A rather classic result I would say. GlenDronach single casks, Karuizawa, old Strathisla, Port Ellen… they’ve all won gold medals before and we all know how great they can be.

Here’s the full line-up of gold medals:

• GlenDronach 39yo 1972/2011
  (49.9%, OB, Oloroso Butt, C# 712, 466 Bts.)
• Karuizawa 1981/2011
  (55.2%, OB, C#2634, Btl. 12/08/2011)
• GlenDronach 39yo 1972/2011
  (54.7%, OB for Taiwan, PX C#2033, 450 Bts.)
• Lochside 46yo 1965/2011 (52.3%, Adelphi, Limited, Blended Scotch Whisky, 499 Bts.)
• Strathisla 1970/2011
  (43%, G&M Licensed Bottling, 514 Bts.)
• Strathisla 1965/2011
  (48%, G&M for LMdW, 1st Fill Sherry, C#3473)
• Port Ellen 28yo 1982/2011
  (60%, Wilson & Morgan, C#2011, 534 Bts.)
• Glen Grant 59yo 1952
  (49.2%, G&M Book of Kells, C#1134)

Update: here’s the full jury report.

A few of my personal observations…

First, surprisingly, the most experienced tasters weren’t in the jury. I’m not sure what the effect has been and whether there has been an effect at all. Would be interesting to recalculate last year’s results without those three members. See below.

Second, I think the gold medals are all relatively unknown. I mean, they’re not part of the daily buzz and discussions I’ve seen on forums or blogs or among enthusiasts. Most of the things that everyone was raving about, haven’t even entered the awards. And some of the winners (including the GlenDronach) have been on the shelves for months with low interest (and now suddenly everyone will look for them). Just an observation.

Third, nice to see the same whisky enter twice (two bottles of Talisker 30yo). Great consistency for most tasters. Less so for PD and RM who almost invert each other’s scores… but excellent proof for the reliability of this competition.

Update: our friend Bastien did some recalculations and pointed out that last year’s awards would have been quite different without Serge, Johannes and Davin. Five out of 12 gold medals (Glenfarclas 40, Caperdonich 1972, Port Ellen PE2…) would have been degraded to silver. Karuizawa 1977 Noh would have been the overall winner with the GlenDronach in sixth place! Thanks again Bastien, this confirms our feeling that the preferences of the jury are a major element in any competition!

Around the end of 2008, when I started this blog, we witnessed the birth of The Whisky Agency and Malts of Scotland, two independent bottlers that have gained a lot of interest ever since. While growing up, they were also an important example and aid for several other, smaller bottlers that are working under their umbrella, so to speak.

This new situation lead to a number of questions that I kept hearing over and over again: who is behind all these labels? Are they related? Do they have the same quality? Why does every bottler suddenly releases a Glengoyne although Glengoyne isn’t normally selling to independent bottlers? How come shops and clubs seem to have no difficulty finding high quality casks? Etc. etc. It turns out there’s a certain hierarchy in the independent whisky market these days, more so than a couple of years back. I may have simplified a few things, or focused on our Benelux/German market, but I’m mostly trying to point out a certain mechanism here.

In case you’re interested, you can find the whole article on the Malt Maniacs website: The hierarchy of independent whisky releases. Feel free to comment here in case you want to add your thoughts and experiences.

• GlenDronach 1972/2010 (cask #700) for Taiwan
• Longmorn 1964/2010 G&M for LMdW (cask #1034)
• Macallan 1970/2010 G&M for LMdW (cask #10031)
• Karuizawa 1977/2010 Noh (No.1 Drinks – cask #4592)
• Karuizawa 1975/2010 for LMdW (cask #6736)
• Glengoyne 1972/2010 The Perfect Dram
• Kawasaki ‘Ichiro’s Choice’ 1981/2009 for LMdW
• Glenfarclas 40 yo OB
• Caperdonich 1972/2010 (Duncan Taylor cask #7420)
• Glen Scotia 1977/2010 (A.D. Rattray cask #985)
• Karuizawa 1976/2009 Noh (No.1 Drinks – cask 6719)
• Port Ellen PE2 (The Whisky Exchange)

Have a look at the full score card

Of 262 entries, 219 received a medal. Yes, I also find that a high percentage but remember that bottlers and distilleries are sending their “best of the best”.

The conclusions are remarkably similar to last year: GlenDronach came in first with one of its (already legendary) 1972 releases. Congratulations to them, it’s clear that they have some stunning 1970′s casks waiting to be bottled. Also, it’s obvious that Karuizawa (as well as other Japanese brands) is still very popular. Note that the new Karuizawa 1968 (review coming shortly) came in below a few 1970′s bottlings. La Maison du Whisky is still the king of proprietary independent releases.

Kudos to Glenfarclas for its 40yo! It’s not very common for a (large batch) standard bottling to get such a high score.

I’m glad I already picked up the Caperdonich 1972 by Duncan Taylor - by far the cheapest option in this list, which gives it the best quality / price ratio (as often with old Caperdonich).

Glen Grant from the beginning of the 1970’s can be outstanding. This one is 36 years old and bottled for the German Whisky Fair.

Glen Grant 36 yo 1972 (56,3%, Duncan Taylor 2009 for The Whisky Fair, sherry cask, 209 btl.)

Nose: an exotic fruit basket. Tangerine and kumquat followed by mango, fresh figs. Ripe gooseberries. Dried apricots. Superbly candied, with hints of honeysuckle. Whiffs of vanilla (crême patissiere). Not unlike a Bowmore from the late 1960’s. Very round and polished, but it’s not all fruity because there are subtle undertones of oak polish and coal smoke, even something that reminds me of gas. Mouth: still very fruity (lots of grapefruit now, tangerine, passion fruit, papaya). Much more wood than on the nose which gives it a drier, slightly bitter profile. Still really exotic. Cake with honey. Chocolate. Very refined sherry. Finish: medium length, on oak polish, tangerine and the lightest hint of mint.

Around € 150 at the time, but sold out soon after the publication of the Malt Maniacs Awards. Quite a lot of wood (not surprisingly) but very very good!

Score: 92/100

ps/ It’s safe to say all of the Malt Maniacs Gold medal winners are stunning whiskies (we didn’t think otherwise of course). This Glen Grant and the Yoichi are top of the bill for me, with the Yoichi being the nicest surprise. Also, these two turn out to be the cheapest of the pack. Woohoo!

It’s a 37 year-old, matured in an oloroso sherry butt.

GlenDronach 37 yo 1972 (53,3%, OB 2009 for LMdW, oloroso cask #705, 399 btl.)

Nose: pretty similar to the markethouse bottling. More red fruits (raspberry rather than blueberry / blackcurrant. Citrus as well (blood orange). Water brings out hints of exotic fruits (papaya, mango). Dark chocolate. Some toasted notes. Less oak polish than the OB. Less farmy notes, more the meaty kind of sherry. Ginger, pepper. The LMdW nose is great but compared directly with the OB, it is slightly less complex and less expressive. Mouth: still those very nice red fruits but they are almost drowned by big waves of resinous notes and mentholated oak. Chocolate coated oranges. Tobacco leaves. Getting  quite tannic and dry with a salty hint of liquorice. Finish: woody and dry but very rich with notes of tangerine and milk chocolate.

I guess 1972 already is a legendary year for GlenDronach, in the same way  BenRiach 1976 are all great. I prefer the original bottling though. Still available from La Maison du Whisky at around € 310.

Score: 89/100

Bunnahabhain 35 yo 1974
(56,6%, Adelphi 2009, sherry cask #4780, 200 btl.)

Nose: very meaty sherry. In fact, the first notes I got were of gravy with a “bouquet garni” (a classic mixture of herbs – rosemary and sage among others). Hints of mushrooms. Soy sauce. Quite peculiar but nice, and if you like old, slightly musty sherry, this is excellent. Prunes as well. Some chocolate coated marzipan. Mouth: rich and mouth-coating. Slightly prickly and mentholated at full strength. Cinnamon. Kirsch. Demerara sugar. Drying towards very dark chocolate and liquorice. Water brings out traces of smoke. Finish: long and slightly grapey. Very much on coffee and cocoa.

This Bunnahabhain is an impressive sherry bottling with various savoury and herbal notes on top of the usual deep fruity notes. Unique but rather expensive (€ 300),

Score: 91/100

This 18 Years old Yoichi 1991/2009 was matured in a virgin oak cask, which should make for a spicy dram.

Nikka Yoichi 1991 (58%, OB 2009 for La Maison du Whisky, new oak cask #129374, 453 btl.)

Nose: Houston, we have a winner! Really, just smell this and you’ll be instantly intrigued. Very waxy and honeyed, with floral notes as well as sweeter notes of peaches. Vanilla scented candles. Big big notes of honeydew melon! There’s also a woody side to it (sawdust), with spicy notes of cinnamon and ginger lemonade. Curiously farmy as well. Hints of leather armchairs. Mouth: rather hot at first and very spicy, with a peppery kick. The peat is more noticeable now, but not predominant at all. A touch of smoke. Salty undertones. Getting sweeter with nice hints of yellow raisins. Well balanced with the wood. Finish: long and warming. A round chocolate sweetness with tangerines and the lightest hint of peat.

Very complex and beautiful. It’s intense in different ways: the sweetness, the spiciness, the wood… they’re all very powerful and coated with gentle peat. Impressive. Around € 120.

Score: 92/100

This Hakushu 1989 single cask comes from a sherry butt, which is very rare (it’s probably the second single cask sherry release ever). It has a very dark, mahogany colour.

Hakushu 20 yo 1989 (62%, OB 2009 for The Whisky Exchange, sherry butt #9O 50021)

Nose: a bit restrained at first, but it opens up with big sherry notes of course. Excellent plums and raisins but also lovely fresh, sweet/sour notes of tangerines and bramble liqueur. Fragrant honey. Balanced wood influence: it’s certainly there but it never overpowers. Water brings out a hint of smoked wood. Mouth: hot and woody at cask strength but very rich. Spicy cake (some cinnamon and ginger). Plums again. Definitely from a clean sherry cask (why do the Japanese always seem to pick perfect casks?). The sandalwood gives it a dry and tannic edge, maybe even a few rubbery hints. Finish: quite long and smooth. Warming sherry with a sweet aftertaste.

A perfectly balanced sherry bomb – a Japanese Macallan, as it were. On the other hand, I still prefer the Longmorn 1969, which is just as sherried but less dry and more complex (although it’s older). This Hakushu 1989 is one of the Gold Medal winners that is still available from TWE (around € 200).

Score: 90/100

These releases won a Gold Award:

• Glen Grant 36yo 1972/2009 (56,3%, Duncan Taylor for The Whisky Fair)
• Karuizawa 1972/2008 (65%, cask #7290)
• GlenDronach 37yo 1972/2009 (53,3%, OB for LMdW, cask #705)
• Bunnahabhain 35yo 1974/2009 (56,6%, Adelphi)
• Yoichi 1991/2009 (58%, OB for LMdW, cask #129374)
• Hakushu 1989/2009 (62%, OB for TWE, cask #9O 50021)
• Macallan 1970/2009 (46%, G&M Speymalt for LMdW, cask #8326)

Some of them have already been reviewed here but I’ll fill in the missing pieces in the next couple of days. This promises to be a week with high scores!

There are 7 gold, 64 silver and almost a hundred bronze medals. The gold medals are 3 Japanese whiskies (well well), 3 old Speysiders and one old Islay malt. We’ll discuss it further as soon as we get the votes from the jury!

Some personal guesses: one of the BenRiach 1976‘s, the Karuizawa 1972 and a couple of the Malts of Scotland and Whisky Agency releases.

1 Dec update: indeed, the Karuizawa 1972 did receive the Non-Plus-Ultra Award with the BenRiach 1976 cask 3558 getting the Best Natural Cask Award. Too bad I forgot to place my bets with the bookmakers… The overall winner is the Glen Grant 36yo 1972 (Duncan Taylor for TWF) which received 91/100 and overtook many malts that are a lot more expensive. 

Other medals that we really support: Gold for the Macallan 1970 Speymalt, Silver for Ardbeg Corryvreckan, Amrut Fusion, Glengoyne 1973 by Malts of Scotland, Port Ellen PE1 (review coming soon), Bowmore Tempest and Lochside 1981 for LMdW among (many many) others. The complete score card is here, the list of award winners is here.

What should we conclude from this year’s results?

• Six out of seven Gold medals are won by (heavy) sherry bottlings
• Few remarkable scores for peated whisky (except for the awards in strictly peated categories of course – is this separate treatment still relevant by the way? Why is sherry not placed in specific categories?). Also, it should be noted that the best Islay releases are from independent bottlers
• Japanese distilleries (Karuizawa, Yoichi, Hakushu) and other countries (India’s Amrut and even France’s Glan Ar Mor) are responsable for a lot of high scores
• La Maison du Whisky is doing a great job selecting casks (3 Gold medals, 6 Silver and 3 Bronze)