Whiskies

Question 1

MAKER’S MARK

Answer 1

Style: Straight Bourbon

Age: NAS (min 2 years)

From: Kentucky

Price: House

Notes:
Nose – Vanilla, caramel
Palate – Toasted nuts, cinnamon, vanilla
Finish – Light and spice

Opinion & Facts:
On the label can be read “straight bourbon” which means that has been matured for a minimum of 2 years in new made American oak barrels.

Question 2

Jack Daniel’s Old n7

Answer 2

Style: Tennessee Bourbon

Age: NAS

From: Tennessee

Price: House

Notes:
Nose – Burnt sugar, green leaves, charred oak
Palate – Sweet, light body, oily, raisins, chocolate, cinnamon, orange zest
Finish – Long and pleasant, sweet with a lingering charred character

Opinion & Facts:
Probably one of the most recognised whiskies in the world. Excellent choice for a whiskey-sweet cocktail.
This whiskey was made using charcoal filtration, or The Lincoln County Process, which basically means that the whiskey has been filtered through a vessel of maple sugar carbon. This adds a lot of sweetness while removes the harsh character of the new made spirit.

Question 3

BULLEIT BOURBON

Answer 3

Style: Straight Bourbon

Age: NAS (min 2 years)

From: Kentucky

Price: 14

Notes:
Nose – Rich, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove.
Palate – Rye character, dried fruit, toasted nuts, spices
Finish – Well balanced. Mix of sweetness and spiciness

Opinion & Facts:
In the US is very common to have this whiskey in the freezer and serve it after dinner and/or parties

Question 4

BULLEIT 95 RYE

Answer 4

Style: Straight Rye Bourbon

Age: NAS (min 2 years)

From: Kentucky

Price: 15

Notes:
Nose – Vanilla, cherries, leather and tobacco
Palate – Spicy at first, with some cherries and orange zest
Finish – Medium, sweet, a bit of smokiness at the end

Opinion & Facts:
Rye whiskey needs to have a 51% of rye on its mash, this one has 95% rye and 5% malted barley

Question 5

MICHTER’S 10 YEARS

Answer 5

Style: Straight Bourbon

Age: 10

From: Kentucky

Price: 48

Notes:
Nose – Toffee and vanilla. A bit of orange zest.
Palate – Not that typical butterscotch that other products of the company have.
Charred oak, vanilla, caramel, a bit of mint. Some spices and some acidity
Finish – Warm, medium lenght and dryness at the end

Opinion & Facts:
Considered the best American Bourbon by the Food & Wine Magazine

Question 6

NIKKA FROM THE BARREL

Answer 6

Style: Blend Japanesse

Age: NAS

From: Japan

Price: House

Notes:
Nose – Watch out for the ethanol. Very rich, spices and peppers, oak, orange zest
Palate – Strong, vanilla, orange, cinnamon, clove
Finish – Very well balanced. Quite harsh

Opinion & Facts:
A few drops of water can help to enhance the aromas.
Since it’s a house spirit, would be the ideal candidate for a traditional Japanese style of whisky+soda+mint

Question 7

NIKKA PURE MALT BLACK

Answer 7

Style: Blend Japanesse

Age: NAS

From: Japan

Price: 19

Notes:
Nose – Slightly sweet (raisins), but mostly peaty, smoky and oaky aromas. A big contrast to the light colour.
Palate – Definitely peated and smoked, with hay and pine aromas, but sweeter than on the nose, with notes of caramel. Oily texture. Easy to keep drinking.
Finish – Medium to long. The smokiness is persistent until the very end, almost not leaving any other aroma.

Opinion & Facts:
Quite high in alcohol. It’s better to add a few drops of water to open up the aromas.
“Pure Malt” in Japan basically means what “Vatted Malt” (blended malt) used to in Scotland.
The Nikka Pure Malt series includes Red (light and fruity), White (heavily peated and spicy) and Black (something in between).

Question 8

NIKKA 12

Answer 8

Style: Blend Japanesse

Age: 12

From: Japan

Price: 23

Notes:
Nose – Delicated. Notes of green apple, very light smoke. Malty aromas, very well balanced with sweetness from corn. Notes of nutmeg and clove.
Palate – Very rich and creamy texture, yet not overwhelming. More green apples, but also prunes and vanilla, chocolate (with some bitterness that makes you want to take another sip). The subtle smokiness is still there.
Finish – Long and pleasant. Spices and liquorice at the end.

Opinion & Facts:
Blend of malt whiskies from both Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries.
Nikka has been “forced” to move to NAS whiskies due to the high demand of their aged whiskies, not being able to keep up with the demand, so Nikka 12 is going to be probably one of the last whiskies with aged statement that we are going to see from them.

Question 9

JAMESON’S CASKMATES

Answer 9

Style: Blend Irish

Age: NAS

From: Ireland

Price: House

Notes:
Nose –
Palate –
Finish –

Opinion & Facts:

Question 10

BUSHMILL’S

Answer 10

Style: Blend grain triple distilled

Age: NAS (min 5 years)

From: Ireland

Price: House

Notes:
Nose – Very aromatic, blossom, herbs
Palate – Fresh fruits, riesling-like sweetness, salty butter, vanilla
Finish – Light, a bit of ginger at the end

Opinion & Facts:
Bushmill’s is the oldest distillery in the world, opened in 1608.
Excellent whiskey for someone looking for a smooth easy drinking spirit, or for cocktails when looking for a not too powerful spirit.

Question 11

CONNEMARA PEATED SINGLE MALT

Answer 11

Style: Irish Single Malt

Age: NAS

From: Ireland

Price: 14

Notes:
Nose – Smoky and peaty. Sweet notes of barley and toffee, baked green apple, vanilla.
Palate – Full and smooth peat and malt aromas, with a sweet smoke, light spiciness and vanilla.
Finish – Long and pungent with honey and peat smoke.

Opinion & Facts:
Perfect example that great peaty whiskies are not exclusively from Islay

Question 12

JW RED

Answer 12

Style: Scotch Blend

Age: NAS

From: Scotland

Price: House

Notes:
Nose – Fresh fruit, apple, a bit of vanilla and pepper
Palate – Vanilla, stronger pepper than in nose, a bit acidic, cinnamon
Finish – Short and sweet, a very light touch of smokiness at the end

Opinion & Facts:
Better to drink mixed than on its own

Question 13

JW BLACK

Answer 13

Style: Scotch Blend

Age: 12

From: Scotland

Price: House

Notes:
Nose – Sweet, ripe fruit, orange, figs, vanilla
Palate – Caramel, vanilla, toffee, smokiness and peat
Finish – Well balanced, not overwhelming, a bit citrusy at the end

Opinion & Facts:
Most likely the are sherry casks involved in the maturation.
Be aware of the smokiness if using this whisky for cocktails

Question 14

MONKEY SHOULDER

Answer 14

Style: Scotch Blend

Age: NAS

From: Scotland

Price: House

Notes:
Nose – Orange, vanilla, light clove and cinnamon
Palate – Orange and vanilla again, a much stronger clove aroma, apricot
Finish – Medium, smooth and creamy texture

Opinion & Facts:
The name origin of this whisky comes from the traditional labor-intense process, in which workers move drying barley with plows, triggering their shoulder to a hypertrophy state, and monkey-like look.

Question 15

DALWHINNIE 15yo

Answer 15

Style: Scotch Single Malt

Age: 15

From: Highlands

Price: 13

Notes:
Nose – Very aromatic. Kind of caramelized pears. Honey and floral notes.
Palate – A lot of honey and toffee. Vanilla. Some nuts (walnut?), the floral notes are still there. The whisky is quite smooth, yet every aroma is clearly defined.
Finish – Very balanced. Moderate finish. Hint of fruity and malty notes at the end.

Opinion & Facts:
One of the classics single malts. Easy to recommend, hard to fail.

Question 16

THE MACALLAN 12yo FINE OAK

Answer 16

Style: Scotch Single Malt

Age: 12

From: Speyside

Price: 20

Notes:
Nose – Vanilla and almonds
Palate – Sweet. Raisins, plum, a bit of sherry
Finish – Medium. Vanilla still there

Opinion & Facts:
Macallan is the biggest single malt distillery in Scotland, with a production capacity of 15 million litres per year.
All their whiskies do not use colouring.

Question 17

LAGAVULIN 16yo

Answer 17

Style: Scotch Single Malt

Age: 16

From: Islay

Price: 23

Notes:
Nose – A punch of peat in the nose! After a few seconds, the smoke and peat will leave room for a creamy vanilla, and black tea character, with some spicy notes.
Palate – Very rich. A lot of sherry, malty and dried fruit notes. Baked apple. At the end of the mouth the smokiness and saltiness will keep their presence.
Finish – Long, peaty, smoky and spicy finish.

Opinion & Facts:
Iconic whisky, a good recommendation for anyone who wants to explore more heavily peated whiskies. It goes really well with salty and pungent blue cheeses.
Lagavulin 16 is considered one of the classic representatives from Islay, and for sure the flagship bottle of the company.

Question 18

THE MACALLAN 18yo FINE OAK

Answer 18

Style: Scotch Single Malt

Age: 18

From: Speyside

Price: 51

Notes:
Nose – Sweet and honeyd. Dry fruit (plum, raspberry). Coconut & cacao.
Palate – Very ballanced. Honey, caramel. Citrusy (orange). Vanilla, chocolate, nutmeg, peppery, ginger. A bit bitter.
Finish – Medium lenght. Astringency at the end.

Opinion & Facts:
The sherry casks used were previously used for Oloroso Sherry and American bourbon.
Macallan is the 3rd most sold single malt, with more than 10 millions bottles sold.
Many people consider Macallan 18yo the single malt competiton of JW Blue

Question 19

JW BLUE

Answer 19

Style: Scotch Blend

Age: NAS (rumours say around 30)

From: Scotland

Price: 53

Notes:
Nose – Really well balanced product, without any aroma aggressively taking over others.
Notes of raisins, a bit of chocolate and a light smokiness.
Palate – It is very round in mouth, with a velvety texture. Soon enough notes of honey, orange and hazenult and floral aromas start to develop. Chocolate takes a little longer to appear, but it is there. The smokiness is always present, but it’s really subtle.
Finish – Long and pleasant finish. A bit of spices (probably from the sherry cask?) cut the sweetness of the whisky, so it does not become too overwhelming.

Opinion & Facts:
It is said that only 1 in 10k casks is selected to be part of JWB blend.
JWB has been part of Diageo portfolio since ‘92, has never hold an age statement, and the exact composition of the blend is a well kept secret

Question 20

MORTLACH 18

Answer 20

Style: Scotch Single Malt

Age: 18

From: Speyside

Price: 71

Notes:
Nose – Lemon, green apple, cinnamon, nuts, and chocolate notes.
Palate – Light in flavours. Oily texture. Still notes of chocolate, nut and some earthy notes such as leather.
Finish – Tobaco, chocolate and earthy notes will last. Medium to short finish.

Opinion & Facts:
Michael Jackson (not the signer) said in his book "Malt Whisky Companion" that Mortlach was a secret star in Dufftown. Even though it is in the heart of Speyside, Martloch has never been known to follow the more tipical fruity and light character of Speyside malts, but rather a more heavy and meaty personality.