Flóki ‘Malt Spirit’ Barrel No.7

Bought: Online Whisky Auction, 9^th December 2015

Ratings:
76/100 – Whiskybase (from 1 member vote)

Icelandic whisky is coming – brace yourself! Two distilleries that I’m aware of were established in 2009, the Eimverk Distillery that produces ‘Flóki’ and Thoran distillery where it’s possible to purchase your own cask. Admittedly I wasn’t aware of either distillery until I spotted this bottle of Flóki in a UK auction. At the moment it’s the only place to find it in the UK and I’d never seen it in any previous online auctions.

This young spirit isn’t officially whisky yet as it’s been bottled up before its 3^rd birthday. Young distilleries sometimes do this to whet the appetites of future whisky customers but there’s always a risk that the lack of maturity puts tasters off. 76/100 from one voter on Whiskybase is a reasonable score though and I was fortunate to find a review by Ted of Whisky Waffle. In it he says of the nose “really curious; it’s really, really floral and fruity (pineapple, mandarin, pear) with a slightly salted caramel edge that keeps you sniffing” and describes the taste “the Flóki is sharp, slightly bitter and prickly. It pretty much jumps off its longship and starts jabbing away with its spear, although part of the reason for that is probably the 47% strength. The finish coats the tongue with that raw, grassy, hay-like quality that seems common amongst very young whiskies, followed by a lick of spicy fruitiness.” Ted’s complete thoughts and review can be found here.

Here’s Ben Bowers of ‘A Dram a Day’ with his review on You Tube (June 2016):

Spirit of the Highlands (Ben Nevis 49yo spirit)

Bought: Whisky Broker, 20^th April 2015

Ratings:
61.79/100 – Whiskybase (average from 21 member votes)

I like it when an independent bottler tries something different, and this is the case with the Whisky Broker and his release of the ‘underproof’ (29.5%) ‘Spirit of the Highlands’ from the Ben Nevis distillery. The law states that for a spirit to be called whisky it has to be matured for at least 3 years and be a minimum of 40%. The Glenglassaugh distillery released several bottlings as ‘spirit drinks’ rather than ‘whisky’ when they were younger than 3-years-old. But there’s no lack of maturity with this juice from Ben Nevis. Distilled on March 1966, it started its life before England won the world cup, and before I was born!

I always think it’s difficult to rate something that doesn’t fall into a category where you know the rules. Nevertheless, we all know what we like and dislike. Usually with whisky, adding a touch of water can help open up the flavours, but at 29.5%, you don’t want to weaken it any further. Comments on Whiskybase suggest that the nose is good but the taste lets this spirit down. Bitterness prevails mixed with oak juice. I can’t imagine that sucking on an old oak tree would be very pleasant!

Some experienced whisky drinkers mix their whiskies. I’ve seen Ralfy on You Tube do this several times, where he takes a better whisky to enhance a lesser one, or adds a dash of ‘cask strength’ whisky to another that needs a boost of alcohol. Several Whiskybase reviewers mention mixing this 49yo with something else. One uses a Bowmore Tempest (55.1%) and another uses a Ben Nevis 1991 (58%), with good results. I will have to start experimenting!

Glenglassaugh Fledgling XB

Bought – The Drink Shop, 28th November 2013

Ratings:
91/100 – Whisky Bible 2013
81.43/100 – Whiskybase (average from 9 member votes)
67/100 – Malt Maniacs (average from 7 reviewers)

When you consider that the Fledgling XB is a spirit matured in bourbon barrels for 1 year, therefore not officially whisky, you realise why there is such a wild different when it comes to reviews. Personally I’m not even sure it should be reviewed because what can you compare it against?! At least in the world of whisky the boundaries have been established over the decades and likes/dislikes can be explained with some level of accuracy. So I would say to take reviews of any spirit drink with a pinch of salt and be your own judge, should you feel like trying something different.

Glenglassaugh distillery was closed in 1986 but reopened in 2008. Rather than twiddle their thumbs until 2011 when their new spirit could officially be called whisky, they decided to release spirit drinks to whet the apetite of the patiently waiting customers. So, in 2010 we see the launch of ‘Peated’, ‘Clearac’, ‘Blushes’ and ‘Fledgling XB’. Then in 2011 the distillery issued ‘Revival’ the first official whisky at 3 years old. This is next on my shopping list, even though the Whisky Bible only gives it 75/100. As interesting as the spirit drinks are, I feel I ought to have an example of real whisky from this reborn distillery.

Glenglassaugh ‘Blushes’

Bought – The Drink Shop, 28th November 2013

Ratings:
85/100 – Whisky Bible 2013
73.71/100 – Whiskybase (average from 9 member votes)
55/100 – Whiskyfun (Serge Valentin)

Bought as part of a triple set of 20cl bottles from the revived Glenglassaugh distillery. Not a whisky because it’s too young but a chance for whisky fans to taste something different. ‘Blushes’ is spirit matured in red wine casks for 6 months. First released in 2010, it’s now been discontinued.

85/100 in the Whisky Bible classifies this spirit as ‘very good to excellent, definitely worth buying’. The author Jim Murray concludes his review with “tasty and fascinating, though the wine tries to minimalise the usual sweetness you find in malt spirit.”

Whiskybase members are less charitable than Jim Murray but Serge Valentin of Whiskyfun is more damning. He concludes with “of course I have nothing against experimentation but just like the helicopter-bicycle, not sure the future is bright for such gimmicky combos. Better buy a good white eau-de-vie, it’ll be cheaper. Now maybe this ought to be drunk chilled?”

Glenglassaugh ‘Clearac’

Bought – The Drink Shop, 28th November 2013

Ratings:
76.09/100 – Whiskybase (average from 13 member votes)

Bought as part of a triple set of 20cl bottles from the revived Glenglassaugh distillery. Not a whisky because it’s too young but a chance for whisky fans to taste a new spirit straight from the still.