A New Year......

A New Year, a new start. With the closure of 2011 and the dawn of 2012, Super Single Malts will be back soon!

 

To remind everyone what Super Single Malts is about, I leave you with a caption of the very first posting.

 

"So why now, do I have the focus on writing about my experiences with single malts. I enjoy some nice things in life, primarily fine food and travel, which are my two guilty pleasures. In addition has been the odd bottle of whisky here and there. I am the average Joe, Mr Middle of the Road and so, I want to approach my thoughts and taste of a whisky just like that. In the past, short of the Highland Park 18 year old, I have otherwise purchased whisky from the supermarket due to a special offer or an attractive box. I want to appeal to the average person, so I will present the whisky how I see it, as the average taster. Help them make an informed choice, be it buying on the high street or by mail order.

The taste of whisky is extremely subjective. Some people like the taste of peat, others oak and others fruit, so I will bear this in mind."

The Glenlivet 18 Year Old

My quest was to seek out, hunt down and purchase a bottle of The Glenlivet 18 year old whilst it was still on special offer in Waitrose. Mission complete.

I picked up the bottle for £28.49, which for an 18 year old whisky, is good value. Ultimately though, the value is in the drinking qualities.

It was sitting in my room with me, with an already open bottle of Glenfiddich 12 year old and The Glenlivet 15 year old French Oak Reserve. However, the allure of the 18 year old was too much, so I decided to open it yesterday evening whilst settling down to watch episode 3 of The Pacific. The Pacific commenced last week with two blockbuster episodes focused on the battle for Guadalcanal. Being English, the World War 2 operations in the Pacific Ocean mean little to me, it wasn't our war so to speak, so apart from the two nuclear bombs that were dropped on Japan and information picked up from the highly theatrical Peal Harbour film, it’s all pretty new to me.

The Pacific is a 10 part series and one of the most expensive ever produced. The beginning two episodes did little to introduce the characters, who were real life US Marines, part 3 however focused solely on characterisation during their downtime in Melbourne. So far, the series has been good entertainment, but after all the publicity and hype, it does seem somewhat lacking at the moment. I know that the battles of Peleliu and Iwo Jima are still to come, so hopefully the programme goes up a notch or two.

Also accompanying me during this 'me' time, was some homemade macarons with a chocolate raspberry ganaché. I recently enjoyed some Pierre Hermé macarons following his opening of a concessions stand in Selfridges in London. At £2 per macaron though, whilst out of this world, they are a divine luxury in the same category as whisky. I realised straight away whilst commencing my cooking, that there was a reason that I had paid Pierre £2 for each of his macarons. After many hours spent in the kitchen, my macarons were complete and I have to say, my efforts were sterling for a first timer. They looked like a macaron, tasted pretty much like a macaron and were thoroughly enjoyable!

So the scene is set, The Pacific, homemade macarons and The Glenlivet 18.

After recently trying The Glenlivet 15 year old French Oak Reserve  (please click here for the sampling) and finding it an enjoyable and sophisticated drink, my first thoughts were that the 18 year old was underwhelming. On the nose is the subtle hint of oak, it is not woody, rather sweet and a touch of butterscotch. Also present is the fresh smell of the garden in summer. The whisky is fairly liquid and does not stick longingly to the glass.

As ever, the proof is in the pudding. On tasting, the 18 year old is dry, a touch of oak and slightly bitter with citrus fruit zest, I did not find the finish particularly long. It had a taste of oak and the dry taste that was present on the palate.

Whilst enjoying the 18 year old, something calls me back to the 15 year old French Oak Reserve. It felt that little more complex, was more interesting and had more distinguishing flavours. I stand by my opinion that the 15 year old French Oak Reserve should be served following a rather enjoyable dinner, perhaps a well aged Longhorn rump steak for example. It deserves that setting.

On the other hand, the 18 year old feels like a whisky for all occasions. If a 12 year old is simply too young for you, then this is the one for  an everyday drinker. It does not have the sharpness of the alcohol that I have experienced with 10 or 12 year old whiskies, has slightly more complexity and in drinking an 18 year old over a 12 year old, has that touch of sophistication.

For more information on The Pacific, it can be found here - http://creative.sky.com/thepacific

 

Further information on Pierre Hermé is obtainable here - www.pierreherme.com

More information on The Glenlivet can be found here - www.theglenlivet.com

The Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve

As mentioned previously, I was looking to purchase the 18 year old Glenlivet as opposed to the 15 year old French Oak Reserve, however my local branch of Waitrose does not stock the 18 year old, and whilst the 15 year old is also on offer, and I was after a whisky from The Glenlivet distillery, I picked this up.

The Glenlivet is the best selling malt whisky in the United States, and the fourth best selling in the UK with a 7% market share. The Glenlivet is the world's second best selling single malt whisky, and current global sales total 6 million bottles per annum. Sales are achieved primarily across the core range of 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve, Nadurra 16 Year Old, 18 Year Old, 21 Year Old and XXV 25 Year Old. The distillery produces enough whisky to fill 6 million bottles per annum.

It was founded in 1824 and markets itself as "The single malt that started it all." Within the packaging is wrapping with a print of the original distiller's licence, which made The Glenlivet one of the first legal distilleries.

The 15 year old French Oak Reserve is matured in traditional oak casks and specially coopered new French Limousin oak casks which are commonly used for Cognacs. The alliance between the new French oak and the traditional oak results in a balanced whisky with the hint of oak.

As you approach the 15 year old French Oak Reserve, you note the present of oak in the air, not strong, not overpowering, but pleasantly on the nose. Move in a little closer and a sweet smell of vanilla and a touch of citrus zest make headway towards you.
Raise the glass a little further, touching your lips and you begin to enjoy this pleasant whisky. It has a buttery feel on the tongue, velvety, with the faint taste of wood which is always present. It develops with a hint of spice and a slight bitterness like a good quality dark chocolate.

It has a lingering finish with again the hint of spice. Again, the pleasant presence of the oak is there. 

Overall, I have enjoyed this whisky. It has a touch of sophistication and has more complexity that is not found in a 12 year old, it is very pleasant on the palate. I can see this being served after dinner. Your guests would be very pleased that you have generously offered it. It does not come across as showy, but it does offer that step up from a younger whisky or a perhaps a blend, which is sure to impress.

That is not to say that you cannot also enjoy it alone once it is opened after that dinner party. It wouldn’t be an everyday drinker, it feels too sophisticated, too deserving for that, but it is definitely one that you could sit down to occasionally, for that special occasion, or perhaps to finish a particularly long week. Obviously presuming that week in, week out you do not have long weeks!

Please however, be warned...I saw somewhere online that someone was displeased that this whisky came in a glass bottle and not in French Oak! 

More information on The Glenlivet can be found here - www.theglenlivet.com

A New Whisky, Purchasing Whisky

I decided that to assist me in my writing, I would need a new single malt of which to sample. Having, as has been mentioned, dined in The Fat Duck last week, and sampling The Glenlivet 12 year old in one of the courses, I decided I would get a bottle from this distillery.

When shopping just before Easter, I noticed in the Waitrose that I was in, that the 15 year old French Oak and 18 year old were currently on special offer until the 13th April. Because of this choice, I was hard pressed between the two, but decided I would go for the 18 year old, the only other 18 year old of which I have sampled being the Highland Park.

So this afternoon, on Bank Holiday Monday, I trundled down to the local Waitrose to pick up my 18 year old The Glenlivet for a good price of £28.49. Small problem with that. It does not seem that my local Waitrose, is in enough of an affluent area, as some of the whiskies that I noted the other day, do not appear in the locals offering. A more basic and younger range is present.
 
Therefore, I have come away with a French Oak 15 year old The Glenlivet which was on offer at £25.99. I would say that this is a pretty reasonable price on face value, of course I haven't tried it yet, but a 15 year old for under £30.00 is uncommon. It is with anticipation that I await trying The Glenlivet.
Something inside of me is not satisfied though. I really wanted to get my hands on the 18 year old. I will make it my quest over the next week to track down a bottle at a Waitrose for sampling, which at that price, a saving of £8.00 seems a good offer.
 
This all leads me on to some thoughts I have. In commencing this writing, I have naturally scoured the internet looking for availability of whiskies, researching different distilleries and where to purchase the whiskies. It is without doubt that the reason that Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet, Glenmorangie et al are so widely consumed is that they are commonly found in the supermarkets. Some of the more obscure distilleries, or some of the older or rarer vintages come from one of two sources. Either direct from a visit to the distillery, or if available, their online shop, or via an online retailer.

This would seem easy, especially for me who purchases many things online, usually DVD's etc, but these all come with free shipping. Whisky, it seems does not. This might be understandable, as it is a fairly heavy product, but then, I have had huge cook books delivered free of charge or for a small nominal value for the postage.

They aren't competitive with everyday single malts, so if you are looking online, check the local supermarket first. They do have an interesting collection of more unusual distilleries or vintages, but if you are purchasing this way, it is probably best to order more than one to at least spread the cost of the postage out. £6 or so for postage is quite a large percentage if you are only paying £30/£40/£50 for a bottle. It is a shame they do not do a competitive price for just one bottle purchases.

If anyone does know of a retailer who is competitive one both the price of the whisky and postage for one bottle, please do let me know.

To find out more about The Glenlivet, please visit - www.theglenlivet.com