Single Malt Tasting November 12, 2015 (Thursday) 7PM -Landmark Diner (Buckhead)-$40

Single Malt Tasting –November 12, 2015 (Thursday) @ 7PM -Landmark Diner (Buckhead)-$40

Whisky#1:GLENCADAM Single Malt / 10 year / 46% ABV / NCF / OB / Dist Owner: Angus Dundee Distillers PLC / Highland (Eastern)

Tasting Notes by Gordon & MacPhail
Phenols (Barley): 0-ppm (Unpeated).
Cask: Bourbon barrels (200-L); mainly refill.
Style: Apéritif; well-made; aromatic on the nose; clean and crisp on the palate.
EYE: Straw gold with medium body.
NOSE: Lively, intense. Grassy freshness and citrus tones with hints of spicy oak.
PALATE: Rounded elegance. Clean, crisp citrus tones.
FINISH: A pleasing harmony between a natural sweetness and the soft spicy oak.
For 40-yrs, the Hillman family owned Burns Stewart Distillers (3 distilleries). "When I sold Burns Stewart 14 years ago, I was meant to retire, but noone will let me!" Terence joked. On a day-to-day basis, Angus Dundee Distillers is run by Terence's son and daughter, Aaron & Tania Hillman who are company directors. / Glencadam Distillery
Smithfield Road, Brechin, Angus
SCOTLAND DD9 7PA
Pronunciation: ‘glen-KA-dam’ - Map Location: #25
Translation: “The glen of the wild goose”- Glencadam’s name comes fromthearea known as ‘the Tenements of Caldhame’ which were plots allotted to the burgers of Brechin for food production.
Slogan: “Fine malt from the ancient Kingdom of Angus”
Region (District): Highlands (Eastern); an areabetween Aberdeen and Dundee
Neighbors: Fettercairn and now demolished Glenesk, Lochside and North Port distilleries
Established: 1825
Founder: George Cooper, owner of the neighboring Cadam Estate. The records reveal that he sold the distillery to David Scott in 1827 and that he operated for 10-years.
Status: Active/Producing
Location: Glencadam is situated east of the ancient Highland city of Brechin next to Glebe Park (home of the Brechin City football team) and 200 yards from the old North Port distillery site. Glencadam, currently the only distillery in the Angus region, was opened just one year after large-scale distilling was legalized. Locals also refer to the area as ‘Tayside’.
House Style: Digestif. A creamy dram, with raspberries, strawberries and nuts often mentioned in tasting notes (Royal Mile Whiskies). Creamy, with a suggestion of berry fruits. With dessert, or after dinner (LoveScotch.com).
Water Source: For production: Loch Lee via the Morrans, 8.5 miles from distillery, which is a tributary of the river North Esk. For cooling: the Unthank Springs and the Barries Burn.
Malt Spec (phenols): 0-ppm (Unpeated) - Gristmill: 1 Porteus Malt Mill
Mash Tun: 1 traditional cast iron mashtun @ 4.9-ton (1980’s vintage; 9-hour mashing cycle)
Washbacks: 6 s/s washbacks @ 28,000-L capacity (charged @ 24,000-L)
Yeast: Distillers yeast (MX, a cultured yeast that works at higher temps) @ 60-kg per WB
Fermentation: 52 hours
2 Pot Stills: 1 Wash @ 12,000-L, 1 Spirit @ 12,200-L - Middle Cut: 71-64% ABV (68% avg.)
Entry Strength: 68% ABV (unusually high; new make is typically reduced to 63.5% ABV)
Casks: Ex-Bourbon barrels; mainly refill. Results in higher wood extraction; saves WH space.
Warehouse: 6 on-site WH’s (5 dunnage + 1 racked); 23,500 cask capacity.
Filling & Blending: In 2007, a large filling/blending center was built on-site (16 large vats for blending malt & grain whiskies) for producing ADD’s in-house blended Scotch whiskies.
Bottling: ADD’s Bottling Hall & Warehousing Facility at Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Capacity: 1.3-Mlpa per year - Current Output: 1.3-Mlpa (2014); 24/7 since 2004/05.
Visitor Center: No - Tours: By appointment only - OB’s: 10, 15 & 21 year.
Parent-Owned Distilleries (2): Glencadam (2003) & Tomintoul (2000).
Parent-Owned Brands: MALTS: Glencadam, Tomintoul, Mackillop’s Choice Single Malts & Montgomeries Specialist Range; BLENDS: Angus Dundee, The Dundee, Big Ben, Mackillop’s Choice, Old Ballantruan, Glen Parker’s, Pipers Clan, & Scottish Royal blended Scotch.
MANAGEMENT TEAM:
Master Distiller: Robert Fleming - Distillery Manager: Douglas Fitchett
BrandAmbassador: Lorne Mackillop, MW - Production Supervisor: David Wilson
Chairman: Terence ‘Terry’ Hillman - Joint Owners: Aaron Hillman Tania Hillman
Legal Name of Distillery: The Glencadam Distillers Ltd. (inMarylebone, London, UK)
Owner (Parent): Angus Dundee Distillers PLC (Hillman family, since June 2003)
Distiller Licensee: The Glencadam Distillers Ltd.
U.S. Importer: CIL US Wines & Spirits, West Palm Beach, FL (Derek Hacker, SE Reg Sls Mgr)
Elevation: 65-m MSL (213-feet above mean sea level

Whisky #2:TAMDHU Single Malt / 10 year / 40% ABV / OB / Dist Owner: Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd. / Speyside (Central)

OFFICIAL TASTING NOTES – DISCONTINUED BOTTLE:
Bursting with fruit and spice– gently yielding to toffee sherry oak with the merest wisp of peat smoke.Casks: Spanish Oak Sherry butts 500-L (refill).Malt Spec: 1-2 ppm. Style: Delicate Speyside; refreshing fruitiness.EYE: Dark amber; medium-to-full bodied.NOSE: Very appealing and fragrant; sugar syrup with delicate peach orange, mixing with fresh oak, cinnamon and leather, sugared almonds and vanilla. PALATE: Fruitiness and spice blend brilliantly with a pleasing toffee and sherry richness building as it is held on palate.FINISH: The fruitiness and vanilla linger then become pleasantly drying withhint of distant peat smoke. / Tamdhu Distillery
Knockando, Aberlour, Morayshire
SCOTLAND AB38 7RP
Pronunciation: 'tham-DOO' - Map Location: #93
Translation: 'Little black hill'
Slogan: "Excellence of Quality" & "The Can-Dhu-Spirit"
Region (District): Speyside (Central)
Neighbors: Knockando, Cardhu and The Macallan
Established: 1897
Status: Active/Producing
Location: Located on a steep bank high above the River Spey in the parish of Knockando between the villages of Knockando and Archiestown. Its upper Spey Valley site was locally known as "The Smuggler's Glen".
House Style: Fruit and vanilla linger, becoming pleasantly drying. Finally unveiling the merest wisp of peat smoke.
Water Source: Tamdhu Spring (Production); Knockando Burn (Cooling).
Barley: Optic and Concerto.
Maltings: Its formerly vast Saladin Box Maltings (1950-2009) are no longer in operation.
Malt Spec (phenols): 1-2 ppm (Lightly peated)
Gristmill: 1 Porteous Malt Mill (12-ton)
Mashing Equipment: 1 s/s full-Lauter tun (11.85-ton); 53,500-L of wort (8-hr).
Mashing Waters: 64°C, 78°C and circa 90°C.
Washbacks: 9 Oregon pine washbacks @ 60,000-L (charged @ 53,500-L).
Yeast Pitch Strike Temp: 17-18°C
Yeast: 200-kg (8 bags @ 25-kg) of dry Distillers Yeast per washback
Fermentation: 59 hours (yields wash @ 8% - 9% ABV)
6 Pot Stills: 3 Wash @ 17,000-L (10,000-L); 3 Spirit: 1 @ 22,000-L + 2 @ 16,000-L (12,000-L)
Middle Cut: 75% to 66% ABV - Average Strength of New Make: 70% ABV
Casks: Upon resuming production in 2013, Tamdhu instituted a strict wood policy based on exclusive use of only the finest sherry casks (mostly refills).
10 WH’s: 4 stone dunnage, 1 racked (14,500 casks) and 5 palletized on-site warehouses.
Bottling & Vatting: Broxburn Bottlers, near Edinburgh (a bottling operation set-up by owner Ian Macleod and J. & G. Grant in 1984).
Capacity: 4.0-Mlpa per year - Current Output: 3.0-Mlpa (2014)
Owner (Parent): Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd. (since 2011)
Visitor Center: No - Tours: No (IMD doesn't anticipate opening for visitors)
OB's: 10-yr & 10-yr Limited Edition.
Blending Role: 10% Single Malt, 90% Blends - Blend Partner: IMD Blends
Parent-Owned Distilleries: Glengoyne (2003) & Tamdhu (2011).
Parent-Owned Blends: Dunfife, Glenshire, Hedges & Butler, Isle of Skye, King Robert II, Lang’s, Marshal, Moffat Springs & Queen Seal.
Parent-Owned Malts: As We Get It, Chieftain’s, Dun Bheagan, Glengoyne, Macleod’s, Six Isles, Smokehead & Tamdhu.
MANAGEMENT TEAM: Distillery Manager: Sandy Coutts
Group Distillation Manager: Robbie Hughes - Director of Whisky Operations: Gordon Doctor
Managing Director: Leonard Russell - Chairman: Peter Russell
Legal Name of Distillery: Tamdhu Distillery Company Ltd.
Distiller Licensee: Tamdhu Distillery Company Ltd.
Elevation: 123-m ASL (404-feet above mean sea level)

Whisky #3: GLENROTHES Single Malt / 1995 Vintage (14-yr) / 43% ABV / OB / Brand Owner: Berry Bros & Rudd / Dist Owner: Edrington Group Ltd. (The Robertson Trust) / Speyside (Rothes)

OFFICIAL TASTING NOTES: MaltSpec: 3-ppm - Casks: 30% American Sherry oak (1st fill), 30% Sherry casks of Spanish oak & 40% Bourbon barrels of American oak (refills) - Style: Digestif (after dinner). EYE: Bright amber copper. NOSE: A ‘come-hither’ nose filled with exotic spices is followed by a citrus and fruity richness coated in honeyed butterscotch. PALATE: These flavors, and more, are all delivered on the palate. FINISH: Long, rich and satisfying with a fruity spiciness. Comment: The 1995 Vintage was the first ever vintage specifically laid in cask with the intention of bottling it as a Glenrothes Vintage release. I’m not sure of its age as label makes 2 contradictory claims: (1) “18 Year Old” as it was distilled in 1995 and bottled in 2013 -&- (2) “14 Year Old” as distilled 10-26-95/bottled 9-6-10 (making our bottle 1-month short of 15 years old. Note: In large green letters is states “bottled in 2013”. / Glenrothes Distillery
Burnside Street, Rothes, Aberlour, Morayshire
SCOTLAND AB38 7AA
Pronunciation: ‘glen-ROTH-es’ - Map Location: #74
Translation: ‘Fortress in a hilly river valley’ (experts uncertain of exact meaning)
Slogan: ‘Maturity matters, not age’
Region (District): Speyside (Rothes)
Neighbors: Glen Grant, Macallan, Caperdonich, Glen Spey
Established: 1878 - Date of First Distillation: December 28, 1879.
Founder: James Stuart (Macallan). Wm Grant & Sons shortly thereafter succeeded Stuart and finished construction.
Status: Active/Producing
Location: Located beside Rothes Burn in the whisky region of Speyside and Rothes district. It has long held the status of being a ‘Top Dressing’ malt, a moniker given to those malts which are the most highly prized by blenders for quality.
House Style: Sweet, and often a complex experience with spice, fruit and perfume.
Water Source: Ardcanny Spring, piped to the distillery; some say ‘Lady’s Well’ (production); Dounie Burn (cooling).
Barley: Chariot (early season) & Optic (late season)
Malt Source: Tamdhu Distillery Maltings
Malt Spec (phenols): 3-ppm (Lightly peated) from Tamdhu Maltings.
Gristmill: 1 Porteus Malt Mill
Mashing Equipment: 1 s/s semi-Lauter tun (4.92-ton) + 1 old Porteus copper-dome traditional mashtun (as a back-up)
18 Washbacks: 25,500-L each (10 Oregon pine + 8 s/s)
Yeast: Distillers Yeast
Fermentation: 58-hours
10 Pot Stills: 5 Wash @ 22,000-L (charged @ 12,900-L), 5 Spirit @ 19,000-L (charged @ 15,000-L). Known for very slow distillation runs: 6-hours and 11-hours!
Entry Strength: 63.5% ABV (which is the industry standard).
Casks: Single malt is comprised largely of Sherry casks (25% are first fill) and few Bourbon (refills).
Warehouse: 16 on-site WH’s (12 dunnage and 4 racked); 46,000 casks on-hand.
Vatting & Bottling: Edrington’s centralized bottling hall in Glasgow.
Capacity: 5.6-Mlpa per year
Current Output: 5.2-Mlpa (2014)
Visitor Center: No - Tours: By appointment only.
OB’s: Yes - Blending Role: 2% Single Malt, 98% Blends
Blend Partner: Cutty Sark (GR’s home and key malt of Cutty Sark) Famous Grouse.
Parent-Owned Distilleries: Glenrothes, Glenturret, Highland Park, Macallan and North British Grain
Parent-Owned Blends: Cutty SarkFamous Grouse
MANAGEMENT TEAM:
Malt Master: John Ramsay - Distillery Manager: Alasdair Anderson
Managing Director: Ronnie Cox - Off-Premise Manager: Eddy Amoye (GA)
Legal Name of Distillery: Glenrothes Distillers Ltd.
Owner (Parent): The 1887 Company Ltd. (Edrington Group Ltd., since 2004)
Brand Owner: Berry Bros. & Rudd Ltd.
Distiller Licensee: Highland Distilleries Ltd.
U.S. Importer: Moët Hennessy USA
GA Distributor: Empire Distributors Inc.
Elevation: 72-m MSL (236-feet above mean sea level)

Whisky #4: AUCHENTOSHAN Single Malt / 'Three-Wood' / NAS / 43% ABV / OB / Dist Owner: Morrison Bowmore Distillers (Beam Suntory Inc./Suntory Holdings Ltd.) / Lowland (Central Belt)

Tasting Notes by Masters of Malt:
Age: NAS (Internet source: “I wrote Auchentoshan; they replied that this was a 12 year old whisky, matured for 10 years in bourbon casks, initially finished for 1-year in Oloroso Sherry and then re-racked in Pedro Ximenez casks for 1-year.”Malt Spec (Phenols): 0-ppm
Casks: Bourbon (refill), Oloroso (1st & refill) and Pedro Ximenez Sherry (1st & refill) casks. It’s a “have-I-got-your-attention-now” Lowlander malt.NOSE: Cooked fruit, sherry, toffee, a rum-like quality and notes of Bas Armagnac.PALATE: Rich. Liqueur cherries in dark chocolate, more sherried fruit, ripe dark forest fruits, like a Black Forest Gateaux.
FINISH: Superb, led by thick dark treacle and toffee notes and chewy wooded notes, balanced with a green fruit edge.AWARDS: Double Gold @ SFWSC (2008); Gold @ IWSC (2012). / Isle of Arran Distillery
Lochranza, Isle of Arran, Argyll,
SCOTLAND KA27 8HJ
Pronunciation: AR-ran - Map Location: #15
Translation: Place of Peaked Hills or High place
Slogan: “Pure by nature” & “The true spirit of nature”
Region (District): Islands (Arran) - Neighbors: None
Established: 1993 - Founder: Harold Currie and sons Andrew and Paul Currie.
Status: Active/Producing - Location: A beautiful location which offers perfect water for whisky production, cleansed by granite and softened by peat as it comes down from the mountain above.
House Style: Light, sweet, unpeated and often with notes of apple.
Water Source: A spring in the mountains collects in Loch Na Davie, a lake 3-km in the above hills, via the Easan Biorach steam.
Barley: Optic, Oxbridge and Concerto from Bairds Maltings, Pencaitland.
Malt Spec (phenols): Standard (85%) @ 0-ppm; Peated malt (15%) @ 20 & 50 ppm.
Gristmill: AR-2000 Malt Mill (from Alan Ruddock Engineering in 2007).
Mashing Equipment: 1 s/s semi-Lauter (charged @ 2.5-tons).
Strike Temp of First Waters: 64˚C - Washbacks: 6 pine WB @ 15,000-L Yeast: Quest Distillery M (dry) yeast; 50-kg per WB.
Fermentation: 52 (short) and 80-hour (long); mixed prior to distillation.
2 Pot Stills: 1 Wash @ 7,100-L (charged @ 6,500-L), 1 Spirit @ 5,200-L (@ 2,900-L).
Middle Cut: 70-66% ABV (MC portion of the spirit run requires 2½-hrs); yields 750 bulk-litres (515-Lpa) @ average 68% ABV. ≤1% ABV = Pot or burnt ale (waste).
Spirit Run: 5½-hrs total: 20-minutes of heads or strong feints, 2½-hours middle cut and 3-hours of weak feints or tail); ≤1% ABV = Spent lees (waste from spirit still).
Casks: Bourbon (ASB) & Sherry, refills; Malaga, Cognac & Rum.
Entry Strength: 63.5% ABV (reduced with deionized local water)
Warehouse: 4 Racked WH with a capacity of circa 12,000 casks
Capacity: 750,000-Lpa per year (2 stills are on order; as of 2017, will rise to 1.2-Mlpa)
Output: 600,000-Lpa (2014) including 60,000-L @ 20-ppm; 30,000-L @ 50-ppm.
Visitor Center: Yes (quite small) - Tours: Yes
OB’s: 10 Yr, 14 Yr, 12 yr Cask Strength & 18 Yr (2015); Machrie Moor; Limited Editions: Orkney Bere; Devil’s Punch Bowl; Cask Finishes; Icons of Arran; Westie; and Eagle. Single Cask 15 yr; Robert Burns SM and Blended Scotch; Lochranza; and Arran Gold cream liqueur.
Blending Role: 80% Single Malts, 20% Blends
MANAGEMENT TEAM:
Managing Director: Euan Mitchell - Distillery Manager: James MacTaggart
Brand Ambassador: Andy Hogan - Senior Brand Manager: Louisa Young
Legal Name of Distillery: Isle of Arran Distilleries Ltd
Owner: Isle of Arran Distillers PLC (Messrs. Auchincloss, Pierce & Mitchell)
Distiller Licensee: Isle of Arran Distillers PLC
U.S. Importer: ImpEx Beverage (San Francisco); Messrs Sam Filmus & Ed Kohl, owners.
Elevation: 109-m MSL (358-feet above mean sea level)
And you heard that lowland single malts were gentle, subtle and for the novices…

Whisky #5: AMRUT Indian Single Malt / ‘Intermediate Sherry’ / NAS / CS 57.1% ABV / NCF / OB: Amrut Distilleries / Dist Owner: N.R. Jagdale Group / India (Southern)… Import Whisky of the Year 2013

Tasting Notes by Royal Mile Whisky:EYE: Dark amber. Age: 3½ years - NOSE: Incredibly rich, smooth and sweet Christmas pudding. (Casks: Ex-bourbon; refill) - PALATE: Lots of red fruits and blackcurrants beingprominent w/ sweet gingery & cinnamonnotedistinguishable. (Malt Spec:Unpeated) - FINISH: Warm, comforting like a blanket on a cold night w/ soft butter and candy floss. Comment: Rich, fruity ; great dram.
Tasting Notes by Amrut Distillery: NOSE: Instead of the usual biscuit aroma, we now get moist cake. And my word: is it fruity and spicy!! Love the freshly waxed oak floor, too. Brain-exploding complex and multi-layered with one of the most intriguing sherry-style-bourbon-style marriages on the market. PALATE: Cracking delivery and entirely unique in form. The structure is decidedly oak-based, but acts as no more than a skeleton from which the juicy sultana and spices drape. Salivating, too, as the barley kicks in powerfully. But the liquorice-orangey-honeycomb bourbon theme quietly shapes the flavor profile; the spices pulse and glow. FINISH: Quite a chunk of natural caramel quietens the more exuberant characteristics; long and elegant. / Amrut Distilleries Ltd.
Bangalore, INDIA 560 010
Web:
Pronunciation: aum-RUT
Translation: Sanskrit meaning “Nectar” of life
Region (District): India (Bangalore in southern India)
Established: 1948
Status: Active/Producing
Location: A unique tropical and high Elevation conditions are associated with the terroir of the Distillery premises in Bangalore, the Garden City of India, which is at an Elevation of 3,000 feet above sea level, thus enjoying a salubrious climate all year round. The unique natural geographical location gives an intense and speedy maturation by losing considerable amount of whisky as “Angel’s share”.
House Style: Fruit, chocolate and spice.
Barley: Made from Indian malted barley grown in Punjab and Rajasthan, the north-west frontier States of India. In Punjab, the waters from the great Himalayas flow through the river Sutlej. Amrut believe that the cold winters and fiery summers create a unique quality of grain, rich in flavor. Malting of unpeated barley takes places in Jaipur and Delhi and is then transported to south of India to Bangalore where it is mashed and distilled in small batches. Peated barley (from Scotland).
Malt Spec (phenol): Standard: Most expressions @ 0-ppm (Unpeated); Peated expressions (e.g., Fusion) @ circa 10-ppm (moderately peated).
OB’s: Indian, Peated Indian, Fusion, CS, Peated CS, Sherry SM (Limited Edison), Double Cask, Two Continents, Greedy Angels, Kadhambam & Prestige Blended Indian Whisky.
MANAGEMENT TEAM:
Master Distiller: Surrinder Kumar; Managing Dir: N.R.R. Jagdale; Exec Director: Rick Jagdale; Ambassador: Ashok Chokalingam
Legal Name of Distillery & Licensee: Amrut Distilleries Ltd
Owner (Parent): Jagdale Group, since 1948 (Jagdale family)
US Importer: Purple Valley USA, LLC (PVI Global); Raj and Jonathan
Distributor: Continental Beverage Corp. (Marietta, GA); Chuck
Elevation: 900-m MSL (2,953-feet above mean sea level)
Awards: Double Gold; Import Single Malt of The Year (2013); Import Distillery of The Year
Maturation of Intermediate Sherry: Its ‘Intermediate Sherry’ name stems from the fact that the whisky’s second of a three cask maturation series is in sherry casks. The whisky was (1) initially aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and new oak casks, (2) then re-racked into ex-Oloroso sherry butts for about one year, and (3) finally filled back into the ex-bourbon and new oak casks for a few months. This method is based on Bangalore’s terroir (a dry, high Elevation tropical setting) in which whisky matures sooner as well as Amrut’s discovery that after its time in the sherry casks (the second set of casks), finishing it off back in American oak allows the two wood influences to marry and better integrate. Crazy! With much attention to detail and in pursuit of optimum flavor, the sherry casks, prior to shipment to Bangalore, are cured with Amrut Single Malt to mitigate sulfur fouling. It was the 2013 Import Single Malt of the Year.

Whisky #6: LAPHROAIG Single Malt / ‘Cairdeas’ / NAS (9-yr) / Cask Strength 51.4% ABV / NCF / OB / Dist Owner: Beam Suntory Inc (Suntory Holdings Ltd) / Islay (South Shore/Kildalton)