METRO ATLANTA SCOTCH CLUB SINGLE MALT TASTING Landmark Diner (Buckhead), 3652 Roswell Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 - Ph: (404) 816-9090 June 29, 2017 (Thursday, 7:00 PM) - 7 Scotch Malt Whiskies - $40 Advanced On-Line Purchase / $45 At the Door WHISKY #1 STRATHISLA Single Malt / 12-year / 40% ABV / OB: Strathisla Dist / Dist Owner: Chivas Brothers Ltd. (Pernod Ricard S.A.) / Speyside (Strathisla) Strathisla (Royal) Distillery Seafield Avenue, Keith, Banffshire (Moray) AB55 5BS SCOTLAND Pronunciation: ‘strath-EYE-la’ - SWA Whisky Map Location: #91 Translation: ‘The valley of the River Isla’ - Slogan: “The connoisseur’s best kept secret” Region (District): Speyside (Strathisla) - Neighbors: Glen Keith, Strathmill, Aultmore, Glentauchers Established: 1786 - Founder: Alexander Milne and George Taylor. Status: Active/Producing - Location: Chivas claims Strathisla to be the oldest Speyside & Highland distillery (1786). It was first known as ‘Milltown’ then intermittently ‘Milton’ or ‘Strathisla’ thereafter. It’s been Strathisla since 1951. (Its spirit has long been known as ‘Strathisla’). CB bought it in 1950 after its owner, a Mr. Pomery, was convicted of tax evasion. House Style: Dry with lots of dark fruits. Water Source: Production: Fons Bulliens’ Well (‘bubbling fountain’) which is an underground spring opposite distillery. Cooling: River Isla. Barley: A mixture of ‘Braemar’ and ‘Oxbridge’ (Bairds Maltings-Arbroath); earlier this year we were using ‘Optic’ and ‘Concerto’ (Buckie Maltings). Malt Spec (Phenols): 0-ppm - Gristmill: 1 Porteus Mash Mill Mashing Equipment: 1 s/s tradition mashtun; 5-ton (charged @ 4.8-ton) Waters: Uses 4 waters for mashing (20,800-L @ 65˚C, 7,000-L @ 78˚C, 15,300-L @ 85˚C and 9,500-L @ 93˚C) - Washbacks: 10 Oregon pine washbacks (24,500-L capacity each). Yeast: 63-k of yeast per 24,500-L of wort (strike temp is 21˚C) - Fermentation: 54-hours. 4 Pot Stills: 2 Wash @ 12,000-L, 2 Spirit @ 8,000-L (FS: 20-min, MC: 2-hrs, F: 5-hrs) Casks: Bourbon & some Sherry casks, Refill - Entry Strength: 63.5% ABV Warehouse: 3 small WH’s are on-site: 2 racked + 1 dunnage (most spirit is tankered to another CB’s facility for filling & off-site maturation). Vatting/Bottling: Blending @ Poniel, Keith or Mulben. Bottling: Prestige (Paisley, Renfrewshire) & Kilwinning (North Ayrshire) Capacity: 2.4-Mlpa per year - Output: 2.4-Mlpa (2016) Visitor Center: Yes - Tours: Yes - Sister Distillery: Glen Keith (next door) OB’s: Only 2, a 12-yr at 40% ABV and a 16-yr cask strength (sold only at its visitor center) Blending Role: 30% Single Malt/70% Blends - Blend Partner: Chivas Regal/Royal Salute (its home) Tasting Notes by Master of Malt (UK): Notations: (1) Strathisla Distillery is the spiritual home of Chivas Regal Blended Scotch. (2) The single malt at the heart of Chivas Regal. The town of Keith is significant in the whisky world. Apart from 3 malt whisky distilleries Classic Speyside single malt scotch whisky. The (Strathisla, Strathmill & Glen Keith), it’s the location of one of Chivas’ massive WH complexes. beautiful distillery of Strathisla nestles in the Since 2 of the distilleries are owned by Chivas as well (Strathmill is Diageo’s), Keith is clearly a magnificent Speyside countryside reflecting the Chivas Brothers town. (3) Strathisla is considered to be the most beautiful distillery. (4) Its distillery's heritage and historical origins which hold the secrets to the exquisitely traditionally key market is Scotland where it’s among the best-selling single malts. (5) Don’t put too much crafted whisky. A whisky produced with the love effort in trying to determine the barley variety, because it varies from season-to-season with and pride of the distillery workers whose ancient crop yields and market pricing. What we want from the barley is as much alcohol per ton traditions are expressed by the fine craftsmanship barley as possible. It usually is 409-415 Lpa per ton of barley, if we’re receiving a good crop which has existed for centuries. The oldest we can get up as high as 420-L. (6) Its spirit is piped to Glen Keith for filling or trucked to distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. Cask: away a centralized CB facility for filling and maturation. (7) Strathisla has Royal status. Sherry HH (Amer oak) & Butts (Span oak); mainly refill. NOSE: Soft oak and hints of candied peel. A Management Team: Operations Manager: Graeme Cruickshank little floral character too, with notes of spice and VC Supervisor: Boa Andersson - Director Manufacturing (CB): Alister McIntosh Danish pastries. PALATE: Malty core with notes of Chairman & CEO (CB): Laurent Lacassagne - Chairman & CEO (PR): Christian Porta sultanas and cinnamon pastries. Allspice, cooked Legal Name of Distillery: Strathisla Distillers Ltd. - U.S. Importer: Pernod Ricard USA, Inc. apple and mince pies. FINISH: Long finish. Very Owner (Parent): Chivas Brothers Ltd. (Pernod-Ricard S.A., since 2001) fruity. OVERALL: A good all-rounder and value for Distiller Licensee: Strathisla Distillers Ltd. money! Elevation: 170m MSL (558-ft above mean sea level) Purchase Link: https://www.culinarylocal.com/?post_type=tribe_events&p=57816%2F/ MASC - 7 Single Malts & Heavy Bites - 6/29/17 (Thursday) @ 7:00 PM - Landmark Diner - $40 Advanced Purchase / $45 Door WHISKY #2 SPRINGBANK Single Malt / 'Hazelburn' / 8-year / 46% ABV / NCF / OB / Dist Owner: J. & A. Mitchell & Co., Ltd. (Hedley Wright) / Campbeltown Springbank Distillers Ltd. 85 Longrow, Campbeltown, Argyll PA28 6ET SCOTLAND Pronunciation: ‘SPRING-bank’ - SWA Whisky Map Location: #11 Translation: ‘From the fact that there is a spring on a bank’ Slogan: Unknown (It is the most traditional distillery in Scotland) Region (District): Campbeltown (Argyll) - Neighbors: Glengyle and Glen Scotia Established: 1828 Founder: The Mitchell family which continues to own/operate it for 187-years and counting! Status: Active/Producing House Style: Fruity, lightly peaty with coconut notes and a slightly oily texture. Location: On the southern tip of the narrow Kintyre peninsula in southwestern Scotland. Water Source: Crosshill Loch (Production & Cooling) Barley: Golden Promise, Optic & Chalice Floor Maltings: Springbank is the only distillery that produces 100% of its malt requirement (both peated and unpeated) on-site at the rate of 25-tons per batch, 200-tons per season. A few other distilleries (Bowmore, Balvenie, Laphroaig, Highland Park, Glen Ord, and Kilchoman) produce a portion of their malt requirement on-site. Kilchoman produces a large portion. Peat Source: Springbank cut its own peat (50-tons a year) from the Machrihanish bog in Campbeltown. About 10% of Scotland is covered by blanket bogs (especially western Scotland and the islands) and 1% by basin bogs. There is no scientific analysis available on Machrihanish peat, but since it is cut from a blanket bog and located near the sea in the western Scotland, it probably is closer to the Islay and Orkney peats than the mainland peat. Malt Spec (phenols): Springbank (Dx2.5) @ 15-20 ppm, Longrow (Dx2) @ 50-60 ppm; Hazelburn (Dx3) @ 0-ppm. SB is dried over peat for 6-hrs and hot air for 18-24 hrs; LG is dried over peat for 27-hrs and then hot air until its moisture level reaches 4%. Dx2 = double distilled; Dx2.5 = two and one-half times distilled Gristmill: 1 Porteus Malt Mill (4-roller aka Twin-roller) - Dx3 = triple distilled Mashtun: 1 cast iron tradition mashtun (3.64-ton capacity; charged @ 2.55-tons) Washbacks: 6 Scandinavian boatskin larch WBs @ 20,000-L each Fermentation: 72 hours (short); 110 hours (long) 3 Pot Stills: 1 Wash @ 11,000-L (charged @ 10,000-L), 2 Spirit @ 7,500-8,000-L (charged @ 6,000-L); wash still is directly fired (flame against pot) by oil (rather than gas) and has a rummager (chain). Condensers: Spirit Still #1 - Worm tub; Other 2 - Tube-and-shell Official Tasting Notes: Casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry (80% 1st fill & 20% refill) Hazelburn is a triple distilled, Warehouse: 6 on-site (4 Dunnage & 2 Racked @ 7 levels high) unpeated single malt produce at the Vatting & Bottling: On-site bottling hall Springbank Distillery. It was neither Capacity: 750,000-Lpa per year (MacLean prefers 472,000-Lpa) chill-filtered nor artificially colored. Current Output: 150,000-Lpa (2016); SB @ 120,000-L; LG @ 15,000-L; and HB @ 15,000-L) Casks: 60% Bourbon, 40% Sherry. Visitor Center: At the Cadenhead Retail shop, VC & Tasting Room Malt Spec: 0-ppm. OB’s: SB 10, 15, 18 & 25; Longrow (Peated, Red & 18); Hazelburn (8, 10, 12 yr. and discontinued CV). EYE: Pale gold. Blending Role: 70% Single Malt, 30% Blends. NOSE: Light and delicate, the 8 yo Blend Partner: Campbeltown Loch, Mitchell & Glen Extra. Hazelburn has subtle nuances of Sister Distillery: Glengyle Distillery raspberry coulis, shortbread and Single Malt Production: SB @ 60%, LG @ 20%, HB @ 20% sherbet. Sweet vanilla, malt and Former Names: Longrow Street Distillery (changed early on as it was next to Longrow Distillery. white oak are also in evidence. Management Team: PALATE: Elegantly sweet and malty. Chairman & CEO: Hedley G. Wright Loads of vanilla flavor combines well Director of Production (Emeritus): Frank McHardy (he continues to run the Whisky School) with toasty oak notes leading to a Distillery Manager: Gavin McLachlan - Sales & Marketing Manager: Ranald Watson, Ambassador spicy finish. No smokiness in triple Legal Name of Distillery: Springbank Distillers Ltd. distilled Hazelburn. Owner (Parent): J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd. (Hedley G. Wright) FINISH: A slightly peppery finish to a Distiller Licensee: J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd. refined and elegant dram. U.S. Importer: Pacific Edge Wine & Spirits (Los Angeles, CA) GA Distributor: Savannah Distributing Co., Inc. (Atlanta; John Schorn, General Manager) Elevation: 6½m MSL (21-feet above mean sea level) Page 2 of 7 MASC - 7 Single Malts & Heavy Bites - 6/29/17 (Thursday) @ 7:00 PM - Landmark Diner - $40 Advanced Purchase / $45 Door WHISKY #3 PENDERYN Welsh Single Malt / ‘Aur Cymru’ (Madeira Finish) / NAS / 46% ABV / NCF / OB / Dist Owner: Welsh Whisky Co.