Ralfy I'm a beginner to scotch and your approach to it is fantastic. You're passionate without being pretentious or, dare I say, nerdy :-) A gentleman reviewing gentlemans' beverages!
Ralfy. Its been a lot of years maltmate and some of us have watched you grow into something bigger than the sum of your vlogs. I can watch this review once a month and discover something completely new every time. What I'm trying to say is that this vlog BY FAR defines you as one of the heavy hitters. Put the Scotch reviews aside for a minute and we`re left with an essence of history, knowledge and a willingness to unmask the "man behind the screen" (oh and you DO know your whisk(e)yes too mate:)~ thanks for that Ralfy. Peace
Thank you very much Ralfy. I am young (25) and very new to scotches as it can be very expensive and most spirits i used to get pissed anyway haha. But this video is very good informative on what to look for what "quality" whiskey really is from a real Scotsman that knows his stuff :) there isnt a whole lot of knowledge about scotch among my peers, so getting this info is great and interesting. Thank you very much ralfy!
I have to say that this is one of the best and most informative reviews. I always thought about this finishing and dig it up, but your reviews answers more of my questions before I had figured out how exactly to ask them. Thanks, Ralfy.
This would be one of the most interesting, useful and fascinating reviews yet. Thank you ralfy. Your a steadfast companion through this journey through malt.
Hello Ralfy reading MANY of the comments on this site are an "education in itself" You must feel like a richer person with all of these exchanges of ideas! you can be sure WE do! Thanx maltmate.
I have read many books and heard many opinions on nosing, tasting, maturation process and opinions on the industry , You give a refreshing, interesting and always honest opinion on the whisky insudtry and it is greatly appreciated. Hope to see more videos similar to this one in the near future. Cheers !
When I realized the incredible importance of a quality cask, I immediately understood why distilleries that offer to fill a cask with their spirit and store it for customers always downplay the expectations for the resulting whisky. I'm guessing the casks used in those programs are lesser casks.
Extremely informative vlog! This was a pleasure to watch, and then watch again the next day for anything I missed the first time. Excellent stuff, Ralfy. Thank you!
Rally, thanks so much for your videos. You have brought me along in my appreciation for things. This particular video highlights your thorough approach.
Ralfy, love the informative vlogs about whisky. Would love to see you step outside the regular format of a vlog reviewing a single shisky whiskey each time more often. Unfortunately I will not be not be able to get to sample all the whiskys you review in the majority of your vlogs so many of your vlogs, to my dismay, go underappreciated by myself... but I am able to make use of and learn something from every informative vlog such as this one that you upload. cont ...
Great work Ralfy, always a pleasure to come home and hear your review. I don't even really like Scotch, per say, - I just enjoy listening to your stories and your points of view.
It is amazing what finishing can do to a whisky. I recently bought a small 2 litre American oak barrel, filled it with some cheap oloroso sherry, left it for about 2 weeks, replaced it with some cheap supermarket own Speyside malt, left it for 1 month and the results were nothing short of incredible. It transformed a very simple and quite boring malt that cost £20 into a rich and much more exciting malt that I wouldn’t be disappointed with if I paid £30 - £40 for it.
"The bottom Line is ....you can put a bad spirit into a good cask and get a decent result... put you can put the best of spirits into a bad cask and end up with Shit ! that's the fact of it..." That is GOLD!
Excellent Vlog Ralf..... I`am on sensery overload at the moment and trying to digest all of this information.A while back I read an article about whisky casks and how some of the copperage companies are being asked by distilleries to add a mix of different staves from different matured spirit or wine when building or re-building casks to experiment on flavour profiles.Very interesting idea I thought.Cheers to the aqua vitea(by the way Ralf,,great video u posted about Scottish history & whisky
Thanks for the insights about maturation and the history of it. Out of necessity there emerged something new and beautiful. What I stumbled on shortly was a whine cask finished "The Six Isles" from Ian McLeod. Interestingly enough it is a blended whisky and the petrus gaia finish works really well. I totally underestimated the independent distillers and I stand corrected. What a bang for the buck, a bordeaux bomb so to say. I think I'll concentrate more on the smaller ones for a while.
Just to follow up on this: To a dram of standard Connemara peated Irish whiskey, add a small amount (about 1/10th) of rye. The rye spice mixes well with the mild peat. It also lengthens the rather short finish of the Connemara. Delicious!
Yesir Ralfy, we'v watchd each othrs bac ovr the mist of tym. US n UK! Its a great relashionship that's developt since our forefathers came frm the shores of yor venerable kingdom...long may it prosper! cheers cuz!!
fantastic. thanks for pointing that out. very informative. the guys at springbank are doing such a great job, i definetly going to head that way next time im in scotland.
The half distillation is where the low wines are collected between the 1st and 2nd distillations and mixed with the feints to be distilled (hence three total distillations). That distillate is combined with the twice distilled new make.
Ralfy, i love single malt whisky, but sometimes it's hard to believe, that whisky really spends 12, 15, 20 years in the casks. In these days, demand and economy, i fear that distilleries have secret ways to faster whisky maturation. What do you think? Sorry for my bad english.
I have a beautiful 1999 Benriach 12yo Petrus Gaia finish in my collection and I adore it. It's a release from Dun Bheagan and really subtle and smooth. There are only 730 bottles out there and I'm thinking of buying another one before they are all sold out.
Interesting explanation on failed maturation. I believe I had the same experience with the Glenmorangie Lasanta which appeared to get worse as it sat in the glass after 10, 15 and 20 minutes. The initial strong sherry and sweetness disappeared and rather unpleasant flavors started to crop up in the finish. I'm still relatively inexperienced but now I wonder if what I experienced is exactly what you described: a poorly matured malt given a perfume-y finish. Keep up the good work, Ralfy!
Excellent vlog! I noticed comments about Doublewood 17. I wrote a short article last fall comparing the 12 and the 17. Yes, the 17 is pricey, part this new push for "luxury" pricing, I think. But it does taste *different* than the 12, not just older. However, given the in-and-out nature of the sherry that I get from the 17, and in light of Ralfy's statements, I wonder if it would have been well enough to just offer a 17-yo that wasn't double-matured at all. Couldn't charge as much, then.
Great information. Thank you Ralfy. I wonder if you could possibly make a video in the future pertaining to your first time that you drank liquor and the background and age and historical information upon which started your love of whisky drinking. At what age do Irish people start drinking alcohol?
Superb presentation as always. Fascinating stuff. BTW your lighting setup is great, what camera are you using for your vlogs. The definition is fine. Regards
Perfect timing on the Irish Whiskeys. Our Whisky Club is holding an Irish tasting in March in honor of St. Paddy's Day. We are having; UD WRITERS TEARS NAS 70CL 40% €27,50 BUSHMILLS THREE WOODS 16Y 70CL 40% €42,50 REDBREAST 15Y 70CL 46% €66,50 MIDLETON YELLOW SPOT 12Y 70CL 40% €64,95 CONNEMARA CASK STRENGTH NAS 70CL 57.9% €45,00
You might be correct on that point. I've read a least one source that says David Stewart, Master Distiller at Balvenie, developed cask finishing a bit earlier than Glenmorangie. That said, I think Glenmorangie took the concept and ran with it making it famous.
Hey Ralfy love your vlog, great stuff for a young inexperienced whiskey drinker. I live in Minnesota, USA and we are quite close to Canada. I really enjoyed you series on American distilling but much of my local bottle shops have Canadian spirits. Will you ever be doing a series on Canadian whiskeys or can you recommend anything?
You are so wonderful... You have been a delight to learn fom therse past weeks since discovering you. i've since bought several bottles of whiskey inspired by your thouhts. Any chance you might look into Greek Metaxa?
Great Vlog Ralfy! I would love to see you review some of those rarer Glenmorngies. Particularly that artisan cask! I always was curious about that bottle but passed on it because of it's high price and small size. What do you think about it?
Ralfy, thanks for this video! Very informative. I take it this is not the same bottle of Lagavulin DE that you reviewed some time ago. Must be worth buying if you've gone back for seconds!
Very good vlog and overview, but I’m surprised there was not more of a tie-in between the new finishes and the NAS trend. As you say, “there is no short-cut to good maturation”, but many distillers attempted, and attempt, a lot of sleight-of-hand using finishes to move immature/inferior whiskies out the door, Bruichladdich (and its many “bold experiments”) not least among them. Even after extra maturation, many of these whiskies still had no age, or age statement, to speak of - and it shows.
Here in Germany there is a small Whisky Producer Ziegler, he makes a whisky called Aureum, wich is finished in chestnut casks. Sadly the wisky is only aged for three years but it seems to work (haven't tasted it yet). But I know that in Scotland Oak Casks hve to be used. Greets fro a german "Maltimaniac"
I only speak about America, as I've traveled little outside the US, but Ralfy has a good point about Americans and sugar. There is a big thrust by corporations to get sugar into the food because sugar is not only addictive, but the use of it increases the craving for more.. HIgh sugar drinks are ubiquitous. Worse still is high fructose corn syrup. It turns to fat because of the large size of the molecule. I used to be a Coco Cola addict. Now it's water, green tea and coffee black.
Very interesting vlog! I have a Glenmorangie burgundy wood botlle and at first the smell of red whine is really overwhelming, but after a couple of minutes it calms down and the whisky comes through it but the red whine is definitly still there. Is that the sign of a good maturation? Should it remain the same or should it never be overwhelming in the first place? It's definitly one of the most interesting whiskies i have ever had and i quite like it (only problem is i can't find a new bottle).
Would love to have your opinion on some small batch and single barrel American Whisky, Whiskey, and Bourbon. Their is alot of great American Whisky under 75 us dollars that are easy to find. I truly think you would find the variety of quality of American whiskies and bourbons refreshing.
I think the impact of cheap wood on Bourbon is even more pronounced. Most people drink it in cocktails or tall drinks though, so it doesn't matter so much. Fortunately nosing and such have crossed over to this side of the Atlantic, and more Americans are taking their bourbon quite seriously. So I think we're seeing a change for the better in that regard.
hey! thanks to your comment i found the double wood 17! i didn't even know it existed. How is it, if put in an ensemble (composed of the balvenies i've tried or own) of Golden Cask, Signature 12, Cuban 14, Portwood 21 ?
have you ever done a vid on stills and distillation? obviously the majority of Scotch is double distilled, but Auchantoshan (and irish) is tripple... would be good to hear more on what this does to the finished product. oh and interestingly i read the other day that Springbank does a 2 1/2 distillation?! not sure how they do a half distillation ... maybe the information was wrong
Ralfy, obviously the whisk(e)y industry is experiencing a boom cycle. Using history as a guide, when do you think that things will slow down? And when they do, what might be some of the ramifications for consumers, good and bad?
Hello Ralfy. we'v often alluded to different quick-finishes as often "iffy" .....at times gimmicky. Q. Will a Madeira finish always mask the more subtle complxities or/& a Port cask?? In your opinion which one if any "adds" to the intrinsic qualities of the better malts? Thanks Ralfy
Ralfy - a few questions for you...From your sources, or personal knowledge - is there any particular Kentucky bourbon, or Tennessee whiskey distillery that has a high reputation, or demand for their barrels? We hear so much about American whiskey barrels being used to age Scotch whisky; is there any distillery in Scotland aging their spirit in a Canadian whiskey barrel?
Ralfy, With St Paddy's Day fast approaching, pls, review a few Irishes. I know that you have done Bushmill's Orig, Black Bush, Jameson's, Tyrconnel SM 15. Maybe, Powers, Kilbeggan, and a few more of the workman's Irishes. Thanks, a bunch.
Have you ever shown your entire collection on a video, Ralfy? If yes: any idea which review it was? If not: can we expect you to do something like that? Because I'm very curious to see how you have managed to store all those bottles in your home :).
Great vlog Ralfy. I had a JW Red label today and it stank of sulphur and tasted of caramel. Terrible. It's gotten worse in the last 2 years. Definitely. Do you agree?
The balvenie was one of my first loves when it came to scotch, how was the 17 year old double wood? I'm really interested to know if its worth a purchase. Thanks,
Hey ralfy, loyal fan here, I was at the Glenlivet distillery a few months ago and I thought that their 15 YO is much simpler (and in my opinion better) than their 18 YO. I was wondering what are your thoughts of that, and if you are considering reviewing any of those soon? Cheers, George
The 5,7 and 12 star Metaxa are quite nice - Cognac like, fruity but distinctly spicier. Not much difference between the 5 (38%) and 7 (40%) in terms of flavour. 12 is smoother still.
Have you ever seen a whisky matured in rye casks? I would expect rye to mesh well with Scotch, no?. U.S. and Canadian distilleries have been producing a 95% rye recipe with no corn, resulting in a different final cask profile than a typical bourbon cask. I would certainly like to try a spirit matured in a rye cask.
Ralfy, Have you tasted Macleod's 8 years single malt? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Personally I find it rather pleasant, especially if you "finish off" with a taste of some of the sweeter brands. Just my opinion, though.
Its a great scotch in my opinion! I've only had a couple drams and the over all experience may remind one of a dessert. Its rather pleasant, though I wish they'd have bottled it at a higher proof. Unfortunately Its price is not exactly worth it, and I'm not sure this is one that I would frequently buy, but maybe share once a year had I the cash. Shelling out $135 a bottle is just not in my budget
Ralfy I know you've not the most interest in The Balvenie. I don't blame you. But I've a question. They recently released a newer DoubleWood. 17 years. (I had to have it, I don't exactly know why) now here's the question. The color is remarkably dark, and unlike the rest of their bottlings, there is no straight forward information on it. Is it chill filtered and is color added into this one? I've done research but no luck on my part finding out
What would the spirit be called if they disregard the rule and use inner staves? Would it still be called whisky and is there still production with inner staves going on?
Hi ralfy.I saw a vid by whiskyU stating that if the single malt bottle is labelled at 18 yr old.They cannot mix anything under 18 but they can mix it with anything above 18?? Then how can it be still 18 yrs old if its mixed with older cask above 18 yrs??
Nice Nice Very Nice!!. You do listen to our requests!! Thanks Ralfy. only kidding! So now Yeast Strains should still in be in the offing then, rite?? Im sure it must be as it is just One Member of the Holy Trinity of Malt!! Thnx again! We be Peace.
I have the 17 yr Balvenie DBL Wood as well, and even though it's a "nice" dram I don't see it being worth the $120 I spent. Just recently I tried both the Anconc 12 yr, and 16 yr...The 16 yr Ancnoc was nothing special (just my honest opinion) - however the 12 yr Ancnoc is a wonderful dram, and to think that I could've purchased 3 bottles of the 12 yr Ancnoc for 1 bottle of the 17 yr DBL Wood leaves me scratching my noggin.
Would be VERY grateful to know if you have a view about Whyte & Mackay 52.5% 'High Strength' blended and Scot's Club 15 yr old. I have tracked down a bottle of each.
Hi Ralfy, Even if inner staves are banned, they are still legal... Why don't they use inner staves and call the product by some other name rather than Whisky?
Ralfy I'm a beginner to scotch and your approach to it is fantastic. You're passionate without being pretentious or, dare I say, nerdy :-)
A gentleman reviewing gentlemans' beverages!
Ralfy.
Its been a lot of years maltmate and some of us have watched you grow into something bigger than the sum of your vlogs.
I can watch this review once a month and discover something completely new every time.
What I'm trying to say is that this vlog BY FAR defines you as one of the heavy hitters.
Put the Scotch reviews aside for a minute and we`re left with an essence of history, knowledge and a willingness to unmask the "man behind the screen" (oh and you DO know your whisk(e)yes too mate:)~
thanks for that Ralfy.
Peace
Ralfy, going back in time, but this is a fantastic vlog, one of the best. So informative. Many thanks.
Agreed.
Ralfy, your videos are, for the lack of a better word, awesome. Thoroughly enjoyable and full of priceless information. Keep up the good work :)
Thank you very much Ralfy. I am young (25) and very new to scotches as it can be very expensive and most spirits i used to get pissed anyway haha. But this video is very good informative on what to look for what "quality" whiskey really is from a real Scotsman that knows his stuff :) there isnt a whole lot of knowledge about scotch among my peers, so getting this info is great and interesting. Thank you very much ralfy!
I have to say that this is one of the best and most informative reviews. I always thought about this finishing and dig it up, but your reviews answers more of my questions before I had figured out how exactly to ask them. Thanks, Ralfy.
Thank You, Ralfy for your enthusiasm in your enlightening of us. That's really hard job. Always interesting and informative. Cheers!
This would be one of the most interesting, useful and fascinating reviews yet. Thank you ralfy. Your a steadfast companion through this journey through malt.
Ralfy hi.
This (#344) is and always will be one of the great ones!
Isn't it a blessing when we find our calling?!! greatstuff maltmate.
Peace
Hello Ralfy reading MANY of the comments on this site are an "education in itself"
You must feel like a richer person with all of these exchanges of ideas!
you can be sure WE do!
Thanx maltmate.
I have read many books and heard many opinions on nosing, tasting, maturation process and opinions on the industry , You give a refreshing, interesting and always honest opinion on the whisky insudtry and it is greatly appreciated.
Hope to see more videos similar to this one in the near future.
Cheers !
When I realized the incredible importance of a quality cask, I immediately understood why distilleries that offer to fill a cask with their spirit and store it for customers always downplay the expectations for the resulting whisky. I'm guessing the casks used in those programs are lesser casks.
Hi Ralfy! Just wanted to say thanks for making my day once again!
Extremely informative vlog! This was a pleasure to watch, and then watch again the next day for anything I missed the first time. Excellent stuff, Ralfy. Thank you!
Rally, thanks so much for your videos. You have brought me along in my appreciation for things. This particular video highlights your thorough approach.
Excellent commentary Ralfy...thanks for your Malt discipleship!
Keep up the great work ralfy, Im sure I won't be alone in saying I have learnt so much from your videos.
My pleasure, always happy to assist regarding one's Whisky quest.
Ralfy, love the informative vlogs about whisky. Would love to see you step outside the regular format of a vlog reviewing a single shisky whiskey each time more often.
Unfortunately I will not be not be able to get to sample all the whiskys you review in the majority of your vlogs so many of your vlogs, to my dismay, go underappreciated by myself... but I am able to make use of and learn something from every informative vlog such as this one that you upload. cont ...
Great work Ralfy, always a pleasure to come home and hear your review. I don't even really like Scotch, per say, - I just enjoy listening to your stories and your points of view.
It is amazing what finishing can do to a whisky. I recently bought a small 2 litre American oak barrel, filled it with some cheap oloroso sherry, left it for about 2 weeks, replaced it with some cheap supermarket own Speyside malt, left it for 1 month and the results were nothing short of incredible. It transformed a very simple and quite boring malt that cost £20 into a rich and much more exciting malt that I wouldn’t be disappointed with if I paid £30 - £40 for it.
"The bottom Line is ....you can put a bad spirit into a good cask and get a decent result... put you can put the best of spirits into a bad cask and end up with Shit ! that's the fact of it..." That is GOLD!
In the spirt (no pun) of ralfys re-reviews,,,,,, Talisker. The review that started it all!!! Cmon Ralfy.
Excellent Vlog Ralf.....
I`am on sensery overload at the moment and trying to digest all of this information.A while back I read an article about whisky casks and how some of the copperage companies are being asked by distilleries to add a mix of different staves from different matured spirit or wine when building or re-building casks to experiment on flavour profiles.Very interesting idea I thought.Cheers to the aqua vitea(by the way Ralf,,great video u posted about Scottish history & whisky
Thanks for the insights about maturation and the history of it. Out of necessity there emerged something new and beautiful.
What I stumbled on shortly was a whine cask finished "The Six Isles" from Ian McLeod. Interestingly enough it is a blended whisky and the petrus gaia finish works really well. I totally underestimated the independent distillers and I stand corrected. What a bang for the buck, a bordeaux bomb so to say. I think I'll concentrate more on the smaller ones for a while.
Thoroughly enjoyable vlog, thanks for imparting your experience and utterly valid opions. Good work fella!
Just to follow up on this: To a dram of standard Connemara peated Irish whiskey, add a small amount (about 1/10th) of rye. The rye spice mixes well with the mild peat. It also lengthens the rather short finish of the Connemara. Delicious!
Yesir Ralfy, we'v watchd each othrs bac ovr the mist of tym.
US n UK! Its a great relashionship that's developt since our forefathers came frm the shores of yor venerable kingdom...long may it prosper!
cheers cuz!!
Another wonderfully informative video Rafly, thank you sir.
fantastic. thanks for pointing that out. very informative. the guys at springbank are doing such a great job, i definetly going to head that way next time im in scotland.
The half distillation is where the low wines are collected between the 1st and 2nd distillations and mixed with the feints to be distilled (hence three total distillations). That distillate is combined with the twice distilled new make.
27min57sec!! luvn it maltmate. keep on keepin on.
Theres only ONE Ralfy often imitated NEVER duplicated!
cheerio mate
Thanks for saying my malt mention! I'm a big fan of your reviews!
Excellent vlog, I found that really informative. Cheers ralfy
Ralfy, i love single malt whisky, but sometimes it's hard to believe, that whisky really spends 12, 15, 20 years in the casks. In these days, demand and economy, i fear that distilleries have secret ways to faster whisky maturation. What do you think?
Sorry for my bad english.
Very informative and interesting, as usual. Thank you for sharing.
Ralfy, whenever I listen to your reviews I always put on The Chieftains, Cherish the Ladies or Tony McManus. Keep it up!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us !
Another great vlog. Very informative Ralfy. Although I couldn't help but notice that you seemed, well, down maybe? Hope all is well. Cheers buddy.
I have a beautiful 1999 Benriach 12yo Petrus Gaia finish in my collection and I adore it. It's a release from Dun Bheagan and really subtle and smooth. There are only 730 bottles out there and I'm thinking of buying another one before they are all sold out.
great dollop of information Ralfy... ty
Interesting explanation on failed maturation. I believe I had the same experience with the Glenmorangie Lasanta which appeared to get worse as it sat in the glass after 10, 15 and 20 minutes. The initial strong sherry and sweetness disappeared and rather unpleasant flavors started to crop up in the finish. I'm still relatively inexperienced but now I wonder if what I experienced is exactly what you described: a poorly matured malt given a perfume-y finish. Keep up the good work, Ralfy!
Superb episode, Ralfy!
Excellent vlog! I noticed comments about Doublewood 17. I wrote a short article last fall comparing the 12 and the 17. Yes, the 17 is pricey, part this new push for "luxury" pricing, I think. But it does taste *different* than the 12, not just older. However, given the in-and-out nature of the sherry that I get from the 17, and in light of Ralfy's statements, I wonder if it would have been well enough to just offer a 17-yo that wasn't double-matured at all. Couldn't charge as much, then.
Great information. Thank you Ralfy. I wonder if you could possibly make a video in the future pertaining to your first time that you drank liquor and the background and age and historical information upon which started your love of whisky drinking. At what age do Irish people start drinking alcohol?
Superb presentation as always. Fascinating stuff. BTW your lighting setup is great, what camera are you using for your vlogs. The definition is fine. Regards
Perfect timing on the Irish Whiskeys. Our Whisky Club is holding an Irish tasting in March in honor of St. Paddy's Day. We are having;
UD WRITERS TEARS NAS 70CL 40% €27,50
BUSHMILLS THREE WOODS 16Y 70CL 40% €42,50
REDBREAST 15Y 70CL 46% €66,50
MIDLETON YELLOW SPOT 12Y 70CL 40% €64,95
CONNEMARA CASK STRENGTH NAS 70CL 57.9% €45,00
You might be correct on that point. I've read a least one source that says David Stewart, Master Distiller at Balvenie, developed cask finishing a bit earlier than Glenmorangie. That said, I think Glenmorangie took the concept and ran with it making it famous.
Hey Ralfy love your vlog, great stuff for a young inexperienced whiskey drinker. I live in Minnesota, USA and we are quite close to Canada. I really enjoyed you series on American distilling but much of my local bottle shops have Canadian spirits. Will you ever be doing a series on Canadian whiskeys or can you recommend anything?
You are so wonderful... You have been a delight to learn fom therse past weeks since discovering you. i've since bought several bottles of whiskey inspired by your thouhts. Any chance you might look into Greek Metaxa?
Great Vlog Ralfy! I would love to see you review some of those rarer Glenmorngies. Particularly that artisan cask! I always was curious about that bottle but passed on it because of it's high price and small size. What do you think about it?
Ralfy, thanks for this video! Very informative. I take it this is not the same bottle of Lagavulin DE that you reviewed some time ago. Must be worth buying if you've gone back for seconds!
Since Ralfy has done some re-reviews it would be nice to see and hear something of this newer Lagavulin DE.
Very good vlog and overview, but I’m surprised there was not more of a tie-in between the new finishes and the NAS trend. As you say, “there is no short-cut to good maturation”, but many distillers attempted, and attempt, a lot of sleight-of-hand using finishes to move immature/inferior whiskies out the door, Bruichladdich (and its many “bold experiments”) not least among them. Even after extra maturation, many of these whiskies still had no age, or age statement, to speak of - and it shows.
Here in Germany there is a small Whisky Producer Ziegler, he makes a whisky called Aureum, wich is finished in chestnut casks. Sadly the wisky is only aged for three years but it seems to work (haven't tasted it yet). But I know that in Scotland Oak Casks hve to be used. Greets fro a german "Maltimaniac"
I only speak about America, as I've traveled little outside the US, but Ralfy has a good point about Americans and sugar. There is a big thrust by corporations to get sugar into the food because sugar is not only addictive, but the use of it increases the craving for more.. HIgh sugar drinks are ubiquitous. Worse still is high fructose corn syrup. It turns to fat because of the large size of the molecule. I used to be a Coco Cola addict. Now it's water, green tea and coffee black.
Very interesting vlog! I have a Glenmorangie burgundy wood botlle and at first the smell of red whine is really overwhelming, but after a couple of minutes it calms down and the whisky comes through it but the red whine is definitly still there. Is that the sign of a good maturation? Should it remain the same or should it never be overwhelming in the first place? It's definitly one of the most interesting whiskies i have ever had and i quite like it (only problem is i can't find a new bottle).
Would love to have your opinion on some small batch and single barrel American Whisky, Whiskey, and Bourbon. Their is alot of great American Whisky under 75 us dollars that are easy to find. I truly think you would find the variety of quality of American whiskies and bourbons refreshing.
I think the impact of cheap wood on Bourbon is even more pronounced. Most people drink it in cocktails or tall drinks though, so it doesn't matter so much. Fortunately nosing and such have crossed over to this side of the Atlantic, and more Americans are taking their bourbon quite seriously. So I think we're seeing a change for the better in that regard.
hey! thanks to your comment i found the double wood 17! i didn't even know it existed. How is it, if put in an ensemble (composed of the balvenies i've tried or own) of Golden Cask, Signature 12, Cuban 14, Portwood 21 ?
Great information. Thanks!
Good idea, thank you mate!
have you ever done a vid on stills and distillation? obviously the majority of Scotch is double distilled, but Auchantoshan (and irish) is tripple... would be good to hear more on what this does to the finished product.
oh and interestingly i read the other day that Springbank does a 2 1/2 distillation?! not sure how they do a half distillation ... maybe the information was wrong
Ralfy, obviously the whisk(e)y industry is experiencing a boom cycle. Using history as a guide, when do you think that things will slow down? And when they do, what might be some of the ramifications for consumers, good and bad?
Hello Ralfy.
we'v often alluded to different quick-finishes as often "iffy" .....at times gimmicky.
Q. Will a Madeira finish always mask the more subtle complxities or/& a Port cask??
In your opinion which one if any "adds" to the intrinsic qualities of the better malts?
Thanks Ralfy
Nice job!
Ralfy - a few questions for you...From your sources, or personal knowledge - is there any particular Kentucky bourbon, or Tennessee whiskey distillery that has a high reputation, or demand for their barrels?
We hear so much about American whiskey barrels being used to age Scotch whisky; is there any distillery in Scotland aging their spirit in a Canadian whiskey barrel?
What types of barrels did Scotch whisky mature in before WWII and the introduction of bourbon and wine-based barrels?
Ralfy, With St Paddy's Day fast approaching, pls, review a few Irishes. I know that you have done Bushmill's Orig, Black Bush, Jameson's, Tyrconnel SM 15. Maybe, Powers, Kilbeggan, and a few more of the workman's Irishes. Thanks, a bunch.
Have you ever shown your entire collection on a video, Ralfy? If yes: any idea which review it was? If not: can we expect you to do something like that? Because I'm very curious to see how you have managed to store all those bottles in your home :).
i always watch your videos on a whiskey that im gonna get. i trust your opinion
You mentioned that Glenmorangie had a great port wood cask in the 90's. What is so different between that expression and the Quinta Ruban?
Great vlog Ralfy. I had a JW Red label today and it stank of sulphur and tasted of caramel. Terrible. It's gotten worse in the last 2 years. Definitely. Do you agree?
The balvenie was one of my first loves when it came to scotch, how was the 17 year old double wood? I'm really interested to know if its worth a purchase. Thanks,
Well, I came about a rum finished BenRiach a while ago. Peated, to boot. I greatly enjoyed it.
Hey ralfy, loyal fan here,
I was at the Glenlivet distillery a few months ago and I thought that their 15 YO is much simpler (and in my opinion better) than their 18 YO. I was wondering what are your thoughts of that, and if you are considering reviewing any of those soon?
Cheers, George
I've tasted a rum-finished Ardbeg. It was quite nice indeed. A 16 yo Old Malt Cask if I remember correctly.
The 5,7 and 12 star Metaxa are quite nice - Cognac like, fruity but distinctly spicier. Not much difference between the 5 (38%) and 7 (40%) in terms of flavour. 12 is smoother still.
Have any distillers experimented with beer/ale casks? How did they turn out / would you recommend any?
Two experiments I'd love to see a distillery try - a tequila finished single malt and a rye cask single malt
Great vid
Ralfy, have you had a chance to taste the Bruichladdich Black Art series? Thoughts?
Have you ever seen a whisky matured in rye casks? I would expect rye to mesh well with Scotch, no?. U.S. and Canadian distilleries have been producing a 95% rye recipe with no corn, resulting in a different final cask profile than a typical bourbon cask. I would certainly like to try a spirit matured in a rye cask.
Wait. I thought Scots said "shitE?" I missed a meeting apparently.
Ralfy, Have you tasted Macleod's 8 years single malt? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Personally I find it rather pleasant, especially if you "finish off" with a taste of some of the sweeter brands. Just my opinion, though.
Its a great scotch in my opinion! I've only had a couple drams and the over all experience may remind one of a dessert. Its rather pleasant, though I wish they'd have bottled it at a higher proof. Unfortunately Its price is not exactly worth it, and I'm not sure this is one that I would frequently buy, but maybe share once a year had I the cash. Shelling out $135 a bottle is just not in my budget
Weren’t Port and Madeira casks already being used many decades before along with sherry?
Ralfy I know you've not the most interest in The Balvenie. I don't blame you. But I've a question. They recently released a newer DoubleWood. 17 years. (I had to have it, I don't exactly know why) now here's the question. The color is remarkably dark, and unlike the rest of their bottlings, there is no straight forward information on it. Is it chill filtered and is color added into this one? I've done research but no luck on my part finding out
Thanks!
What would the spirit be called if they disregard the rule and use inner staves?
Would it still be called whisky and is there still production with inner staves going on?
Hi ralfy.I saw a vid by whiskyU stating that if the single malt bottle is labelled at 18 yr old.They cannot mix anything under 18 but they can mix it with anything above 18?? Then how can it be still 18 yrs old if its mixed with older cask above 18 yrs??
Nice Nice Very Nice!!.
You do listen to our requests!! Thanks Ralfy.
only kidding!
So now Yeast Strains should still in be in the offing then, rite?? Im sure it must be as it is just One Member of the Holy Trinity of Malt!!
Thnx again!
We be Peace.
I would like to try some hybrid cask whisky.
What's your favorite Macallan expression for a decent(less than £100) price?
I have the 17 yr Balvenie DBL Wood as well, and even though it's a "nice" dram I don't see it being worth the $120 I spent.
Just recently I tried both the Anconc 12 yr, and 16 yr...The 16 yr Ancnoc was nothing special (just my honest opinion) - however the 12 yr Ancnoc is a wonderful dram, and to think that I could've purchased 3 bottles of the 12 yr Ancnoc for 1 bottle of the 17 yr DBL Wood leaves me scratching my noggin.
Would be VERY grateful to know if you have a view about Whyte & Mackay 52.5% 'High Strength' blended and Scot's Club 15 yr old. I have tracked down a bottle of each.
Ever come across a big peaty rum aged whisky? I'm thinking Laphroaig and Mt Gay... Would that work?
Hi Ralfy,
Even if inner staves are banned, they are still legal... Why don't they use inner staves and call the product by some other name rather than Whisky?
Hi ralfy what is a - refill bodega American oak butt?
Camoflux- Have you tried some Bourbons? Maybe you could find something up your alley there