Kingsbarn Dream to Dram / Wemyss Nectar Grove - reviews

The whisky "Wo-Man cave"... is full and bursting at the seams!? December 30th 2019 and I'm taking down the little bit of Christmas decorations I had put up. I realize my front closet is full, so I open the doors to my whisky cave and it looks like a hurricane hit it...  Bottles recently purchased still in bags on the floor, no room on the shelves or credenza, drawers so stuffed with sample bottles they don't close anymore...  I make a promise to myself - I gotta clean out this place and start drinking this stuff! Clean I did. I organized the room a little better, gave a few bottles away and proceeded to go through all the samples I had - 122 to be exact!  How the heck do I end up with so many samples!??  The answer my friends - kindness of #whiskyfabric friends. It's pretty much tradition when abroad or at festivals to trade samples, bring sample bottles and go home with way more than you showed up with!??  

With 2020 came a few goals:

1. Run a 5k and 10k (what the hell was I thinking)

2. Write a blog once a week until Dec 30th/2020.
3. Drink at least one whisky sample/week.

4. Travel to Scotland and just "be" a tourist. (Not sure that is even possible?!)

5. Stay in touch with and be more active with many of the whisky friends I've made over the last 13 years.

SO far... I'm doing pretty good on these goals. I'll keep you in the loop on how I'm doing!  So another way to drink said samples:  REVIEW THEM!

A few weeks ago I created a spreadsheet (yes I'm that OC) and I have 24 samples ready to review for the year. May not sound like much but it's a good start.  I thought this week might be a great time to review two whiskies from Scotland. Related but not from the same distillery per say.

Whisky #1 - Kingsbarn Dream to Dram Lowland Single Malt, 46% ABV


Whisky #2 - Wemyss Malts Nectar Grove Blend, 46% ABV


Both samples were given to me by my lovely friend Jacqueline Sutherland (and I do really consider her a very good friend!) during my last trip to Scotland in October 2019. It's not often that we get to spend quality time so I was really chuffed when she and I got to spend half the day chatting over a lovely lunch.


On with the reviews, shall we:


The first whisky is from a modern distillery that has only been in existence for less than 5 years. Owned by Wemyss (Brother and sister duo), it stands on the reputation of their many years of blending and creating independent bottlings.  If you want to read more about Kingsbarn, click here:
 https://www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com/


I like to take my time when I review whiskies. This one I did over the course of a Sunday afternoon and revisited it on a cold Wednesday night the following week. 


Nose: I gathered from the get go this spent quite a bit of time in ex-bourbon casks: Delicate aromas of newly cut hay, meadows and fresh cantaloupe. Quite elegant and inviting.


Palate: Not at all like the nose, this is zesty lemon peel meets gingerroot with an oaky/resinous backdrop.


Finish: Not overly complicated but quite a satisfying sweet herbal flavour, sort of like chewing on spearmint leaves. 


On Wednesday when it was colder I had a much bigger appreciation for the lingering heat and gingery sensation the whisky was leaving behind.


I can't help but wonder what I would have thought this was had I received a blind sample. Not sure I would have considered it as a whisky that was younger than 5 years old, especially with that very lovely nose.  I remember tasting the newmake when I was there in 2016 and thinking if this sits in the rights casks they are going to have a cracker of a whisky.  Well...  it's lovely. I look forward to seeing/tasting what else will come out of Kingsbarn.




Whisky #2 - Nectar Grove from Wemyss


I'm always fascinated with the names of some of the whiskies that Wemyss comes out with. VELVET FIG... say no more!!! I don't look up anything about the sample when I'm reviewing so I sort of expected some sort of wine or sherry finish. This did not disappoint!


Nose: I immediately detect pumpkin compote (how do I describe that to English people!?) It's like a pumpkin/citrus spice (it has a bit of cinnamon/cloves) marmalade. My mouth watered almost immediately. After I let it sit for a little while and again on the Wednesday evening, I found much more vanilla and a weird freeze dried strawberry smell - not unpleasant just didn't make sense to me.

Palate: In French we have a word that describes silky but also "thick" - Onctueux.  For a moment I was a bit nervous as I was worried it was going to be sickly sweet but it was not.  The right combination of oily, silky, sweet and the feeling I had popped golden raisins that had been soaked in rum in my mouth.


Finish: Warm but then slightly tannic, again not expecting that. A few minutes later, a warming sensation from the inside out...  this, especially on Wednesday was a lovely winter warmer whisky.


It wasn't until I was done my notes on Wednesday that I went to read up on the barrels used and to my surprise Madeira casks are used. I'm not usually a fan as I find the influence leads to a really sweet, wine gummies, artificial flavour'ish…   NOT THE CASE with Nectar Grove.


If you are looking for something new and interesting to try I would certainly recommend either of these whiskies. Thanks again to Jacqueline for sending me home back to Canada with some very unique and special whiskies.

Next week I'm on vacation in Antigua (don't hate me) so I will be writing a blog about sand, rum and beaches. 

Cheers from cold and snowy Canada,


I remain:


Whiskylassie

That's the last of 2016, I swear - Runner ups!

When January 1st rolls around, I don't purposely set out to break records. What I mean by that is, I don't set a goal and other than taking photos and keeping a spreadsheet I don't go out of my way to try and supersede previous years numbers. For 2016 I tried 397 NEW whiskies. To the average person this may sound like a crazy number but when you start to talk to other enthusiasts, I'm not even considered hard core... yet!

I like picking out whiskies that really stood out as my top 10 or 12 of the year. I make notes, put little stars beside the ones I think were most memorable and for what reason. I've had a few people say: "Wow, I'm surprised you picked (that) whisky". So again, I'll explain that sometimes it's about the memory the whisky created, or the moment itself. For instance: Benromach 35 and how it transported me back to a time when my grandfather was still alive. How magical is it to sit there, close your eyes and be inundated with memories of someone who was very special. (Just the thought of that day as I sat there nosing that whisky and remembering pepere Mossey brings tears to my eyes as I type this). That is powerful indeed.

With 397 whiskies to choose from there are bound to be some that I initially say: Oh yeah - top 12 indeed but then as the year rolls on they get bumped by others. When I created my list this year, I noticed two things:

1. There wasn't one single American whiskey that even made the top 30!? As I surfed my photos it made me wonder. Is it because, here in Canada we don't really get to try many new/interesting USA whiskies or is it because I simply gravitate toward other whiskies in general. Hmmm...  Goal for 2017: Try more American brands.

2. As I went through the spreadsheet it became very apparent that the whiskies I did seem to gravitate toward in 2016 were independent bottlings. Again, it made me ponder: Was I naturally inclined toward those or did I somehow have more access than usual to these types of whiskies?

If you look at my list of honorable mentions you'll see for yourself. Here are whiskies number 30-13.

30. SMWS 59.49 - Celebration in a glass (Thanks Ross)

29. SMWS 1.196 - Sunshine, motherhood and apple pie (Thanks Blair & Clare)

28. Canadian Club 20 year old (Celebrate Whisky festival Halifax)

27. Douglas Laing Rock Oyster (Celebrate Whisky Festival Halifax)

26. Deerstalker Braeval 20 year old (Celebrate Whisky Festival Halifax)

25. SMWS 9.84 Playing "Sea battle" in the garden (Club whisky tasting) 

24. Cadenhead Mortlach 26 year old (Thanks Dave W)

23. Cadenhead Caperdonich 39 year old (Thanks Mark W)

22. Balvenie 25 year old Triple cask (Thanks Ian M)

21. Gordon & MacPhail Macallan 1958, 11 year old (Thanks Richard U)

20. Balvenie 1966 (HUGE thanks to Jill B - my birth year!)

19. The Cask of Yamazaki 1990 Sherry Butt (Thanks Martine N)

18. Highland Park 1968 (Thanks Nicolas V and Dan V!!)

17. Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt, Release 2 (Thanks Lydia!)

16. Wemyss Malts 1988 Kirsch Gateau (Thanks Jacqueline)

15. Sansibar Tomatin 18 year old (Thanks Igor K)

14. Springbank 12 Rum Wood (Thanks Frank S)

13. Adelphi 1988 Cambus 27 year old (Thanks Jonathan B)

It's always an amazing journey and you'll likely also notice that the majority of whiskies on this list were shared by friends in one form or another. 

You can make fun of me all you like but #whiskyfabric truly is a weave of personalities, friendships and connections that I am truly grateful for. We share moments, we create memories and best of all: We love whisky!

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm off to make some room on my sample shelf: Thanks Benoit B for the latest rounds of drams I can't wait to try!

Here's to 2017... may the list of new whisky discoveries, friendships and adventures be long and good for all of you!

Cheers,

Lassie

Lassie's top 12 countdown for 2016, TOP 3 - Must have bottles!

I've often heard many whisky enthusiasts say: "I'm not allowed to buy anymore whisky until I get rid of a few bottles" or "My wife says I'm not allowed to build a bigger storage area". I have to say that having a partner who is just as passionate as I am leads us completely down the other path. I look at Graham and say: "There's no more room in my bookshelf". He scratches his head and builds me shelves. He looks at me while we are on vacation and says: "Do we want this bottle", and I don't even look over. "You want it, get it".  You can see the dilemma right? There is... NO VOICE OF REASON! 

Now mind you we do try to have limits (try...) so our spending habits have changed slightly in the last few years. We are more selective with our whisky purchases and have many less bottles open then we did 5 years ago. Looking back at 2016 and what we bought, I was quite satisfied with our choices and only had one small disappointment overall. Not bad, I say...  

As mentioned in a previous post when tasting the whiskies in the advent calendar, I knew I was going to be in trouble and promised myself I would limit my purchases to 3. Many of whiskies in the Secret Spirits calendar were pretty stellar but I managed to narrow it down to the ones I really wanted a full bottle of. Wemyss Marmalade Appeal, Glenrothes 27 year old. 

Number 3 on my top 12 of 2016 easily slides into this position for two reasons:

1. These bottles are rarely available in Canada and I usually have to wait until a trip to Scotland or the kindness of #whiskyfabric to get these, so I'm super excited to have this one in our collection.

2. This whisky was truly a stellar dram and next to Velvet Fig (which I miss very much), this is the best of the Wemyss Malts I've ever tried. 

Serge Valentin (Malt Maniacs) as well as www.whiskyfun.com rates this particular bottling 4 stars. (I highly respect his opinion).

My review was here as part of the advent fun I participated in:

http://whiskylassie.blogspot.ca/2016/12/day-21-wemyss-glenrothes-27-year-old.html


Whiskies that make the "world" stop for a few minutes are a rarity. I come across these every once and awhile and absolutely cherish them. There were very few bottles of this Wemyss (688 I believe)... and I consider myself extremely lucky to be getting one. 

To Emma, Karen, Jacqueline, Ginny, and the rest of the team that works extremely hard at Wemyss Malts: Keep up the good work. Every whisky enthusiast should be so lucky to own a few good bottles from this independent company. 

Cheers!

Lassie

Day 21 Wemyss Glenrothes 27 year old!!! Need I say more?

I can't believe how quickly this has gone? When I started on day 1, it was almost a little intimidating. I have to nose/taste a whisky every day for 25 days straight, and here I am on day 21 looking at all the empty doors with only 5 left to go. It's been a fantastic adventure so far and as I poke my finger through door 21, the reveal makes me squeal with delight once more. I'm noticing that as we get closer to day 25 the drams are getting more and more special! 

Today's dram is Wemyss Glenrothes 27 year old - Marmalade appeal. With a name like that, how could my mouth not begin to water immediately. Marmalade is my favorite of all the preserves!!! I run back up the stairs, taking them two by two. (At least I'll have gotten 25 days of exercise out of all this?! hehe) I trust the bottle into Graham's face: BOUUUYAH! I announce as those I've won the lottery.  He laughs at me and reads the label. "Nice!" he says as he hands it back. I snatch it from his hands and skip (yes, I skipped) back to my arm chair. Pop that baby open and nose... nose... and sink into my chair just a little. The aromas of the whisky are simply divine.


Martine once walked us through a very interesting masterclass where all you relied upon was the nose/taste of the whisky to conjure up one image of what the whisky in your glass represents for you. As I sat there, nosing Marmalade appeal, I was suddenly brought back to an era that I did not exists in, the Victorian period and it was lovely. This whisky evoked an image of sophisticated ladies with muffles and gentlemen in top hats! 

I seriously got lost in this dram to the point that I didn't finish my coffee and Graham wandered into the living room and just stared at me: "You, errrr, going to work?". I stopped for a moment and considered it, but then how do you explain to your boss you can't come in because a whisky sidelined your whole day? :)

Once the day was done, I had a bit of a headache. Supper/dishes out of the way and I knew I had to get back to that whisky. I sat overlooking our street, all decorated for Christmas and simply smiled. It was another one of those simple but lovely moments created by whisky. It was perfect in the time and place I was at. 

Wemyss Glenrothes 27 year old, Marmalade Appeal, 46% ABV. Sherry Butt cask #5376. 

Colour: Hay bail at sunrise. 

Nose: Chocolate pot de creme with shaved orange rind. The smell captures you immediately and lulls you into the glass. Gorgeous!

Palate: Seville orange marmalade allll the way! The sweetness and tangy kick makes your saliva glands kick in immediately. Warm and rich dram.

Finish: Long and sweet! Probably the longest finish of this whole advent calendar so far. It stayed with me for the better part of 20-30 minutes. 

Some drams are lovely sipping whiskies, this one my friends, is a time traveller. It brings you back to a different time and quality of whisky that we don't see very often anymore. Jonathan, this is my favourite dram, so I hope this will be available soon in full bottle! 

If you want to read more about this lovely whisky please click here to see what Jonathan thought:  

www.singlemalting.com

In the meantime, to my friend Jacqueline who works really hard on the Wemyss team, thank you for this sublime whisky. I truly loved it for many reasons and it made me miss you all the more xoxox


Cheers for now,

Lassie

Day 17...I bet your advent calendar isn't as good as mine!! Invergordon 26 year old

What a little stinker I am sometimes and I've often been called cheeky too! What can I say, it's simply in my nature sometimes to engage mouth while brain is not in gear...  This was not the case this morning while having a conversation on Facebook messenger at 7:15am. I had made my cup of coffee and I was surfing social media, just checking out stuff when a message popped up in messenger from a "follower" asking me if I had opened door 17 year. I replied with "two shakes, I'll go do that now" and proceeded to run down the stairs. Another fab discovery: Wemyss Malts, 26 year old Invergordon. When I got back to my computer I announced with an exclamation mark what I had found. Things... took a turn for the worse almost from the get go. Whomever this person was proceeded to argue with me that Wemyss wasn't a distillery to which I explained how they were a great independent bottler. 

Poor soul tried to teach me about whisky a little and I listened but continued to point him to authors, websites and other factual information that would help him learn a little better. You would think he would get exasperated, but nope, he must have been in the mood to simply argue with someone, why me though is beyond my comprehension? "I have an advent calendar too you know", he typed. "Oh", I replied, "That's awesome". There was a 5 minute pause so I assumed he had grown tired of the conversation. I say nothing else and another message pops up: "Yours is really crappy". So I tell him, like whisky, that is a subjective opinion and thank him for the morning conversation. END of discussion... and on to other more important things. Way to go Lassie!!!  

Whisky, for some, seems to be about upmanship and bragging rights but for me it's a journey that I've chosen to share with as many like minded people as possible. The conversation only reinforces how lucky I am to have an open mind, appreciate all the mentors and friends I've had a long my way and to truly appreciate the whiskies that I get to enjoy.  Here's to your own whisky journey, wherever it may be for you.

Wemyss Malts Applewood Bake, Invergordon 26 year old. 46% ABV, Cask Type - Butt, cask #86239

Colour: The last of the summer hay

Nose: Upside down apple french toast with powdered vanilla sugar. Scrumptious indeed

Palate: Some sort of baked apple concoction that has custard (I can see it in my head!!) Sweet, tart and rich!

Finish: A bit of a eucalyptus or minty finish. It's fresh but doesn't linger for long.

I have to say from the time I was introduced to Wemyss in 2013 I have enjoyed many, MANY of their releases. They have a fantastic nosing/tasting panel that really get the whiskies and give them fantastic names. Every trip to Scotland has involved buying 2 if not 3 bottles from this independent bottler. Simply fab and Jonathan, I can't tell you how thankful I am to get to try some of these in the advent calendar.

And speaking of Jonathan...  what did he think of today's dram:  www.singlemalting.com

I said yesterday that this could end up being an expensive Christmas... I think I just found the second full bottle I would really love "Jonathan Santa"... I WANT THIS ONE PLEASE!

To the rest of you, I hope you are enjoying whatever dram you love and that you are sharing them with the people you love.  Cheers from a snowy Saint John NB...  Happy day 17!

Lassie

Day 11, peat, Peat, PEEEEEAT!

It's been starting to get a bit colder here in Eastern Canada and honestly I wasn't paying attention too much to the rest of the world from a weather perspective. I was advised that western Canada, particularly Alberta was under a cold snap. That means the temperature dipping down into the -30's Celsius. So when Jonathan offered to hold a live tasting by fire side, my emphatic answer was: YES!!! I'M IN.

Had I known that today's dram was called Kiln Embers, I may have begged Jonathan to wait until we got to this one instead. As mentioned on day 2, Wemyss Malts is easily one of my top 3 independent bottlers. They always have some really interesting drams and I have several bottles in my personal collection. This morning, that's what I discovered behind door 11... A dram I had seen and heard many people talking about earlier this year. They already have a peated expression on the market called Peat Chimney, which many people including myself really enjoy. So, I was perplexed to see a second peated expression being released and even more curious to get to try it for myself. Once again I tip my hat to Jonathan for getting this one for the advent calendar.

Today, unfortunately was a super busy day. It's that time of year and we have many commitments to visit with friends, attend parties, etc.. My goal was to get up around 7:00am and get as much done before our noon destination. That... didn't happen and I spent most of the day running behind. My poor little advent calendar sat silently in the basement, I'm sure thinking to itself that I had abandoned it. hehehe

When we finally did get home many hours later, I got into my pj's and I aimed for my lovely and very comfortable arm chair. I snuggled in with a warm blanket and prepared myself for my treat! Once poured I began to nose it immediately. I can see why they chose to call this one Kiln Embers. I am transported back to the Port Ellen Maltings on Islay.  It's not a smell you can ever forget!

This is another dram I could easily find myself lost in for hours if I let myself. So, after a long day I decided I would do just that. 

Wemyss Malts Kiln Embers, 46% ABV blended malt

Colour: Lovely 14K gold, plain and simple

Nose: A fireplace just as you get the fire started. Ashy, smoky goodness. Then grapefruit!

Palate: Not complicated, but bold. Lovely mouth feel. Smoky goodness followed by a salted caramel component. Lovely indeed. 

Finish:  Doesn't stick around, but it's warming and quite satisfying.

Overall this is a fabulous dram that will satisfy the most picky of "peatheads". I recall when Peat Chimney came out I thought it was good but now I will add that Peat Chimney has a big brother and he's a bit more mature!

Don't forget to check out Jonathan's take on this dram:

http://www.singlemalting.com/scotch-whisky-advent-calendar-3rd-edition-day-11-blog-145-wemyss-malts-kiln-embers-limited-edition/

I do hope full bottles are available, because I just found my 2nd favourite dram of the calendar, so far...

here's to a lovely week and another that's ready to start. Number 12, I'm ready for you!!

cheers,

Lassie

Secret Spirits - Whisky Advent Calendar, Day 2!!!

The 6:15am alarm went off but I wasn't ready to face the day so I pulled the blanket up as far as I could. When consciousness finally bubbled to the surface of my hypothalamus, my eyes shot open and I threw off the blankets. "IT'S DAY 2!" I shouted as I sprung out of the bed and fumbled for my socks in the dark. As I lurched clumsily down the hall way, I banged my elbow and totally misjudged getting around the corner into the kitchen, which of course caused me to stub my left foot. So now, you can picture a swearing half asleep Lassie making her way to the whisky room as she wakes up the whole household. I arrive, a little worse for the wear, but smiling none the less. I'm starting to think we should have advent calendars that are 365 days long. This is INCENTIVE to get out of bed every day!!

Today I decide I'm going to pull out the whisky glass that came with the advent calendar. I've never used this one before. It is called the Neat glass. Should be an interesting experiment in nosing/tasting this whisky. I stare at number 2 and poke my finger through it. Reaching in, it's difficult not to feel completely excited. This does really bring back memories of my childhood when I was allowed to eat the advent chocolate first thing before breakfast. I wonder for a moment if I should do the same thing I did yesterday and keep my eyes closed however I simply can't. The little bottle comes out and as I bring it up to the light so I can see what it is, it falls out of hand, bounces onto the carpet and rolls under piano!

If you've read my silly adventures in the past you know this is par for the course in Lassie's world!?! Down on my hands and knees I drop and push my arm as far as it will go into the black abyss. I feel around for what feels like a few minutes and finally find the bottle. I pull it out to see that it's a small sample of rum!? Slightly confused, I realize it's one of Graham's bottles. I hesitate but then decide it's best I go and get a broom. Have you ever tried fishing with a broom? I might as well have tried eating oatmeal with chopsticks!? Exasperated, I go and grab a flashlight. By then of course the dog and the cat are now sitting in the whisky room and watching intently, likely thinking their "human" had lost something quite valuable under the piano. Back down on the carpet I go and the well light underbelly reveals.... Nothing!? Even more perplexed I get back up and now I'm circling the piano wondering where the hell door 2 whisky has gone.

Graham is now in the room. I'm assuming he's heard me muttering to myself as I continue walking around the room looking for the sample bottle. "What happened?", he asks as he hands me a hot cup of coffee. "Dropped day 2", I reply looking over by the bookcase. Graham walks over to the big arm chair and picks it up off the floor. I hadn't seen it roll in that direction at all. "Oh", he says smiling. "You are going to really like this one". I walk over and put my hand out. "A kiss" he demands. "Seriously!", I state as I push my hand forward. "Seriously", he says grinning like a mad man. So I put the coffee down and he wraps me in his arms. Payment made, I bound up the stairs and sit in my big armchair.

I finally look at day 2 whisky and discover, to my utmost delight that it's from one of my favourite independent bottlers - Wemyss Malts (Pronounced Weems). Craigellachie 13, distilled 2002, aged in ex-sherry butt. I am so tempted to pour just a little in the neat glass but I hold off. (This is going to be a challenge, every day). So I unscrew the cap and take in the aromas as best I can. It's slightly meaty, and sort of reminds me of a Mortlach. I'm intrigued to say the least because I love that distillery. So, I dip my finger in it lightly and bring it to my mouth. Also lovely, a bit of a sour note to it. Sort of like burnt coffee grounds. The name, fits it well I think, at this point anyway.

Later on, after I come home from what seemed like a very hard day at work, I immediately grab the sample and pour myself a healthy dram. I plop myself down into the armchair and proceed to stick my nose into the neat glass. But of course, the door bell rings so I put the dram down and go answer the door. Once done there, back to the chair but the phone rings. I'm starting to think I will never get to sample this dram!? Ok, done... sorted. I don't care if the house catches fire, I'm SAMPLING this dram!!!

Barrista's Dram, 46% ABV

Nose: Again, it's quite a meaty dram. Slightly pungent on the nose. It is almost a polar opposite to yesterday's dram. There is a bit of bicycle tire or maybe more like new car leather seats smell. I can't help but wonder what I would get in the Glencairn so I pour a bit in one of those too. There is a fruity smell attached to the dram in the Glencairn which doesn't seem to exist in the Neat? I can clearly pick out apples, or more likely fresh applesauce.

Palate: Is this ever "thick"... This is like the Guinness of whiskies, or almost like eating chewy steel cut oatmeal with apple slices in it. There is just a hint of sweet with a hint of ginger spice.

Finish: I liked the way this whisky leaves a taste of ground up roasted nuts. It has a bit of a "burnt" toast, that dark over cooked crunchy stuff. 

I can see why the people at Wemyss called this one the Barrista's Dram.  It's a thick, tasty whisky with a slightly "burnt or roasted" finish.  This is a fabulous whisky. If it is still available on the market, I may just look for it as a gift to myself. 

Well, dram #2 did not disappoint, but I have to say that is probably the hardest I have ever worked to finally get to enjoy a whisky!  It was truly worth the wait. So, if you'll excuse me I'm going to put my feet up and enjoy the rest of this lovely whisky.


Cheers and see you tomorrow for dram #3.


Lassie  

Lassie's top 10 memorable drams for 2015 - #3 The loveliest of drams...

Every year people around the world make new year's resolutions, me not so much... 

I do have the habit of making a list of things I want to do, see or get for the upcoming year. It's nothing crazy but from a whisky perspective it just gives me some incentives to try and find whiskies that are either bucket list or the "must try and buys".

But... sometimes, living in North America can have its disadvantages when it comes to whisky availability. This particular whisky was released in the UK and flew off the shelves. I started asking around to see if any of it would make it to Canada and it didn't appear like it would. Problem: I wasn't going to Scotland until May and I knew there wouldn't be any left so I got a hold of a friend who lived outside Edinburgh and asked if I could get a bottle of this whisky delivered to his house if I ordered a bottle. Without hesitation he said yes and I ordered immediately. The great part of not only getting the whisky was the fact that it allowed me to introduce him to Graham and we got to spend an afternoon dramming and talking on Queen Street. 

I've already written about this whisky in a blog this year, here is the "sort of" review...

http://whiskylassie.blogspot.ca/2015/04/velvet-fig-review-sort-of.html

Since the review, not only did I get my own bottles (yes plural....) but while I was visiting Scotland I had the best night with Jacqueline Sutherland @WemyssJacque and she opened a bottle of Velvet Fig with Graham and I... (I had 3 drams that night!) not to mention she fed us so much delicious food I was ready to burst. I still crave the shortbread we had that night. The BEST I have ever tasted!

Velvet Fig was/is a fabulous whisky that transported me to wonderful memories, that made me forget where I was and offered me the best gift ever: Pure enjoyment. And now, as promised... a proper nosing/tasting. 

Velvet Fig, Wemyss Malts, 46% ABV

Nose: Big, bold and full of sweet sherry notes. Then the overwhelming but absolutely mouthwatering smell of fresh ripe figs. Baking spices come next. 

Palate: Not only does it match the nose, it's even bolder. My whole mouth exploded with rich dried fruits, full bodied with a nutty background. 

Finish: Long, lingering, warm with more figs and a bit of ginger root heat. 

This is rich velvety figs from start to finish and everything else that comes with it: Friends, memories and simple enjoyment. Those drams are few and far in between so when they happen they are very special to me. Hence, this was easily in my top 3 for 2015. 

I plan on opening a bottle of Velvet Fig in January to share with all of my friends. It's doubtful it will last for very long. Hope you got a bottle too! 


Lassie

PS -> Happy Birthday Jacqueline xox

Might not have hearts yet, but plenty of soul - Kingsbarns Distillery

Graham has a quote: "A man is at his happiest on the day he buys a boat and the day he sells it to another sailor." I had never really considered that saying until I met Douglas Clements.

Douglas has always been the face of Kingsbarns Distillery. I met him at a few events in Scotland last year and thought he was quite an interesting person with a great story. It wasn't until I was back home in Canada that I ended up doing research and piecing the whole puzzle together. In the event you do not know you can find it here:

http://www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com/

This year we revisited Scotland for three weeks having decided that we wanted to go to Feis Ile 2015. We snuck in a few days in Edinburgh and so it was an easy decision to also book a tour of Kingsbarns, which is only about an hour away. Doug met us at the door on Sunday May 17th and we spent the next two hours doing a walk through, visiting all parts of the new distillery and in the end getting lunch in their little café (which was really good!). When we left and were driving back to Edinburgh I found myself doing much thinking about what we had just experienced.

1. It is a somewhat small but brand new distillery so there are no mouldy dank warehouses with 200 years of ghost stories, pagodas or barrels of whisky (Kingsbarns only has spirit ageing at the moment - not yet whisky). 

2. It is state of the art, stainless steel, clean, shiny and, well... sterile feeling.

3. It is not exactly in the heart of 'whisky country' as far as location and still needs a little work as far as landscaping, etc.. but it is quite picturesque on the banks of the North Sea.

I was feeling a bit perplexed. What was it about Kingsbarns that I was initially so enthusiastic about seeing but yet now that I had been came away feeling weird? Hmmmm, I really had to think about that for a few weeks. I replayed conversations Douglas and I had as he walked us through the tour. I looked at the photos I took of the distillery. I drank the whiskies we bought and yet still, I was baffled as to how I could turn my distillery visit into a written piece that meant something to me.

I spoke to Graham about my dilemma and what I was trying to say but not say. I sort of felt like something was missing while we were at the distillery. There was no 'spark' and or maybe like the building did not have a heart yet? It was, and I will use the words again: new and sterile. I mean, it is a great story but somehow, I was almost feeling sad for Douglas because it started with HIS dream and it become something else. 

Douglas worked extremely hard to realize the first leg of that desire and then found himself without the proper resources to make it come to fruition. In walks the Wemyss family with an offer he can't refuse. I was stuck on 'how could he do that, how does one sign the papers and give up on a dream'. Was I somehow transposing how I would feel about this type of project? And that's where Graham in is moments of pure genius pulled out the quote in my first sentence. It all snapped into place after that...

You see, I rarely come up with genuine new ideas but if someone presents one to me I am a pragmatic project manager who can close her eyes and map every step necessary to make the idea come to life. The people who come up with what others might think are crazy pipe dreams - they are visionary individuals. They have thoughts that pop into their head like: "I think St. Andrews should have a distillery". They start forging forward sometimes without a concrete plan or regardless of how insurmountable the list might seem. They keep moving forward...

As we stood in the doocot quietly admiring the first cask filled with Kingsbarns spirits ageing, I thought I could detect sadness when he spoke of some of the things he wanted to do had he continued on his own to build the distillery. As I listened to Douglas during the tour I quickly realized how passionate and dedicated he was/is to making sure the distillery came to life. The ideas were quite good! It was not sadness at all but the reality for him that building a distillery, making spirits and then running that business for years before profit existed was not exactly what he had in mind to do all on his own. He loves what he does now as the Visitor Center Manager. It allows him the opportunity to talk to people, be a fantastic ambassador for Fife, golf and be part of Kingsbarns Whiskies. He is exactly where is he supposed to be and is quite happy. 

Now after hearing Graham quote the sailboat analogy, it makes sense to me. Doug is a Fifer to the core of his soul. He has a deep and long respect for the game of golf combined with enjoyment of whisky. He did not give up on his dream, he chose to let it go to the 'next sailor'. The Wemyss family had everything they needed to launch and Douglas saw that. That takes courage, trust and the personality of a visionary. I admire people like Doug and wish I could be more like sometimes. I am adventurous but often shoot down my own ideas because I think they will fail.

I also realized while writing this that Kingsbarns is a new breed of distillery, not like some of the others we are hearing about. No marketing spin, gimmick stories, having royal stamps since 1608 or anything else that many of us think is so over marketed that we roll our eyes in boredom. It isn't complicated and is simply about a man, a dream and what he was willing to do to ensure it happened. 

Kingsbarns may not have a long history yet I am quite confident that it is already developing a reputation for the little distillery to visit in St. Andrews where one can see for themselves how a dream of whisky flowing in the land of Fife comes true. 

Here is to you, Douglas Clement, for seeing the vision that has become a lovely reality, may it be a long delicious legacy to leave to the #whiskyfabric. 

Cheers!

Lassie

Velvet Fig: The review... sort of?!

This little girl was raised in a small town where gardening & growing your own fruits/veggies was the norm. Summers are short (Jun-Sept) so I ate fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and lots of apples. The climate simply does not allow for growing citrus, bananas or any other 'exotic' delicacies. Also, we were not a rich family so 'store bought' items were rare or reserved for special occasions. 


Don't laugh but I always got a Sunkist Orange in my Christmas stocking and I would wait patiently for weeks before I ate it. 

It has always been in my nature to try everything so the first time I went to Toronto, when I was 13, my cousins made fun of the fact that I ate a kiwi with the peel on and why wouldn't I, I had no idea you weren't suppose to? (and I still do to this day). I moved to a much larger city when I was 18 and would go to the market every day to buy fruit and vegetables I had never tried before: Asparagus, eggplant, avocado, pomegranate and figs just to name a few of the first discoveries.

My favorite story was when I did buy avocado and figs for the first time. I asked the clerk what the avocado was: A fruit. I grabbed one and put it in my basket. What's that I stated pointing to a display of fresh figs. He looked at me quite strangely and asked where I was from. I happily explained (from that day forward when I came in he was always very helpful in pointing out different items that I might enjoy trying).  I got back to my little apartment, took out 2 figs and the avocado. I sliced them all open and chose to start with a piece of the fig. Oh... heavenly, juicy and absolutely mouthwatering. It was so good! I picked up the sliced avocado and put that in my mouth: bland, chalky and the peeling was like eating a piece of leather. I spit the whole thing out and stared down at the green muck. (yes, you read correctly, I ate the peel as well) DISGUSTING! It took almost 10 years and a friend's party before I would go near once again and thankfully that encounter was a much better one. I've loved avocado ever since.      

I continued to buy the fresh figs every time I could get my hands on them. They became a very memorable part of my food sensory discoveries in those very formative years of my life. Some people would reach for chocolate, I would always reach for fresh fruit because really for me they were much more special. 

THE ART AND BEAUTY OF THE FIG

Fast forward to late November 2014 when I notice some bloggers posting reviews of a whisky called 'Velvet Fig' from Wemyss Malts. I read a few of them, looked up the whisky on a few websites and it didn't appear, at that time, that it would be coming to Canada -> Bollocks! Like I usually do at the end of every year, I make a goals list for the following. So, Velvet Fig was added to my 'must try' list for 2015. Word started to spread in early January that supplies were limited and that it would soon be gone. Crap! I quickly decided I had to reach out and find a bottle, but laws don't allow whisky to be sent to Canada (archaic & stupid). I made arrangements with a 'Whisky Brother' from the fabric to have the bottle delivered to his home address in UK and I would pick it up on a trip to Scotland in May. (AMEN!!!)

But as always the lovely #whiskyfabric is a wondrous thing and I have true friends that are genuinely happy to share their whiskies as was the case with this one as well. Rick Culver (@rmculver) from Ontario and Franck Debernardi (@LaCaveDeCobalt) from France were kind enough to ensure a few samples of the Velvet Fig got to me. The first dram of the Velvet Fig I enjoyed with Rick and Rob in Kingston. No notes. Nothing but three friends sitting down together and enjoying the discovery of a new dram. Fabulous experience and I highly recommend doing that from time to time. JUST ENJOY THE MOMENT. It was a lovely dram that the three of us enjoyed together.

The second time was alone at home, on a cold blustery night in March while Graham walked the dog and I huddled on the couch with a soft blanket and wool socks. I needed a 'warming' dram and went into my whisky room to get a smoky Islay when Franck's distinctive hand writing caught my eye. I grabbed a Glencairn and poured the Velvet Fig. I went back to the living room, enveloped myself in my blanket and proceeded to watch TV. At first I was simply paying attention to the program and not to my glass. I held it up to my nose during a commercial and that's when the magic began. 

So fruity, silky and mouthwatering that I was immediately whisked backwards in time to a small backyard where a cat was lazing in a sunbeam. We were all outside sitting on patio chairs, shoes off, enjoying the summer afternoon. Franck, his lovely wife and their two beautiful and very smart little girls. I was in France... I snapped open my eyes and stared at the Glencairn. I smiled, turned off the television, leaned my head back and continued back to that very special afternoon. Watching the kids, laughing, speaking in French and getting to know Franck & Jennifer. Sharing stories, whiskies and having one of the best meals I had while in France cooked by both of them. Franck's Veal Osso Buco melted in my mouth and it was followed by Jennifer's French apple tart. It was so delicious it would have made my grandmother cry. Truly a fantastic day spent near Paris. I remember saying goodbye at the train station and wishing I had more time. Sometimes you meet people that you click with right away and there's a sense that you'd end up being good friends. The train ride back to Paris was spent trying to draw Llewella & Doriane, his two sweet & very bright little girls. (I suck at drawing though... hehe) Back at my Paris hotel that night, I spent a full hour skyping with Graham describing the day I had had. It was another fantastic day brought to me by #whiskyfabric

The wind howled and I opened my eyes again in the darkened living room. I noticed a few tears that had started to well up but laughed and wiped them away. I stared down once more at the now empty glass and quickly realized the whisky had transported me back in time to a very happy place with some extraordinary people I was fortunate to have met. But in the here and now my notepad was blank, the Velvet Fig was gone and I hadn't registered anything drinking the whisky?! 

I have always said that whisky is more than just a liquid that is consumed, taking notes or grinding out reviews!? It's about moments in time, sharing and living life to the fullest. Whisky has done that for me and so many of you as well. I giggled as I went back to the whisky room and pulled out what was left of the Velvet Fig sample. I sat at my desk and nosed/tasted it again, this time paying attention to the whisky. But once again I was distracted and transported back to that moment in the city market where that bright eyed 18 year old girl with her whole life ahead of her was chattering to the clerk and buying fresh figs. I relived the moment of bringing them home (as described above) and I sat back laughing at myself for being such a country bumpkin... and so naive but at least very eager to learn about everything! After all, we didn't have the interweb back then. It dawned on me that moment was 30 years ago. Memories are powerful aren't they?

I realize I'm still holding a pen in my hand and look down to find... an empty glass AGAIN. Look at the notebook to see where I wrote four words: This is really good. So, the initial review of Velvet Fig from the Lassie, sort of... 

Nose: Rich, sweet and really fruity. Ability to transport you to a time/place associated with blissful fond memories.

Palate: So silky and tasty that it may cause you to forget to write anything down because you are too busy enjoying it. Seems to cause a second dram to be poured.

Finish: Delightful and causes a bit of embarrassment when you realize the glass is empty. Leads to blaming someone else for the dram being gone?!

Probably my best review ever!  Now I have no choice but to wait patiently for May 17th when I will be reunited with my bottle of Velvet Fig and promise to do a full review of it, this time trying desperately to pay attention to the elixir in the glass instead of floating away on the aromas. Pinky swear....

Velvet Fig - Wemyss Malts, if you haven't already gotten your bottle... you might be out of luck. 

Plenty of much better reviews out there I'm sure, just get on the google machine and look up "Velvet Fig review".... 



#AwkwardLassie

PS -> This coming to NB in November 2015 ;)