Club Corner
Single Malt Club Quarter 2: Teaninich
With warmer days ahead, we’re driven to nuanced single malt whiskies that are bright and graceful. For this quarter, the Single Malt Club is featuring an oft-overlooked Highland distillery, Teaninich. A workhorse distillery for the major global company, Diageo, it is not overlooked for lack of trying. Teaninich’s main output is making younger whisky for Diageo brands like Johnnie Walker. It is not common to find a Teaninich this old. This 11 year old scotch, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, is made at only one of two Scottish distilleries to use a mash filter rather than a traditional mash tun, or lauter tun, allowing it to process very finely milled malt. This is a lighter, cleaner spirit with fewer cereal grain notes. This scotch is yet another great example of how an independent bottler can present a rarity as interesting as it is unique. Sláinte Will Popko Spirits Buyer Teaninich 2013 11 Year Single Malt Scotch Region: Alness, Scotland Teaninich, which translates to “house of the monks”, shares the town of Alness with another distillery - The Dalmore Distillery. The Teaninich Distillery was built in 1817 by Napoleonic war hero ‘Blind’ Captain Hugh Munro. After he and his brother John Munro managed the distillery for its first 50 years, the next century-plus it changed hands a couple times until DCL (Distillers Company Limited, later The Distillers Company) purchased it before WWII. In the 1970’s, DCL built a second distillery on the site with 6 stills calling it ‘A Side’. In the ‘80’s the original Teaninich, B Side, was mothballed - the original stills decommissioned and demolished leaving only the historic receiver house. Guinness acquired The Distillers Company in the late 1980’s and in 1997 Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo. Production increased as Teaninich became the go-to distillery for a major portion of the conglomerate's output. In 2013 Diageo announced plans that expanded the distillery, adding a new still house with six pairs of stills pushing Teaninich into big-production territory. This is a distillery that matters more than one might think. It is not a flashy distillery, but a historic and technically important production house. ImpEx Beverages is the American importer of many unique spirits and is distributed by JVS Beverages here in California. Sam Filmus, president and managing director of both companies, has worked to bring unique one-off bottlings from an array of other products imported by ImpEx. This Teaninich release is specific to only ImpEx and only available in the United States. Cask Type: Ex-Bourbon ABV: 56.8% Price: $129.99/700mL Tasting Notes: Nose: tart green apple and fresh cut herbs Palate: white pepper, subdued pear and honeycomb, creamy malted barley Finish: lasting citrus and soft spices
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Single Malt Club Quarter 4: Mars Whisky Komagatake Single Malt Japanese Whisky 2024 Edition
Japanese single malt whisky has been steadily on the rise in both popularity and brand saturation over the last few years. The Mars Distillery is an important one to highlight for their excellence and longevity in whisky making. This smaller distillery, not owned by a conglomerate, has consistently produced diverse examples of fine Japanese whisky. This selection is a brand-new limited edition annual release from Mars Komagatake Distillery (fka Shinshu). It is also, sadly, the last of these annual experimentations. This release will give way to a core Komagatake product that will now not change year to year but will stay a consistent recipe. An end of an era. But we have the last bottle to celebrate! かんぱい! Will Popko Spirits Buyer Mars Komagatake Edition 2024 Region: Nagano Prefecture, Japan Located between Japan’s soaring Southern Alps and the towering Central Alps, at just over 2,600 feet, Mars Shinshu (Komagatake) is Japan’s highest whisky distillery. The Hombo family, the Mars proprietors, have been distilling for more than a century and added whisky to their repertoire in 1949. Until 1984, when located in the Tsunuki region, it was the southernmost whisky made in Japan, which ended when the Hombo clan moved the distillery to the idyllic alpine setting of Miyada village in southern Nagano Prefecture, Central Japan. They chose this site for its cool temperature, which slowed maturation, and the plentiful soft granite filtered snowmelt fed aquifers. A beautiful choice. In 2016, Hombo Shuzo reopened and introduced new pot stills to their first distillery located in Kagoshima now known as the Mars Tsunuki Distillery. They also built an aging facility on a tiny island known as Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where they now age spirits from both Shinshu and Tsunuki distilleries. Mars produces a wide variety of whisky, from high-ball designed mixing whiskies to super limited collectible rarities, and everything in between. The Komagatake Single Malt 2024 Edition is a new watermark for this historic Nagano-based distillery. Every year, or edition, there has been a different recipe, but this is the first 100% unseated release. Composed of 100% malted barley, aged at least 4 years, twice distilled in copper pot stills, and primarily aged in ex-bourbon barrels with support from sherry and a variety of wine casks, this is the last vintaged Komagatake release from the Mars Distillery. Cask Type: ex-bourbon, sherry and unspecified wine casks ABV: 50% Price: $129.99/700mL Tasting Notes: Nose: bright apricot, banana, orange peel, spiced apple Palate: rich maple syrup, hazelnut, persimmon jam Finish: deep sherry
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Single Malt Club Q1 2025: Nc'nean Quiet Rebels "Amy"
Nc’nean Distillery As our first selection of 2025 coincides with Women’s History Month, I am pleased to present a single malt whose namesake is a woman, from a distillery founded by a woman. Nc’nean distillery further distinguishes itself by being at the forefront of sustainability in Scotch Whisky production. This is a very approachable, pleasant whisky. I hope you enjoy it! Sláinte! Sam Crocker Spirits Buyer Nc’nean Distillery Quiet Rebels “Amy” Region: Western Highlands, Scotland “Annabel Thomas started Nc’nean to change the way the world thinks about whisky from Scotland. Her mission was to create a whisky which could exist in harmony with this planet we call home. After leaving her job in London in 2013, she spent four years raising funds and building the distillery from the ground up on the west coast of Scotland. In 2017, Nc’nean started distilling our very own organic whisky, and in 2020 our first bottle was born. We now have four different series of whiskies as well as a Botanical Spirit. Sustainability runs in our veins. We believe it is our responsibility to constantly improve our impact on this earth in terms of carbon footprint, pollution and biodiversity. B Corp certified, we use only unpeated organic Scottish barley in our distillery powered only by renewable energy. We bottle our whisky in a 100% recycled clear glass bottle (a first in Scotch whisky, we think), and we divert 99.97% of our waste from landfill. As of 2021 we became the first whisky distillery in the UK to be verified as net zero carbon emissions for scopes 1 and 2. The Quiet Rebels series is released each autumn, when a new bottling is selected by and named after one of our small team. Quiet Rebels Amy, named after our Visitor Manager and Head of Sustainability, includes whisky finished in ex-Maury casks from a small organic vineyard in France who produce a fortified wine that is made in a similar way to port. The 60-year-old vines are maintained with a variety of sustainable farming methods including agroforestry which involves integrating trees amongst the vines to improve soil richness. The farm also follows biodynamic principles such as following the lunar calendar which several studies show is an effective way to determine the best time to plant and harvest crops. These ex-Maury casks have been blended with Nc’nean’s house style STR red wine and Ex-Bourbon casks to create Amy’s dream bottling.”(source: www.ncnean.com) Founder: Annabel Thomas Cask Type: 63% STR (shaved, toasted, re-charred) red wine casks, 19% ex-Maury, 18% ex-Bourbon ABV: 48.5% Price: $118.99/700mL Tasting Notes: Lemon custard, damson jam and brown butter muffins.
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Single Malt Club Quarter 4 2023: Benriach The Sixteen Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Benriach The Sixteen With winter officially upon us and holiday celebrations in full swing, I am moved to reflect on all that the year has brought. While this year has seen strife and suffering around the globe, we must remember that above all, we are one race of human beings, with more that binds us together than drives us apart. I hope that as you indulge in a dram of this quarter’s selection, you spare a thought for our fellow humans facing horrors that you and I can hardly imagine. Here’s to a more just and peaceful world in 2024. Sláinte! Sam Crocker Spirits Buyer Benriach The Sixteen Single Malt Scotch Whisky Region: Speyside In 1898, John Duff founded the Benriach Distillery in northern Speyside. A serial entrepreneur, Duff also owned the nearby Longmorn Distillery. The two distilleries were connected by a private railway, upon which a steam train (nicknamed “the Puggy”) transported coal, barley, peat and barrels. The 1890s were a time of great success for the Scotch industry, with more than 30 new distilleries opening during the course of the decade. The same year that Duff opened Benriach, however, the industry suffered a major blow when Pattinson’s Whisky, a prominent blender, went bankrupt. By 1900, Benriach had ceased production and began to operate solely as a malting facility for Longmorn. It was more than half a century before it began producing spirit again, when it was purchased by Glenlivet in 1965. In 1972, the distillery began producing peated malt, a rarity in Speyside. In response to Scotch’s increased popularity around the globe, Benriach increased production from two stills to four after being sold to Seagram’s in 1985, which used the distillate as a component in the company’s blended whiskies. It wasn’t until 1994 that Benriach released a Single Malt Whisky, a 10 Year Old. By 2001, Seagram’s was part of Pernod Ricard, and Benriach was operating for just three months of the year before being mothballed in 2002. Two years later, the distillery was purchased by an independent consortium headed by Scotch expert Billy Walker (today the master distiller of GlenAllachie). The group acquired Highlands distillery Glendronach in 2008 and Glenglassaugh Distillery (featured in Quarter 2’s selection) in 2013. The three distilleries were sold to Brown Forman in 2016, and in 2017 Dr. Rachel Barrie was appointed Master Blender of each. Under her guidance, Benriach launched a new portfolio of expressions in 2020, incorporating both unpeated and peated malt, and a number of different cask treatments. Originally launched in 2004, Benriach recently reintroduced The Sixteen to its lineup. Matured in a combination of sherry, ex-bourbon, and virgin American oak casks, the whisky shows layers of stone fruit, smooth creamy malt, wild honey and nutty oak spice. Cask Type: Bourbon, Sherry, and Virgin Oak ABV/Proof: 43%/86 Price: $132.99 Tasting Notes: Nose: Baked apple and creamy hazelnut malt with overtones of ginger-spiced apricot and honey. Palate: Spiced stewed apple, stone fruit and mellow nutty oak, with honeyed malt and candied peel, and a trace of smoke.
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Single Malt Club Q3 2023: Takamine 8 Year Koji Whisky
Takamine 8 Year This quarter, we are continuing our exploration of whiskies from outside of Scotland. Japan's whisky making dates back to the 1870s and historically follows the distilling traditions of Scotland. This quarter’s selection is made from barley fermented using koji mold, which is commonly used in the production of sake, soy sauce and miso. Takamine Whiskey is named for the man who pioneered the process of using koji in whiskey production. I hope you will enjoy this unique whiskey. See you in December! かんぱい! Sam Crocker Spirits Buyer Takamine 8 Year Japanese Whiskey Region: Fukuoka, Japan Jokichi Takamine was born in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, in 1854 to a father who was a doctor and a mother who came from a family of sake brewers. He learned to speak English as a child. After graduating from university in Tokyo, he completed further studies in Scotland. He began his scientific career in Japan before emigrating to the United States in 1891. Later that year, Professor Takamine patented an innovative whiskey-making process that utilized koji fermentation, an ancient technique used in sake making and food production. Koji is a microbe that ferments grain more efficiently than malting. Takamine put his whiskey into production at the Manhattan Distillery in Peoria, Illinois in 1894, but it was not a successful venture and closed just 4 months later. Takamine went on to develop several critical medical treatments and was recognized as an eminent scientist in both Japan and the USA, where he spent most of his adult life. In 1901, he isolated the hormone epinephrine, a key ingredient in medications used to treat anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, and asthma. Later in life, he donated 2,100 cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C. to show his goodwill toward his adopted homeland. His gift sowed the seeds for what would become the annual cherry blossom festival. The Shinozaki Family has been making sake since the days of the samurai and has been distilling fine spirits since 1979. Over the past 2 decades, they have revived the Takamine Process. Takamine 8 Year is distilled at Shinozaki Distillery in Asakura City, Fukuoka and aged at their rickhouse in Ukiha City, a converted grain warehouse. Cask Type: 90% virgin American oak, 10% ex-bourbon ABV/Proof: 40.3%/80.6 Tasting Notes: Delicate aromas of apple and cherry on the nose, with hints of vanilla custard. Creamy and rich on the palate, it is reminiscent of custard with cherry compote. Finishes with light spice and tongue-coating viscosity.
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Scotch Club Quarter 4 2021 - Single Cask Nation
The Water of Life is a documentary that focuses on the Whisky revolution that turned the stagnant Scotch whisky industry of the 1980s into the powerhouse it is today. The whisky in this quarter’s selection commemorates the film. Single Cask Nation, the brand who bottled this spirit does not disclose which distillery it was produced at, but chances are the distillery is highlighted in the film. Regardless of who produced the whisky, the whisky is complex and is the perfect winter warmer to ring in the new year. Slàinte! Brendon Pineda Undisclosed location, Scotland Single Cask Nation, whom we’ve last showcased in our Scotch club back in 2018, bottles around 60 casks of whisky per year for the US, UK, EU, Japan, Israeli, and South African markets. Single Cask Nation bottles primarily Single Malt Scotch Whisky but dabbles quite a lot in Irish whisky, American whisky (bourbon, rye, and single malt), Indian whisky, English whisky, Welsh whisky, rums, and mezcals. What you tasted last in 2018 is a completely different distillery, whisky, and region. That’s the fun in following a whisky brand who isn’t tied to one distillery or region, you get to explore the world and often rare and unusual whisky casks. A few details Single Cask Nation was able to share with us surrounding this bottling is that it’s single malt from an island (not Islay) distillery. The whisky was produced from six casks, most being comprised of a 9-year cask and one 7-year cask – five of them being unpeated and one of them being lightly peated. All six casks were aged in 1st fill bourbon barrels at the distillery. At first, I was hesitant to choose a whisky not knowing where it was coming from, but then reminded myself that it comes down to the whisky. Do I like the whisky? Is it complex? As you can guess, the answer to both of those questions were yes. Oddly enough, the choice not to disclose the distillery, reminds me of certain European wine producers. They’ll tell you the region in which it came from but not a specific vineyard, nor the exact ABV (labeling them as 11-14% abv) or the grape composition - which was always interesting to me. It made me ask myself if the technical and specific information should influence my opinion on whether you like the product or not? Just some food for thought. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 48.8 % $99 per bottle Tasting Notes: Nose: Hints of citrus and pink peppercorns. Salted caramel, plain ice cream cones, and vanilla. Palate: Peppery upon first sip but the rich with an oily mouthfeel. Richly flavored with both apples AND oranges with notes of milk chocolate. Some more fruit such as ripe banana, starfruit, and golden delicious apples. Finish: Long and citrusy with the pink peppercorns returning.
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Q4 Scotch Club: GlenAllachie
This quarter we are featuring a release from The GlenAllachie Distillery. Founded in 1967, this little-known Speyside distillery once specialized blends. Since it was revived by Master Distiller Billy Walker in 2017, the distillery has shifted focus to creating single malt whiskies, winning the Scottish Whisky Awards' Distillery of the Year prize only two years later. With the GlenAllachie 15, you'll notice its stunning, almost maple syrup-like color; this is the natural result of its aging process -- not one drop of color additives involved. Rich and luxurious without being sweet, this GlenAllachie single malt is the perfect treat to hold you over through the holiday season. Slàinte! Brendon Pineda Beer and Spirits Enthusiast GlenAllechie is one of the Speyside distilleries in the Northeast of Scotland. Roughly half of all Scotland’s whisky is made in this region (you may know other famous Speyside distilleries such as Glenfiddich and Glenlivet). Speyside single malts are known for their floral, fruity, and nutty flavors; the purity of flavor is thought to come from the area’s water, which reportedly has the lowest levels of mineral of any area in Scotland. While GlenAllachie is a powerhouse in the whisky world these days, it wasn’t always this way. It was founded during the Scotch boom of the late 1960s, when skyrocketing American demand for Scotch spawned dozens of distilleries across Scotland. GlenAllachie never quite became a household name; in fact, most of its whisky went to blends sold under another name. In 2017, GlenAllachie underwent a transformation at the hands of Master Distiller Billy Walker. Walker implemented several key changes to turn GlenAllachie into the acclaimed single malt distillery it is today: he reduced GlenAllechie’s runs by a factor of four; he extended fermentation to a full 160 hours -- about twice as long as American bourbon producers. The result is a truly exquisite spirit. Tasting Notes: This non-chill filtered whisky shows a viscous bronze maple-syrup like color. Its natural color is attributed to the aging of the whisky in ex-sherry casks (Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry to be precise). Aromas of honey, jasmine tea, chocolate ice cream, pound cake, and cardamom spice. On the palate, a soft and rich entry with hints of ginger, butterscotch, orange peel, dark chocolate and oak spice. A whisky perfect for the holidays, an approachable dram easy to enjoy.
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