This is the first of two episodes this weekend from The Whisky Show in London, and we’ll be looking at some of the new whiskies that made their debut this weekend at Vinopolis, home of The Whisky Exchange. Some of the newest whiskies are actually very old whiskies, including four special Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection single malts to celebrate the transition of the family-owned business to a new generation of Urquharts. Michael Urquhart, the last of the third generation members to retire, helped introduce the 57 to 63-year-old whiskies during a master class today in London. Another longtime family-owned firm, Berry Bros. & Rudd, unveiled the oldest single grain Scotch whisky bottling on record, a 50-year-old North British grain distilled in 1962.
We’ll also check on the new Chivas Brothers distillery in Speyside that’s ramping up operations this week, along with Edradour’s plans to expand Scotland’s smallest distillery, and check on other new releases from around the world.
Links: The Whisky Show | Chivas Brothers | Edradour | The Macallan | Compass Box | Hunter Laing & Company | 35 Maple Street | Amrut | Edrington | South Wales Whisky Interest Group | Whisky Online Auctions | Gordon & MacPhail | Berry Bros. & Rudd
Mark while I agree that the Cleveland Whiskey 87 is better than the original release of the 100 proof and, as such, deserves a higher score I feel and members of Cleveland Bourbon Club feel that your score was pretty generous. I would agree with your one tasters comment on “What the hell is this” because while Tim’s goal is to make a rapid aged bourbon “The 87” is unrecognizable as Bourbon.
Furthermore, there seems to be a huge disparity in batches and I would love to compare bottle and batch numbers. Our tasting revealed Corn and Ethanol on the nose and mostly new make spirit smell. The palate was grainy and tasted of cornmeal and under cooked polenta. The finish was unobjectionable but utterly forgettable. I gave it a 70 but under strict tasting category break down one member in attendance at the specially assemble panel gave it a 42. Coming from Cleveland and being whiskey/whisky enthusiasts we are constantly asked about Cleveland Whiskey and I myself cannot recommend the product, as I am sure many of the members of the Cleveland Bourbon Club would agree. We applaud the attempt at innovation but it is time to move past this failed experiment. There are too many good Bourbon at lower price points.
Edwin Vargas a founding member @CleBourbonClub