Tag Archives: tasting

Ardbeg Auriverdes

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Officially released 31 May 2014, 49.9% ABV

On 31 May 2014, Ardbeg will officially release their third annual Ardbeg Day whisky, Auriverdes – the name being a nod to the golden (auri) Ardbeg whisky and the iconic Ardbeg green (vedre) bottle.

The bottle labeling also points to subtle second meaning in the name, with Auriverdes said to be ‘a winning dram’ with vanilla ‘driving the flavour home’ with this Ardbeg being a ‘kick’. In case you doubted the not-too-subtle World Cup references, then the sight of this stunning trophy – I mean – bottle will surely change your mind!

Auriverdes bottle

I guess this one can simply be called Auri.

Auriverdes front label

Auriverdes is described as being a whisky of two halves, with the official release citing a new toasting technique that gives the whisky ‘a mocha coffee flavour at one end, flowing into creamy vanilla at the other’.

Auriverdes rear label

I’m thinking this could mean that cask the lids have each been charred to a different level? Until such time as I get an audience with its creator, the talented Dr Bill Lumsden, that’s just going to have to remain a guess. As for the remaining particulars, it’s bottled at 49.9% ABV following an unknown number of years of maturation in American Oak casks.

It was a bittersweet moment cracking open this bottle. On one hand, I was opening the most striking, individual looking bottle I’ve ever owned. On the other hand though, I knew it was full of Ardbeg – and no ordinary Ardbeg at that – a new expression that I was fortunate enough to get a sneak preview of, ahead of its official release. With a squeak and a th’dunk, that cork was out and a dram was poured.

Auriverdes open

It’s golden indeed! Shall we give it a taste?

Nose

Up front, I get some pretty big sweet creamy vanilla notes, milky chocolate and a slight peaty freshness (almost light in a way – not overly medicinal or earthy). After a few minutes I got some grassy hay, a dry herbal character and some hints of lemon and mandarin zest.

Palate

Quite spicy up front. A nice oiliness gives way to some pretty boisterous, tarry medicinal peat – more than I got from the nose, that’s for sure. Tangy saline emerges, along with a fair pinch of spice, zest and a subtle honey sweetness. Overall, still quite dry and fairly light.

Finish

A fairly lengthy, warming finish, albeit quite dry and slightly tannic. I got some more vanilla sweetness at first, but that seemed to fade to a good helping of ashy peat and smoked meats, which linger to the end.

Comments

Overall, I found this to be a lighter style of Ardbeg, taking some of the freshness of Ardbeg Day, but picking up on the subtle rounded notes of Ardbog. In the end though, it’s very different to both and a completely unique expression in its own right. As with the other two, I’m not sure I can liken it to anything else Ardbeg currently offer.

Ardbeg trio

I’m so glad Dr Bill and the Ardbeg boffins continue to mix it up and experiment with their stocks, putting their crazy ideas into practice and coming up with some pretty exciting creations.

In 31 sleeps, Ardbeg fans the world over are going to be in for a bit of a treat when this gets released. If you haven’t done so yet, sign up to the Ardbeg Committee and come along to Ardbeg Day on 31 May.

If you can’t make it – don’t fret – you can also get your hands on your very own (green) bottle of Auriverdes from specialist retailers right around the country from 31 May at an RRP of AU $135.70 (which is actually cheaper than the £80 RRP in the UK – Shh, don’t tell them!)

A sincere thanks to Ardbeg Australia for the sneak preview. Bring on Ardbeg Day!

Edit – I’ve since been advised that the RRP in Australia is actually AU $190 and not $135.70 as referenced above.

Ardbeg Ardbog

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Released 1 June 2013, 52.1% ABV

In 2013, Ardbeg decided to (temporarily) rename their global day of celebration to help bring attention to the famed peat bogs of their island home and to celebrate the vital part they play in making Ardbeg the peaty pleasure that so many love.

For that reason, Saturday 1 June 2013 was coined Ardbog Day. And what should they name their limited release whisky for Ardbog Day?

Ardbog

There’s a bit of theme going on here guys!

Fans the world over eagerly awaited this release and just like Ardbeg Day the year before it, Ardbog was released globally on Ardbog Day, 1 June 2013.

Ardbog - Bottle and Box

Ardbog had more of a traditional presentation this time, with the hallmark Ardbeg green bottle, dark-coloured label and black presentation box. Not one to disappoint when it comes to quirky details, the matte presentation box was covered in gloss illustrations and gold lettering spelling out interesting peat bog tidbits.

Ardbog Box

The detail continues on the inside lid, with Ardbeg’s mascot, Shortie, making one of his many appearances throughout the packaging.

Ardbog Box Lid

There’s also a handy Ardbeg Committee booklet inside, detailing Ardbeg’s core range and all you need to know about becoming a committee member.

Ardbog Committee Booklet

And then we get to the whisky itself. While there’s no age statement as such, Ardbog is a vatting of ten year-old Ardbeg matured in traditional American Oak ex-bourbon barrels and European Oak ex-Manzanilla sherry casks.

Vatting vs. Finishing

Finishing generally describes the process of moving the contents of one cask (traditionally an American Oak barrel), into a second cask for a short period of time before bottling. The second cask is often fresher and/or treated with an alternate wine or spirit of some sort (think sherry, port, rum, various other wines etc.) which is done to impart some more flavour and complexity into the whisky before it’s bottled.

2012’s Ardbeg Day is an example of whisky that was ‘finished’ in ex-sherry casks (for a period of six months) before it was bottled.

Vatting on the other hand generally involves taking two or more different casks of whisky and mixing them together in a vat for a period of time, before they’re bottled. In this case, Ardbog is a vatting of ten year-old Ardbeg matured in American Oak ex-bourbon casks and ten year-old Ardbeg matured in European Oak ex-Manzanilla sherry casks.

Ardbog - Glass

Nose

Quite rich, full and deep. Sherry fruitiness, hints of plum, charred peaches, cinnamon, some bonfire smoke and salty coastal notes. Slightly syrupy in nature and full of rather round, soft aromas – quite refined and balanced.

Never thought I’d say this about an Ardbeg, but I almost want to describe the nose as subtle.

Palate

Medium body mouth feel, not too hot and big on flavour. I got currants, some berries, charred woody smoke flavours, some BBQ smokiness and fragrant peat. A salty saline peat tang hits in the sides of your tongue, but nowhere near as much as many other Ardbegs – sherry sweet and salty savoury at the same time.

Finish

A touch of smoke and some salty spicy saline notes start to emerge. These hang around nicely with the residual sweetness – all of which seems to remain to the end of the medium length, warming finish.

Comments

I really enjoyed this one. If I didn’t know, I would have guessed it to be slightly older than ten years and would also guess it to be a fair bit more mature than Ardbeg Day.

As someone who enjoys a nice balance of sherry and peat, I found this one to be really quite pleasing. The vatting (as opposed to finishing) has really done wonders for it in my opinion. All of the aromas and flavours were much softer, rounder and balanced, especially when compared to 2012’s Ardbeg Day.

That being said though, I can also imagine Ardbog being a bit of a let down for some diehard Ardbeg fans, as some of those big hallmark Ardbeg flavours weren’t quite there. I appreciate distilleries playing around with the stock they’ve got and releasing exciting expressions, so that didn’t bother me in the slightest.

If only I had a bottle of the all new Auriverdes to taste…

Ardbeg Day – The Whisky

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Released 2 June 2012, 56.7% ABV

To set the scene for these next few posts, each year during the Feis Ile festivities on the isle of Islay, Ardbeg have been known to release a special, limited production bottling to commemorate the celebrations.

Historically, these highly sought after bottles were only ever available to the dedicated Ardbeggians who queued up outside the distillery, but this changed in 2012. For the first time, Ardbeg made their famous Feis Ile bottling available worldwide via official ‘Ardbeg Embassies’ and coincided its release with the newly established Ardbeg Day.

What should one name the inaugural release? Ardbeg Day of course!

Ardbeg Day - Bottle

According to the label details, Ardbeg Day is a composition of two different expressions, finished in refill sherry casks (since said to have been ex-Uigeadail casks) and was bottled at a hefty 56.7% ABV. I’ve heard that it was limited to 12,000 bottles worldwide, but I’m yet to find any official documentation of that.

The bottle was released as bottle and swing tag only and was never presented in standard box packaging. The little swing tag booklet has some pretty quirky illustrations in it covering random historical events that ‘took place’ on the 2nd of June in years gone by

Ardbeg Day - Swing tag

There’s a sneaky footnote in the booklet though which read: ‘Ardbeg takes no responsibility for any factual inaccuracies, satisfied that the historical occurrences herein contain at least a grain of truth’.. cheeky! One we can rely on though is this

Ardbeg Day - Swing tag 2

The Ardbeg Day whisky was only available from 2 June 2012 through official Ardbeg Embassies and as you may have guessed, it sold out pretty quickly.

Ardbeg Day - Glass

Nose

Initially I found this to be quite vibrant and fresh – zesty peat right up front, some vanilla, perhaps a touch of ginger, molten sugar sweetness, some crisp hints of fruit and quite a wallop of a mineral/salty saline note. Overall, I’d describe this as quite a dry nose.

Palate

Really quite oily and viscous from the get go. Fiery, spicy and heavy on the zesty, earthy, saline peat notes right up front on the tongue. These seem to almost intensify, but I also get a hint of vanilla, some ashy coal and smoke. Not a whole of sweetness with this one, though it does show its head after a good half hour in the glass.

Finish

The peat and saline notes really intensified for me on the finish, resulting in a greatly satisfying, long, chest-warming finish. As the finish fades, still quite dry and spicy.

Comments

I found all of the aromas and flavours on both the nose and palate to be quite pointed, sharp and pronounced. To me, there’s nothing rounded or shy about this one. It tasted quite youthful, vibrant and bitey and I’d describe it as one of the more intense Ardbegs I’ve tasted.

My personal preference would be to tame this with a drop or two of water (and it seems to hold that amount of water quite well) though I do actually quite enjoy the drying intensity of it.

Two years down since its release and I still really enjoy this one, though I can’t confidently liken it to anything else that’s currently available in Ardbeg’s core range (as of 2014). It’s not totally dissimilar to Ardbeg Alligator, though that’s a bit of an unhelpful comparison as they both now command collector (as opposed to drinker) prices.

Very pleased to have been able to re-taste this one from a sample. Next up, the 2013 Ardbeg Day release – Ardbog.

Sipsmith VJOP

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Gin – on a whisky blog?! What’s this un-aged spirit doing on here! Well, whisky may be my one true malty love, but I’ll always have room for a good gin, especially on a warmer than average Easter long weekend, like the one we just had.

For the diehard whisky fans out there, don’t tune out just yet – there’s an interesting little whisky connection in all of this, I promise!

And so we met

Sipsmith was established in the West London area of Hammersmith back in 2009 and so became the first copper-pot distillery to open in London in more than 189 years.

I first became acquainted with them in early 2012 after stumbling upon their London dry gin one evening at Sydney bar. I knew nothing about it at the time, but that first taste was enough for me to realise I was drinking something a little different. And I liked it!

Sipsmith Jubilee

A few months later this commemorative Diamond Jubilee bottle landed in my hands courtesy of a family member returning from the UK. I didn’t have the heart to crack it open at the time, but thankfully I didn’t need to as Sipsmith London Dry was launched nationwide shortly thereafter.

The launch coincided with a visit from one of the founding Sipsmiths – the ever charismatic Mr Sam Galsworthy – and I had the genuine pleasure of meeting him and hearing all about Sipsmith, Prudence and the gang first hand. It’s fair to say that they’ve had a Sipsmith fan in me ever since.

Things went a little quiet on the Sipsmith front, but when I saw that they’d recently released the equivalent of a cask-strength gin, I knew I had to try it.

Sipsmith VJOP

The idea for VJOP (or Very Junipery Over Proof), harks back to maritime lore and the idea of higher proof, ‘navy strength’ spirits being regarded as the good stuff. Taken from the Sipsmith website:

‘In the 1800s, navy strength supposedly referred to any spirit that wouldn’t ruin gunpowder if it accidentally sloshed onto it during choppy seas. So long as the gunpowder remained ignitable, the spirit was fine to keep on board. Since then, navy strength gins have had to clock in at no less than 57% alcohol.’ 

And so the elegant bruiser that is VJOP, was born.

VJOP Label

I’m a big fan of the overall presentation of this bottle. From the dipped wax seal, to the illustration on the label, the use of foiling and the die-cut juniper leaves that stick out to the side – there’s a lot of great attention to detail in this bottle.

In the interest of a fair review, I thought it prudent to taste VJOP side-by-side with its sibling, Sipsmith London Dry Gin, so here goes. 

Sipsmith London Dry Gin 41.6% ABV

On the nose, I got some peppery juniper, a bit of rough spice (cinnamon and cloves), some young grassy hay notes and a fair amount of citrus peel. A very crisp nose on this.

I found the London Dry to be fairly thin on the palate, starting off heavy with the citrus but fading to a drying peppery finish. I didn’t get much juniper up front, but I felt that it showed through with a bit more peppery spice toward the end. Very solid and a good reminder of why I enjoy Sipsmith so much.

Next up, its big belter of a brother – VJOP.

Sipsmith VJOP Batch 001 57.7% ABV

Very fresh on the nose, but that bitey crisp edge is now smoother and almost creamy if you will. Loads of fresh peppery juniper, citrus, lemon myrtle, some fresh cedar and a hint of dried coriander. Overall, somewhat smoother and more refined. In my opinion, it doesn’t give away its whopping 57.7% ABV at all…

VJOP tasted

… Ah! There’s that ABV. On the palate, VJOP sets those saliva glands into overdrive! Big fresh juniper hit right up front, more viscosity with fresh zingy lemon zest and maybe a hint of celery? Very vibrant and lively with a much, much longer finish. Yum!

I don’t often drink my gin neat, so it’s only fair that I put VJOP to the test in two of my favourite gin-based mixed drinks – the humble Gin & Tonic and the classic Negroni.

Gin & Tonic

For this taste, I mixed 30ml Sipsmith VJOP, approx. 70-100ml Fever Tree Indian Tonic, a wedge of fresh lime (not squeezed), all stirred sparingly over a single large chunk of ice.

VJOP Gin and Tonic

I’m no bartender, but this was a mighty fine G&T. The VJOP/Fever Tree combo makes such a fresh, clean G&T, not dominated by any particular flavour. Not too sweet, nice and boozy with those lovely crisp juniper and coriander notes lingering long after you sip.

The Negroni

For this classic, I mixed 30ml Sipsmith VJOP, 30ml Campari and 30ml of sweet vermouth (your favourite will do the trick – I used Dolin Rouge). Stir over a single chunk of fresh ice, garnish with a twist of orange after rubbing down the rim of the glass.

VJOP Negroni

If I’m being honest, I’m often slightly let down by the Negronis I order when I’m out and about. Despite the three equal measure recipe, they aren’t always as balanced as I’d like, often being too heavy on the bitter notes, or too sweet for my liking.

This on the other hand really hit the spot. Still using the same three equal measure recipe, everything just seemed to balance in perfect harmony – drying peppery juniper, with just the right amount of bitterness and sweetness for my tastebuds. A strong concoction, but oh so tasty.

The whisky connection

Ok, so here goes – when the chaps at Sipsmith were in search of an inner London location to set up their distillery, they looked at a number of different places before finally settling on a quaint little blue and white garage in Hammersmith, north London.

1161-sipsmiths-alastair-wiper-40
Image the property of Sipsmith 

As it so turns out, the former occupant of this very location was the late great whisky writer, Mr Michael Jackson, who still holds the title of writing some of the best-selling whisky books of all time.

Some final musings

In short, this is a belter of a gin.

I wouldn’t consider myself a true gin connoisseur, but I’ve tasted more than enough to know what I do and don’t like and Sipsmith VJOP is certainly up there with the very best in my opinion. I like my drinks fairly strong and defined and for that reason, VJOP really suits my tastes to a tee. It might not be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of a juniper heavy gin, or a rather boozy and heady gin-based cocktail, then I’m fairly confident this will delight.

I’ve heard that the very first batch of VJOP was a Japanese market exclusive, bottled at a moderate 47.7%. It proved extremely popular and was quickly followed by 52% ABV batch #2 which flew off the shelves just as quick. Thankfully, the 57.7% ABV version now looks like it’s here to stay.

If you’re in Australia, I’ve heard that there might be one or two bottles available at the Oak Barrel in Sydney, otherwise keep your eyes peeled for a bottle on the shelf behind your favourite bar or boutique bottle shop.

A big thank you to Jye from Hippocampus Memorable Drinks for uniting me with a bottle of this very special gin. I’ll be savouring this one ‘till the last drop. Simply delicious.

Woodford Reserve tasting

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Woodford Reserve tasting of epic proportions, Shirt Bar, Sydney

Ah Woodford Reserve. You bring back some vivid memories for me.

We enjoyed each other’s company a little too much on our last encounter though. It was great while it lasted – I had an absolute blast – though I spent much of the following day cursing your name and I wasn’t in a hurry to see you again.

That was unfair of me though. It wasn’t your fault, it was mine, so I’m really glad we had the chance to make up. And what better way to make up than with a bourbon tasting bonanza at Sydney’s Shirt Bar hosted by the incredibly knowledgeable, Mr Stuart Reeves.

Woodford - Pouring

A bit of a forewarning here – If you’re not one for the details and a bit of a story, feel free to skip the wordy bits and start reading again when you get to the pretty pictures – this post’s a bit long. 

Woodford Reserve: The distillery

I’m a bit of a sucker for details. So it was a good thing that our host for the evening, Stuart, had a wealth of knowledge to impart. As told by Stuart, here’s a bit of info you’re probably not going to find on Woodford’s website:

  • For a brief period of time in the early 1870’s, Colonel EH Taylor (a name Rye whiskey fans might recognise) took over the distillery and patented a heat cycling process that’s still used in Woodford’s warehouses today (more on this in a sec)
  • Woodford’s current owners, Brown Forman, have actually had two bites of the cherry – purchasing the distillery for the first time in 1941 and again around 1993/ 1994. Reason for the first sale? The bourbon slump of the 1960’s.
  • During the above period, the distillery actually lay dormant from around from around 1970 until 1993 while under the ownership of someone who had intentions of turning it into a chemical plant of some description

As an aside, while absorbing these details like a fresh shamwow, we were all treated to a classic Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned – well executed by Shirt Bar’s crack team of bar tenders.

Woodford - OFs

Creating Woodford Reserve

At one point in time, I thought bourbon was just bourbon. But just like the Scotch whisky industry, the differences in production from distillery to distillery can be truly fascinating and they all factor into creating a unique product.

The first thing to note about Woodford Reserve is their standard grain bill, which is 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% barley. That’s a decent proportion of rye as far as bourbons go and Stuart brought along this neat visual representation.

Woodford - Grainbill

Here’s a few other interesting things that make Woodford, well, Woodford!

  • As opposed to using column stills (which are standard in the bourbon industry), Woodford use copper pot stills imported from Scotland (the same kind of still used in the production of Scotch whisky)
  • Woodford Reserve is the first and only triple distilled, copper-pot bourbon available in the US.
  • Woodford Reserve use only 6% sour in their mash, which means 94% of each distillation comes from fresh grain (industry standard for sour is around the 30% mark). Not sure what I mean by sour mash? Check this out.
  • Brown Forman own their own cooperage and make their own barrels – a whopping 2,900 of them a day! The number of those earmarked for Woodford Reserve? Around 100.
  • Those 100 barrels are special though – they’re the only barrels out there in the bourbon world where the heads of the barrel are toasted and charred as well as the barrel itself (I wonder if Ardbeg got this idea from them?)
  • Maturation warehouses are made of limestone rock and are heated in the winter with steam coils (enter EH Taylor). Why? To speed up maturation and keep it going at a constant rate, right throughout the year.
  • This takes its toll on cask volumes though. A staggering 50% of volume is lost to the Angels over seven to eight years.
  • One last one for the Scotch fans – some of Woodford’s barrels end up cradling the nectar of Balvenie and Glenfiddich.

What we tasted

If there’s a definition of a bourbon bonanza, then this is probably it. The line up for the evening included no less than six of Woodford Reserve’s finest, plus a few extras.

New make spirit

First up was Woodford Reserve new make spirit, also known as ‘White Dog’.

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, the label was misprinted and had you seeing double, before you even tasted it. Perhaps if you finish the bottle is become clearer?

Woodford - New make

On the nose, I got some sweet spirit notes, spice, some nutty herbal notes and a young grappa/ white rum kind of effect. There weren’t really any surprises on the palate, with the new make tasting clean, dry and spicy with some faint herbal flavours on the finish.

After being triple distilled, I expected their new make to have a really high alcohol content (ABV) and indeed it does when it comes off the third distillation at around 79% ABV (158 proof).

However, it was interesting to hear that they actually dilute the new make down to 55% ABV (or 110 proof) before casking it, as they believe it matures better and gets more flavour out of the cask, needing less dilution at the end!

Distiller’s Select

Next up was their flagship expression, Distiller’s Select. A seven to eight year old bourbon made with their standard grain bill, triple pot distilled and bottled at 43.2% ABV (I believe it’s bottled at 45.2% in the US?).

Woodford - Distillers Select

I got some lovely caramel notes on the nose, vanilla, orange, some nutty spice, woody furniture polish and grainy cereal swirled throughout. I found the Distiller’s Select to be a tad thin on the palate, big wave of spice and not quite as sweet as the nose suggested. Pleasant burnt caramel and woody notes, minus any bitterness faded to a medium length finish, mainly concentrated in the mouth.

It was around this point that Stuart introduced some of the sensory tasting items he brought along, aimed at highlighting certain flavour characteristics. I picked up on the orange notes a fair bit in the Distiller’s Select, while the tart dried cranberries really emphasized the sweet caramel notes.

Woodford - Sensory

Before I move on from this one, ever wondered where the grain comes from? Probably not.. but I did and I can report the following: The corn comes from Kentucky, rye from Manitoba and barley from Wisconsin.

Maple Wood

Now we’re into the big league – the first of the Master’s Collection bottlings on taste. Created as one-offs, the Master’s Collection range is never intended to be repeated.

Released in 2010, the Maple Wood expression starts life as the standard Distiller’s Select, before being finished for around 18 months in a toasted sugar maple barrel.

Woodford - Maple

On the nose I got some additional sweetness over the Distiller’s Select, but not in a caramel sense. More of a dark fruity syrupy sweetness, with a bit less spice. This translated to fuller palate, hints of sugared plums, fresh toffee, vanilla, cereal grains and restrained spice. At 47.2% ABV, the finish was noticeably longer.

Aged Cask Rye

Released in 2011, the Aged Cask Rye was sold in a twin pack with the New Cask Rye (coming up), so you could taste them side-by-side and taste the influence of the cask on the base spirit. A pretty neat concept in my opinion!

Woodford - Aged Rye

Made from a combination of both malted and un-malted rye, this represented another first for the distillery, being the first triple distilled 100% rye whiskey made in the world.

I got some interesting grassy notes on the nose, vanilla sweetness, crisp green apple, pineapple and hints of spice. Stuart likened this one to a young Calvados (apple brandy) and I think he was pretty spot-on with that analogy. On the palate, clean, mild citrus, dry, spice, some pepper and overall quite mild. I’ve never had a rye like this before!

New Cask Rye

Now for the comparison – exactly the same spirit as the previous version, but this time, matured in a fresh charred oak barrel and bottled at 46.2% ABV.

Woodford - New Cask Rye

Much sweeter on the nose, return of the Woodford caramel notes, vanilla, sweet balsamic, lots of vibrant spice, soy and hints of crisp apple. I thought this had a thicker mouth-feel, loads more caramel on the palate, spice, woody oaky flavours and a touch of cinnamon.

Interesting tidbit on these twins – although they both weigh in at 46.2% ABV, they actually entered the cask at a surprising low 43% ABV!

Four Wood

This was an interesting one. Released in 2012, as the name suggests, four different types of wood come into play.

As with the Maple Wood, this expression starts life as the standard Distiller’s Select. After seven to eight years though, a proportion is placed in a toasted sugar maple barrel for a year, another portion in ex-Oloroso sherry casks for six months and the remainder in Portuguese ruby port pipes for six months.

In the end, it’s all mingled together, bottled at 47.2% ABV and presented as the Woodford Reserve Four Wood.

Woodford - Four Wood

Sounds like it could have been the makings of total disaster, however it’s surprisingly balanced. Clear hints of port and sherry on the nose, some lovely raisin notes, vanilla, spice, caramel and still clearly Woodford. On the palate, I got some big spice upfront, followed by soaked raisin sweetness, vanilla and some malty cereal. Big sherried whisky fans would appreciate this one I reckon.

Classic Malt

To end the night, the one I had been eagerly awaiting! Released in 2013, the Classic Malt is essentially a single malt whisky, but made it the US by one of the most innovative bourbon distilleries. The mashbill is 100% malted barley, it’s triple distilled in copper pot stills and aged in used, ex-bourbon casks before being bottled at 45.2% ABV.

Woodford - Classic Malt

I got some serious grassy, grainy cereal notes on the nose. Lots of barley and freshly grated green apple. Reasonably thin on the palate, still quite grainy and grassy, but with an underlying sweetness and some vanilla. Not really to my taste, but quite delicate whisky, I mean, whiskey.

Andrew Derbidge, Cellarmaster of the SMWS was also in the room and likened this expression to an Auchentoshan single malt from the Lowlands of Scotland. Right on the money with that comparison in my opinion.

Some final thoughts

I’m not sure how impressive this lineup would look to someone in The States, but I have to say that we were mighty privileged to be tasting this number of Master’s Collection releases.

Woodford - Group

These releases are something of a rarity in Australia. You’d struggle to find these behind a bar if you wanted to taste them and if you managed to find a bottle for sale, you’d need to hand over $200+.

If that wasn’t quite enough, we each left with a goody bag comprising a Distiller’s Select miniature and the smallest bottle of bitters I’ve ever seen – perfect for mixing an Old Fashioned on the weekend.

Woodford - Goodies

Thanks to Stuart for presenting a highly informative tasting, sharing the story of Woodford Reserve and these fantastic bourbons (and whiskeys) with us. A big thanks to Shirt Bar as well for hosting another great evening – check out their website for info on their upcoming tastings.