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With the 12 best whiskies on offer!Graham Howe, wine and spirits columnist, has made many pilgrimages around Scotland to taste whisky at the very source of uisgebeatha (the “water of life”). Along the way, he has indulged in some of the finest, rarest and oldest single malt whiskies made over the last 70 years. After attending Whisky Live 2011, he selects his 12 favourites: from best buys and new brands to single malts and icons.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree... and a bottle of Glen Grant Single Malt
I first tasted these new releases on the South African shelf at the famous distillery, with master distiller Dennis Malcolm who has made whisky here for 50 years.
We tasted our way through living history over seven expressions of Glent Grant, aged up to 60 years. The tall copper stills create a signature aperitif style of whisky of great purity, natural golden colour, fresh orchard flavours and a dry hazelnut finish.
While the 10 Year Old is like taking your taste buds for a walk through a ripe apple orchard, the 16 Year Old is intensely fruity with rich dried peach flavours and a long, lingering finish (it goes well with partridge on a plate).
Best Buy: Glen Grant The Major’s Reserve (R150), 10 YO (R300) and 16 YO (R600).
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two turtle doves… and a pair of The Glenlivet
I spotted grouse and turtle doves on a walkabout to Josie’s Well, the spring that has supplied the Glenlivet Distillery for over two centuries.
A quintessential Speyside single malt, The Glenlivet is renowned for its elegant house style, delicate floral fragrance, honeyed sweetness and soft fruity flavours.
While the 12 Year Old is a must on any whisky shelf, I enjoy exploring the subtle age expressions of The Glenlivet: from the spicy, nutty character of the 15 Year Old matured in new Limousin oak, to the powerful style of bourbon cask-strength Nadurra 16 Year Old.
Best Buy: The GlenLivet 12 YO (R279), 15 YO (R459) and 16 YO (R619).
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me three French hens… called Lasanta, Quinta Ruban and Nectar D’Or
At Whisky Live 2011, I enjoyed comparing the delicately spicy dimensions of Glenmorangie matured in first-fill and second-fill sherry and bourbon oak casks at this highland distillery that pioneered the art of wood finishes. My favourite trio are Glenmorangie Lasanta (aged in Oloroso sherry casks), Quinta Ruban (port pipes) and Nectar d’Or (Sauternes barriques).
If you get lucky, your true love may give you Glenmorangie Signet, a sublime blend of rare malts created from dark roasted barley; or one of 1 000 bottles of Glenmorangie Pride 1981 aged in Château d’Yquem casks.
Best Buys: Glenmorangie Lasanta, Nectar D’Or and Quinta Rubin at R469 – Signet (R1 699) and Pride 1981 (R30 000).
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me four calling birds… and four expressions of GlenDronach
A tasting of GlenDronach 1990 21 Year Old (R990) drawn straight from the cask was one of the highlights of Whisky Live 2011. One of two prized Speyside distilleries, owned by South African investors and master distiller Billy Walker (BenRiach is the other), GlenDronach is a proudly independent distillery.
The GlenDronach 12 Year Old is matured in fine sherry casks, creating a rich sweetish whisky with a creamy vanilla palate and dry finish. The unfiltered GlenDronach Revival 15 Year Old has rich treacle and toffee flavours; while the Allardice 18 Year Old is dark, spicy and nutty.
Best Buy: GlenDronach Original 12 YO (R420) Also try Revival 15 YO (R780) and Allardice 18 YO (R1 100).
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me five golden rings… and five age expressions of Glenfiddich
While we are in the glens, Glenfiddich is another must-have in any whisky-lover’s bar. This highland distillery, owned by the Grant family for five generations, is a stickler for tradition from its own coppersmiths and malt masters to the stone pagoda malt house.
The oldest (and most expensive) whisky I have ever tasted was a Glenfiddich 50 Year Old made in 1939; while I also enjoyed a recent flight of the main collection of 12, 15, 18, 21 and 30 Year Olds.
I like the signature pear, pine and peat house style of this dry, fruity malt; and prefer the 15 Year Old Solera Reserve and luscious tropical flavours of the legendary 21 Year Old aged in Cuban rum casks.
Best Buy: Glenfiddich 12 YO (R299)
Also try the 15 YO (R499), 18 YO (R650) and 21 YO (R1 200).
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me six geese a-laying… and a warning to get out of the glens and come home
I tasted an awesome vertical flight of BenRiach single malt whisky at a workshop led by Walker at Whisky Live 2011. Over a tasting of rare single-cask malt whiskies made at this historic Speyside distillery over the last four decades, connoisseurs explored the amazing array of expressions of BenRiach.
This small distillery specialises in handcrafting single malts of different ages (12 to 30 years), matured in diverse casks (port, rum, sherry, bourbon and Madeira); and made in two distinct styles: classic fruity, spicy Speyside and smoky, peated Speyside whiskies.
Best Buys: BenRiach 10 YO Curiositas (R400), 12 YO Classic (R450) and 12 YO Peated (R550).
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me seven swans a-swimming…and The Macallan
The Macallan is famous for its instantly recognisable house style of richly oaked, full-bodied whisky with dried fruit and vanilla highlights from its extensive use of sherry casks. At Whisky Live 2011, fans were given 12 fragrance sticks to identify the primary aromas and flavours of The Macallan (10 to 25 Year Olds) and compare The Macallan Fine Oak (bourbon and sherry casks) and Sherry Oak 12 Year Olds.
At the distillery, they pay great attention to detail: using special minstrel barley, small stills; using sherry casks only twice; and marrying the final product in casks before bottling.
Best Buys: The Macallan Fine Oak 10 YO (R334) and Sherry Oak 12 YO (R442).
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me eight maids a-milking… and a bottle of Bunnahabhain as rich as mother’s milk
You may have a wee spot of trouble asking for this legendary whisky (pronounced Boona’haveen – meaning “mouth of the river”), but it is well worth getting your tongue around.
One of the classic Islay whiskies such as Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain is very different to the big peaty, smoky island single malts.
Over a recent tasting, master distiller Ian MacMillan – the veteran behind famous blends such as Black Bottle and Scottish Leader – explained how he makes Bunnahabhain without using chill filtration to express the rich natural character of this gentle, aromatic malt.
Best Buy: Bunnahabhain 12 YO (R490)
Also try the 18 YO (R900) and 25 YO (R2 100)
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me nine ladies dancing… and the Compass Box Collection
Moving away from single malts to blended malts and whisky, the Compass Box Whisky Co. cleverly uses oak finishes and distillery blends to develop contemporary brands with a smart modern feel.
I enjoyed sampling three innovative blended malts at Whisky Live 2011: The Peat Monster (think of a full-blown, smoky peat bonfire on the beach), Oak Cross (a wonderful combination of sweet vanilla and coconut of American oak and spice, and dried fruit of French oak) as well as the Spice Tree (a rich and spicy full-bodied digestif aged in dark toasted new French oak hogsheads).
Best Buys: The Peat Monster (R510),
Oak Cross (R459) and
Spice Tree (R506)
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 10 lords a-leaping… and a right royal bottle of Chivas Regal
A visit to Strathisla (1786), one of the oldest working distilleries in the highlands, was one of the highlights of my time on the whisky trail.
The home of Chivas Regal, Strathisla is the signature single malt in this legendary whisky blend; and a blending class with Colin Scott, master blender for Chivas Brothers, is an unforgettable experience.
No whisky collection is complete without Strathisla 12 Year Old, and a set of the iconic 12, 18 and 25 Year Old expressions of Chivas Regal – the classic Speyside whisky that is rich, full and fruity with sweet mellow smoky notes.
Best Buys: Strathisla 12 YO (from R599) and Chivas Regal 12 YO (from R199), 18 YO (R650) and 25 YO (R3 500)
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 11 pipers piping… and the Classic Malts Collection
Another highlight in my whisky adventures was joining the annual Malts Cruise of Scotland – a yacht race around the Inner Hebrides. Tasting our way around Scotland, we sailed between legendary distilleries from Oban on the west coast to Caol Ila and Lagavulin on Islay and Talisker on Skye.
At Whisky Live, I sampled a wide range of rare single malts such as Clynelish, Cragganmore, Glenkinchie, Glen Ord, Glen Elgin and Royal Lochnagar blended into Johnnie Walker. Keep your eyes peeled for these collectible single malts on your local shelf, and the delicious Dalwhinnie.
Best Buys: Caol Ila 12 Yo (R469), Talisker 10 YO (R479), Clynelish 14 YO (R549), Oban 14 YO (R699), Dalwhinnie 15 (R769) and Lagavulin 16 YO (R749)
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 12 drummers drumming… and Johnnie Walker walking
I have enjoyed diving into the new Johnnie Walker Double Black – a smokier, more intense version of the original, which shows a unique balance of light, fresh flavours with classic rich fruit, honey highlights and creamy vanilla. The master blender says that to achieve this, he blended the more powerful, smoky west coast whiskies with malt components matured in deep charred oak casks.
Johnnie Walker Red, Black, Double Black, Green, Gold and Blue are benchmark blends made in an elegant house style that seamlessly combines rich, smoky and fruity malt flavours with mature grains.
Best Buys: Johnnie Walker Black (R219), Double Black (R279), Green (R499), Gold (R599) and Blue (R1 399)
Graham Howe
Wine and food editor at “Habitat”
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me:
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!
