Thomson’s Old Sailor, Special Demerara Rum, 37.5%

Last summer we were touring the Borders Region with a nephew over from the States.

Having taken in the Shannon Pot – much to his amusement – a spot of lunch was in order.

Looking into Brexitland from a European Union Ireland

Dropping down into Blacklion on the Cavan/Fermanagh border we didn’t find a suitable eatery open so a short walk across the peaceful & picturesque Belcoo River took us out of the European Union & into the Brexitland of United Kingdom where the Customs House Hotel welcomed us in.

Being in a different jurisdiction often reveals an alternative array of spirits. Customs House didn’t disappoint in this regard offering a hitherto unknown rum to me in the shape of Thomson’s Old Sailor Demerara Rum.

In no short time a tot was poured to accompany our hearty meal.

The dark brown rum offered up a mix of sweet dark caramels entwined with an oaky element.

A smooth palate continued that woody influence & added up extra character & depth.

A flourish of tannic spice on the rear endeared this rum to me.

An easy & entertaining Demerara Rum that hit the right notes.

Demerara Rums usually hail from Guyana & Thomson’s appears to be made for United Wine Merchants Ltd.

United Wines are a large alcoholic drinks wholesalers operation based in Craigavon who have an eclectic array of drinks to satisfy all tastes.

I was extremely pleased to have encountered their Thomson’s Old Sailor Rum – & also fortunately having my UK bank card handy to purchase the enjoyable lunch in sterling!

Sláinte

Customs House website here.

United Wines website here.

Information on the Shannon Pot here.

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English Park Blended Whisky, 6 Years Old, Special Reserve, 40%

Given the s**t show that’s English politics right now I thought it time to crack open this English Park Whisky to celebrate the demise of Liz Truss.

Purchased as an exercise to see if Amazon.co.uk could continue to offer a service to Ireland post Brexit – English Park was the only bottle that made it through.

All the others failed to arrive – just like those mythical ‘benefits from Brexit’ soundbites Liz was fond of spouting.

So what of English Park Whisky?

Well the bottle presentation is pretty cool.

Clearly capitalising on the patriotic fervour ensuing in England with Union Jack emblems there’s nonetheless attention to detail shown by ‘1835’ embossed on the front neck as well as ‘Double Oak’ on the rear & a neat representation of a still complete with worm-tube too.

The sales patter had me lost however. It’s in a language not familiar to me.

Turns out to be slovak – where the whisky is distilled by the Nestville Distillery.

So how does English Park taste?

Not too bad!

Exhibiting a deep golden brown with decent legs in the glass. There is no mention of chill filtering or natural colour I can make out.

A warm caramelly nose.

Smooth & easy palate, slightly warming.

The finish offered up an entertaining biscuity malt with hints of burnt oak that raised the experience.

Found English Park a very approachable drinking blend with enough depth to keep it quaffable.

I admire the entrepreneurial flair of whomever produced this brand to get it to the masses. I also admire the distillery for putting together a perfectly palatable blended whisky.

It’s already lasted longer than 44 days!

Na Zdrovie!

My Amazon.co.uk experiment here.

Nestville Distillery webpage here.

Whisky purchased via Gargara storefront on Amazon here.

Britain, Brexit & The Lost Art Of Ordering Via Amazon.co.uk.

Happily receiving amazon.co.uk vouchers over the festive season I rushed to place some orders in the hopes they’d get through before Brexit kicked in.

Many Irish based whiskey fans use UK online sites to source product not normally available in Ireland & there had been warnings this could be in jeopardy after Britain left the EU.

My orders would test this new reality.

A few choices were simply rejected.

The computer says no! c/oamazon

So my search narrowed from the start.

A mixed bag of affordable spirits eventually made my basket.

Jatt Life Irish Whiskey

Jatt Life Irish Whiskey c/oMasterOfMalt

One of many sourced Irish Whiskey brands that exist totally outside of Ireland. This one appears to focus on the Asian market.

Mezcales De Leyenda

Mezcal triple pack c/oBlackwell’s

An attractive Mezcal triple pack to continue my appreciation of this alluring spirit.

Abasolo Whisky

Abasolo c/oMasterOfMalt

Mexico’s foray into whisky excited me.

English Park Whisky

English Park c/oWinestyle

A Czech distillery marketing a Union Jack clad whisky in the UK amused me for the sheer ‘we spotted a market & we’ll fill it’ opportunity.

A few books made up the remainder & I sat back to await developments.

Within a week Jatt Life cancelled.

Cancel 1

Within a fortnight the books & English Park arrived.

Sadly English Park was broken – but a replacement arrived swiftly.

Oops v Yeah c/othewhiskeynut

Then both the Mezcal & Abasolo – coming from the same supplier – cancelled as well.

Cancel 2 & 3

And that was it!

Ordering spirits from the UK is effectively closed.

Will Irish suppliers step up to provide an extended range?

Will former UK based operations set up in Ireland?

Or do the costs & market size just not stack up?

Whatever happens it appears the diversity of choice just got smaller & all that was solid melted into air.

Thank you Brexit.

Sláinte

Header image courtesy abcnews.

The Famous Grouse, Smoky Black, Blend, 40%

Grouse come in a variety of species – just like their whisky counterparts.

Red & Black Grouse with a Teacher inbetween c/othewhiskeynut

The Red – or Famous Grouse – is the most common & biggest selling of the Matthew Gloag dynasty of blended Scotch.

Ptarmigan – or Snow Grouse – are quite a scarce bird to encounter – just like blended grain whisky.

Snow Grouse c/othewhiskeynut

Black Grouse are a bit more easy to find – & the species proudly adorns the bottle of Smoky Black Grouse Whisky.

Smoky Black c/othewhiskeynut

Promising a heavier & peatier experience – Smoky Grouse delivers.

The smoke is rather subdued & very well balanced – it won’t blow you away – making for a very easy drinker with a touch of character.

Peated Glenturret c/othewhiskeynut

While the Red Grouse is easily found in Ireland – Snow & Black Grouse are rarely encountered. Brexit is also causing problems with whisky imports/exports & could lead to higher prices.

It looks like the expansion of Grouse in Ireland could hit a rocky patch.

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Waitrose 3 Year Old Blended Scotch, 40%

In London for the weekend – waking up to Brexitland – I needed a drink.

All the supermarket stores do their own label Scotch.

Waitrose 3yo c/othewhiskeynut

Waitrose’s is a 3yo proclaiming itself  ‘Rich and Warming’.

It’s certainly rich – with added caramel – which dominated the taste for me.

Back c/othewhiskeynut

There were hints of fresh young malt & sweet grain underneath – and it is warming – but those caramelly notes lingered.

Basic entry level fare.

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The Snow Grouse, Blended Grain, 40%

As it’s St Andrew’s Day – a Scotch review is in order.

The UK is on the cusp of change. Brexit raises the possibility of a split with Europe – a big chunk of the whisky market – and Independence for Scotland.

Changes are also occurring in the whisky world. New brands, new countries and new styles are pressurising the pole position enjoyed by Scotch.

That position was achieved back in  the early 1900’s by the adoption of new technology allowing a new style of whisky to rise to the fore – blended whisky.

One brand that has had immense success with that style is Famous Grouse.

The Snow Grouse is one of their newer releases.

Seriously chilled Snow Grouse c/othewhiskeynut

A blended grain – rarely encountered – much like the proud bird on the attractive label – a Ptarmigan.

This species of Grouse inhabits the higher & often snow covered ground of the Scottish Mountains.

The clever marketing suggests ‘freezing’ the whisky – much like the birds habitat – which goes against the – ahem – grain of allowing the whisky to sit at room temperature to enjoy the aromas.

So I did.

Deep frozen. c/othewhiskeynut

Bad move.

The nose was decidedly silent – apart from a healthy dose of added caramel.

Ice cool on the palate – unnaturally sweet – oily & viscous on the mouth.

No warmth here for me.

I enjoy the marketing and the added theatrics of freezing – but the overall experience just leaves me cold.

Any soft or delicate notes exhibited by the grain have been frozen out & drowned by added caramel.

At room temperature it was far more palatable.

Slàinte

 

Cockland Gold, Blend, 38.1%

Despite the comic name – this is a genuine whisky from Brazil.

Brazilian whisky in an Irish glass. c/othewhiskeynut

It can be read as a cheap wordplay on ‘Escócsia’  – the Portuguse for Scotland.

Or perhaps a wry dig – depending on your point of view – regarding the latest incumbent of 10 Downing St & Brexit affairs.

Scottish whisky is so dependent on export sales that when Brazil sneezed due to an economic downturn – Scotch sales worldwide dipped.

Cockland – like many similar products – probably contains Scottish whisky in it’s makeup – along with locally produced spirits.

There wasn’t too many surprises when I cracked this one open.

The golden colour is resplendent of added caramel – noted on the back label.

Enough information? c/othewhiskeynut

A soft caramel nose with a hint of butterscotch malt.

A smooth, easy, light – even honeyed palate – slipped down gently with a slowly growing pleasant heat.

The roll out of Brexit has more depth & complexity to it than Cockland Whisky – although both display the interconnectivity of the globalisation of trade within their make up.

And whilst I can enjoy the gentle heat at the end of Cockland – I’m not sure if the finale of Brexit will be as delightful.

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Roll out the barrels!

When stripped back to basis – all whiskey is made the same way.

A grain c/oJack Teeling

A vegetable grain is processed to allow the starch within to be converted into sugar.

The sugar is eaten by a yeast to produce a mild alcoholic liquid.

A distillery c/othewhiskeynut

The liquid is distilled – ending up as new make spirit.

The spirit is aged in wooden barrels.

A distiller with wooden barells. c/othewhiskeynut

The wooden barrels are emptied, filled into bottles and labelled.

It’s now whiskey!

A Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut

Each step in the process – from the choice & quality of grain used – to the length of time & type of wooden barrels used for maturation – ultimately alters & influences the resultant flavour.

Yet it’s all whiskey.

A whiskey c/othewhiskeynut

Different countries have different rules governing the whole production methods used. What can be done in one country may not be allowed in another.

Yet it’s all whiskey.

A Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut

A distillery can make new spirit in one country – mature it in another – ship it out to a third for final blending – perhaps bottle it in a fourth – and sell it in a fifth.

Yet it’s all whiskey.

A whiskey c/othewhiskeynut

Whether it is labelled Bourbon, Rye, Single Pot Still, Blended, French, German, Chinese, Irish – by the distillery itself – the blenders – the bottlers – the third party brand makers.

It is all whiskey.

A Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut

I drink whiskey.

I enjoy exploring the huge variety of styles, flavours and experiences brought about by the myriad of options available both within one country – as well as the countless choices around the world where whiskey is produced.

I enjoy the never ending innovation, experimentation and technical adaptation that constantly evolves what we know of as whiskey.

Whiskey from the barrel. c/othewhiskeynut

Roll out the barrels – of whiskey!

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All distilleries featured & whiskeys photographed have been visited, sampled & written about previously on this site.

The Scotch Whisky juggernaut is running out of road.

All is not well in Scotch Whisky.

The fastest growing whisky making countries in the world do not include Scotland.

They do include Ireland, Japan and Canada.

So Scotch Whisky chooses to attack these countries in a series of articles and posts across various media platforms.

The common thread in all these articles revolves around the fact these countries manufacture and market their own whiskies in a manner not compliant with Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) rules.

Now I don’t know about you – but I must have missed the meeting when it was decided SWA rules applied worldwide. It shows a complete lack of respect for those countries indigenous rules, customs and practices.

The fact customers are seeking out those countries whisky products obviously means it has nothing to do with the rules – it must be something else.

Whisky from it’s very inception has never been about the rules.

Whisky has a long tradition and rich historical vein of tales involving illicit poitin & moonshine distillation, smugglers avoiding the gaugers on Highland trails and bootlegging during prohibition to name a few. It’s in the very DNA of what whisky is and has shaped the development of the spirit to this day.

Perhaps it’s about the taste?

Perhaps Scotch’s strict adherence to the rules comes at the expense of new and exciting tastes?

Perhaps those customers boosting non-Scotch making expression sales are seeking out those new tastes and the rules are not as important as they are made out to be?

I don’t believe 95% of what is on the label, and I don’t care much about the 5% I do believe. How does it taste and how much does it cost…those two questions make up the simple matrix that is my buying/drinking decision process.

— TheBourbonCorner (@BourbonCorner) June 20, 2018

I know I certainly am.

But there is an even larger threat looming round the proverbial corner. It’s a threat not of Scotch Whisky’s making.

Brexit.

Now the Scotch Whisky juggernaut needs a lot of space to manoeuver. It’s a cumbersome beast with it’s own inertia and inflexibility. It may not be able to negotiate the tricky corners ahead.

The Irish, Japanese and Canadian vehicles are smaller, more adaptable & nimble. They might be better equipped to handle the twists and turns thrown up by Brexit – as well as the US tariff fiasco.

The irony of Britain leaving Europe – and Scotch Whisky’s biggest market too – as it did not want to be dictated to by Brussels whilst Scottish Whisky tries to dictate to some of it’s competitors.

Brexit Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut

I think I’ll have to have a glass of Brexit Whiskey – a proudly non SWA rule produced very tasty Austrian Whiskey – and ponder over Rabbie Burn’s famous words;

‘O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us.’

From where I’m sitting it isn’t looking pretty.

Brexit Whiskey, No Single Malt, 43.3%

Brexit is more of an aspirational idea rather than a clearly thought out plan for Britain to leave the European Union.

No one knows what the future will be like in this new Europe – with or without the UK.

Meanwhile in Austria – Gölles Distillery had a clearly thought out plan.

They grew and harvested 5 types of grain in fields around their distillery. Barley, wheat, rye, corn and spelt.

They double distilled the mash in copper pot stills which they have been using since the 1980’s.

And they matured the spirit in a variety of  casks for 4 to 13 years.

They brought their plan to fruition and delivered.

Brexit Whiskey c/othewhiskeynut

I give you Brexit Whiskey.

They make no bones this isn’t a copycat Scottish style of single malt.

They make a big play of the differences. This is a European whiskey. Scottish Whisky Association rules do not apply here.

No Single Malt c/othewhiskeynut

This whiskey has provenance & terroir in abundance. There is no chill filtration and no added caramel. Something sadly lacking in many big brands.

So what does it taste  like?

Well – Austria really.

It’s very earthy.  There is a complex mix of aromas from the grains used – but for me a soft rye spice rises from the sweet corn & wheat base to entice me in.

A barley smoothness greats you on tasting – where again that dry rye presence makes itself known. Quite what the spelt adds to the mix I don’t know – I’ve never encountered it before in a whiskey – but there is an earthy almost grounded quality to the taste.

A lot of time can be spent musing over the nose, taste & finish of this delightfully complex whiskey trying to figure out which grains adds their own distinctive notes to the final mix.

Kind of sums up what the European Union project was all about. Trying to harmonise together variety & difference in an enjoyable mix.

That’s an admirable idea which certainly has been captured in this bottle of Brexit Whiskey.

Some people might see Britain’s Brexit as a rejection of the European Union – they in turn might also reject Scottish Whisky.

If Brexit Whiskey is anything to go by – I’ll be saying Goodbye Johnny!

 

Sláinte.