocolate, tropical fruit (especially pineapple and lychee) and some increasingly influential malted cereals. A pinch of cinnamon and white pepper add extra depth and complexity.
On the palate this whisky has a luxurious feel and creamy texture. Notes of vanilla and heather honey kick things off, followed by baked apple, toffee and fresh honeycomb. These are followed by luscious red fruits (think of strawberry, raspberry and cranberry) and dried fruit (imagine juicy sultana and a hint of candied orange). Everything is underpinned by a developing robust maltiness. This is accentuated by that tropical note from the nose, plus hints of milk chocolate and gingerbread biscuits. Fresher notes develop towards the end, particularly crisp green apple and newly cut grass. Delicious.
Lagavulin 12 years old
The Lion's Fire
Islay / 56.5% ABV / Re-fill American oak casks / £130
The colour is pale gold and the nose is fiery and vegetal in nature. Spicy and feisty peat smoke dominates and has a mossy and earthy edge to it. Cracked black pepper and clove are also evident, along with vanilla and malted cookies. A late twist of lemon zest and fresh red chilli round things off.
On the palate this whisky continues on its fiery path. The peat smoke again dominates and shows notes of damp moss and vegetation, freshly turned soil and bonfire ash. This is finished off with a hint of dried seaweed. The malty and biscuity note follows next and gives a distinct bittersweetness. Then comes some much needed sweetness in the form of sugar syrup, honey and vanilla. A hint of milk chocolate, peardrops and cocoa also contribute to this. The spiciness is never far away and continues to be feisty and peppery. A note of clove gives a hint of antiseptic, before the black pepper and red chilli appear. Further spice comes in the form of pink peppercorn.
Lagavulin 26 years old
The Lion's Jewel
Islay / 44.2% ABV / Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry seasoned first-fill casks / £1,650
The colour is coppery amber and the nose is highly fragrant. Elegant sweet peat smoke rises from the glass and is wrapped around aromas of caramel, baked figs and apples drizzled in honey, orange oil and lingering wood spices. There are also hints of raisin, toasted nuts (think of almond and walnut especially), damp moss and treacle.
On the palate this whisky is weighty and oozes class. Notes of baked fruit (those figs and apples again, plus peach) with honey rise first and are followed by the distinct nutty and earthy characteristics. Toasted almonds, walnuts and pecans lead the way and are joined by notes of damp moss, dried leaves, seaweed and bittersweet peat. With time these are joined by warming wood and baking spices, especially cedarwood and cinnamon, plus dried fruits (raisin, dates, sultana and a hint of candied orange) and some black treacle. The smoke elegantly weaves itself around everything and has a sweet and bonfire-like feel that is reminiscent of dying embers and ash. Such a treat.
Mortlach 13 years old
The Moonlit Beast
Speyside / 55.9% ABV / Virgin and re-fill American oak barrels / £135
The colour is vibrant gold and the nose is packed with earthy and woody aromas. The savoury nature dominates with aromas of malted cereals, dusty wood shed and old cigar box evident. Underneath are whiffs of red apple, manuka honey, toasted coconut and a distinct nutty quality - think of hazelnut and walnut in particular.
On the palate this whisky is big, rich and bold. The savoury feel continues with robust malted cereals, punchy wood spices (think of cinnamon, nutmeg and old oak furniture) and a hint of dried tobacco leaf along the cigar box line from the nose. Golden syrup, honey and a hint of caramel bring much needed sweetness and also add depth. A suggestion of dried apple is also evident, along with toasted nuts and coconut. A pinch of cocoa and ginger powder comes through as does a distinct note of vanilla sugar. However, the savouriness is never far away and returns towards the end with further notes of cigar box, wood spice and drying biscuity malt.
Oban 12 years old
The Tale of Twin Foxes
West Highlands / 56.2% ABV / Freshly charred American oak ex-bourbon casks / £105
The colour is golden yellow and the nose has welcoming aromas of honey, toffee and coconut. Further aromas build on these - think of white chocolate, fresh lemon zest and oatcake biscuits. There is also a touch of spice on show in the form of white pepper and green chilli, plus a whiff of sea spray and brine. Very interesting indeed.
On the palate this whisky has an uplifting and scintillating vibrancy. The fresh lemon zest and white pepper from the nose combine with candied lime peel and the brine-like notes to give this feel. Richer and sweeter notes develop - imagine heather honey, toffee and milk chocolate with a drip of bitter orange oil. Earthy malted biscuits come through also, along with a hint of green apple and that green chilli from the nose. Woody oak spices begin to evolve towards the end and add a lovely vanilla note, plus some gripping dryness and warmth on the tongue. That peppery and chilli-like heat returns for one last hit right at the end.
Royal Lochnagar 16 years old
The Spring Stallion
East Highlands / 57.5% ABV / Re-fill American oak and European oak casks / £200
The colour is deep gold and the nose is lovely and malty with plenty of biscuit-like and brown sugar aromas. Then comes a lovely combination of burnt orange peel, crisp green apple and something reminsicent of damp Autumn leaves. There are also aromas of vanilla, caramel, baking spices and a hint of earthiness.
On the palate this whisky feels incredibly rich and creamy. The velvety texture accentuates the sweeter notes to begin with and the palate is loaded with vanilla, toffee, confected apple patisserie and crumbly brown sugar. Then the malty cereals kick in and add weight and structure to the whisky. Earthy malted biscuits and oat cakes start this before developing more towards woody and baking spices, plus that Autumn leafy note from the nose. It is an intriguing and tasty marriage. These savoury and spicy characteristics wrap around late notes of baked apple and dried orange peel. Feel slike a hug in a glass on a chilly afternoon.
Singleton of Glendullan 19 years old
The Siren's Song
Speyside / 54.6% ABV / Re-fill American oak with ex-Cognac cask finish / £140
The colour is deep gold and the nose is rich, sweet and decadent. Aromas of baked apple and pear rise first but are quickly joined by suggestions of dried apricot, sultana and Victoria sponge cake. Then comes golden syrup and vanilla custard, along with a good pinch of baking spices and cocoa powder.
On the palate the decadence continues. This is silky and velvety with initial sweet notes of vanilla fudge and toffee coming through. Baked apple and poached pear are again evident and they are drizzled in a butterscotch sauce with a pinch of cinnamon and star anise. The combination is wonderful. Extra depth is added by evolving dried fruits. The apricot and sultanas are present as before, but are joined by raisin and fig. Another layer is added with the development of a lovely note of vanilla pod and toasted almond late on, along with further baking spices. Ginger powder, cocoa and a crack of black pepper add warmth and depth. Fabulous.
The colour is pale lemon yellow and the nose is spiky and peppery. Punchy, hot peat smoke mingles with aromas of fresh green chilli white pepper straight from the pepper mill. Underneath are further aromas of green apples, malted barley, vanilla and lemon zest plus a hint of something confected in the background that reminded us of lime jelly.
On the palate this whisky is as bold and aggressive as the nose suggested. The hot peppery notes bombard the tastebuds and join forces with the robust ashy peat smoke. The combination is quite drying and gives a slight flinty edge. Some sweetness comes through in the form of vanilla, white chocolate and sweet malty cereal bars. These are quickly joined by a suggestion of two delicious desserts - lemon meringue pie and key lime pie. Further depth is added with a hint of clove and an increasing note of salty seaweed. This combines well with the peppery smoke to give a brightness and vibrancy to the whisky. Certainly a feisty one.
Looking back at the 900 plus “whiskey men” profiled on this website the vast majority began as indigent immigrants or native-born poor with little education who by hard work and intelligence succeeded in the liquor trade.Not so Harry Milton Levy, the five foot, four inch, gentleman shown here.Born to riches in Cincinnati, Levy was sent to Harvard for his college education and stayed to earn a degree from Harvard Law School.
Harry’s good fortune began when he was born in 1862, the son of Albert and Julia Fries Levy.His father and a brother had immigrated from Wurtemburg, Germany; settled in Cincinnati, and founded a highly successful wholesale liquor house known as James Levy & Brother.At the time Cincinnati boasted its centrality east of the Mississippi River, its role as a canal and railroad hub, its access through the Ohio River to the Mississippi Basin and the Atlantic Ocean and, most important, its ability to tap the burgeoning distilling capacities of Kentucky.“The Queen City,” as it was known, became the center of the liquor trade in America.The Levys were among the beneficiaries.
After graduating from Harvard Law, above, Harry Levy never practiced for even one day.He hurried back to Cincinnati and the family liquor house, located at 33 Sycamore Street, to join his father and uncle.At the time the Levy brothers were selling at wholesale multiple brands that included:“Belle of Milton,” “Crab Orchard,” “G. W. H.”, “Hazel Nut”, “Madison”, “Maywood”, “Old Pioneer “, “Pilgrimage,” “Richwood,” “Spring Lake,” “Spring Wood,” “Susquehanna,” “Susquemac,”“Treubrook,”and “Teakettle.”
Like other wholesalers the Levys were always on the lookout for sources of whiskey supplies for their house brands.An opportunity arose in 1880 with the availability of The Tea Kettle Distillery about 70 miles downriver in Trimble County.Established about 1840, this distillery had been destroyed by fire in July 1879.Rebuilt, the facility was contracted to James Levy & Bro. to handle its entire output.
Insurance records from 1892 describe the property as containing a stone still-house with a boiler house. A shed located 16 feet from the still housed cattle to be fattened by the slops. The property also included three bonded warehouses: Warehouse “A” — brick with a metal or slate roof, 210 feet south of the still house. Warehouse “B” — brick with a metal or slate roof, 125 feet SE of the still house.Warehouse “C” — iron-clad, 150 feet north of the still.In 1892 Harry Levy was recorded as the “proprietor” of this complex.
Beginning with the Trimble County distillery Harry took the family liquor business in a new direction.Instead of seeking whiskey from a host of suppliers, James Levy & Bro. now contracted for the entire output of a handful of Kentucky distilleries with reputations for quality products and as “jobbers” marketing their whiskeys nationally to wholesalers and retailers.
The 1888 Centennial Review of Cincinnati offered this assessment: “Twenty years ago Louisville would have considered impossible recognition by the jobbing trade of any city outside of itself as a jobbing market for fine Kentucky whiskey; yet the firm of James Levy & Bro. has not only made Cincinnati recognized as such, but has plucked the laurels from Louisville….” The article goes on to say that the Levys were not rectifying or compounding liquor but shipping their straight whiskey direct to customer warehouses from the half dozen distilleries they controlled.
The blue ribbon prize of those distilleries had been founded by Judge W. H. McBrayer of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.Shown above, McBrayer’s “Cedar Brook” whiskey had won international metals and was, in one report, “the finest handmade sour mash whiskey in the world.”This “coup” for James Levy & Bro. was engineered by Harvard-educated Harry.As he aged Judge McBrayer had become increasingly aware of his inability to market his whiskey effectively to a wider audience.In a visit to the Lawrenceburg distillery, below,Levy was able to persuade the old gentleman to give him exclusive rights to merchandise Cedar Brook nationwide.With the help of the Cincinnati organization the brand became synonymous with the best in Kentucky whiskey.
As Harry worked with other family members to build a national and international business for Kentucky whiskey, he was conducting a personal life. In 1896 he married Jeanette Feiss, Ohio-born in 1873 and about ten years younger than Harry.Jeanette was the daughter of Leopold and Sarah Wyler Feiss;Her father was a prominent Cincinnati businessman, involved in the tobacco and clothing trades, and known for his civic involvement and philanthropy.
Although the couple apparently had no children, Harry consistently provided spacious accommodations for the couple.From about 1904 until 1916 the Levys lived in East Walnut Hills residential district of Cincinnati.The house, still standing, was a large and impressive pressed-brick residence at 2933 Fairfield Avenue, having the look of a French chateau.The couple lived there together with one or more servants in attendance.Harry also bought a summer residence at Tupper Lake in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, a favorite retreat for the well-to-do.The Harry Levys were among the few Jews recognized in the “exclusive” Mrs. Devereux’s Blue Book of Cincinnati Society.
Wealthy after almost 30 years helping to guide the fortunes of the Levy liquor house,Harry about 1910 cut his ties with the company.The reason is not clear.His father Albert had died in 1905.Uncle James Levy had sons, his cousins, who may have been slated to manage the business.Or Harry could have sensed the tightening noose of Prohibition.Or perhaps he simply wanted a change.The 1910 census gave his occupation as “capitalist,” someone dealing investments.
His new career coincided with a passion to build Jeanette and himself a new house, one like Cincinnati had never seen before.The mansion, shown above, has been described thus:“The design blends elements that were modern for the time, reflecting the approach of the Arts & Crafts a movement, with evocations of the historic past, primarily English architecture of the Tudor and Jacobean periods of the 16th and early-17th century to create a unique amalgam.”The residence was located in the fashionable Hyde Park district of Cincinnati on six large lots overlooking the Cincinnati Country Club.The 1920 census records the couple residing there with four live-in servants, a male and three females.
Harry Levy, however was about more than fine houses.He never forgot Harvard.In 1892 he personally paid for the attendance of a number of Cincinnati students to Harvard.Harry also helped finance and administer the local Harvard Club’s annual “scholastic field meet” for local high school students.Much of his philanthropy went to “beautifying” Cincinnati.For at least a quarter century he was treasurer of the city’s Municipal Arts Society.That work explains the “art souvenirs” folders under his arm in the caricature that opens this post.The Arts Society actively sought to make Cincinnati a more attractive city by promoting open space and public art and by working with schools to advance art appreciation.
In 1905, for example, the Society, with Harry in the forefront, persuaded city officials to give it a statue of Cincinnatus that had been stored away after being defaced with red paint.The members paid to restore and place it in a public park for general viewing, as shown here.When Cincinnati’s City Hall was redecorated, with Harry leading, the Society provided for the internal decoration.The result were dozens of refurbished stained glass windows and painted ceiling panels that even today have made City Hall a tourist destination.The building is listed on National Register of Historic Places.
Heavily invested in stock and bonds, Harry Levy faced a significant financial setback at the time of the stock market crash.He and Jeanette could no longer afford their servants and moved out of their spacious Hyde Park home and rented it for income.The couple, however, were far from penury.They moved from the house to the Hotel Alms, shown right, a fashionable residential hotel in nearby Walnut Hills. The couple apparently lived there until Harry died in 1940 at the age of 78.Jeanette subsequently sold the iconic house.
For a final word on whiskey man Harry Levy it seems appropriate to quote from a Cincinnati Press Club publication. The article hailed him as “one of Cincinnati’s foremost capitalists, and certainly entitled to the fullest recognition as a philanthropist, for his benefactions for years have been of the most generous nature.”
Notes: This post has been garnered from multiple sources of which by far the most important was the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Harry Milton Levy House.It was co-authored by Walter E. Langsam and Beth A. Sullebarger of the Cincinnati Preservation Society in 1997 and provides many cogent details about Harry and Jeanette Levy.
Looking back at the 900 plus “whiskey men” profiled on this website the vast majority began as indigent immigrants or native-born poor with little education who by hard work and intelligence succeeded in the liquor trade.Not so Harry Milton Levy, the five foot, four inch, gentleman shown here.Born to riches in Cincinnati, Levy was sent to Harvard for his college education and stayed to earn a degree from Harvard Law School.
Harry’s good fortune began when he was born in 1862, the son of Albert and Julia Fries Levy.His father and a brother had immigrated from Wurtemburg, Germany; settled in Cincinnati, and founded a highly successful wholesale liquor house known as James Levy & Brother.At the time Cincinnati boasted its centrality east of the Mississippi River, its role as a canal and railroad hub, its access through the Ohio River to the Mississippi Basin and the Atlantic Ocean and, most important, its ability to tap the burgeoning distilling capacities of Kentucky.“The Queen City,” as it was known, became the center of the liquor trade in America.The Levys were among the beneficiaries.
After graduating from Harvard Law, above, Harry Levy never practiced for even one day.He hurried back to Cincinnati and the family liquor house, located at 33 Sycamore Street, to join his father and uncle.At the time the Levy brothers were selling at wholesale multiple brands that included:“Belle of Milton,” "Crab Orchard,” "G. W. H.", "Hazel Nut", "Madison", "Maywood", "Old Pioneer ", “Pilgrimage,” “Richwood,” "Spring Lake,” "Spring Wood,” “Susquehanna," “Susquemac,”“Treubrook,”and “Teakettle.”
Like other wholesalers the Levys were always on the lookout for sources of whiskey supplies for their house brands.An opportunity arose in 1880 with the availability of The Tea Kettle Distillery about 70 miles downriver in Trimble County.Established about 1840, this distillery had been destroyed by fire in July 1879.Rebuilt, the facility was contracted to James Levy & Bro. to handle its entire output.
Insurance records from 1892 describe the property as containing a stone still-house with a boiler house. A shed located 16 feet from the still housed cattle to be fattened by the slops. The property also included three bonded warehouses: Warehouse "A" -- brick with a metal or slate roof, 210 feet south of the still house. Warehouse "B" -- brick with a metal or slate roof, 125 feet SE of the still house.Warehouse "C" -- iron-clad, 150 feet north of the still.In 1892 Harry Levy was recorded as the “proprietor” of this complex.
Beginning with the Trimble County distillery Harry took the family liquor business in a new direction.Instead of seeking whiskey from a host of suppliers, James Levy & Bro. now contracted for the entire output of a handful of Kentucky distilleries with reputations for quality products and as “jobbers” marketing their whiskeys nationally to wholesalers and retailers.
The 1888 Centennial Review of Cincinnati offered this assessment: “Twenty years ago Louisville would have considered impossible recognition by the jobbing trade of any city outside of itself as a jobbing market for fine Kentucky whiskey; yet the firm of James Levy & Bro. has not only made Cincinnati recognized as such, but has plucked the laurels from Louisville….” The article goes on to say that the Levys were not rectifying or compounding liquor but shipping their straight whiskey direct to customer warehouses from the half dozen distilleries they controlled.
The blue ribbon prize of those distilleries had been founded by Judge W. H. McBrayer of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.Shown above, McBrayer’s “Cedar Brook” whiskey had won international metals and was, in one report, “the finest handmade sour mash whiskey in the world.”This “coup” for James Levy & Bro. was engineered by Harvard-educated Harry.As he aged Judge McBrayer had become increasingly aware of his inability to market his whiskey effectively to a wider audience.In a visit to the Lawrenceburg distillery, below,Levy was able to persuade the old gentleman to give him exclusive rights to merchandise Cedar Brook nationwide.With the help of the Cincinnati organization the brand became synonymous with the best in Kentucky whiskey.
As Harry worked with other family members to build a national and international business for Kentucky whiskey, he was conducting a personal life. In 1896 he married Jeanette Feiss, Ohio-born in 1873 and about ten years younger than Harry.Jeanette was the daughter of Leopold and Sarah Wyler Feiss;Her father was a prominent Cincinnati businessman, involved in the tobacco and clothing trades, and known for his civic involvement and philanthropy.
Although the couple apparently had no children, Harry consistently provided spacious accommodations for the couple.From about 1904 until 1916 the Levys lived in East Walnut Hills residential district of Cincinnati.The house, still standing, was a large and impressive pressed-brick residence at 2933 Fairfield Avenue, having the look of a French chateau.The couple lived there together with one or more servants in attendance.Harry also bought a summer residence at Tupper Lake in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, a favorite retreat for the well-to-do.The Harry Levys were among the few Jews recognized in the “exclusive” Mrs. Devereux’s Blue Book of Cincinnati Society.
Wealthy after almost 30 years helping to guide the fortunes of the Levy liquor house,Harry about 1910 cut his ties with the company.The reason is not clear.His father Albert had died in 1905.Uncle James Levy had sons, his cousins, who may have been slated to manage the business.Or Harry could have sensed the tightening noose of Prohibition.Or perhaps he simply wanted a change.The 1910 census gave his occupation as “capitalist,” someone dealing investments.
His new career coincided with a passion to build Jeanette and himself a new house, one like Cincinnati had never seen before.The mansion, shown above, has been described thus:“The design blends elements that were modern for the time, reflecting the approach of the Arts & Crafts a movement, with evocations of the historic past, primarily English architecture of the Tudor and Jacobean periods of the 16th and early-17th century to create a unique amalgam.”The residence was located in the fashionable Hyde Park district of Cincinnati on six large lots overlooking the Cincinnati Country Club.The 1920 census records the couple residing there with four live-in servants, a male and three females.
Harry Levy, however was about more than fine houses.He never forgot Harvard.In 1892 he personally paid for the attendance of a number of Cincinnati students to Harvard.Harry also helped finance and administer the local Harvard Club’s annual “scholastic field meet” for local high school students.Much of his philanthropy went to “beautifying” Cincinnati.For at least a quarter century he was treasurer of the city’s Municipal Arts Society.That work explains the “art souvenirs” folders under his arm in the caricature that opens this post.The Arts Society actively sought to make Cincinnati a more attractive city by promoting open space and public art and by working with schools to advance art appreciation.
In 1905, for example, the Society, with Harry in the forefront, persuaded city officials to give it a statue of Cincinnatus that had been stored away after being defaced with red paint.The members paid to restore and place it in a public park for general viewing, as shown here.When Cincinnati’s City Hall was redecorated, with Harry leading, the Society provided for the internal decoration.The result were dozens of refurbished stained glass windows and painted ceiling panels that even today have made City Hall a tourist destination.The building is listed on National Register of Historic Places.
Heavily invested in stock and bonds, Harry Levy faced a significant financial setback at the time of the stock market crash.He and Jeanette could no longer afford their servants and moved out of their spacious Hyde Park home and rented it for income.The couple, however, were far from penury.They moved from the house to the Hotel Alms, shown right, a fashionable residential hotel in nearby Walnut Hills. The couple apparently lived there until Harry died in 1940 at the age of 78.Jeanette subsequently sold the iconic house.
For a final word on whiskey man Harry Levy it seems appropriate to quote from a Cincinnati Press Club publication. The article hailed him as “one of Cincinnati’s foremost capitalists, and certainly entitled to the fullest recognition as a philanthropist, for his benefactions for years have been of the most generous nature.”
Notes: This post has been garnered from multiple sources of which by far the most important was the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Harry Milton Levy House.It was co-authored by Walter E. Langsam and Beth A. Sullebarger of the Cincinnati Preservation Society in 1997 and provides many cogent details about Harry and Jeanette Levy.
Welcome to the September 2021 recap. Last month was the first month ever where viewership declined year-over-year. Let’s see how September fared. Baby Leo and Miss FionaThis month I posted 10 articles. The site saw 16,000+ page-views. Down from th…
Welcome to the September 2021 recap. Last month was the first month ever where viewership declined year-over-year. Let's see how September fared.
Baby Leo and Miss Fiona
This month I posted 10 articles. The site saw 16,000+ page-views. Down from the 17,252 views in August and down 40% from the 27,122 views in September of 2020.
Last week, we kicked off the series of analyzing Bourbon & Banter’s article on “Is Bourbon Broken?” and this next installment looks at the secondary market. The prices of bourbon have been growing immensely and who knows if the prices will ever drop. Will there ever be an end in sight for consumers buying on the secondary or should companies adjust their prices accordingly? We tackle all this and more.
Show Partners:
Catoctin Creek has been honoring that tradition of small craft rye whisky since 2009. Learn more at CatoctinCreekDistilling.com.
Smooth Ambler builds on the traditional roots of American whiskey in West Virginia. Visit SmoothAmbler.com to learn more.
Wilderness Trail is Sweet Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled in Danville, Kentucky. Learn more at WildernessTrailDistillery.com.
You can now buy Barrell Craft Spirits products online and have them shipped right to your door. Visit BarrellBourbon.com and click Buy Now.
Spirits of French Lick is delivering the finest hand crafted Bottled in Bond bourbons. Check out SpiritsofFrenchLick.com.
Savor every drop of summer at Total Wine & More! You’re sure to find cool prices in-store or online at TotalWine.com.
Heaven Hill Distillery has been lifting America’s spirit since 1935. Check out educational resources and sign up for their newsletter at HeavenHillDistillery.com.
Show Notes:
This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about mixing bourbon.
Are people forced to buy special bottles on the secondary market these days?
Is it foolish to buy bottles for so much more than retail?
How can you deter bottle flipping?
Is there anything distilleries can do to prevent flipping on the secondary market?
At what point will we hit the price ceiling?
Is it ethical for distillers to look at pricing on the secondary market to make business decisions?
Are auctions setting the secondary prices of bottles?
How do auctions get a pass unlike the secondary market?
Are current pricing strategies fair to the consumer?
Lagavulin 12 yo ‘The Lion’s Fire’ (56.5%, OB, Special Release 2021, Untold Legends)Lagavulin 26 yo ‘The Lion’s Jewel’ (44.2%, OB, Special Release 2021, Untold Legends)
Lagavulin 12 yo 'The Lion's Fire' (56.5%, OB, Special Release 2021, Untold Legends) Lagavulin 26 yo 'The Lion's Jewel' (44.2%, OB, Special Release 2021, Untold Legends)
While the past year has been a strange one, there are some things that have rolled on barely affected. One of those is the yearly Diageo Special Releases. They popped up on time in 2020…
While the past year has been a strange one, there are some things that have rolled on barely affected. One of those is the yearly Diageo Special Releases. They popped up on time in 2020 and now they’re here again. While the make-up of this year’s eight-bottle range has been known since early in the year, we can now finally reveal more about the whiskies, the range and what it’s all about. Presenting the Diageo Special Releases 2021 – Legends Untold.
The Story of the Special Releases
For those of you haven’t encountered this yearly release of limited–edition drams, you can find out all about them in my What are the Diageo Special Releases article. In short, it’s a collection of whiskies that has appeared each year since 2002 (after a smaller release in 2001), and which has slowly evolved into a showcase of lesser-known distilleries in Diageo’s portfolio – they own more distilleries in Scotland than any other whisky maker – as well as new takes on more familiar names.
The past few years have seen some major changes in both the make-up of the collection and its intention, The Prima and Ultima range has taken on the role of super-high-end-whisky showcase, leaving the Special Releases as a more accessible way to get your hands on some very special drams from Scotland’s biggest whisky maker.
Legends Untold
After the slightly less focused releases of the past couple of years, 2021’s Special Releases are much more unified in purpose – they are there to tell stories. Alongside the whiskies themselves, which we’ll get on to in a minute, they have also created a multimedia experience to accompany each dram. Scan the QR code on the back of each box or tube with your phone, and you’ll be confronted with an augmented-reality experience that invites you to pop your dram on the table and listen to stories, as read by Scottish actors Lorne MacFadyen and SIobhan Redmond, and accompanied by imagery from acclaimed digital artist Ken Taylor:
The Whisky
The overall line-up is very much a continuation on from the past couple of years. The Port Ellen and Brora of earlier releases are still gone – very much now part of the new Prima and Ultima Collection – and the unpeated Caol Ila that used to be a cornerstone of the Special Releases has not returned.
We do have the Talisker 8 Year Old that has become a new fixture, as well as the most stalwart of SR entries: Lagavulin 12 Year Old. Along with those we have six whiskies which look at two specific aspects of Diageo’s whiskies: what if you strip cask-forward whiskies back to their raw components, and what if you add layers of cask character on top of things that are usually a little more naked?
Royal Lochnagar 16 Year Old, 57.5% ABV, £199
I decided to kick off with the Royal Lochnagar for a couple of reasons. Not only is it a favourite distillery of mine, but it’s also not been that common to see it as part of the Special Releases. On top of that, it was the most standard of all the maturations in this year’s range – refill European and American oak, the classic mix of sherry and bourbon casks. This is definitely a whisky where they’re not trying anything weird and wonderful and are just showing what the distillery does best.
Nose: Crisp apples and crunchy pears, with a surrounding blanket of green grass and meadow flowers. Gentle mint cream notes are joined by white grapes, sweet sultanas and touches of beeswax polished oak. White melon, fragrant oak, candy bracelets and stewed apple notes develop.
Palate: Thick and buttery pie filling to start – sharp apples with mint springs. Oak and lemon peel are followed by sultanas and sponge cake. Sharp apple is balanced by candied almonds, and buttery frangipane. Floral notes build as it sits: honeysuckle and violet.
Finish: Green leaves, mint creams, butter mints and damp grass.
Comment: The sherry casks are dialled back, giving a touch of sticky fruit, while the bourbon casks allow the grassy and fruity Royal Lochnagar spirit to shine.
Singleton of Glendullan 19 Year Old, 54.6% ABV, £135
Moving on, we hit the first of the stunt casks – while this Glendullan has started off in refill American oak, it has been finished in Cognac casks. This is not a particularly common choice of cask in Scotland and even less common in Diageo’s warehouses – they might have every sort of cask under the sun hiding away, but they rarely let Cognac casks out.
Glendullan is still not that often seen outside of the USA, but its normal fragrant and floral character is very well suited to refill casks, and a Cognac finish shouldn’t overwhelm it.
Nose: Candied fruit, sharp apples and buttered pastry – a part-baked pie with a dusting of sugar. Fruity jelly – orange and lemon – is joined by spiced pear, lemon drizzle cake, sultanas and muscat grapes. Lemon madeleines, trail-mix fruit vanilla cream, and oatmeal and raisin cookies follow.
Palate: Sweet, butter-rich caramel sauce leads to sultana-studded fruit sponge cake, polished oak and soft baking spice. Mint cream builds, followed by fruit: fresh, baked and puréed apple, a touch of brown banana and poached pear. Brown-butter toffee-studded cookies and green leaves sneak in at the end.
Comment: The sponge cake notes I often find overpowering in Cognac finishes are very well controlled here, adding a sweet and candied dimension to the fruity Glendullan spirit.
While it’s massive in the USA, other than its regular 14-year-old and Distillers Edition, we don’t see a lot of Oban. It’s been an occasional part of the Special Releases, but other than that, it’s rare to see a new expression, especially as it almost never appears as an independent bottling – Diageo guard their stocks very carefully.
I originally popped this into my tasting line-up a bit later, but on rereading the casks used I realised that ‘freshly charred American oak’ didn’t mean new casks, but instead rejuvenated casks – old casks that have been stripped of their inside layer and recharred to give them new life. They don’t have the oomph of virgin oak, and I moved it back a bit, hoping for something that showcases the Oban character more than a new cask might.
Nose: Butterscotch, browning leaves, orange zest and touches of treacle to begin. Butter toffees and stewed apple are followed by incense touches. The butter notes sit at the heart while balanced citrus pith and peel, and a grind of black pepper fill in the around the edges.
Palate: An immediate hit of sweet orange and lemon is drenched in toffee sauce. Salt and pepper touches sit alongside sharp apple and buttered fruit loaf. Spice builds – black pepper and a tingle of cinnamon. Fruity jelly – apple and pear – is hit with a squeeze of lime, a touch of cask char and a drizzle of salted caramel.
Finish: Butter toffee and salted caramel linger, fading to reveal candied lemons.
Comment: A dive into the heart of what makes Oban tick – orange-forward citrus notes, a hint of smoky char and lots of sea spray. Generally the brininess is more restrained, but here it’s amplified and perfectly balanced by the sweet and fruit notes.
Within Diageo’s portfolio, Mortlach has one major aspect that separates it from the rest: it’s all about sherry casks. The 12-year-old has a bit of American oak in its make up, but the other bottles in the distillery’s range are focused around rich sherry-matured flavours, which pair up well with Mortlach’s meaty spirit.
This whisky, however, is the exact opposite, stripped back and focused on virgin oak and refill casks. It could be a bit of a shock for traditional Mortlach fans, but as my favourite whisky from the distillery is the now-discontinued (and probably sold out – there wasn’t much of it) 100% bourbon-cask Mortlach 25 Year Old, I am intrigued.
Nose: Brown-sugar-dusted oatmeal cookies, gingery spice and fruity boiled sweets. Nutty notes develop, along with toffee, caramel sauce and a wisp of wood smoke. Floral notes float around, accompanied by digestive biscuits.
Palate: Nut brittle, candied lemons and vanilla cream, all accompanied by chocolate sauce and hints of raisin jam. Spice builds along with some darker oak notes, brown sugar and custard. Baked apples and pears bring up the rear.
Finish: Vanilla cream and apple sauce is followed by building and lingering spice.
Comment: Even with the sherry stripped out, Mortlach is a still a bit of beast. Meaty spirit with loads of weight and some well-balanced creamy cask character.
Cardhu gets a lot of stick in the whisky geek community. While some of that is from the ‘Pure Malt’ debacle of more than a decade (have a Google if you are interested in the wonders of categorisation and consumer confusion) it is also a soft and easy-drinking drinking whisky, something that is the opposite of what many more geeky drinkers are looking for. However, it continues to go from strength to strength, and has now broken out of its Mediterranean heartlands of popularity and turned its eyes to the rest of the world.
Despite that, it is still a very safe whisky – mixtures of bourbon- and sherry-matured spirit combined to create stereotypically sweet and spicy Speyside drams. This release, however, adds in something that is rare in the Diageo line-up: a red-wine finish. I am famously not the biggest fan of red-wine-matured whiskies, and have enjoyed the more recent distillate-focused Cardhu Special Releases, but series curator Craig Wilson is usually thankfully restrained when using finishes…
Nose: Pear, Danish butter cookies and warm baking spice to start. Buttery notes build – a classic of wine casks for me – joined by berry fruit, cream and even more spice. White fruit notes develop – melon and grape – as well as soft floral notes and candied-peel-studded fruit loaf.
Palate: Sweet white grape and vanilla cream lead, with contrasting warming cinnamon spice. Black-pepper notes develop along with ripe pear, gentle char and stewed apple. Grape and raisin-jam notes build, with a bucket of spiced apple and toffee sauce on the side.
Finish: Apples and pear with a touch of char. Lingering cinnamon spice.
Comment: Craig Wilson has used his wine casks well – this is definitely Cardhu, but its classic Speyside sweet-and-spiciness has had a surprisingly elegant blanket of fruit and spice draped over it. A rare red-wine cask that I can appreciate.
While we can lament the loss of the yearly Caol Ila Highland bottling in the Special Releases, its replacement by eight-year-old Talisker is something that we can’t complain about. This the third release as part of the Special Releases and they’ve all shown different aspects of the Skye distillery’s salt-and-pepper, smoky, maritime style.
The maturation is described very simply here as ‘heavily peated refill casks’. I’m very pleased I had a chat with ambassador Ewan Gunn before diving into writing up the range, as this is not a whisky matured in casks that once held heavily peated whisky, as that suggests. Instead, Craig Wilson and the blending team took a parcel of Talisker casks and tested the phenol levels in the matured spirit, choosing only those with the highest readings – the smokiest casks – for this release. Talisker with dialled up smokiness? Count me in.
Nose: Rich and briny smoke bursts out of the glass: beach bonfires and buttery biscuits. Austere mineral and gravel notes are contrasted by puréed orchard fruit; fresh salt-and-pepper sea breezes are set against rich and earthy peat smoke. Barley sugar and fruit jelly notes develop, joined by damp green ferns.
Palate: A burst of sweetness pulls back to reveal intense smoke, liquorice and anise. Chocolate, spice and damp earth build, with the chocolate notes becoming creamy as salted caramel and green, leafy notes also develop.
Finish: Sea breezes and beach bonfires, just as at the start of the nose – full circle. Sweet apple sauce and a touch of crashing wave lingers.
Comment: This does exactly what it says on the tin – lashings of smoke and all the seaside Talisker character you could want. A stepping stone to the Islay distilleries’ bigger smoke, but well integrated with the salt-and-pepper spiciness of Talisker’s spirit.
This cornerstone of the Special Releases, appearing in every line-up since the first full release in 2002. The annual release originally shocked by showing Lagavulin 16 Year Old’s rich and dark smoke wasn’t the limit of the distillery’s powers, instead pushing a fresher, sea-drenched style. While we now have the punchy ongoing 8-year-old to keep us going between Special Releases, it’s still a must-have for Lagavulin fans.
It’s all very simply put together: 12-year-old, cask-strength Lagavulin from refill American oak casks. Do we need anything more complicated?
Nose: Singed lemon zest, lemon biscuits and lemon drizzle cake – lots of lemons. Sea breezes build along with medicinal peat and a touch of barbecued meat – smoky beef brisket with a sweet glaze. The medicinal notes build, and the smoke splits, sweetening on one hand and getting quite green on the other – burning leaves by the barbecue pit.
Palate: The candied lemons from the nose are joined by liquorice and a big burst of brine. Peppery spice pushes through the middle mellowed by a touch of butteriness. Chocolate limes, leather satchels, spiced orange studded with cloves and barrel char notes follow.
Finish: Earthly smoke, sweet mint and chocolate touches.
Comment: I thought it might be just me, but Ewan Gunn agreed – this is the most Caol Ila-y Lagavulin we’ve both tried in a while. The chocolate-lime notes are classic Caol Ila for me, but it’s backed up by the Lagavulin meatiness and crashing waves. A well selected Lagavulin that ticks even more Islay-spirit boxes than usual.
It wouldn’t be a Special Releases line-up without at least one big hitter – a 26-year-old Lagavulin you say? Matured solely in first-fill oloroso and PX sherry casks? Well, okay then.
There aren’t that many spirits which can hold up to two-and-a-half decades of big sherry maturation without losing their identity, but I have lots of hope for Lagavulin – it works well with sherry and is good at turning casks to its will rather than the other way around.
Nose: Sweet peat, tarry ropes and bung cloth. Singed apples and pineapples hide under the smokiness, with a touch of fresh and zingy mint and menthol. Then it’s time to dive into sherry-cask fruit, with sultanas leading to stewed plums and surprisingly gentle notes of dark fruitcake. Layers of spice build: nutmeg, cinnamon and clove.
Palate: Soft and fruity barbecued apples and grilled pineapple, all backed up by soft cinnamon spice, mint and bubble tar. Sweet pink shrimp sweets and liquorice are followed by black pepper spiciness, a touch of bitter barrel char and lashings of sweet baked apples.
Finish: Smoky barbecued fruit, hints of tar and lingering spice.
Comment: You can call this as a Lagavulin even before your nose gets to the glass. The casks have added their dark and fruity character, but other than allowing the distillery’s punchiness to soften, they have in no way masked the classic Lagavulin feistiness. Evidence that first-fill sherry casks don’t have to create sherry monsters, even with 26 years in wood.
We expect the whiskies to land in mid-to-late October and they are available to pre-order now – just head to our Diageo Special Releases 2021 page, click through and order away.
Good things sometime come from accidents. Take Alexander Fleming’s 1928 discovery of antibiotics by a lab slip-up, that seemed to work out pretty well for everyone. Or the 1853 discovery of the potato chip, created out of spite by a chef to ir…
Good things sometime come from accidents. Take Alexander Fleming’s 1928 discovery of antibiotics by a lab slip-up, that seemed to work out pretty well for everyone. Or the 1853 discovery of the potato chip, created out of spite by a chef to irritate a nagging customer complaining about their French fries. That definitely worked out well – FOR EVERYONE. We may not have popsicles if an 11 year old boy in 1905 didn’t leave his powdered soda water with a stick in it outside on a frigid night.
Along those lines of accidental greatness hail Woodford Reserve’s new Distillery Series limited edition release “Chocolate Malt Whisper”. It’s a Kentucky Straight Bourbon birthed immediately following the production of what was later released as the 2019 Master’s Collection edition, Chocolate Malted Rye. Some of the flavor notes from that Malted Rye carried over in the distillate of the next batch of bourbon. It influenced the flavor profile, resulting in a bourbon enveloped in roasted chocolate notes.
“Sometimes unforeseen developments occur in the distillery that result in great flavors,” said Master Distiller Chris Morris. “This is one of those cases.”
Chocolate Malt Whisper is part of the annual Distillery Series, which Morris created to push Woodford Reserve’s creative boundaries of whiskeys to the extreme. Each selection is masterminded by Morris & Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall and is available for purchase at the Woodford Reserve Distillery and limited Kentucky retailers. There are three annual releases of the distillery series.
Chocolate Malt Whisper Bourbon is available in 375ml bottles and presents at 90.4 Proof. It is available for an SRP of $49.99at the Woodford Reserve Distillery’s gift shop and at select Kentucky retailers. For more information on the Distillery Series and Woodford Reserve’s portfolio visit www.woodfordreserve.com.
TASTING NOTES: Provided by WR
Color: Orange chocolate
Aroma: A medley of dark chocolate, dusty cocoa and roasted coffee beans brightened with a hint of citrus oil and mint.
Flavor: Smoky roasted cocoa, vanilla beans and dark chocolate sweetened with a very slight drizzle of caramel atop faint fruit and citrus notes.
Finish: Lingers like a chocolate brittle walnut fudge brownie.
