Day 16, Ball clacking cold with just the right remedy - Samaroli Islay Whisky

You know... I often talk about the fact that Canadians are used to experiencing the four seasons. Well, this morning the first thing I heard on the radio was that we were going to break the record that was set in 1970 for coldest December 16th ever. It was -36C this morning with the wind chill. That meant, advisories to keep your skin covered, for the homeless to try and find shelter, to not leave your pets out. Graham calls it: "Ball clacking cold"...  

The second clue that it was really, really ^#$%!{^# cold outside was that my dog, a Bernese mountain dog, bred to pull carts in deep snow in Switzerland refused to go outside to do his business. But the grand finale was when my friend Chris London posted the weather warning on our local weather network website:

Yah... you see correctly, that does say a Moose-licking warning issued in this Canadian province.

Needless to say, I got out my winter layers: Long johns, wool socks, -60C rated boots, scarf, mittens, etc... girl's gotta be ready for the worst!? Once I was done prepping, I went down to the basement to quickly open my little door, today is #16. And like some magical or perfect coincidence, low and behold the PERFECT whisky for this type of bone chilling weather: A Samaroli (another one!!) Islay blended 8 year old. Cap off immediately, nose and just a small nip. After all, a little fortification on this type of day is clearly needed. READY for work!!! 

Long day and by the time I actually made it home, I was thankful the week was over. This whisky was going to be a well deserved dram! Hello armchair and ahhhhhhhhh....

Samaroli Islay 8 year old, 43% ABV Cask #1883, Refill Hogshead.

Colour: White grape juice (another -> Barely any colour).

Nose: Wet slate, PVC piping washed with hospital disinfectant!!

Palate: Oily, ashy peat (partly burnt wood in the fireplace), white grapefruit rind.

Finish: Peated yummy goodness that had a nice warming effect.

From a peathead's perspective this is a young brash but well balanced dram. It's got some bite and it is very satisfying as far as Islay whiskies go. Another clear winner of the advent calendar. Let's take a peak at what Jonathan thought:

www.singlemalting.com


If this is something you think you might like, Jonathan may be able to find you one, just maybe!

Well, I'm hoping warmer weather is coming but for the time being.... this will stay out for a few days just in case!


Cheers,

Johanne

Day 10 - Lazy Saturday drams and little people that make me happy....

You know... those that read this blog on a regular basis have the habit of grabbing a dram, sitting back and then reading about my crazy little adventures. I'm happy that it affects people like that. As I often say, it's not even about the whisky sometimes, it is about the moment, those that surround you and the memory they create, usually those you will recall for ages to come. 

I've had a really busy week, not only at work but during my "after hours" life as well.  You would think it was Christmas related but it wasn't. It was mostly whisky related. Lots of emails, writing, meeting with people for planning purposes, skype sessions to discuss things and a bit of a "dance party' on a Tuesday night with friends who are leaving for their own little adventure. My whole week was spent with others "doing". My Saturday mornings are usually mine, just mine... It's my selfish time to get up somewhat early, grab my laptop, a hot cup of coffee and I sit (you guessed it, in my big arm chair) where I watch the world go by and sit in silence. It's my reflective time, it's...  peace.

I didn't get that this morning. I had a commitment to meet a friend at work and help her with an issue she had been having. I, worked overtime, finishing a few things and getting my desk/head ready for the week to come because frankly it's going to be shit show! And then... I went to pick up Campbell. He's our best friend's little guy, not yet three. He simply calls me "Jo" and when he sees me, he lights up. There is nothing more genuine or heartwarming then to watch him scramble and grab his backpack because he knows it's time to spend the morning with his crazy friend Jo. The magical part of it all is, we don't have to go anywhere special and better yet there is no TV, video games or anything else other than some books, dinky cars, or building blocks where we are headed. 

Unless of course, you are almost 3 and decide today is the day Jo and Campbell are going to run around like two madmen and have a dual with pool noodles, which is exactly what we did. 

Not long after lunch, I dropped off an exhausted little boy to a mom who managed to get her entire upper level cleaned while we were away. She always thanks me for taking Campbell, and I never have the heart to tell her how much I should be the one thanking her, because frankly, time spent with this little person is worth thousands of $$$ in therapy and is likely adding decades to my life. 

I think it's important for all of us to find those "things" in our life. The ones that completely empty your mind, provide you with a few hours of laughter or release and create connections to the soul. Not the heart but your inner self... Maybe that sounds a bit floopy in nature, but when you get to be my age every happy moment erases ten bad ones. It helps heal and recenter me. 

I'm not ashamed to say I often have those moments of awe when I'm at a whisky show or with a group of friends and I suddenly look around to realize that we are all talking, sharing, laughing and I think to myself... wow... whisky did that for me!  It's truly a magical elixir that I will emphatically say is the only one that will ever make me feel that way.  Can you imagine people posting photos of vodka bottles on twitter and the rest of us getting excited!? Errrrr.... no...  hehehe

So with all that said, I didn't even get to my advent calendar today until about 3:00pm. My basement, no longer filled with the shrieks of joy as Campbell attacked me with his pool noodle screaming:  HA-YA! back to its darkness and solace. I walked over to the advent calendar and opened up the doors once more. #10 easily popped open to reveal the day's dram:  AD Rattray Glenallachie 8 year old. This calendar continues to surprise and delight me!  I've only ever had a small handfuls of whisky from this distillery. I instinctively reach over the piano and grab a Glencairn. The smell is almost whimsical in nature. Back up to the armchair for a proper nosing/tasting I go...  Ready, let's go?!!!

AD RATTRAY 2007 Glenallachie 8 year old, 64.9% ABV Sherry Cask #900831.

Colour: Sunlight yellow. It's quite bright. 

Nose: Honey Cruller donut with powdered sugar. I almost lost my mind. I LOVE those!! It's creamy, honeyed and "doughy"...  Which is a bit confusing since this is a sherry cask? 

Palate: Rum soaked sultanas on a bed of pear custard, followed by fresh lemon peel zest! Ok, so now I am really confused as this is not at all what I expected for... a sherry cask?!

Finish: Well, that really high ABV leaves an afterburn like you wouldn't believe but there's a clean and wonderful flavour of fennel...  Fresh fennel.  Then, a drying effect.. almost of Sahara desert proportion. 

Hmmmm....  wait a second I think to myself?! Was this a "white" sherry barrel perhaps? A fino or a manzanilla?  Time to add water!!!

Nose: Becomes even creamier... I'm talking poached pear in a vanilla pudding cup! 

Palate: There's more fruit now, but again not what I would expect for a sherry cask (too young for the full influence perhaps?!) I can find apple compote with hints of ginger, with maybe a bit of crushed graham wafers...  

Finish: Subdued, and much sweeter now with just hints of pepper...  Fennel all gone.  :(

All in all, this was likely the most balanced of drams thus far and once again the whisky surprises me greatly. Jonathan I'm wondering if there's a way to find out what type of sherry barrel this was, as it's completely different and polarizing from what we would normally suspect?

And speaking of Jonathan two things:  

1. Check out his thoughts on his blog: www.singlemalting.com

2. We are all going to meet on Facebook this evening for a fire side chat about this whisky!  If you have an advent calendar, come join us and even if you don't... pour yourself a dram, put the fireplace channel on and come enjoy the #whiskyfabric friendships as we create yet another magical moment and memory together.

At this rate, the rest of the 15 days to come on my advent

adventure may end up being some of the best of 2016.  All I know is, I'm one lucky lassie and I appreciate all the wonderful moments, people and sublime drams in my life....   

Cheers #whiskyfabric

Lassie

Day 8... Glenrothes 8 year old - the Monty Python dram...

I think I may have jinxed myself yesterday as I proudly proclaimed these drams were getting better with every day?! Today, Day 8... I woke up and was thankful my work week is almost done!  It's been a very busy couple of weeks and there's no stopping the schedule!  Slippers snug on my feet and I began the daily ritual of running, well carefully walking to the whisky room since the "elbow incident".  Lights flicker and the majesty of the large box is there to greet me and start my day. Poking through the little door that has the number 8 on it, I reach in and pull out: Glenrothes 8 year old from the Malt Whisky Company. I look at the small print, 64.2% ABV...  I literally did a double take?! This is the true meaning of cask strength... 

Back up the stairs I bound, my lovely partner is in the kitchen making our coffee. I say: "Guess what whisky I have this morning!?". He looks over at me, not as exuberant as me apparently, and shrugs. "I", I say with much grandeur, "have a Glenrothes at 64.2% today!". Graham holds out his hand as though to say Hand it over lady... This is another of his go to whiskies, especially the independent bottlings. He opens the little bottle and takes a whiff. "Interesting", he says as he then takes a quick sip, "this is very familiar but I can't put my finger on it". I also nose and give the whisky a quick taste. I, unfortunately, find the high strength overwhelming. So, I grab my neat glass and add a dollop of water and a bit more whisky. I give a few minutes and nose/taste it again. Still not "there" for me, but I can't really describe what it is about this dram I'm not liking.

And just like that... it's time to get to work. I spend my day working away like a crazy woman as we are in our very busy time right now. By the 5:00pm whistle, I am gutted. Mentally, my brain feels a bit like a bowl of cold oatmeal. We arrive home and I instantly remember how bizarre this little dram was. I didn't even take my coat off (hehe) and walked right over to the table where I had left it earlier in the day. My lovely arm chair beckons and I instinctively plop myself down with glass in hand.

Try as I might, the strength is simply too much for my nose, so I add water. I decide to let it sit for a minute and I go take my coat and shoes off, etc. When I get back and put my nose in my glass again, it hits me like a brick in the forehead: Marmite!?

Now... if you've never experienced Marmite, it's truly a love/hate relationship. You either love it or hate it. I, am of the "strongly dislikes" and avoids at all cost side of the yellow cap!!! So now, as I sit there with a glass full of Marmite, I've intellectually doomed the whisky. I've "thought" it out and I will NOT LIKE this, no matter what... It's almost painful as my gag reflex starts kicking in even before I have lifted the glass to my mouth. But hey, I'm a trooper and I begin to justify that I have a job to do here and MUST, for the sake of the #whiskyfabric, drink and make notes about this whisky! (Oh, the sacrifices one must subject herself to!?, hehehe)


Graham pokes his head into the living room and sees my facial expression as I stare through the glass. "What's wrong?", he asks. "Marmite", I state emphatically. He walks over to me and takes the glass from my hand. "Remarkable", he replies as he noses it from all angles. "Not really" I say as I scrunch up my face. He takes another sip. It's stellar on the palate Jo he says with a sly smile. Great... now I really have to try it, as I can't pass up a stellar palate can I??


So here goes:

Malt Whisky Company, Glenrothes 8 year old, 64.2% ABV Refill Hogshead


Colour: The sherry influence is quite apparent as the whisky almost looks like a red amber beer. Surprising for an 8 year old really, and even more so because it's a refill.


Nose: Ack... Marmite, marmite, marmite. How to describe this to someone who has never experienced it!? Yeasty, spicy, salty, burnt coffee and sweetness all rolled into one. It is so bold and immense, it's simply overwhelming for me.


Palate: Well, now we are talking. I expected the yeast or burnt to be on the palate as well but it is not (thankfully). This is thick and has a very slippery mouthfeel. There is a bit of sweet bitterness to it, sort of like a slightly unripe mouthful of cherries. It's also somewhat drying in nature.


Finish: Candy cinnamon hearts. It warms you from the inside out and the "slightly tannic" after taste reminds me of a strong cup of tea.


Overall, I would say this is a dram I somewhat enjoyed. It was hard to get past the nose, but knowing I liked the flavours made it an interesting dram. It's fun to try different things, stretch your boundaries a bit and experience the breadth of styles that are available on the market.  For the whiskyphiles that love Marmite, boy do I have a dram for you!? For others, I will quote Monty Python: "And now for something completely different". Happy to have tried it, but not necessarily a dram I would reach for.


Graham on the other hand, has already tucked what was remaining of the sample away for safe keeping.   ;)


As always, I don't read Jonathan's reviews before I post my own so if you want to check out his take on this one or see if this bottle is still available please read up on:


www.singlemalting.com




Until day 9... I remain,


The curious and always willing


Lassie

Day 7, the luckiest of days so far!!

OMG, OMG, OMG!!! Lucky 7 today for this Lassie and I am so excited to share this one with you all. I truly wish I could do so much more than share it virtually. If Jonathan has bottles of this left, I am recommending this as one of my 2016 whisky discoveries!!!  Yes, I am truly excited about this one.

Let me give you some context as to what my level of excitement is all about. I had heard some pretty amazing stories as well as reviews of Samaroli whiskies and it's not something we get to see much of in Canada. It's one of those "unicorn" whisky moments, where you think to yourself, wow... I hope I get to try some of these whiskies some day. Mr. Samaroli is an icon in the whisky world who quickly developed a reputation for being one of the best noses outside of the UK. In his time, he amassed a very large collection of whiskies from many of the great distilleries, including quite a few that don't have usually have official distillery bottlings.

When I opened that little door this morning it was very difficult not to contain my exuberance. My other great little memory about this particular whisky: Allt a Bhainne (Pronounced Alte-VA-Nia) is that I was fortunate enough to get a full visit of this distillery on my last trip to Scotland. It isn't usually open to the public, and very rarely do we get to see official whisky bottlings. 



It's not the prettiest of Scottish Distilleries as it was built in the 1970's. Most whisky drinkers dont' even know of its existence, other than if you might know that the whisky made there mostly goes into blends. I've had a chance to taste a few of the independent bottlings of Allt a Bhainne as well as sat with one of the managers the day of the tour and tasted a few interesting samples including their new make. It was a great morning spent learning about this distillery and speaking to many people who had worked there for 25-30 years.

Samaroli Allt a Bhainne, 8 year old, bottled at 43% ABV. Ex American Hogshead. Cask 900853.

Colour: This barely has any colour at all. It's as light as a fine white wine.

Nose: Another honeyed custard splendour. It's delicate and quite aromatic. There is a backdrop of lovely floral notes, like clover or evening primrose. It's quite decadent.

Palate: Soft, silky and sublime... It's a creamy lemon tart with fresh homemade pastry. There's even a bit of fresh lemon zest in the corners. 

Finish: Warm, doesn't linger but finishes like a bit on the citric side (sort of like the pith of a white grapefruit) and then your mouth waters. 

This is probably one of the best Allt a Bhainne's I have ever experienced. So far day 1-6 did not dissapoint however, I really made this dram last. I tried it in small little sips, often leaving it for 30-45 minutes at a time. It didn't matter how many times I left it there, it didn't change much and if anything the palate got more and more pronounced. 

I wil be contacting Jonathan and Cindy to see if they have full bottles of this available as it's truly a gem, and I dare say it will easily make my top 10 drams of 2016. 

If you want to see what Jonathan thought about dram day 7, please check out his website at:

Www.singlemalting.com


I can't believe it's already been a full week of draming!? Can't wait to see what is next. I do hope you will join me on tomorrow's discovery.


Cheers!!

Lassie