Master of Malt 50 Year Old Speyside (3rd. Edition)

After eight months and trying numerous new whiskies I have reached the highlight and end of the Advent Sessions. Today I will try the oldest whisky I have ever had the pleasure of trying. This 50 year old whisky is a Master of malt "mystery" distillery release. I have no idea who made this whisky, although I have heard someone suggest that it was Mortlach. It doesn't really matter as I will likely never know the truth and it is exciting all the same. This whisky is much older than I am and so it deserves a lot of respect. I haven't taken to calling it sir, but I will take my time to get to know it.

I also struggled with finding suitable music to pair. I didn't want the music to detract from the whisky, and I at one point was contemplating not having music at all. I wound up deciding on classical music as I felt it would be appropriate. The piece I went with was Beethovens' 9th symphony. I'm not sure which orchestra is playing here. I chose this piece because of the memories it brings to mind. I recall a gentleman speaking about the Glenfiddich 50 year and likening the taste of it to being kissed by an angel. This leads me to think of those moments when you are so taken with a scene you swear you can hear angels singing, for instance walking into a room with a large collection of fine malts. The fourth movement of the 9th symphony always makes me think of angels singing. I recall a time were my wife and I were in a hotel in Chiang Mai watching a movie called "Copying Beethoven". During the movie there is a scene where the 9th is played. When the Choir began singing we both had tears in our eyes. The piece never fails to move me.

Now lets taste this potentially heavenly dram.

Nose: Wood, Creamy vanilla, plum cobbler, some pepper and citrus, and all around is a floral perfume reminiscent of an old church lady. Delightful. Fills the nose with thoughts of a church bake sale. Am I getting close to the angels singing? After letting it sit a while the whisky develops a buttery note adding to the bake sale theme.

Palate: The first thing I am struck by is the mouth feel. WOW. It is silky, velvety and creamy. Sugary sweet wood and vanilla are the first notes I can identify, The wood notes develop a burnt edge after time. This in turn yields notes of raisins and other dried fruits.

Finish: The liquid goes down the throat like water. It is very smooth and leaves behind notes of wood and a slight metallic bit that lasts a long time. Sugary notes are also present and let themselves be known intermittently.

A beautiful whisky for sure. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to try it. I can't really say that I heard angels sing. I am not certain that the age has made a profound difference but I am so happy to have been able to try a whisky that has until this day been something of folklore to me.

Deanston 19 Year Old Single Cask - Master of Malt

Todays dram features an exclusive Master of Malt (MoM) offering from the Deanston distillery. According to MoM there were only 260 bottles from the cask. In my mind that makes this a fairly rare and very exciting whisky.

As an accompaniment I have opted to listen to the haunting sounds of Johnny Cashs' American IV. This is Mr Cashs' 87th and final album, and it is a masterpiece. I say this even though the bulk of the songs are covers. The emotion in his deep voice runs shivers down my spine, particularly during the opening two songs: "When The Man Comes Around" and Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt".

As I am eager to introduce this dram to my senses I am going to get right to it.

Nose: There is a freshness to this whisky. The notes that come to mind are grapes and milk chocolate which then hints at brandied cherries and fades to a minty tone. very pleasant.

Palate: This one surprised me with the heat. It was so sweet and tender on the nose that I forgot the 53.4% alcohol. I will try again... now I get cayenne, creamy milk chocolate and some salt. There is also a brief note of a berry sweetness.

Finish: I get crème caramel with leather and a baked dessert that reminds me of bread pudding.

This dram was a pleasure. It is strong and complex. These characteristics work well with the strength of Johnny Cash. The complexity of the whisky compliments the depth of emotion and narrative that Cash expresses so well        

Arran 16 Year Old Single Cask (Master of Malt)

Todays dram is the Arran 16 year old Single Cask bottled by the Master of Malt. At 55.4% this is likely to be a potent sipper…. At least I hope so. As a musical accompaniment I have chosen to throw on Bela Fleck and the Flecktones – Flight of the Cosmic Hippo.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is a unique band of incredible talents. They play a mix of bluegrass, jazz, funk and rock. Essentially they are a jazz-funk-bluegrass fusion band; if a name must be given. Master banjo artist Bela Fleck formed this band in the late 80s. Also in the band is one of the worlds’ greatest bass players Victor Wooten and his brother Future Man (Roy Wooten). Future Man is not only a phenomenal drummer he is a musical inventor of genius proportions. One of his inventions that he plays is an instrument called the “Synthaxedrumitar”. This instrument is held like a guitar and sounds like one of the most impressive drum kits around. Recently he also invented an instrument that looks like a piano yet plays notes based on the Periodic Table of Elements and the Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio is an algebraic term. This Future Man is truly the funkiest nerd I have ever heard of. I mean that as a complement.

According to the Master of Malt Website the single cask that this Arran whisky sat in for 16 years was a refill sherry cask. It was distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2012.         

The Isle of Arran is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is located off the east coast of Scotland. Due to its bisection by the Highland and lowland lines it apparently has incredible rock formations. It is therefore considered a geologists paradise. Geologists come from all over the world to bask in this rocky glory. It is also rumoured that Robert the Bruce while in exile hid in a cave on the island. While hiding he watched a spider repeatedly climb the cavern wall to build its web falling many times. I wonder if this is the origin of the Itsy Bitsy Spider song.    

Musical genius with mathematical and scientific influence, geology heaven, and a bit of history. With this dram I am going to make a toast to nerds everywhere.

Nose: Initially I get notes of the sea; salt and seaweed. There is also a syrupy (not maple) sweetness.

Palate: A warming sensation envelopes the notes of pepper butter and ginger and a gentle sweetness.

Finish: The finish is clean leaving traces of wood, clove, cinnamon and iodine.

An interesting dram but not one I was entirely fond of. I found that it was a bit dry and I didn`t get any of the sherry.

“JlQoS” (I`m Sorry - in Klingon) Nerds. Endeavour to honour you in the future with a more pleasing toast, I will.

Master Of Malts - Islay Single Malt

After another long hiatus brought on by the consuming pace of the Christmas holidays, it is time to get back to tastings. YAY.

This year Liza (my wife) gave me a whisky advent calender. It is a very wonderful and thoughtful gift. It shows that my wife is cool with my hobby. This level of support feels great and is priceless. I am also very happy that I received it on Christmas rather than before. This gives me an opportunity to taste at my leisure.

For my listening pleasure I will continue with the theme of awesome gifts given to me by Liza. For Christmas 2010 she got me tickets to see Phish at Madison Square Gardens in New York City on New Years day. This was the first time I had seen the band in 10 years. Not only was it an incredible gift, it was also a solid show that reminded me of how tight these musicians are. 01.01.11, a great show that deserves a listen.

The first whisky in the calendar is the Master of Malts - Islay single malt. It is a mystery whisky, though the description on the Master of Malts web site says: that it has a "decidedly South Coast style..." This would imply that it is either a Laphroaig, Lagavulin or Ardbeg. It could also be a Port Ellen but that distillery is closed which would mean that this is a very rare, highly sought after dram. My bet is Laphroaig, and I will compare the quarter cask in order to try and figure it out. The reality is that I likely won't be able to prove one way or the other, but who cares, this is fun.

Now lets get tasting.

Nose: heavy peat, sea salt, white pepper and pleasant honey.

Palate: very smoky and drying. there is also pine, menthol, and a touch of ginger and cinnamon.

Finish: coal is left with a slight citrus tang.

This is a decent enough whisky but it strikes me as watered down. Is it Laphroaig I can't be sure but I believe so. Let's compare the Laphroaig Quarter Cask to see if that gives any clues.

Nose: sweetness hits right away. Christmas cake, pipe tobacco, mint. Very complex.

Palate: rich raisins at first. this is followed by smoke and leather.

Finish: the smoke remains powerfully present but is made thick and almost chewy by a sweet vanilla.

These are not the same whisky. The Quarter cask is infinitely richer, particularly in the mouth feel, while the mystery malt seemed thin and almost watery. As I said earlier I am unable to tell if what I have tasted is a Laphroaig. I still believe it is (albeit a watered down version) and in the interest of always being right I am sticking with that as my final answer. If I'm wrong go ahead and tell me... I might listen.

I will leave off hoping that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year.