Whisky on the cheap! (Part 2)

Continuing on with the variety of low-budget single malts available in North Carolina ABC stores, today we'll be looking at two offerings: Lismore Single Malt and Speyburn 10. Both are available for under $40 here, and both have some admirable qualities for those on a tight budget.

Lismore Single Malt is probably the most enigmatic of the local offerings, giving little information on the bottle as to age, distiller or anything else for that matter. The packaging simply reads Lismore Single Malt, Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and Product of Scotland. Well, Speyside is a big place with tons of distilleries, and with little else to go on it's always been a tough decision whether to take a chance on this very plain and uninteresting bottle. Recently I've noticed it showing up on shelves with a slightly nicer cardboard box/tube around it, but it offers little more in the realm of information on this whisky. An online search turns up very little either, save for a few good and a few bad reviews. I took a chance and while I can't say I'm blown away by the quality for the price, it isn't all bad either. The whisky is clearly young, with a very transparent okra coloring and the flavor suffers due to a lack of time in wood. The nose is a tad harsh, with an slightly overpowering aroma of peat and caramel. The floral scents common in Speyside malts is very subdued here. The palate is pretty good, sweet at times with a good nutty balance with the floral and caramel that embody Speyside products. The finish is nice and long, though it does diminish if you add water to open the palate. All in all this is not a bad everyday drinker, especially at about $20 a bottle. A little more time in a cask would do it a lot of good. The only sad part is we'll probably never know what distiller produced it.

Next we'll look at Speyburn 10. This bottle is from the Speyburn Distillery in the Highland region of Scotland. It has been a staple of their production line for many years, even winning a gold medal in 2006 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. That it is listed here in my Whisky on the Cheap! series is somewhat an anomaly, because it doesn't fit with the other offerings in any way other than price point. It can be had for right at $40 a bottle in these parts, and it is worth every penny. The nose has huge amounts of citrus and is very zesty. Oranges and herbal notes, wood and pine oil, spearmint and mild spices rount out the nose with a hint of barley and grains. The palate is quite smooth and has a nice balance to it. There are notes of cereal and grain, nuttiness and a touch of smoke. The finish is nice and long with lots of barley and a good deal of smoke. I love this bottle for social gatherings and everyday drams, and at the price point it absolutley is the best single malt available in North Carolina below $50.

Whisky on the cheap! (Part 1)

With whisky, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. But that is not to say that there are not some fine bottles to be had for less than you might think. The typical bottle of single malt Scotch from a reputable distillery with a minium age of 12 years will run over the $60 mark here in North Carolina. I'm sure we've all be in the local ABC store browsing for our next bottle and seen a few bottles in the $20-40 price range and wondered, "I wonder if that is any good?" Well I'm here to tell you that some them actually are! While they all suffer from less maturation time and some of them have other minor faults, most of the ones available in North Carolina are drinkable and quite pleasant. I plan to review every bottle I can find at our local ABC outlets and give honest feedback on each, with the end goal to help save some of you a buck or two down the line...either by buying a cheaper bottle or by avoiding one.

We'll start with Auchentoshan Classic. This bottle jumps right out at you on the shelves of most NC ABC stores, with it's sleek box and of course the Auchentoshan name. What is missing from the packaging is the minimum age of the liquid inside...as no age statement bottlings become more prevalent in the whisky world, expect this to lead to more and more tough choices at the shelf. At a price point below $40, this bottle really wants to be taken home by folks looking to save a dollar or two and still get something they've at least heard of. It is quite drinkable, although it clearly has some fairly young whisky in it. Auchentoshan Classic replaced their "Select" bottle in 2008 and while that older Select series had many favorable reviews out there, the story with Classic is hit or miss. Some people love it, some people hate it. I for one rather enjoyed it, although it is very consistent with the Lowland style which is not my preferred dram. The color is a very light amber and one can see quite well through the bottle to the other side...this is the first indication that it spent less than 10 years in an oak barrel. The nose is sweet, with hints of vanilla and a fruity aroma which dominates it. The palate is easy on the tongue, with fruits (most notably peach) and almonds, hints of oak and a touch of smoke. The finish is quite short, but very clean with apple notes and a bit of classic fruit punch. Bottled at 40% ABV, it's got a decent kick and adding a bit of water really opens it up on the palate, though it shortens the already short finish.

Carolina Whisky

While my preferences fall squarely in the realm of single malt Scotch, I think it's important to recognize that there are a lot of new single malt American whisky bottlings coming around. The rise of independent whisky producers around the country is amazing, and some of them are really producing a quality product. Craft distilling has taken on a life of its own, and although North Carolina has some of the strictest distilling laws in the nation, some folks have found their way through the legal red tape to begin producing craft whisky here.

Today we'll look at two such offerings, TOPO Carolina Whiskey and Defiant American Single Malt Whisky.

First, TOPO Carolina Whiskey is an unfinished, unaged whiskey. It's made from 100% certified organic wheat, which is grown in North Carolina. TOPO is short for Top Of The Hill, a local restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina which turned micro-brewery some years ago. They've branched out into distilling, making Whiskey, Gin and Vodka with varying levels of success. The company sells the whiskey in unaged bottles and also has an "age-your-own" kit which comes with a small oak barrel for aging. This is becoming very common in the craft industry, as local laws require a certain percentage of the production each year to be sold. This makes stock piling spirits in barrels for aging quite difficult for some distillers who need to see black on the books in their first few years. I won't discuss the aged product this time, as mine is still aging to perfection right now...we'll come back to that some other time. Straight out of the bottle TOPO is a bit harsh, but that's pretty common with unaged product. The nose has very prominent cereal and grain notes, and a bit of floral aroma. The palate is more cereal, nuts and dry cut flowers, while the finish is rather short and harsh. Altogether it is not a bad drink, certainly more pleasing than other white "moonshine" whiskeys made in the Carolinas which are corn based. It's bottled at 84 proof, so it's a bit strong but not too bad. A splash of water really opens up the floral accents and cuts the heat on the tongue quite a bit.

Next we'll look at Defiant American Single Malt Whisky. Now this is a treat, a single malt American whisky which is made from 100% malted barley. The owners of the distillery are apparently huge Scotch fans and wanted to do this right from the beginning, mirroring the traditional Scotch style with American ingredients. While they too suffer from having to rush their product to the shelves, they at least manage to get some barrel time on their spirits. The bottle, nor their website for that matter, give any indication as to how much time the whisky spends in the barrel before bottling, or what types or sizes of casks are used. It is clear from the taste though that the whisky is fairly young, probably no more than a year or so in a smaller cask. The color is a light amber/copper, and the nose is very floral with hints of fresh cut hay. The palate is very nice, with nuts and fruits, and a bit of dry smoke. The finish is medium long, and rounds out nicely with a fair amount of oak and even a bit of citrus. This could really turn out nicely if they give it a bit more time in the wood and perhaps look at some finishing time in smaller, variant casks. I have really been enjoying the bottle I got, which came from cask #003. I expect good things from these folks!

Ardbeg Day 2013 - Ardbog!

Let's get things started on a high note...back in July I had the opportunity to pick up a bottle of Ardbeg's 2013 limited Ardbeg Day release, Ardbog. I was visiting South Carolina, which doesn't suffer from North Carolina's deplorable lack of high end whisky thanks to a much more open minded State ABC board...I always try to shop around when I'm out of town to see what I can dig up, and this time it was a real treat!

A limited edition Ardbeg Single Malt Scotch, which was released in limited quantities during the Fèis Ìle whisky festival in mid 2013. It was aged in a combination of bourbon and Manzanilla sherry casks and was named Ardbog after the peat bogs which yield the signature peaty profile of Ardbeg. 

This whisky represents the best of Islay, which is known for smoky, peaty single malt. The nose has a heavy setting of sea salt and brine, with gentle overtones of dark fruits and maple syrup. Plums, oranges, and a touch of herbs round out the very strong first whiff. Tons of peat and gentle smoke. The palate is huge, salty and the peat definitely stays strong. Very rich and nutty, with a touch of salt and even a raisin/red wine note. The finish goes on and on, with lots of heat and hints of chili peppers and cinnamon. 

This is one amazing whisky and I highly recommend it if you get the chance to pick up a bottle...they are still on the shelves in some locations if you get lucky. 

Welcome!

Welcome to Whisky and Wisdom, a new place for information on that most wonderful of spirits, Whisky! Settle in and enjoy a dram of your favorite malt as we explore the culture of whisky, post reviews of our favorite bottles, and discuss what whisky means in the modern age. North Carolina has many fine distilleries, bars and restaurants that cater to the whisky lover, and we hope you will enjoy checking in with us to find out more about the water of life!