ralfy review 746 Extras - The 'Shape' of whiskies
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2018
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This video represents a personal opinion and perspective only.
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"Pity the fools..."
-ralfy (2018)
Never expected ralfy to call upon the wisdom of Mr. T.
Whisky is fresh; crack is whack!
"money can be the definition of poverty" is such a great statement that says so much.
Ralfy, this video really chimes with me - I just loved the concept of this video. You articulated an idea that you just don’t see anywhere else, such a great tool for (relative) newbies like myself to better understand and enjoy what we are buying. Genius!
. . . happy to help with the malt-moments !
What a beauty this extra is, definitely on of my favorites from Ralfy. A true master at work.
His extras are the best. I’ve learned so much from this dude.
Just the other day a young buck was asking the clerk about which bottle is more aged. And he was told "the darker the color, the more aged it is". Security cameras likely caught me doing a face palm in the aisles :)
Great presentation Ralfy!
Almost 15 minutes of poetry, that was. Awesome video!
Thanks Ralfy. I’ve been watching you for a while now, but have yet to thank you for your work and candor. I’ve learned so much from you, and in particular this episode. I’m not spoilt for choice in Sydney Australia when it comes to distilleries. But after watching this episode there’s definitely one nearby that I need to revisit (a shop in Bowral that acts as a cellar door for a family distillery whose name escapes me now). I had I think a 2 year old whiskey that was really quite ok given its age. I’ll go back now and reassess. If only I could afford a really old few drams to experience the older spectrum - I shall save up! Thank you for all you do, and a belated congrats on the speed record!
. . . happy to help with the malt-moments matey !
You have me reading labels with a trained eye Ralfy, cutting through the flannel and getting more for my meager whisky budget, but less can be more. Thank you! Ossie
Just brilliant Dear Sir! This was incredibly helpful and extremely interesting information!😃. This is why I look forward to visiting the bothy each week. Thank you and hope you have a wonderful week! Feel better soon!
How much I enjoy your videos! And this was one of the best if not the best so far. I will surely rewatch it a couple more times
Gotta admit, being told I'm ahead by Ralfy made my day. Sure it was indirectly spoken to all of us, but I'll take it.
Fascinating insight Ralfy, and its nice to be ahead of the crowd!
TRULY FANTASTIC KNOWLEDGE AS USUAL, THANKS AGAIN RALFY.
I am not as much of an advocate of the very old malts, but what you are saying about the "shape" of whiskey is spot on. People with more money than me look at me like I'm mad when I talk about how the flavor of a great whiskey can evolve and resolve over the better part of an hour. They also look aghast when I pronounce a younger malt superior to their very pricey bottles. I have seen plenty of luxury bottlings that were past their prime and losing flavor to the cask.
Exactly John. You don't have to read too many of Serge Valentin's reviews to come across an old whisky that has just spent too long in the cask.
Adelphi's 7 year old Glenrothes is one of the best whiskies I've ever come across. Don't be afraid of young whisky!
Congrats to the malt-mates watching this Extras - we're in the top 10%!!! 🏆🏆🏆
Maybe 10% of the geeks. Likely less than 1% of global whisky drinkers.
Very interesting, thankyou for letting us gain extra knowledge 👍
Knowledge ✊🏼you’re a wealth Ralfy 👍🏼
Many thanks for the extras!
I wish I could like twice! Here Here to Ralfy and what he brings to us t he whiskey sipping people of the world.
I enjoyed this very much Ralfy!!
Great great video! Hats off to you Ralfy, thanks!! Slainte from South Africa 🇿🇦😊🥃!!
My deep respect and thank you for sharing!
The 4yo dram should serve well as your malty Manx medicine. Thanks for another excellent extra.
+1 for more young malt reviews.
SPOT-ON about younger whiskies providing a useful point of reference (on top of still being delicious in their own right) - Stranahan's from Colorado is a great example!
Though every year at Whiskey Fest I ask them if they'll bottle something at 5-7 years, and every year they say "we're thinking about it" :D
Such an appropriate subject of discussion while I enjoy a malt moment w/a nice bottle of Glenfiddich 14 year Bourbon Barrel Reserve at 43% I purchased less than two hours ago. This scotch is absolutely and deliciously SHAPED in it's complexity from a good time in former bourbon barrels. The influence of the bourbon barrels is utterly unmistakable.... A beautifully strange bourbon shape to this malt on both the nose and on the palate.
The initial arrival on the nose is right out of a Kentucky bourbon warehouse. The development from here is the Glenfiddich distillery character revealing itself. Upon adding a few drops of GOOD water the flavors open up-----along with a bit of time breathing in my glass it continues to evolve.... So lovely this dram------hints of vanilla, caramel, bitter oak, fresh fruit (apples & pears), buttery toffee, very malty cereal notes, an almost fresh bread baking in the oven note on both the nose and tongue...... Just wonderful-------RALFY I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS ONE ENOUGH FOR A REVIEW......
Great discussion as always good sir............... SLAINTE!!!!!
Jesse, I'm looking out for this one here in Israel. I haven't seen it in the shops here yet. I am very familiar with the Glenfiddich 14 YO Rich Oak which I was not over-impressed with. I heard that the Glenfiddich Bourbon Barrel Reserve 14 YO was very different to the Rich Oak.
It is very good. This is the 2nd bottle I've ever had and it still has that VERY strong indicator of having matured in ex bourbon barrels (and I love bourbon too). Probably one of the most uniquely BOURBON SHAPED single malt scotch whiskies I've ever had-----I do hope you are able to eventually find it there in Israel!!!!!
I am really glad you mentioned aging in the bottle! Its’ been a topic of discussion if this is a “true” phenomenon. Some people hold the opinion that time stops having an influence on the liquid ones it is put into a bottle.
Air can have a big effect on opened whiskies over time once there is space in the bottle. On a sealed modern bottle, age doesn't have nearly as much effect as the conditions in which it is stored. Whisky contact with the bottle glass that held it once had an effect upon the product, but this was virtually eliminated with the modernization of glass production processes.
@@Malt454 I'll let you know for sure in 50 years. :-)
Fascinating as always Ralfy. I can see why you left the nosing out of this but it did make me wonder how sometimes the aromas I get do not translate directly onto the palate. Not sure if others get this too or whether it is just me. Cheers
great video, i've got a lot of leaning out of it! cheers!
it always happens so fast when i taste the whisky....i get some stuff...but not nearly all of it...i feel it change in my mouth, but i dont know: was that the oak? or was it the alc %? etc... and then....i dont even know where the finish begins...and i dont even know how to long keep the whisky in my mouth, i try different "styles" but i just dont know where to stay....but what ralfy said at the end helped me to not get frustrated...but still....its frustrating not not get some way to do it and then do it that way (same with audiophile stuff etc)
i have to comment, this is a properly decent video i was fully interested all the way through, you gave great insight in this good job
Hi Ralfy I've just decanted Glen Stag blended scotch into an ex port bottle how long should I wait before expecting results?
Another great video!
AGE DOES MATTER BUT ONLY relative to the quality of the cask used for maturation.
In my opinion. Age is only relevent in combination with knowledge of quality and type of the cask which must include the number of times the cask has been used. Without this information there is no point of reference and Age statement becomes almost meaningless!
For complete transparency, the label should tell you the percentage of 1st Fill/2nd Fill... casks used, the cask wood types, the toasting and charring level used, the previous contents of the casks or whether it has been re-seasoned, AND of course, the final piece in the puzzle, the years spent maturing in these casks. Each of these elements on its own only tells a small part of the story and therefore can be very deceptive.
For instance. A whisky with an official age statement of 21 Years but matured in 4th/5th Fill non-active tired out casks might well produce less flavoursome and rewarding whisky than a whisky matured for only 5 years in 1st Fill casks.
I am no fan of Non Aged Statement whiskies but Age Statement expressions are almost meaningless without knowledge of cask age and quality and often, only there in order to hike up the price.
What a shame that companies don't have the confidence to put an age statement on Deanson Virgin Oak, Tomatin Legacy, Glen Moray Classic. All delcious single malts so why be shy about how old the youngest whisky in the vatting is?
Oh, and something which is not mentioned anyway near as much, if you are shy about putting age statements on the bottle, why not go the way of Kilchoman, Balblair and Benromach that release Vintage statements. In my opinion, Vintage statement are a Win Win situation but that's another topic....
Age does matter but only relative to the quality of the cask used for maturation. - so, in the absence of cask information, producers have their excuse not to provide age information.
Turn it around and say "cask information matters but only relative to age", which is equally true, and producers have their excuse not to provide cask information if they don't provide age information.
The idea of that "which doesn't tell me all tells me nothing" can be leveraged by producers into "we can't or won't tell you everything, so we'll tell you nothing so you won't be 'biased' by incomplete information", or can largely be used as a rationale for product labels that say nothing more than "whisk(e)y" or just tell fanciful fables that have nothing to do with what's inside the bottle.
Those who support NAS - by buying it and selling it, regardless of all the information that they "wish" they could get - are directly supporting a market of less, rather than more, product information. That being the case, they can forget about transparency and how desirable it would be because, if they don't support at least some information over no information, they will never get full disclosure anyway. ABVs can be "deceptive" in terms of what I like as well - they don't tell me everything about a whisky, nor how much I'll like it - but that's no reason to remove them from the label because they don't "tell the whole story". It's no coincidence that many of the same industry players who are eager to point out "age isn't everything" on (some younger) products are also the ones who stand in the way of reform in labeling law. Unfortunately, this is an age in whisky in which information has to be fought for by consumers, not wished for, and it's primarily the failure of consumers to do so which has given us the nonsensical marketing that we're seeing. People who complain about the state of the industry should also take a look at what they support, not in theory, but in their purchasing.
I am picturing that Excel spreadsheet of a label :)
Producers always find the room, and the time, to provide the information that they want you to know - and the nerve to fill in the rest with nonsensical stories and self-serving adjectives surrounding quality. It wouldn't take a spreadsheet to provide more than double the information most labels presently do, because most provide next to none.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_John_(whisky)
Read the HISTORY section and it gives details of their Maturation process..
One can see why they wouldn't want it stated on the bottle.. Because the average Gift Buyer thinks that AGE = QUALITY..
Quarter Cask!!
Has the exact same influence as a bigger casked whisky (does complicated maths using Pi)
Anyway.. That is why Quarter Cask Laphroaig doesnt give an age statement as the in educated public think that Older is Always BETTER.
Imagine having a bottle from an auction that is 100 years old. Pro level collector 👌
A question...if you see it :) Is ABV affecting the lenght of the dram in the glass? Or it simply just depends on the temperature of the environment (alcohol vs. water evaporation...just like in case of whisky maturation)....?
I would assume that higher the abv is, the longer the experience in the glass, or even the longer lifetime in the bottle after opened, with even relatively much air in it.
. . . more alcohol in a bottle means better long-term preservation, and yes, often, but not always, a 'fuller' experience in a glass.
Enjoyed that daft mill i see 😁
Synesthesia and Scotch. A great combination.
Now this is real anorak content!!
Love your vids
Thank you malt Mate.sean
No no no Thank YOU Ralfy you are the Best!
Ralfy...is there any bottle you have tried that just stood out as the best you ever had?
. . . an old version of Signatory 19yo cask Mortlach, I love older Mortlach !
@@ralfydotcom yes
Fascinating stuff Ralfy.
This may seem a like a stupid question but just wondering if there is a correct way to taste a whisky when you're trying to work out its character?
I'd add to what jwka2001 said.
Two Glencairn glasses.
Small water jug to add a few drops.
Two single malts of similar price scale.
The easiest way, in my opinion, to discover character in single malts is through comparing two single malts.
For instance, try a Glen Moray 12 with a Deanston 12.
or Tomatin Legacy with a Deanston Virgin Oak,or Talisker 57 Degrees North with a Clynelish 14,or Coal Ila 12 with a Laphroaig 10 or Ardbeg 10.
You will soon pick up differences and specific characters.
Glencairn is an okay glass but far from being the best. It's mostly Scottish marketing. Try with a glencairn and with a good nosing glass and you'll keep the glencairn in the back of your closet...
smidsyonfire - I’ll tell you how I enjoy a dram - I pour my measure, taste a sip of it, then decide how much water I think it needs. Then, tiny sips - just enough to let it cover the tongue. From that point, I suck it as if it’s chocolate gently melting in my mouth (that’s actually how I eat only the best chocolate, as well). As it slips from tongue to throat, I get all the sensations and flavours that the whisky contains. An utter joy! But that’s how I enjoy the delights of whisky - I’m not saying I know any better than anyone else. Try it, though.
That does make a lot of sense! Cheers
. . . simply taste with the benefit of growing experience !
You need a medicinal single malt. Glenmorangie 10......you know it's a comfort malt.
. . . comfort's important !
Hey can any one help me I know nothing about whisky can any one suggest something to get me on the right lines and something to enjoy as a complete noob
. . . here to help malt-mate, start with a bottle of Glenfiddich 12yo, then patience, practice, perseverance and moderation will take you on a journey in smell, taste, philosophy, humanity and emotion. Enjoy the journey !
You've come to the right place at Ralfy.com, just go back over Ralfy's many reviews, for every now and then he mentions which whisky would be a good one to start with and how to drink them to get the most pleasure.
@@ralfydotcom thank you so much
Maybe they should put the age of The Youngest AND the Oldest used in creation..?
It is a sad shame because blenders will be NOT using young barrels - even though the addition could make the finished Whisky LOADS better - simply because it will have to be sold labelled as that young additive barrel...
I wonder if unaged single malt distillate is just a flat disk that smacks you in the face :) as you cross the event horizon and reach "singularity". This is universal theory of malty-tivity.
. . . basicly, yes !
What did you smoke?
Your offspring
I see why they keep age statements secret.. Because the Scottish Whisky Association demand that the Age that is Stated has to be the YOUNGEST ...
So if a 20 year old scotch needed 2-4% of a 4-5 year old to give it that Snap that it needed.. It can only be called a 4-5 Year old Malt even though it is 90 odd percent 20 year old.
The general market has come to conflate AGE with QUALITY.
The Scotch Whisky Association is nothing more than a trade association made up of the producers themselves; they don't make the law, although is it true that the big players have no interest in changing labeling law to allow more complete age information. So many of the same companies that complain that their "hands are tied" on product information also support keeping things exactly that way through their support and membership in the SWA. The idea that many NAS whiskies represent a lot of otherwise old and pricey malt miraculously improved by small amounts of younger stuff, as opposed to a lot of younger product made moderately complex through the addition of small amounts of older product, is interesting, but pricing doesn't seem to bear it out. If anyone believes that NAS is essentially a way to deliver older (and improved) products to the public at lower prices by "skirting" labeling law and omitting age, I have some swampland and bridges I'd like them to look at.
"The general market has come to conflate AGE with QUALITY." - and now the general market has come to believe that age doesn't matter to what they are drinking, even though whisky producers track the age of every cask they make and different ages producing different effects in different whiskies is the very CORNERSTONE of multivintaging. Furthermore, they'll believe age doesn't matter while they'll believe colouring and chill-filtration does... which basically means they'll believe whatever marketing points the industry wants them to embrace at any given time.
I've heard both good and meh reviews of Proper 12. I'd love Ralfy to review it.
I would rather buy a Non Chill Filtered, No Colouring, 47% malt with NO age statement because that is the sign that it is intended for genuine Malt Mates !
Also, the market as it stands mean they are generally very affordable (and probably investable)
Age Stated Whisky is always 50-70% more pricey..
And they nearly all are 40% - Chill Filtered and contain Caramel..
If you want a 12 year old in it's optimum form.. Then you are talking about £50-70 easy
NAS products are intended for people who don't know, or care, that age matters to what they are buying/drinking. These products show a big disregard for the physics that contribute to whisky character and genuine Malt Mates should, frankly, be smarter than that. Your Non Chill Filtered, No Colouring, 47% malt with NO age statement would be the same product regardless of whether it is 3 or 30, so long as no one tells you the age? Both chill-filtration and colouring matter to whisky but, somehow, age does not? Does ABV matter? Would ABV suddenly "not matter" if it were removed from the label? NAS is a completely illogical bill of goods sold to the unwary.
Ralfy please review Conor McGregor’s Proper Twelve Whiskey 🥃
Professor Ralfy?
Sir, I have a question before we start class.
There is a liquid called "Water" that I am told is very good for cleaning blackboards.
Have you ever heard of it sir?
Could we get a clean blackboard before we begin, please?
What do you mean, you never touch the stuff?
Surly your life has crossed the stuff from time to time?
NO!
Holy Shit! Oh!! -- excuse me please professor.
But that board may look clean close up, but white chalk on a very badly wiped board is very hard to see, from across the world.
Maybe next time we could have a clean board, just for a change up?
Thank You
SS (*_*)
You poor thing
I'll except "pitiful" but buy no imagination could I be called poor.
Humor is a living beast.
We must listen to the thunder or the beast will feast.
Have a wee-bit mate and try to loosen the bands a bit.
Even better than water at cleaning blackboards, Ralfy might actually find a reason to buy Glenlivet Founders Reserve.
That comment almost sounds sacrilegious.
. . . Im listni'n !
First
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. . . Verified as First !
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Big shout to the swaledale Bothy in the middle of the Yorkshire dales?
. . . never too quiet in the Swaledale Bothy, keep it shouty !