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Dark Origins Now Out of the Shadows

Highland Park’s new Dark Origins expression has hit American shores.

And while my review has many favorable things to say about the whisky itself, the packaging and marketing is a bit much.

Highland Park Dark Origins box review 1mansmalt.com

Out of the shadows and first fill sherry casks of European oak comes a mysterious no-age-statement expression, the first deemed worthy of Highland Park’s core range of classic single malt.

Having now tasted it, I am surprised they aren’t marketing it as a recreation of a pre-Prohibition version of Highland Park, due to the prominence of European oak, Oloroso sherry, and peat.

Instead, they have taken things further into the realm of romantic fantasyland when it comes to the packaging and the marketing that goes along with it.

The name Dark Origins is meant to harken back to the founder of the distillery, who was a clergyman by trade, while engaging in illicit whisky making before he was granted a legal license to distill in 1798.

I guess if Jameson’s PR folks can invent tall tales about their Kraken-slaying founder, Highland Park can turn theirs into a figure of manly mystery, whose secret dealings as a “dark distiller” is equated with defending the common folk of the Orkney Islands from “from the villainy of the tax collectors.”

Are your eyes rolling yet?

The Dark Origins box sports the image of said founder’s head partially obscured by a hooded cloak. He even has the stubble of a Hollywood action figure on his chiseled unshaven chin, ala Braveheart or Aragorn son of Arathorn. At least they left him off of the bottle, which is is also black and all done in silver writing.

Perhaps this Robin Hood vs. the tax collector slant is all a poke at the legal restrictions in Scotland that say thou shall not display an age statement on a bottle of whisky older than the youngest spirit contained therein. So the ages of the casks blended to create Dark Origins shall remain a mystery, and so will be the whisky itself, unless you buy it and free it from the obfuscation of the black bottle.

However, the use of the word “dark” also signifies the larger portion of the expression that was aged in first fill sherry casks – which is proven in the nose alone.

And while it is a bit darker than the 12 year old expression, and notably darker than the 15 year old, which is the closest to it in terms of price, the post-production enhancement of the “rich mahogany” color seen in the official video advertisement for Dark Origins, conveniently held up in front of a stained mahogany wall, bears no resemblance to what actually comes out of the bottle.

Hardly cricket, that. But at least they resisted any temptation to introduce caramel coloring, something Highland Park does not use, and hopefully never will.

I found the pale amber of the actual color, with its blackish accents, and rich golden highlights quite attractive, even if Dark Origins comes nowhere near the “rich mahogany” color of the 30 year old expression, which we tasted along side it.

The published wording (here as it actually appears on the box and bottle) is:

“DOUBLE first fill sherry casks for a DARKER richer flavour.”

At first that sounds as fine an example of marketing DOUBLE speak as I can remember. Double compared to what? They do not say. And how can a flavor be darker when light or its absence has no bearing on the senses of taste and smell?

But since I often use metaphors such as “dark” when trying to describe sound during many guitar reviews, I will grant them this allusion to a darker flavor.

In fairness, other marketing copy makes clear it has twice the first fill sherry casks involved than the standard 12 year old expression – and it certainly tastes like it. It is full of darker fruit like figs, prunes and cherries than the usual oranges and banana often floating around a glass of Highland Park, and the peat, both the green mulch and the smoke itself are also denser and pervasive. So dark isn’t such a bad metaphor for this spirit, since it is denser and more somber than typical HP.

And this branding of Highland Park Dark Origins is a good deal less brash than something like Talisker Storm, or the highland cow adorning Glen Scotia’s colorful if misguided packaging, the nouveau color schemes of Bruichladdich, or for that matter the over-the-top presentation of the new Mortlach line. It is hard to believe such displays actually bring in more sales than they discourage. But this sort of fanciful marketing seems to be trending, sad to say.

While its black bottle and action hero packaging is bit much, Highland Park’s tasty new Dark Origins expression fits more with the traditional distillery character than many of their other non-age-statement expressions, like those from their absurdly over-priced Valhalla series. But if they wish to use up their old bourbon casks and virgin oak casks in special editions to raise capital while saving their sherry casks for the core range, I am all for it!

Even if the fanciful packing might suggest otherwise, Dark Origins is well worth tracking down, and should be available across the U.S. very soon.

Highland Park Dark Origins review 1mansmalt.com

Read the Full Review

 

Tasteful Weekend of Whisky

While off at the 13th Annual Martinfest, there was collective bar of enjoyable spirits.

My own contribution was Glen Garioch Founders Reserve, and a liter Bank Notes blended scotch for the mixed drinks.

Spreading the Gospel

I was able to share the latest revelations from Dave Broom’s book, Whisky: The Manual by taking several people through tastings of various whisky with various mixers.

And I auctioned off a new copy of Dave’s venerable The World Atlas of Whisky, with the proceeds going to help fund next year’s Martinfest.

All and all, I netted some converts to the Great Malt and expanded the experience of many already converted.

Cheers!

Martinfest late night whisky collection 1mansmalt.com

American “Craft Whiskey” Often Made at Industrial Plant

Large quantities of American “craft whiskey” is actually made at an industrial plant in Indiana.

The distillery makes alcohol “used in everything from solvents and antiseptics to fungicides.”

This according to a report on the website The Daily Beast, which claims that various artisanal distilleries selling American “craft whisky” at premium prices, of the bourbon and rye varieties, are actually reselling spirit purchased from the Indiana plant.

This is what comes of not buying your whisky from Scotland or Ireland. 😉

Read the Full Article HERE

 

 

Excuse Our Mess While We Sharpen Our Saw

The new One Man’s Malt is still oiling the hinges.

But I will be out of town on guitar-oriented business from July 30 through August 5.

Once I return I will continue to add new content, while updating links still be pointing to the old, mothballed site.

Please bookmark 1mansmalt.com, as onemanz.com/malt will be going off line once the new site is fully updated.

Here’s to a great July finish, and the perfect August splash!

Diageo in the No-Age-Statement Era

Diageo in the No-Age-Statement Era of Malt Whisky

     What the New Mortloch Says

About Diageo’s Direction

Or

The Promise and Pitfalls of No-Age-Statement Mentality

As the largest Scotch malt whisky entity, Diageo has thrown its weight further into the no-age-statement arena with the launching of the new Mortlach Rare and Old.

(see our review HERE)

The rebranding of this classic, but obscure single malt has bellwether implications for the entire industry, as it moves away from traditional age statements, even as retail prices soar. And Diageo’s leadership role is once again on trial.

Read the Full Article

Mortlach Rare Old – Exclusive Review

Mortlach single malt whisky has returned to the wider world, with the much anticipated debut of four new expressions. The one with the lowest price, but by no means inexpensive, exhibits no age statement and is simply named Rare Old.

Region: Speyside      Style: Spicy/Fruity/Sweet      Class: Premium

Strength: 43.4%

Diageo sunk an enormous amount of money into refurbishing the Mortlach distillery, increasing production, and positioning it as a premium brand for international and travel markets. Given the changing climate in the whisky world, the anticipated release of Mortlach Rare Old will be seen by many as an early and important test of the no-age-statement era of malt whisky that is already upon us.

Would the Rare Old prove to be the latest greatest no-age-statement single malt? Or would it fall short of expectations? After all, this is not just any whisky being reimagined as a premium no-age-statement expression.

This is Mortlach.

And here is my review of Mortlach Rare Old

Putting Dave Broom’s Whisky Mixers to the Test

Reading and reviewing Dave Broom’s latest book, Whisky: The Manual was a life-changing experience for me.

I have enjoyed experimenting with the five main mixers he sampled with the 202 whiskies mentioned in the book. And I tried this with a number of whiskies, including some that were not featured.

The blend Great King St., which is light, oaky and bourbony, tastes so much like American Cream Soda when mixed with club soda I could barely believe it. And when I looked it up in Broom’s book, he made the same comparison. Otherwise we sometimes differed in our preferences, even if we see to have similar tastes.

For instance, he scored Johnnie Walker Black Label with a high 5 for coconut water, but scored the Red Label as only a 3. I found that Red Label, when left to marry with the coconut water and melting ice, turns into a liquid form of a Brach’s caramel candy. And it might make them a lot of money if they bottled as a liquor along the lines of Bailey’s Irish Cream. But I also liked the Black Label and great deal too.

Of the whiskies included in my tastings not sampled by Broom, the two most significant were Buchannan’s and Bank Note, both blended whiskies.

Buchannan’s is one of the old original scotch brands, just like Walker, Dewar’s, and Chivas. It is the most popular brand of whisky in Mexico, and it is finally making some headway the U.S. even if many parts of the country never see it. Generally speaking, it rather light and grainy, but the malt whisky contribution has a very nice balance of sherry, wood, spice, herbals, and notes of peat smoke, but by no means is it as outwardly smoky as White Horse or Teacher’s Highland Cream. Everything but the grain seems to be about hints and essence when it comes to flavoring. Still, I consider it a blend of quality and not the scotch flavored swill of some brands riding on an old name, but putting out corporate-excreted well scotch.

Just like on the rocks, the 12 year old expression was mildly pleasant in all of the mixers, with ginger ale and soda topping the list. But the richer 18 year old expression makes what may be my favorite ginger ale highball of any blended whisky. Using Broom’s scale I give it a 5*, but coconut water did not work very well at all. So in that case I would give it a 1 for Avoid.

Bank Note, which will be formally reviewed at One Man’s Malt in the coming weeks, is a very affordable blend from independent bottler A.D. Rattray. It is not very well known, even among UK whisky aficionados, but it is terrific, especially for the price. It would qualify for the B4 – Rich and Fruity flavor camp, in Broom parlance. It is malty, with a good dose of sherry and orange peel and heads more toward a Black Label sort of profile, if not nearly as refined or as smoky.

It is 40% single malts and clearly good quality grain whisky for the remainder, and it is officially 5 years old, which is one reason they chose the name, Bank Note, with artwork similar to an old 5 Pound Note, just like the brand of whisky of that same name from 100 years ago.

It does have some mineral and herbal bitterness that put me off a bit at first, but it passes during the second glass, and overall it has more character and meat on the bone than any blended scotch close to it in price, found in some shops for $20 per liter. Unfortunately, it is not found in many shops.

But when it comes to mixing, it absolutely excelled in every respect.

In three separate tastings hosted in New York City and Connecticut, almost everyone preferred Bank Note over other blends and single malts in every mixer. One woman preferred Teachers with ginger ale because of the smoke. One man hated everything that got near coconut water. But otherwise, Bank Note took the most top honors, in the opinion of anyone where it was present.

It was the only whisky that anyone actually liked with green tea. While I found some of them interesting, Bank Note and green tea morphed into a drink truly different than the sum of its parts. While I did not pick it as my first choice for ginger ale, soda, or coconut water, it rated very high for me in every instance. And like the green tea, a taster said Bank Note was the one that did not seem like it was enveloped by the coconut water, or was doing the enveloping. They blended together and became well integrated. And it was the clear winner in cola, which really doesn’t do much for me as a mixer.

When it comes to my being a straight scotch sort of drinker who is learning to love the benefits of mixed drinks, here are my thoughts on the various mixers.

Soda Water

Since American club soda is made with bicarbonate of potassium, thanks to the modern obsession with all things sodium-free, it is a bit too bitter than classic soda water for many modern drinkers. Therefore, seltzer (carbonated purified water without the added minerals) was better received when making a whisky and soda. Besides, it is the bubbles that matter here, more than minerals or a lack thereof.

The bubbles act as a flavor delivery device, while also adding a wakeup call to the tastes buds. And, according to Broom’s sources, the carbonic acid created by infusing water with carbonation creates a mild toxic reaction on the tongue, which the brain counters by releasing endorphins. In other words, when we drink fizzy drinks we feel happy. And it follows that when we drink fizzy drinks with whisky in them we are happier still.

Since club soda and seltzer are sugar-free, it tends to work best with sweeter whiskies like Irish whisky, bourbon, and particularly scotch with a lot of bourbon cask influence, as well as smokier scotch for people who dislike drinks deemed overly sweet.

Ginger Ale

Ginger ale is a fizzy drink that adds sugary sweetness matched with some spicy snap. It has been used to mix with whisky since it was first invented Northern Ireland in 1852, and the modern “dry” form was designed with whisky in mind and vice versa. So it is not surprising that many people take to the combination like ducks to water. And it excels with both spicy whiskies and smoky ones.

Cola

I am not much of a cola drinker, but it does work well with some whiskies, particularly those that are themselves heavy and full bodied. Before you get out the torches and pitchforks at Dave Broom’s recommendation of 16 yo Lagavulin and Coke, give it a try. You may just be surprised. I was surprised to find Jack and Coke ranking rather low, considering its popularity in the States. So if you like it, you may want to try Wild Turkey or Jim Beam White Label, both of which get a high 5 rating when mixed with cola. But for me ginger ale is the soda pop for spiking.

While not for everyone, the remaining mixers are not carbonated, and not something most westerners have ever considered for use as mixers, at least those of us in the northern hemisphere. But they are certainly interesting in terms of mouth feel, flavor, and how they affect the character of a whisky.

Green Tea

The green tea and whisky combo is unusual to say the least. It often tastes either like green tea with some booze in it, or booze with some tea in it. But when it works it can really work, and melds with the whisky to become a new and completely different drink (as per Bank Note,) one which is very good when severed very cold on a very hot day.

It should be pointed out that the green tea used for whisky in the Far East is NOT the grassy green Japanese variety that is found throughout the U.S. Rather it is a cold Oolong that is mildly sweetened. So my tastings were done with either unsweetened tea, or the sweet Japanese varieties.

Coconut Water

It is coconut water that proved most successful for me. It also works best chilled and on ice. I have learned I do not care much at all for coconut water, when drank on its own. But mixed 1 to 1 with whisky, or sometimes 2 to 1, it becomes a lovely, sweet and creamy caramel-like beverage that really needs to be experienced. It works particularly well with smoky whisky and spicy whisky, but rarely disappoints with lighter, oaky, or fruity whisky. And, as one taster put it, you can hydrate while dehydrating.

I have taken to using some traditional ethnic brands of coconut water like Goya or Jamaica, as they include some young coconut pulp, which adds a certain festive confetti appearance to the glass. But they are sweeter, with more sugar added than the hipster on a health kick brands like Vita Coco or Zico, although most have at least some added sugar.

If more bars had coconut water on hand I would likely be drinking that with whisky when away from home as well as my highballs. And you can check out own tasting notes via the link below; if you would like to read about which combinations of whisky and mixers I liked best.

I must recommend to everyone who is reading this article and finding it impossible to imagine that whisky and coconut water could possibly work. You are likely no less skeptical than I was, and may find yourself as pleasantly surprised as I and my several tasters have been.

And that is one man’s word on…

Putting Dave Broom’s whisky mixers to the test

Related Reading:

Whisky: The Manual – My Review

Whisky: The Manual – under review

Whisky: The Manual by Dave Broom is an entertaining, enlightening, and instructive book on how to achieve maximum enjoyment from the world’s most famous drink.

Small in size yet full of useful stuff, this is a portable companion of potable spirits that examines whisky from a fresh perspective, revealing how it was imbibed in the past, while focusing on the various and often inspiring ways it is enjoyed around the world today. This is a must-have book for whisky fans, but may also convert non-whisky drinkers on the spot.

Whisky: The Manual will make you see whisky in a whole new way, whether it is your favorite spirit or one you thought you could never like.

Read the Full Review of Whisky: The Manual by Dave Broom

Whisky: The Manual by Dave Broom review at One Man's Malt 1mansmalt.com

About

One Man’s Malt…

This site contains the viewpoint of one man, relating to his lifelong interest in malt whisky, the spirit of Scotland. After writing about an array of subjects from travel to politics to handmade acoustic guitars, he is fulfilling repeated requests to turn his public pen to the topic he holds most dear, following years of private advice conferred to friends on single malt scotch and it is various relations.

An American with multiple lines of Scottish decent, as well as English, Welsh, and likely Irish too, his is an affectionate attachment based upon a shared heritage and an idealist’s perspective. Romantic but not romanticized, due to an educated and realistic skepticism, his approach to profiling and critiquing malt whisky is inspired by the Scientific Method and honed by thirty years of personal exploration.

Acknowledgements:

The opinions expressed in these articles and reviews are One Man’s, but they are influenced and greatly enhanced by those he turns to for education and advice, within and without the whisky trade. In addition, he often enlists the nose and pallet of other tasters, who kindly endure his probing questions, survey sheets, and tasting wheels, as he continues to compile data.

No one individual deserves greater thanks and acknowledgement than the collected and esteemed members of the Eight Men of Malt. A fraternity that includes educators and businessmen, artists and artisans, and even an Oscar winner, they share a love for a good malt whisky, yet rarely agree unanimously on what makes a great one. And they are periodically recruited to contribute their own wisdom and personal taste to help shape the many profiles and reviews that appear on One Man’s Malt.

A Note On Reviews:

Subjects of review on this site will not receive a grade or ranking. One man’s 63 can rate another man’s 95. Rather, personal opinions and factual recounting of sensory perception are offered as a way of describing the spirits sampled, and at times compared to well-known styles and brands to give the reader identifiable points of reference. It remains with readers to determine the extent to which their own personal tastes accord with those of One Man.

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