The Best Cocktails To Make With Macallan

Macallan have an extensive range and sitting at the core of the range are three twelve year old whiskies which all have a different twist on the core flavour that makes up Macallan. With these different flavours, it makes them ideal to compliment the three most made whisky cocktails. Not everyone is well versed in making cocktails and it’s easy to forget the simplest of ingredients if you are not using them regularly. Here we lay out the ingredients and method for making three classics which, once mastered, will give you and your friends endless, delicious pleasure.

The Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned

Ingredients

Pinch of brown sugar

1 strip of orange peel

Splash of water

2 drops of bitters

50ml of Macallan 12 year old sherry cask

For this classic cocktail we would suggest the Macallan 12 year old Sherry cask. Classic cocktails, plus classic Macallan is the perfect mix. This cocktail lets the whisky shine, with little other ingredients to get in the way of all that Christmas cake flavour, this cocktail is brilliant, especially if you like soft spices and sweetness all balanced and warming.

Method: Place the sugar, orange peel, water and bitters in a tumbler and muddle (crush gently with the back of a spoon). Fill the glass with ice and add the whisky. Stir, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Tip: If you pour in the bourbon bit by bit allowing it to chill slowly and soak up the flavours of the bitters and sugar without diluting quickly, the experience will be more intense.

Whisky Sour

Whisky Sour

Ingredients

50ml of Macallan 12 year old Triple Cask

25ml of lemon juice

Splash of water

Pinch of sugar

The whisky sour is probably the simplest of the whisky cocktails beyond a highball. To balance the lemon you need a whisky which isn’t going to let the lemon take over and also helps with some complexity. We think the Macallan 12 year old triple cask does the trick. With its mix of European and American oak ex sherry casks and American ex bourbon casks, there is plenty of complexity and smoothness to balance the bitterness of the lemon.

Method: Simply place the ingredients in a tumbler filled with ice, stir, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Tip: Put the sugar in bit by bit after the other ingredients and taste as you do so to get the cocktail to just the right level of sour sweet balance for you.

Rusty Nail

Rusty Nail

Ingredients:

3 parts Macallan

1 part Drambuie

This cocktail is one of Colin’s favourites. It’s the simplest to make and is like an iron fist in a velvet glove. It is all alcohol so be careful with this one, but it is also a real sweety. If you like sugar and spice and all things nice, then this is definitely for you. We like the Macallan double cask for this one as the mix of ex sherry casks and ex bourbon casks can really shine through with just one other ingredient in the glass.

Method: Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously, and pour.

Tip: Make sure to fill the cocktail shaker with ice. The more ice will actually create less dilution, and chill the cocktail more quickly. 

Macallan 12 Triple Cask: UK £125 // US $74.99

We hope this article helps clear the memory blank and keeps your cocktail enjoyment ticking along. For more Macallan check out Helena’s ‘Mac-Hattan’ for a great twist on the American cocktail.

The Best Whisky For Sunny Weather

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Over the last few weeks the sun has come out to play. I find that my tastes in whisky change a little with the seasons. I don’t want a big rich smoky whisky quite so often, or a cask strength sherried whisky whilst walking in the snow. I’m drinking more long drinks to while away the summer evenings, or having a little light cocktail at the weekend, and with the sun staying higher in the sky as the days go on, I’m still looking for whiskies with complexity to sip as I sit on my balcony, and perhaps whisky which is a little lighter in style. If you are similar in your changes of tastes as the seasons change, then here are a few suggestions to help you transition into summer.

For the Highball

Johnnie Walker Red label

Made for mixing. Johnnie walker red label is literally designed for mixing, within the mix of casks used to create the whisky the blenders choose some which have been rejuvenated. This is a process where an exhausted cask has a few millimetres shaven off the inside to expose fresh wood to bring the cask back to life. The wood which lies slightly deeper is exposed to new spirit and has a slightly spicier flavour profile. This spicy flavour profile goes particularly well in long drinks, like a whisky and ginger or a whisky and soda with a herbal garnish like Rosemary. Or it even livens up a good old whisky and coke. 

J&B 

J&B is a blend which is designed to be lighter than other blends, making it perfect for a slightly fruitier and sweeter highball. Whether that be with soda water, coke or a number of different new sparking flavoured waters which are on the market, J&B makes a good addition. It is gentle enough not to overpower a highball so you can experiment with your mixer. Try blending mixers or creating your own. Leave citrus fruits or herbs marinating in a jar of water for a few days and mix with your whisky and add a little soda for some fizz.

For the cocktail

Glenfiddich 12

During winter I really get into cocktails which use big sherry style whiskies like a Glenfiddich 15 year old, but as summer gets nearer and nearer, I start to look at lighter cocktails with more acidity like a whisky sour for example. I still want lots of fruit flavours from the whisky, but a little less sherry and weight, so I tend to stick with Glenfiddich but go to the 12 year old which is full of fresh orchard fruits and touches of apricot and vanilla which balances out the lemon in a whisky sour perfectly. 

Glenmorangie Original

The Glenmorangie Original is my all time favourite summer whisky, with light orange blossom and vanilla flavours it simply tastes of summer. I love making Rob Roys and Mint Juleps with this whisky. There is lots of sweetness to the drink as the whisky only uses ex bourbon casks twice in its production keeping the classic American flavours. It’s great for only a for a ten year old whisky. A simple cocktail to make at home involves steeping orange peel in water for 48 hours, and mixing that with Glenmorangie Original, if you like it a little sweeter a touch of sugar syrup can be added.

For sipping

Jura Seven Wood

As you can tell from the name, this whisky uses seven types of oak in its maturation. There's American white oak, and six other French oaks, Limousin, Tronçais, Allier, Vosges, Jupilles, and Les Bertranges. This gives lots of complexity, but with most of the oak being French, there is an elegant light touch to the whisky which is perfect for summer. Think, sipping away in the Tuscan sun or on the Algarve having found yourself at the 19th hole. Smooth, delicious and screams summer to me.

Balvenie 14 Carabbean Cask

When I think of the sun, and although I spent may years in Africa as a child, my mind wanders to the Caribbean, and even in the UK, when the sun comes out and I close my eyes, this is what I think of, and it is made all the easier with a Balvenie 14 year old Caribbean Cask in my hand. With lots of tropical fruit flavours of pineapple and banana running though both the aroma and palate, it is the perfect whisky to dream about summer climates.

If you fancy a little bit of Caribbean fun, and want to try something other than whisky, head over to my article all about the best luxury rums.  

Enter The Redbreast Whiskey Ballot

Much loved and lauded Irish whiskey brand Redbreast are causing quite the excitement this World Whisky Day with the eagerly anticipated launch of their third Dream Cask edition.

With just over 900 bottles available, we’re talking about an extremely limited edition single pot still and an undeniably sought-after collectors item that you won’t be able to resist drinking. This 28-year old Irish treasure uses a combination of ex-bourbon, oloroso sherry and ex-port matured whiskey, marrying them together in harmony using the ex-port cask for 105 days. It’s called Dream Cask because, quite frankly, it is.

How can I buy it?

Redbreast know that this whiskey will be in huge demand, so they thought the fairest way to go about selling it was to have a ballot system. Put your name down from the 25th May and the draw happens on the 2nd June. Fingers crossed you get the call! Last year’s Dream Cask Pedro Ximénez Edition (the second ever Dream Cask release) sold out in under fifteen minutes.

What does it taste like?

We were extremely lucky to get hold of a tasting sample of this edition of Dream Cask and can confirm that it is to die for. Decadent and complex, with notes of dark chocolate, sweet ripe plums and cinnamon, it goes on and on… raisins, sultanas and in classic Redbreast style, it shows exotic fruits and berries on the very long finish.

How much is it?

490 EURO a bottle.

Where do I sign?

The ballot opens on 25th May and ends on the 2nd June. Enter by clicking the button below.

THIS BALLOT HAS NOW CLOSED.

Is single malt whisky better than blended whisky?

Is single malt whisky better than blended whisky? My answer? No. Job done. Feet up; mine’s a large Peat Faerie. Dammit, I’m 718 short of the word count. Ok, here goes then…

A typical whisky buying story

I overheard an interesting conversation in an off licence the other day. A young man came in and asked the shopkeeper to help him choose a whisky for his grandfather’s birthday.

“What does he like?” the shopkeeper asked.

“Erm, I’m not really sure,” the young man replied, “single malt Scotch?”

“And what’s your budget?”

“About £40.”

Now, this in and of itself isn’t a particularly interesting interaction; I assume it happens several times a day in most large whisky shops. What’s interesting is what came later. The young man left with a bottle of blended malt whisky, having been assured by the shopkeeper that this was the best that grandpa would be getting given the price ceiling his grandson had imposed.

This prompted a lot of thoughts. Firstly, is wee Jimmy going to get a smack for daring to bring anything other than batch distilled malted barley produced at a single distillery across the threshold of dear old grandpappy’s home? If he’s not, and in fact grandpa only cares about the taste of what’s in the glass, is this a distinction that matters to many people outside of the Scotch Whisky Association, or is it just a form of snobbery?

A quick history of whisky blending

I’m afraid my inclination is towards the latter. Let’s start by taking a look at the history of Scotch whisky. For years, Scotch whisky was blended whisky. In fact, when the industry began to boom, it was because it was blended – it finally could be blended. Frankly, back in the 19thand early 20thcentury, the single expressions of each distillery were pretty rough. Pretty rough, and incredibly variable. The early period of Scotch production can really be construed as a series of relatively wealthy, or aspirant, farmers giving distillation a crack. Monday’s distillate might turn out ok, but if you took your eye off the ball on Tuesday for a minute or two - maybe there was a drainage issue in the lower field - it’s possible that you just made a batch of spirit vinegar.  Weirdly, few consumers wanted to take a gamble on these terms. Or at least, at the more discerning end of the market, they weren’t going to come back if your last batch was a bit, erm, blinding.

This is why producers that cracked the process, and introduced some consistency, managed to create brands that were so highly regarded. They had to seek early forms of trade mark protection to distinguish themselves from poor imitations a few hundred miles away that still claimed to come from, say, Glenlivet.

Alternatively, enter the calm hand of the blender. Take John Walker, a grocer from Kilmarnock, or Messrs Chivas, shopkeepers on King Street, Aberdeen. It turns out that they had an alchemist’s touch – an ability to turn the rough into the drinkable – the sort of touch that means that many generations on, they are still household names.

How did single malt become better regarded?

So how did we get from this position, to a time where Pops now believes that the only whisky worth touching is single malt? Well, legend apparently has it that the boom in single malt whisky started when a work experience kid at Glenfiddich in the early 1960s was challenged to 'get rid of' an oversupply of 12-year-old whisky.  He came up with the bright idea of bottling it as a single malt and begin promoting it as 'better' or 'more genuine' than blended whisky. Fifty years on and Glenfiddich remains the biggest selling single malt in the world, and many consumers, at least in the west, still believe that single malt is somehow better, or ‘more real’ than blended whisky.  I hope he got a full-time job out of it.

Despite this, the reality for most consumers around the world is that scotch whisky is blended whisky. Just consider the biggest selling whisky brands: Johnnie Walker, Ballantine’s, Grant’s, Chivas Regal. In fact, the top twenty are all blends, so Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet (the biggest selling single malts) are not even close to a seat at the top table.

Are all of these consumers wrong? Well, of course they could be, but it seems unlikely, and if they're drinking what they like, then they're doing it right as far as I'm concerned. Think of it like comparing a fine red Burgundy to a fine red Bordeaux: the Burgundy will be made with a single grape variety (Pinot Noir) and Bordeaux will be a blend (Cabernet, Merlot and some others). Neither is necessarily better nowadays. It’s just a matter of style.

One thing's for sure; having tried my hand at blending whisky, it's seriously difficult, and those at the top of the game - David Stewart (William Grant & Sons), Stephanie Macleod (Dewar’s) and Richard Paterson (Whyte & Mckay) - are masters of their art; highly prized and with noses insured for over £2.5m.  I'm not going to tell them they're making an inferior product.

To see more of our whisky content including our monthly whisky investment advice follow this link!

Our Top Drink Discoveries: April

We’re fortunate to try a lot of beautiful drinks from around the world, in fact, sometimes our homes end up a bit like warehouses… but it’s all in the name of research. Research which leads us to writing pieces like this to share the very best discoveries we make with our amazing community… you!

Whether, wine, spirits or no-lo are your thing, check out our April ‘Best of’ picks and add something new to your discovery shelf today. You may just find a new favourite…

Gusbourne Rosé Brut 

I just wrote a massive article about English Sparkling Wines so it would be a little silly if I didn’t highlight one. This gem has been one of my favourites for quite some time – so much so that whenever I travel internationally, I make sure I’ve at least one bottle to share with those I know have a fond appreciation for sparkles. Fact is, we’re creating some dazzling sparkles and it’s the texture and mouthfeel on Gusbournes wines that really impress me. The nose gives you ripe red meadow berries with hints of flowers and apricots. As you take a sip your taste buds are overwhelmed with an assortment of strawberries, cherries and redcurrants which seem to intertwine into a raspberry cream and slight lemon curd. As I mentioned before, the texture is everything and the bubbles gently wrap themselves around the tongue as they glide into a long harmonious finish. This is English sparkling wine at its best. 

Buy now for £45

Gran Moraine Chardonnay 2017

I love a good Chardonnay to wind down in the evening and right now I’m loving this beauty from Oregon. Deriving from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, this rich, fruity and balanced Chard is teaming with flavour and the most important thing for me in a wine like this – texture. Some people love oak, others don’t, but for me this has the perfect in-between balance and just a enough to make it a really well rounded and quality driven Chardonnay. Rich, but now overpowering you can expect to taste apricot, buttery lemon, kiwis and clementine’s. For those who love Chardonnay, this is for you. For those who don’t, I’d dare say it will convert you. 

Buy for £56 (£336 per case)

McGuigan Philosophy 2014

McGuigan is known for being a quality-driven everyday wine at an affordable price – but they’re not just about great supermarket finds. Take for example The Philosophy, a top shelf Cabernet Shiraz blend which was produced in 2014 from some of the wineries top vineyards in Langhorne Creek, Wrattonbully and Clare Valley. This elegant yet dark ink bomb is packed full of blackcurrant and plum offering a combination of terroir driven notes while keeping true to the Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. A generous 24 months in French oak barrels paves way to chocolate, black meadow fruits and cedar oak with a velvety texture and soft tannins.  

Buy now for £71

Orin Swift Machete 2016 

This wine is simply divine. It’s a testament to the insanely good Petit Syrah coming out of California, held up in this case with a structured blend of syrah and grenache to complete the story. David Phinney (the winemaker) is a true genius and anything he seems to touch these days turns to gold. This red blend packs a bunch of flavour, with deep dark plum, cassis and cedar oak brought together with vanilla, chalky tannins and a smooth raspberry chocolate finish. If it’s cold outside, this is a sure-fire way to warm up. 

£66 from Great Western Wine

Mirabeau Provence Rosé Gin

When it comes to rosé my top choice for quality and value is always Mirabeau, which made me pretty god damn excited when they announced they were making a gin. While the base botanicals consist of juniper, citrus, orris root, angelica root and coriander it’s the Provençal twist containing a variety of herbs such as bay, thyme and rosemary alongside the neutral grape spirit and base distillate of Mirabeau Classic Rosé that really makes this gin stand out from the crowd. The result is a fruity and textured gin with lemon, coriander and citrus bursting with floral notes, rose petals and lavender. The story ends on a final note as those herbs add an extra kick of character to the blend.  

£35 from Waitrose

Gran Patrón Platinum Tequila

I love a good tequila it seems to be one of the spirits I’ve really found an appreciation for over the last few years. If I was to name one house that consistently delivers quality across it’s whole portfolio, my mind takes me straight to Patrón. It seems there’s a little something for everyone and while I’ll happily get my hands on a Reposado for my margarita needs (quick tip, avoid the salt rim, it ruins the drink), I love nothing more than to sip on something of premium quality. That brings me to Gran Patrón Platinum, arguably the world’s first ulta-premium tequila. With each bottle taking around 30 people to create, quality is of the utmost level. Agave is individually sourced for its rich sugar content before being harvested, triple distilled  and left for 30 days in oak tanks to create pure elegance. The result is a smooth and seductive nectar of agave, orange, vanilla. Lime and white peppercorns. Pure bliss if you ask me and don’t even get me started on a Mexican Martini (google it, you won’t be disappointed). 

Buy now for £180

Æcorn Aromatic

In this day and age we are all about balance and I applaud those beginning to discover non-alcoholic spirits. The truth is, we don’t always want to drink booze, but what I do always insist on is creativity when it comes to what’s in my glass. This brings me to Æcorn, my new favourite non-alcohol tipple. My attention has taken me to the ‘Aromatic’ option which is rich and smoky in flavour. The difficulty up until now is that non-alcoholic spirits lack flavour, texture and any form of excitement, but this is where Æcorn has changed the game. I find myself frequently pouring a measure over ice with tonic water or simply just in a chilled ice with a couple of cubes and neat. When it comes to the flavour there’s a lot going on, with vanilla, cherrywood a smokiness and even a little cola combined with a silky-smooth mouthfeel and warming clove and oak on the finish. It may be a little daunting getting into this world, but once you’ve tried it you’ll be just as hooked as I am. Give it a go, you won’t regret it and you’ll likely feel better for it! 

£20 from Waitrose 

Don Papa 10 Year 

I first discovered Don Papa when I took a trip to the Philippines and I had no idea the country was even producing rum. Turns out it became one of the best discoveries I made, as I’m totally hooked on the stuff now. The 10-year old is their super premium version, distilled from some of the finest sugar canes in the world from the Negros Occidental region. Aged for 10 years in re-charred oak barrels it is then blended, leading to dried fruit flavours, pure cocoa, coconut, caramel and a kiss of cedar oak. Few people know that due to the humidity in the Philippines, the barrels are prone to some of the highest angel share yields in the world (that’s where spirit evaporates from the barrel). The thing is, Don Papa never re-fill them with recent vintage stock, meaning what you get in the bottle is not only pure but incrediblt concentrated. Rum is a beautiful drink that more people should be exploring, start here, like I did and you wont be disappointed. 

Buy now for £52

This content was originally published in Oracle Time Magazine under Aidy’s Drinks Column. You can subscribe to the online magazine here to view online or order the magazine in print format.

How to invest in whisky

Global markets are crashing, and the investment market is a difficult place to navigate. As we drink more in this time of lockdown, why not invest in something we are drinking? Colin Hampden-White gives us the lowdown on how to invest in whisky...

Investing in whisky

There are two principle ways to invest in whisky: one is to invest in bottles. These can be old or new bottles, and the brand or distillery of bottle is important. Then come casks of whisky. In the case of casks, the distillery from which the whisky comes is of lesser importance. A good return, between 10% - 15%, can be made from whisky casks from almost any distillery, as the blended whisky market always needs them.

Investing in bottles of whisky

The challenge with bottles is that it’s difficult to invest serious money as you need an awful lot of them to make it worth investing at all. Finding the right bottles, at auction or new releases, takes time and expertise and even then, a return is not guaranteed and you really need to know your shallots from your onions.

Investing in whisky casks

Casks are a different prospect. As blenders will always need whisky, there is a stronger market for casks. Scotch whisky casks are a simple asset, held in bond in Scotland and no duty is levied whilst it stays in bond. As whisky is considered a depreciating asset, there is no capital gains payable on its sale. So how does one buy the right casks? Diversity is the key to good investment portfolio. Casks can be bought freshly-filled to well-aged. A cask at zero age is called a ‘new fill cask’. The liquid is called ‘new make spirit’ and will legally become whisky after three years and a day. Casks can also be bought at any age beyond. The casks become more expensive as they gain maturity and the rate of return grows exponentially the older it gets.

Another consideration is the type of oak the whisky is stored in. Whisky can be stored in what is known as a first fill a refill or a rejuvenated cask. Think of the cask like a tea bag: the first fill is like an unused tea bag which gives out lots of flavour. The refill is a lightly-dunked tea bag; it takes longer for it to impart flavour to the whisky. Whisky in a first fill cask may be very good for a return on a young whisky, say up to twelve years old. When buying an older cask, a refill will be much better. An old, first fill cask may make the whisky taste too woody.

There are blended whiskies that like to have a good percentage of rejuvenated casks. These are much-used casks whose surface wood has little flavour left, so a couple of millimetres are shaved off the inside to expose active wood, ready for reuse. They have a different flavour profile, impart flavour at a similar rate to a first fill cask, so blenders can use the whisky earlier and they are less expensive.

Lastly there are two types of oak cask: European oak and American oak, providing the whisky with different flavours. American oak gives vanilla, coconut and sweeter flavours whilst European oak gives spicy and nutty flavours. European oak casks are much rarer in the industry and are more sought after. They are more expensive, but can give a great rate of return. Around 90% of the Scotch market uses American oak casks and 90% of Scotch sold around the world is blended whisky. So whisky from a European oak cask (ex-Sherry for example) is a sound bet. If the whisky is sold to an independent bottler rather than for blending, and perhaps further maturing before bottling, then a first fill European oak cask would be more desirable.

How do you find whisky casks to buy?

In general terms, the best investment would be a range of casks including new make and aged casks in a mixture of American and European oak. If you’re buying a very old cask or wanting a longer term investment, I would suggest a re-fill cask. So how and where do you find and buy casks? You can’t just rock up to a distillery and pop a cask in the boot. Whisky brokers only deal with the industry, however there are companies who can buy from brokers and do deal with private investors. Of course, you can find brokers on the internet. But for reliability of service and quality of product, you might look at Cask Trade Ltd. I have been in the whisky industry for many years and have consulted to them since their start, and they understand the market well. Cask Trade don’t broker other peoples casks, they sell their own stock, so you know when you buy a cask it exists and won’t be bought from under your feet having been sold by another broker.

So settle down one evening with a dram that’s old enough to vote and contemplate owning more than just a bottle or two. Here are some specialist recommendations:

Auction: whisky.auction

Cask sales: Cask Trade Ltd

A few suggestions which would make good bottles to buy now:

Glenmorangie, A tale of Cake

Limited release from this distinguished distillery. A tale of Cake has been finished in Tokaji Casks giving it a sweet sponge cake flavour mixed with the traditional flavours of orange, vanilla and orchard fruits, one expects from Glenmorangie.

ABV: 46%
Size: UK 700ml USA 750ml
Buy it now: UK: £89.95 USA: $109.99

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Auchroisk 25 

A limited release from Diageo of this little seen distillery is a good bet. This release was from 2016 and therefore should be selling out pretty soon. Once sold out the auction prices will start to rise.

ABV: 51.2%
Size: UK 700ml USA 750ml
Buy it now: UK: £380.10 USA: $589.99

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Balbalir 1990 AND 1983

Balblair stopped producing vintage bottles two years ago in favour of aged statements like 12, 15 and 18. Already sold out at retail in the the UK, these vintage Balblair’s would be a good buy for someone in the USA, or at auction.

ABV: 46%
Size: UK 700ml USA 750ml
Buy it now: UK: Sold out USA: $259.99

ABV: 46%
Size: UK 700ml USA 750ml
Buy it now: UK: Sold out USA: $499.99

Like this? Try: Move over Macallan: it’s Tamdu time! or Johnnie Walker from £60 to £100K or Rare and independent whisky bottling

Move over Macallan! It's Tamdhu time...

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Gordon Dundas of Tamdhu runs through the character of the whisky.

Tamdhu is a whisky worth discovering…

There is a penchant for Scotch whiskies having been matured in Sherry casks and Macallan has been the brand to buy. It is difficult to find whisky which has been completely matured in sherry conditioned casks and not just finished in sherry casks, or blended with casks of other types. There is however a brand with whom you can be sure that the 100% of the whisky has been matured in sherry casks: Tamdhu. If you are a Macallan fan,you are going to love Tamdhu.

More than just sherry casks

Tamdhu believe that a wide range of casks gives them plenty of options to create great whisky. They use a mixture of American oak and European oak sherry casks. Their sherry casks are conditioned in Jerez for the whisky industry and nearly all of those casks are created using American oak. Tamdhu, however, also have casks created using European oak and conditioned for them. What this gives them is the ability not just to create more complex whiskies, but also to bottle single casks matured in both American oak and European oak. This gives us an interesting insight into the differing flavour profiles of these two types of oak.

The Tamdhu range is growing

Tamdhu until recently had a 10 year old in their line up. This has now been upgraded to a 12 year old and the strength increased from 40% to 43%. They have a 15 year old at 46% and they say that in a couple of years, an 18 year old will be added to their line up.

The whiskies are blended from casks of both first fill and second fill American and European oak and the casks are of differing sizes. It is unusual in this day and age to see a whisky brand increasing the age statements of their whisky rather than decreasing them or moving to non age statements. Not that Tamdhu don’t do non age statement whiskies; they have a limited batches of cask strength none age statement whisky, which is now on batch four.

What can one expect when trying Tamdhu?

The 12 year old is rich and remarkably smooth at 43%. One can sip it over time or just as easily add water or a mixer and drink in long. It is versatile; a whisky which is difficult to get bored of. At the other end of the spectrum, the single casks are big bold whiskies, especially the European oak whiskies, which have the typical fruit cake and demerara sugar dominant flavours, with added spices to keep the palate lively and fresh. The American oak single casks still have dried fruit flavours, but they tend to be stone fruits such as apricots and there are core flavours of vanilla and dedicated coconut so often associated with American oak. The two casks I tasted recently, cask 2986 American oak Cask at 56.2% and 2014 European oak cask at 58.9% typified the two flavour profiles and are deeply satisfying whiskies. If your budget can stretch to a single cask bottle though, I’d thoroughly recommend buying one. At a more affordable level, if you are looking for cask strength whisky, then at £65 the limited batch number four is a cracking dram. It can be found at the House of Malt. If you like Macallan, or any whiskies matured in ex Sherry casks, then I think Tamdhu is a whisky you should add to your list, and once you’ve tried it, I think it will stay on your list forever.

I love this limited release batch strength Tamdhu:

ABV: 57.8%

Size: 70cl

Buy now for £68

The incredibly drinkable and fruity 12 year old can be found at The Whisky Exchange:

ABV: 43%

Size: 70cl

Buy it now for £44.99

And my favourite, the single cask American oak offering can be found at The Whisky World:

ABV: 56.2%

SIze: 70cl

But it now for £449.90

For more on brilliant whisky that’s blended rather than a single malt, have a read about the great lesser known Johnnie Walker whiskies

Whisky Infused with a Severed Human Toe, Anyone?

Photo courtesy of cultofweird.com

Words by Helena Nicklin

"You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow. But your lips must touch that gnarly toe."

Believe it or not, in Canada, this is apparently a ‘thing’. It started sometime in the 1920s during prohibition, when a pair of brothers named Louis and Otto got caught in a blizzard while out doing a touch of ‘rum running’ (basically, smuggling illegal booze). Louis’ toe was frozen solid after they returned home, having been caught in water and running through snow. To prevent gangrene setting in, his lovely brother Otto did him the ‘kindest’ favour by chopping off his dead toe cleanly with an axe. Thanks, bro. For some reason, that surely only they will understand, they decided to preserve the toe in a bottle of whiskey to commemorate such a momentous occasion. 

So, why drink a severed toe?

Why indeed? The bottle of whisky was eventually found in a remote cabin used by the brothers when smuggling rum, by Captain Dick Stevenson in 1973. Being a bloke who obviously had spent time in a rugby team, Captain Dick thought the grisly discovery would make a great token for an exclusive cocktail club - one where to join, you would have to drink from the bottle and have your lips touch the toe. *shudders*.

Where can you drink a Sourtoe cocktail?

In Yukon Bar, Dawson City, Canada, the toe still exists and wannabe members of the ‘club’ must still taste a sourtoe cocktail as described above. There is even a ‘toe master’, called Terry Lee, who looks after the toe, tops up the salt that keeps it in condition and lets people pay five dollars to taste a sourtoe cocktail. It’s a huge thing in Dawson City. It’s part of their history. There’s a real emotional connection to the toe. Can you imagine how sad these people were then, when in 2003, a crazy American tourist called Josh came with the express intention to swallow the toe - and then did so? Terry has still not forgiven him for this act of ‘selfishness and destruction’. The only thing that would right the wrong, he said, was for this guy to donate his big toe to the cause. Eeee. 

Terry ‘Toe Master’ Lee at the Yukon Bar in Dawson City.

What happened next?

Josh had not realised exactly what swallowing the toe would do to the community. He felt so terrible that he changed his will to make sure that Dawson City could take his right, big toe upon his death.

But Terry will still not forgive him. Daaaang.

Make your own Sourtoe cocktail

Ingredients:

50cl American Whiskey
1 x toe

Method: 

Pour whisky into a tumbler glass. Add toe. Drink whiskey. Do not swallow toe. Simples. 

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