For those of you that are interested in great whiskies (and who wouldn't be reading this forum
) Whiskey Advocate is releasing the results of their 21st annual whiskey awards right now. It's always fun to see what they pick even if most of it will remain a mystery to my palate.
Blog - Whisky Advocate
A few interesting picks so far are the Canadian, craft and American whiskies of the year:
Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye, 40%, $27
"is a glorious all-rye whisky and more than just another line extension. This whisky arrived with a rye-filled bang, loud enough to shake up the industry. For the first time in over a century, a mainstream brand has bottled an all rye-grain Canadian whisky. Finally, whisky lovers have been heard. With its robust, fruity spiciness, and limber balancing act befitting a chainsaw juggler, Canadian Club 100% Rye declares that when Canadian whisky is writ larger and louder, it remains Canadian whisky."
Too bad it's not available in the US yet. 27 bucks is a great deal. Also, having once talked to the master distiller of Whistle Pig Rye, which is also a 100% rye whiskey, it seems that making a 100% rye is a bit complicated because rye lacks certain enzymes needed for fermentation. That's why they usually add malted barley to provide those enzymes (so I've been told).
St. George Single Malt Lot 14, 43%, $80
"The St. George Spirits (Alameda, California) single malt releases have been on my short list for this award for the past three years, but this year’s stood out. The bottlings—the “Lots”— before were good, but I felt that they had integration problems; too much of one flavor, uneven transitions. The whiskeys that went into this Lot—eight different casks, 4 to 15 years old—don’t argue or mumble, they all sing in balanced choral harmony. There’s an overture, a beautiful middle section that recapitulates and enhances the overture, and a hauntingly teasing finale that brings it all to a circling completion."
It's nice to see single malts coming out of the US too. No reason the Scots should have a monopoly on the market. I have a small bottle of their absinthe which I bought to make the original cocktail, the sazerac. It is excellent too so I can imagine they do a great job with some of their other offerings.
Sazerac Rye 18 year old, 45%, $80
"There were many great American whiskeys released this year, including Booker’s 25th Anniversary release, Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, and George T. Stagg. However, the winner this year is Sazerac Rye 18 year old.
It’s not just because it’s a classic—I rated it a 95—but it’s also because of its consistently high quality, year after year. That, to me, is this year’s tie-breaker. Limited edition whiskeys change from year to year. Since Sazerac Rye 18 year old was first introduced in 2000, its quality has been stellar and unwavering."
Rye seems to be on fire of late. I haven't had this but I did get a bottle of it's little brother version, the 6 year old Sazerac rye (it was my "booby" prize for not getting to my local liquor store in time to get a bottle of the annual Van Winkle release). Very nice stuff and makes a great sazerac cocktail.
Here's the rest of the awards for those that want to be in the know:
December 5: Craft Whiskey of the Year
December 6: American Whiskey of the Year
December 7: Canadian Whisky of the Year
December 8: Irish Whiskey of the Year
December 9: Japanese Whisky of the Year
December 10: World Whisky of the Year
December 11: Blended/Blended Malt Whisky of the Year
December 12: Speyside Single Malt of the Year
December 13: Islay Single Malt of the Year
December 14: Highland/Islands Single Malt of the Year
December 15: Lowlands/Campbeltown Single Malt of the Year
December 16: Lifetime Achievement Awards
December 17: Distiller of the Year
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