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What I'm Tasting...
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In honor of Independence Day and Canada Day, I've been tasting American and Canadian whiskies...
George Washington's Rye Whiskey (43% ABV): The 471 bottles of this unaged rye whiskey distilled at the first President's Mount Vernon estate sold out in two hours after going on sale July 1. The spirit was distilled in early 2009 from Washington's original recipe of 65% rye, 35% corn, and 5% malted barley. As with most unaged spirit, the nose is light and fruit with a hint of pears. The taste is sharp and tart with lemon, pear, and just a hint of rye. The finish is tart and clean. Not a great whiskey by today's standards, but a piece of history that's worth trying. 84 points.
WhistlePig Rye (50% ABV): The polar opposite of George's whiskey, but they have one thing in common. Former Maker's Mark master distiller Dave Pickerell ran the stills at Mount Vernon, and he uncovered this 10-year-old Canadian rye hidden away in an undisclosed location. The nose is freshly toasted rye bread, along with honey, oak, cinnamon, and vanilla notes. The taste is a mix of spicy rye and sweet maple syrup at first, then shows a hint of honey as the rye spiciness fades. The finish has a hint of almonds, along with a lingering rye spiciness and a hint of maple. 93 points.
Gentleman Jack (40% ABV): This is the softer side of Jack Daniel's, with a second run through the Lincoln County process charcoal filters after maturation. This gives it a smoother overall taste than the traditional Jack. The nose is rich and spicy, with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, honey, and orange peel. The taste is smooth and sweet with a spicy cinnamon kick, orange marmalade, honey, a hint of peaches, and a slight touch of almond. The finish is spicy, lingering, and very smooth. 92 points.
Early Times 150th Anniversary Edition Bourbon (50% ABV): Brown-Forman acquired the Early Times distillery and stock in 1923 at the height of prohibition, and was able to sell whiskey under its "medicinal use" permit. Master Distiller Chris Morris recreated the 1923 style of Early Times for this special bottling, which uses whiskey aged for 5 to 6 years. The nose has notes of oak, vanilla, brown sugar, and honey. The taste reminds me of unbuttered corn on the cob, with hints of brown sugar and vanilla. The finish has notes of butterscotch and vanilla with just a hint of oak. It's a little harsher than current bourbons, but still represents the period well -- and is worth trying for that reason alone. 86 points.
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How to get involved | |
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© Cask Strength Media, 2010
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The inside of a new still destined for use at The Macallan. Photo by Mark Gillespie.  | Silent Season...but not quiet...
Ever wondered what the inside of a still looks like? This picture shows the inside of a new spirit still being built for The Macallan at Forsyth's in Rothes. The inner plumbing shows the stainless steel heating system that carries steam through the bottom of the still to heat the wash until alcohol vapors begin to rise to the still's neck and lyne arm.
July usually means the silent season at many distilleries, when routine maintenance is done and whisky production stops for a few weeks. In fact, the still pictured above may already be in place at The Macallan by the time you read this. It's the time of year when investment in distilleries reaches its peak, since the capital part of a distillery plant isn't cheap. Silent season also means work for coppersmiths like the ones at Forsyth's, the coopers who build new washbacks meant to replace worn out units that have been in place for years, electricians, plumbers, and other tradesmen (and women) who keep distilleries humming around the world.
We treat distillery managers and master blenders like rock stars, but I suspect every single one of them would tell you that they couldn't exist without all of the support people who make distilling whisky possible. As you raise a glass this month, raise a toast to these folks...I will...
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Dear Mark:
I've got an interesting subject for you to dig
out. During a family meeting last weekend, we had a brief discussion
'bout how 'single' single malt is: shouldn't it be better to call it a
'single distillery'? Scientifically, most malts are vatted in a way that
neither a single malt (same kind of malt), neither...
single malting (same process) ends up in the bottle (single cask is, as
far as i know the only exception). In fact, the maltings happens on such
a big scale that several distilleries use malts from the same malting
floors (so theoretically a single malt can contain whisky from several
distilleries, if they were produced from the same malt originated from
the same malting floor). So, does the definition of 'single malt' still
covers what it means?
Jonas Pothelm via Facebook
Jonas, thanks for the question. You're overthinking this a little, and confusing "malt" the ingredient from "malt whisky" as the final result. First, your theory that a single malt can contain whisky from several distilleries if they share the same malt source is wrong. As I posted in our Facebook discussion, think of this in terms of an apple pie. The apples don't all come from the same tree or even the same orchard, but when Grandma bakes the pie in her oven, it's "Grandma's apple pie." Same with "single malt whisky."
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Congratulations to Peder Andersson of Stockholm, Sweden. Peder's e-mail was selected at random as the winning entry in the drawing for a bottle of The Glenlivet Founder's Reserve 1824. This limited-edition expression was bottled to celebrate the distillery's expansion last month, and only 1,824 bottles will be available. 
