Lassie's top 10 memorable drams for 2015 - #1 - Changing of tides

Well, here we are January 2016 and I've not only survived what was a super crazy 2015 but probably one of the best as far as whisky discoveries. I travelled extensively and shared some old or rare drams. I also tried many of the new whiskies on the market including NAS (I don't judge any whiskies until I try them first).

As mentioned before I topped over 400 new whiskies in 2015, so how does one choose THE most memorable dram for an entire year? In this case, it truly was easy because as soon as I tasted this particular whisky I knew... and with only 3 months left of the year, I highly doubted any other whisky would knock me flat on my ass the way this one did.

I need to say one thing before I reveal what it is. A huge thanks to Davin de Kergommeaux for the introduction to the whisky madman behind this whisky. It happened on a hot summer night in New Orleans and resulted in my most exciting whisky roadtrip of the year. You see, most of the "big" Canadian distilleries don't allow visitors, tours or explanations of how the whiskies are made. The new, independent or small craft distilleries are completely the opposite and not only invite the public in but promote complete transparency. 

Don, Johanne & Dave - Tales of the Cocktail NOLA

So, when Don Livermore handed me his business card and said shoot me an email if you ever want to come to Windsor to visit our operations I was not only intrigued but somewhat excited at the thought of touring a distillery that has traditionally been off limits. Once I got back home, I started to plan my annual trip to Toronto. I emailed Don and asked about making a detour to Windsor (it's about 5 hours away) to visit. Not only was I going to get to see every aspect of the Hiram Walker Distillery, Don was gracious in extending the visit to as many #whiskyfabric friends that I wanted to bring. I put the call out to the Toronto possé and quickly received a response from 3 people. Total there would be 5 of us lucky enough to get the most comprehensive distillery tour I have ever been on. There were no corners that were off limits so we truly did see the whole experience from grain to bottle AND then some...  

Any other distillery I have ever visited has never allowed access to the laboratory. Now mind you I never asked (well except for Macallan which was an immediate NO). I can tell you that being a whisky geek, going into the lab was heaven. The discussions that took place, the information we were allowed to see AND the new strain of rye they were working on was beyond magnificent to experience. I seriously got an adrenaline headache from the excitement that day. (We also toured the Canadian Club Brand Center with Tish Harcus that day - SIMPLY WOW)

The afternoon culminated with Don bringing us on a cornucopia of scents and flavours, which again I had never experienced before in all of the distillery tours I have ever been on. I and the others there with me that day received the most interesting and educational experience when it comes to barrel science. The end of our day with Don came with a full tasting of some of their best selling whiskies as well as three new products that were coming to the market for 2015. 

1. Gooderam & Worts, which I liked much better with water then without. Davin writes about it here: 

http://www.canadianwhisky.org/reviews/gooderham-worts-44-4.html

2. JP Wiser's Double Still Rye, which I enjoyed immensely and purchased a bottle to bring home to New Brunswick.

http://www.canadianwhisky.org/reviews/jp-wiser%E2%80%99s-double-still-rye-43-4.html

and 

3. JP Wiser's Hopped Whisky -> Which blew my whisky mind!

Let me tell you just a little bit about this very innovative product and yes, I'm not using that word lightly. About 10 years ago Don Livermore had a goal to create something unique that no other Canadian whisky distillery was doing. He wanted a flavour profile that would encompass bitter, sweet, spicy and sour. He began to examine and experiment with hops. 158 different samples to be exact. 

He made rye whisky, then let it age somewhere between 5-9 years then post production dry hopped the whisky with Bravo(western USA style hop). The result is simply divine (in my personal opinion).

Davin had wrote about the Hopped whisky in August and I had received a marketing email about its launch. I have to admit, I sort of did the whole eye roll thing when I read it all thinking.. yeah sure, bla bla bla... new interesting whisky, sure sure!

So that afternoon when Don handed me the third and final glass with the Hopped Whisky I seriously thought to myself... well here we go with another "flavoured" whisky on the shelf... 

Don handed me the glass and said: "I'm not going to say anything about this last whisky and let you tell me what you think". I smiled politely and took my glass over to a small table. I reached for my pen and notebook and began the usual process of nosing and tasting the whisky. 

Here was my first impressions that day:

Nose: WTF?! Rich, deep, hints of very delicate floral and really malty. Winter hay (the stuff that's been sitting in the barn since July)

Palate: Smooth, roasted coffee, dark chocolate. Stout? Porter beer?!

Finish: Slightly citric, nice sweetness at the back that lingers. Grapefruit pith. 

I looked up at Don completely perplexed and honestly just a bit freaked out. He smiled a big toothy grin and clapped his hands. I walked over to the bottle and picked it up. I poured myself a second dram (almost not believing what I had tasted the first time). "This taste like a creamy chocolate porter beer" I said to everyone. Don laughed out loud and watched the rest of the reactions take place. It's something completely different than anything else I have ever tasted. It's unique and yes, dare I say innovation done right. 

Again, I'll quote Davin: "This is not the first whisky ever made with hops. From time to time, early distillers in Canada and the US would use hops to improve sanitation in their fermenters." There are currently a few American distillers using hops in their process, but not like Don did. So, this is history in the making and I'm excited to see what Don has up his sleeve next.

JP Wiser's Hopped Whisky is only available on the Canadian market, so far and from a price point sells for less than $30/bottle. It is by far the best new whisky I have tasted in 2015 and for me also boast the absolute best value for money!

I'm no Jim Murray, but I also am picking a Canadian Whisky as my best memorable dram of 2015. I know my giving this my thumbs up won't cause the masses to run to the liquor stores which is absolutely fine by me. But I will say that unlike the one Mr. Murray chose as "near perfection", I will say I give my top 2015 dram an 89 based on nose, palate, finish, price tag and enjoyment factor. If you are a huge Canadian whisky fan, you'd be crazy not to get at least one bottle of this, especially for the price tag.

I very much look forward to what Pernod Ricard has in mind for JP Wiser's. A visitor center as well as public tours are in the works. They are the first of the large distilleries in Canada who see the potential for whisky tourism and that... is not only refreshing but a changing of the tides.

That was the year that was for this Lassie. It's January 2nd and I've already tasted 6 new whiskies so it's going to be quite interesting to see what 2016 brings.

Cheers!!

Lassie

Blind Head to Head - Glenlivet 12 vs Glenlivet Founder's Reserve NAS

Or.... do you???

Well, well, well.... Another big whisky company has announced they are replacing a core expression of their product line with... a No Age Statement whisky. Now, mind you they have stated that the Glenlivet 12 (one of the most recognized & affordable whiskies) is not dead. That the Founder's Reserve will replace the 12 in 'mature' markets worldwide including the UK as of March 2015. Ughhhhhh.... I rolled my eyes after reading the headlines on 23 different twitter accounts, why... because I knew I would have to avoid social media and whisky forums for a few days as the trolls and preachers of NAS evil would jump on that news faster than green grass through a goose! I turned off the feeds, drank my whiskies... Tried not to care.

As fate would have it, I received a bottle of the Founder's Reserve as a surprise from a very lovely friend and the plan was immediately hatched: I posted the photo of my new bottle on our whisky society FB page and requested volunteers (especially if they were huge Glenlivet 12 fans) to come to my house for a whisky experiment. We would perform a blind H2H challenge of the 12 vs the Founder's Reserve. Within 10 minutes of posting I had 5 volunteers. (The power of social media or free whisky, or maybe both? hehe) I received a message on the day of the blind taste test that one participant had come down with the flu and wouldn't be coming (thankfully... love ya, but stay away!). He was supposed to bring a friend, well boo! Although I would have preferred a larger group, I was down to 3 people plus Graham and I...

On a random winter evening, I think it was a Monday, the five of us ranging from novice whisky drinker to hard core Glenlivet 12 fans sat down together in my living room. To keep things completely unbiased I enlisted the help of Graham (my partner) to pour 4 pairs in marked glassware (white blank tag vs unlabelled). After he poured and brought those out I went in the kitchen and poured his blind as well, not having any clue what sequence Graham had used. Then the table was set: Water, oat cakes, each a tagged and non-labelled glass with 1 oz whisky pours in them, pen and paper. 

Rules: No talking, nose/taste each of the two whiskies, write down whatever you think, if you had a preference and (optional) which you think is the Glenlivet 12. All nodded and we began. I watched for a few minutes as each person went through their own personal routine of noting color, nose, palate, etc. and making notes as they went. Not one of us did it the same way (remember that statement for later!) No discussions were had, well except the occasional grunt and I was impressed with how much time each person was spending with both samples as I didn't give any type of timeline or deadline. Thirty minutes later the final pen went down and we did a round table. Each person reading out their impressions of the tagged sample as well as the unlabelled one then stating which of the two they preferred. Nobody said out loud which they thought was the Glenlivet 12 except myself. 

Greg: No tag - Seems a bit darker in color than the tagged sample, smooth, just a hint of smoky peat on the palate. Tagged - A sweeter aftertaste, lighter in color, smoother. I prefer the tagged sample. 

John: No tag - Lighter in color - amber. Mild cider on the nose like a fruit wine, slightly oily on the palate with a lovely after taste. Tagged - Color is a medium amber. On the nose I find a dry white wine (a bit of oak) whereas the palate is smooth with a lovely after taste. The tagged is beautifully balanced for this style. I'd give it an 8/10. I prefer the tagged.
Steven: No tag - Not getting much on the nose, barely any aromas for me. The palate is somewhat harsh and it has a long finish. Tagged - I can detect more sweetness on the nose, caramel creaminess on the palate and a sweet finish. I prefer the tagged.

Graham: No tag - Grassy with a touch of wine gummies on the nose. Palate is much more mellow that tagged sample. Tagged - Much lighter on the nose, I get way more grassy and hay like notes. On the palate there was spirit burn and more grassiness. I prefer the untagged sample.

Johanne: No tag - Lighter on the nose than tagged sample, I get cereal and grassy. Once it's sat in the glass I do start to get a honeyed aroma. Not very viscous in nature. Thin on the palate with lots of harsh and citric notes. The finish is hot, quite bitter to me and it lingers... Not something I would drink, personally. Tagged - Much more rich on the nose, orchard fruit like pears or apple blossoms. After it sat in the glass much more of a ripe banana overtone. The palate was thin as well but I found it to contain Seville orange citrus vs just citric. No hot finish, no long finish. A more balanced whisky than the untagged. I preferred the tagged and thought the Untagged was the Glenlivet 12.
  
Greg, Steven, John and I had: 12 year old - Untagged and Founder's Reserve - Tagged, whereas Graham had the opposite. 

Greg and Steven said they would buy a bottle of the Founder's Reserve after the reveal. I don't recall what John said? Graham also stated he'd be more likely to buy the Founders Reserve over the Glenlivet 12 - Price/quality. In our discussion afterward, some were surprised and one was a bit let down that the Glenlivet 12 didn't come out on top. But all 5 of out 5 preferred the Founder's Reserve overall. What exactly does that tell us or you for that matter? 

Well other than the fact that five friends sat down on a random Monday night, nosed/tasted two blind samples and all liked one whisky over the other, not much really? Because the reality is 5 other people in the exact same experiment might have stated the complete opposite. 

Now... I was once told I had a whisky agenda. I was a bit perplexed by that comment at the time but with some thought I guess I do. My agenda, announced here for the first time is: Be open to every whisky experience that is presented to you.

1. For every person that will ridicule others for putting ice in their whiskies there are five more that will say it's your whisky - do as you please.
    
2. For every one 'Messiah' who will make you wait a full hour before you drink a whisky in his masterclass and tell you Scotch is dead while bourbon is the new king - ALL HAIL Pappy Van Winkle!!! There are ten more who will tell you drink what you like.
3. For every soap box hero that condemns the industry for NAS whiskies, there are just as many who will give the opinion that some of the NAS's on the market are great. And yes, I'm aware some are not just as much as I'm aware that some of the Age Statement Whiskies suck too! Bad whisky is bad whisky regardless. But my worst whisky could be your best so:  

Here is why I will ALWAYS urge you to make an opinion for yourself. Whisky like everything else in your life is subjective. Would you put your complete trust in a stranger who preached that new Hanes underwear should never be bought by everyone because they are now cheaply made, no longer have the 'Inspected by #12" sticker on the inside and they all fit funny? Seriously... then why trust someone else's judgment on the whiskies you drink?

Back to how each of us had our own way of performing this little experiment (told you that was coming) 

SUBJECTIVE: Relating to the way a person experiences things based on their feelings and opinions rather than facts. 

Objective: Based on facts rather than influence by personal feelings or opinions.

The five of us gave you a subjective opinion on two whiskies we tried. Objectively we can state we tried two forms of Glenlivet, both at 40% ABV. Subjectively we can tell you, all 5 of our personal opinions matched in this case. Objectively we can say that for the price range it was a good whisky to own, 4 (I don't recall if John said he would) would buy the Founder's Reserve over the 12 year old. 

I urge every single one of you to continually try whiskies for whatever reason you choose. Don't be swayed by one person's opinion may it be mine or anyone else's. My philosophy is quite simple: I want to try every whisky I can before I leave this earth knowing full well some will be stupendous, some horrible and some inevitably will be mediocre in nature. 

Now it's your turn. If you are set in your ways, so be it. If you absolutely refuse to try anything new, so be it. But for the rest of you, no matter where you are on your journey be brave, be bold and don't let the opinion of Simon, Jim, or the Johanne's of the world be yours, please. 

If I had listened to many of the self-professed experts this whisky world has to offer, I know I would have missed out on some real gems in my lifetime. Don't get me wrong because they are certainly entitled to their opinions. My point is: so are you and the only way to make that opinion is to TRY THE WHISKY. 

So what will I say about the Founder's Reserve: In a head to head with the Glenlivet 12, I preferred it immensely over the 12. My confession: I don't like the 12, although we do have a bottle of it in the house I don't ever recall pouring myself a dram. I have never used it in a led tasting nor do I recall ever recommending it. It's there for when visiting friends who like it, can have it. 

The Founder's Reserve has been purchased and I will likely recommend it to friends for what it is: Tasty, balanced and a great example of an extremely affordable whisky that (again in my opinion) is done right. Will I even mention it's NAS? Not unless they ask because for me, in the event you didn't already notice -> It doesn't matter...

When the annoucement first came out I noticed many people freaking out and speculating that the NAS would be super expensive! WRONG....

Pernod Ricard is not going to charge you an arm and a leg for this bottle. It's actually going to be a few dollars cheaper than what the 12 is currently going for. Yes, you read correctly. On average, in Canada the 12 sells for about $46 whereas the Founder's Reserve is $2-3 cheaper.  

In conclusion, thanks very much to my friend for bringing me this bottle. She knows me well enough to know that I would appreciate having something different and that I wouldn't judge a whisky before trying it. As for the rest of you: You like the 12 because it's one of your staples? Great! Get out there and buy more, however I do hope will consider trying the Founder's Reserve. 

Either way, don't be blind or get led by hand by anyone. Put down the book, the blog, the forum. Pour yourself a dram and try the whisky for yourself then decide if it's worth buying.

MOE, CURLY AND LARRY GETTING LOST IN THE NAS NOISE??!

LASSIE