WhiskyCast celebrates our 18th anniversary this week, and Stephanie Macleod has been the Master Blender for Dewar’s almost as long. She was named Master Blender… Read More
WhiskyCast celebrates our 18th anniversary this week, and Stephanie Macleod has been the Master Blender for Dewar’s almost as long. She was named Master Blender in 2006, and has won a shelf full of awards for her work since then. Stephanie joins us this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth to discuss malts, the relationship between blender and distiller, and her role in bringing along the next generation of women in the whisky industry.
Despite the initial hit on the nose this is a pretty solid spiced rum and though I didn’t try it I can imagine this mixes well also. Plenty of festive spices to be found. 80/100
Despite the initial hit on the nose this is a pretty solid spiced rum and though I didn't try it I can imagine this mixes well also. Plenty of festive spices to be found. 80/100
Highland-based Badachro Distillery has introduced a pair of limited edition single malt whiskies – a Madeira cask and Ruby Port finish – to their Bad na h-Achlaise series. The Badachro Bad na h-Achlaise Madeira Cask single malt is said to contain notes of bitter chocolate, red cherries and strawberry sherbet. The Badachro Bad na h-Achlaise […]
Highland-based Badachro Distillery has introduced a pair of limited edition single malt whiskies – a Madeira cask and Ruby Port finish – to their Bad na h-Achlaise series.
The Badachro Bad na h-Achlaise Madeira Cask single malt is said to contain notes of bitter chocolate, red cherries and strawberry sherbet.
The Badachro Bad na h-Achlaise Ruby Port Finish Cask Strength is bottled at 57.9% alcohol by volume [115.8 proof] and is said to contain heavy notes of fruit.
Only 1,900 bottles of Badachro Bad na h-Achlaise Madeira Cask expression are being made available for $70 per bottle – but that is a boon compared to the scant 30 bottles being made available of Badachro Bad na h-Achlaise Ruby Port Finish Cask Strength for $175 per bottle – both from the official Badachro site [badachrodistillery.com].
When I saw this Glenmorangie Madeira Wood Finish 12 Years on the list for one of our SCWC Glenmo tastings I was excited. Very excited. When it’s done right, a Madeira finish is one of my favorite finishes in whiskydom. A quick look at the bottle and label style tells you this is a pre-LVMH […]
When I saw this Glenmorangie Madeira Wood Finish 12 Years on the list for one of our SCWC Glenmo tastings I was excited. Very excited. When it’s done right, a Madeira finish is one of my favorite finishes in whiskydom.
A quick look at the bottle and label style tells you this is a pre-LVMH aquisition bottling. A quick look at Glenmo’s current website will also confirm that it wasn’t kept in the core because it’s not listed anywhere. Why did they cut the Madeira?
I don’t know why they cut this and the Cote D’OR Burgundy from the core. They changed the Port Wood Finish to the Quinta Ruban, the sherry finish was changed to Lasanta and the Nectar D’Or was introduced, but the Madeira Wood Finish and Burgundy were simply cut.
Madeira barrels do still show up in releases like the Bacalta, but it would be nice if they, or anyone, had a good, solid, tasty, affordable, standard Madeira release. Is that too much to ask? Probably, anyways, no use crying over dry empty Madeira barrels (that’s a saying right?). Let’s get to drinkin’ and dive into this dusty Glenmorangie.
Glenmorangie Madeira Wood 12 Years – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Natural Color
Style: Single Malt (Scotch) Region: Highlands, Scotland Distiller: Glenmorangie
“Glenmorangie’s acclaimed Madeira Wood Finish Malt Whisky has been initially matured in American oak casks then racked into selected Madeira ‘drums’ for extra aging in the final period of its maturation. The results of this ‘finishing’ are truly exceptional.” – Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie Madeira Wood 12 Years Tasting Notes
EYE
Apricot honey
NOSE
Sticky winey sweetness, dried orchard fruit, dried apricots, sultanas and some caramel with touches of oak and spice.
The Madeira lands heavy and brings an intense sugary sweetness to it that isn’t quite balanced.
PALATE
Heavy golden raisin sweetness, wine sweetness, dried orchard fruit, malt, oak and some caramel.
There’s something a bit off about it, like the pieces are a millimeter off and it’s not quite coming together.
FINISH
Medium-short -> Winey sweetness, oak, copper and some stale dried fruit fade out.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Ok balance, medium-light body and a soft light feel.
Glenmorangie Madeira Wood 12 Years – Overall Thoughts and Score
Ok, I can see why LVMH didn’t keep this exact version when they took over. Though, unless it’s a cask quality issue, I don’t know why they don’t bring it back. The Bacalta was great so we know the Glenmo spirit does work well with Madeira and that Dr. Bill and co know how to work with the barrels to produce something tasty.
Only thing I can think of is that maybe it wasn’t worth the effort to try and revitalize this or the Burgundy? Maybe the Sherry Wood Finish and the Port Wood Finish were so far ahead, and their cask sources were perfectly on point, it just wasn’t worth the time and effort to bring the Glenmorangie Madeira Wood 12 Years up to their level? Again, only Dr. Bill and the accountant know.
SCORE: 3.5/5 (tasty, worth checking out ~ B | 83-86) – Thanks to Travis for the sample
Blackened x Willett Rye is a project combining the resources and talents of three men: Drew Kulsveen, Rob Dietrich and Lars Ulrich. Drew provided the whiskey (combination of high rye and low rye whiskeys), Rob supplied the finishing process (wine barrels and “Black Noise”), and Lars sequenced a unique playlist, chosen by Rob and Drew, […]
Blackened x Willett Rye is a project combining the resources and talents of three men: Drew Kulsveen, Rob Dietrich and Lars Ulrich. Drew provided the whiskey (combination of high rye and low rye whiskeys), Rob supplied the finishing process (wine barrels and “Black Noise”), and Lars sequenced a unique playlist, chosen by Rob and Drew, to be blasted through the proprietary Black Noise setup. It’s the first release in their new “Masters of Whiskey Series”.
On the surface, I like this a lot. Not because of any of the individual components, but because it’s awesome to see distilleries and producers working together like this and both putting a stake and a name on the product. I love seeing this kind of unique collaboration to bring something new to the market. The only thing, on the surface, I don’t like about it is some of the marketing.
To some, proper naming might be minor, but to the nerds who spend our time digging deep into the laws governing our favorite spirits, it’s a big deal. So, I have to call out that this is NOT a straight rye as stated over-and-over in the press releases and marketing which simply label this as “BLACKENED x Willett Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey”. It’s finished in Madeira casks, which immediately disqualifies it from being a straight rye.
To the credit of the label, it does carry the full designation/proper title of it being a “Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey finished in Madeira Casks”. But the marketing around it, almost exclusively, calls it a straight rye. I get that it’s a long title to copy and paste over and over, but that’s what it is. If they had just blasted the Willett barrels with Black Noise, and no finishing, then yes, it could be a straight rye, but the finishing immediately removes that solitary designation.
Now that we have the nerd stuff squared away, let’s get to why you’re really here. To see how this thing performs in the glass. So let’s get to drinkin’ and hop right into the review.
Blackened x Willett Rye Madeira Finish – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Willett Finisher and Bottler: Blackened Mash Bill: 51%+ Rye + Corn + Malted Barley Cask: New Charred Oak, ex-Madeira (finished up to 14 weeks) Age: NAS (blend of barrels aged 4-8 years) ABV: 54.8%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 1
Price: $140*
“BLACKENED® American Whiskey launches its first-ever collaboration as part of the Limited Edition Masters of Whiskey Series: The BLACKENED X Willett Collaboration Kentucky Straight Rye. This Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Rye highlights the symbiotic collaboration between Master Distiller & Blender Rob Dietrich of Sweet Amber Distilling Co. and Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen of Willett Distillery, Bardstown, KY” – Blackened
Tasting Notes
EYE
Copperish amber
NOSE
Dilly rye spice, oak, plummy dark fruit, sweet tobacco, clove and anise-heavy baking spice and touches of toffee, vanilla and copper.
A juicy and multifaceted aroma that keeps moving and shifting a bit. This is a fun whiskey just to sit and sniff.
PALATE
Oak, dilly rye spice, cocoa, leathery dried dark fruit, clove and anise-heavy baking spice with some bits of orange peel, sweet tobacco and hazelnuts.
A more complex palate that brings out some earthier and more darkly sweet tones. I like how the Blackened x Willett Rye Madeira Finish palate starts a bit dry and oaky, but opens to a nice balanced sweetness.
FINISH
Long -> Oak, dilly rye spice, leathery dried dark fruit and some copper and orange peels.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Good sense of balance, full body and a warm, slightly tannic-dry, feel.
Blackened x Willett Rye Madeira Finish – Overall Thoughts and Score
There is complexity and nuance to this and adding a bit of water enhances the whole experience. On the aroma, the vanilla moves up and gets a bit of a frosting sweetness and the coppery/metallic notes pop a bit more. The palate gets more of the fruity sweetness and moves from leathery to juicy and loses some of the dryness. Marketing quibbles and qualms aside, I like it. It’s a noticeably different product than the regular Blackened or Blackened Cask Strength.
On the whole, this Blackened x Willett Rye Madeira Finish is something new, different and tasty. It’s a great marriage of the talents and processes of two icons in the whiskey world and even if it wasn’t a good whiskey, I’d be happy it existed; I’d love to see more collaborations like this show up in the market. Some truly remarkable things can happen when people work together.
SCORE: 4/5
*Disclosure: The sample for this finished rye whiskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Blackened x Willett Rye Madeira Finish Review
$140
Summary
Take the best part of Blackened’s process, combine it with the great whiskey Willett puts out and you get this. A tasty, unique whiskey worth sharing with friends.
