Tastes

The story of Glenkinchie and its late – and now reborn – sister Rosebank is an interesting one. Rosebank was founded in the 18th century, just a few decades after its sister Glenkinchie. Both were in the Lowlands. At Rosebank, there was no beautiful scenery, as it was close to the Forth & Clyde canal. The flow of water in the canal was interrupted due to debris. Glenkinchie is still located today in the Kinchie Burn valley (hence Glen-Kinchie), a beautiful place, close to the charming village of Pencaitland. In 1914, Rosebank, Glenkinchie and three other distilleries in the region decided to found a commercial group called Scottish Malt Distillers, which was bought by the Distillers Company Limited in 1919 and which later became the giant Diageo. Legend has it that in 1993, Diageo decided to close one distillery in the Lowlands, to concentrate its investment in the other. Rosebank was considered the queen, as its whiskeys were among the best in Scotland. Those at Glenkinchie, however, were considered merely good. The logic would have been to close Glenkinchie, and Rosebank, but this distillery was on a viewless canal and Glenkinchie, in a postcard Scottish landscape. Furthermore, Glenkinchie was chosen for the Classic Malts of Scoland, Diageo's select group representative by region (it includes Talisker, Lagavulin and Oban, among others). Diageo also wanted to build a beautiful visitor center and on that subject, there was no discussion. Rosebank's fate was sealed by its appearance. Of course, there are other factors at play. Glenkinchie was better known, thanks to the Classic Malts group. Its productive capacity was also superior. Rosebank, in turn, despite the quality of its whiskeys, only played a supporting role. Glenkinchie 12 years old is a whiskey with a light and delicate body. The lightness is due to the size and bulb shape of its stills, which encourage reflux. Due to the sensorial characteristics, the educated guess is that the maturation is done in American oak that previously contained bourbon whiskey. This makes sense, if we consider that the other expression in its portfolio – the Glenkinchie Distiller’s Edition – is finished in ex-sherry European oak barrels, and is of the same age. It is a floral and slightly bitter whiskey, with a slightly sulfuric and short finish. Even though it is not a very complex and expensive malt for what it offers, it is easy to drink. Source: Cão Engarrafado.

Singletons are a group of expressions from different distilleries belonging to Diageo, whose labels are aimed at beginners in this heady world of single malts. In addition to Dufftown, they are part of the Glen Ord and Glendullan complex. As the name suggests, Singleton of Dufftown is produced at the Dufftown distillery in the city of the same name. Like that Adam Driver movie, where everything has the same name, but with less poetry and more alcohol. In that city, there are also well-known distilleries, such as Glenfiddich, Mortlach, Balvenie, Glendullan and Kininvie. The Dufftown distillery is one of the largest in production volume in Diageo's portfolio – second only to Caol Ila and the giant Roseisle. Despite this, less than 5% of its production is bottled as single malt. The remainder is used for blends, especially the well-known Bell’s. Sensorially, Singleton of Dufftown is a very simple, sweet single malt that appears under-aged. He is not aggressive – in fact, far from it. But also, there's not a lot of depth. Its flavor profile is designed to please, not surprise. The maturation of Singleton of Dufftown takes place in American oak ex-bourbon whiskey barrels, “with a high proportion of European oak barrels”. That last sentence is from the distillery itself – as exciting as it is vague. After all, what is the proportion? And what was inside these barrels before receiving the new-make or whiskey? In any case, if you are starting out in the world of single malts, and are looking for a safe and inexpensive bet, Singleton of Dufftown is your whiskey. Just don't look for anything new – it's a malt that offers an experience very similar to a standard premium blended scotch whiskey. But maybe that's not even a bad thing. SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN 12 YEARS Type: Single Malt Whiskey with defined age (12 years) Distillery: Dufftown Region: Speyside ABV: 40% Test results: Aroma: sweet, with honey, sugar, vanilla. Flavor: honey, almonds, malt, grains. Medium and sweet finish With water: Water highlights the grain base Source: Cão Engarrafado.

Outside of Brazil, Ballantine’s Bourbon Finish, interestingly, has an age printed on the label – seven years. Here, however, the brand preferred to launch it as a whiskey without a declared age. Which makes sense – the age statement in this case would just confuse the consumer more. The product is essentially different, and would not fit above or below the traditional Finest or 12 years. In fact, this is a natural path – when something is created and becomes desired, the tendency is for it to be reproduced until it becomes conventional. Which is not a bad thing – quite the opposite. It happens in the arts, in cinema, and also in whiskey. As was the case with the vaunted Extra-finish, or finishing. A technique developed almost simultaneously by two Scottish distilleries – Picasso and Braque whiskey – and which was quickly adopted by more than a dozen of them, until it also passed into blended whiskey. The “finalization” is as simple as it is genius. It is the technique of transferring an already matured whiskey to other barrels of a different nature from those of which it is composed, in order to accentuate a certain sensorial note, or add complexity*. Which is exactly what happens with Ballantine’s Bourbon Finish, launched in December 2020 here in Brazil. It is a young blended scotch whiskey, which is finished for an undeclared time in American oak barrels that previously contained bourbon whiskey. In the case of Ballantine’s Bourbon Finish, the whiskey is first “blended” and is then transferred to the finishing barrels, still with the alcohol content when removed from the barrel. Then, it is cut (diluted) and bottled. In the words of Luiz Eduardo Moraes, Head of Brown Spirits at Pernod-Ricard, “Ballantine’s master blender, Sandy Hyslop, carefully chose a selection of whiskeys that are individually matured before being blended for finishing in Bourbon barrels. This is a process that demands time, rigor and experimentation, resulting in a product with an incomparable flavor that will take the Scotch Whiskey proposition to new audiences.” The finishing technique, or “extra-finish” is different from the technique of combining different barrels. In this case, maturation occurs in parallel. So, for example, a portion matured in ex-sherry European oak barrels is combined with another portion, matured in ex-bourbon American oak, to compose the final product. At the end, however, the liquid is the same, and maturation does not occur in parallel, but in sequence. Then, the same liquid that was in a certain barrel is transferred to another – hence, it is called “finishing”. There are 2 curious points in Ballantine’s Bourbon Finish. The first is that the finishing technique is much more common in single malts – and extremely beneficial. Barrels don't all behave the same way. So, finishing allows an already matured malt, whose sharp edges have already been trimmed by barrel time, to gain sensorial complexity without losing balance – as different types of barrels take different times to reach sensorial balance between the new-make spirit and the maturation. In blends, however, the technique is more unusual. Even though it has gained popularity in recent years. The second is that Ballantine’s Bourbon Finish is finished in the same type of barrel that has already been used in the components of its blend. From Bourbon Whiskey. The idea here, in fact, is not to create a different flavor. But rather accentuate a sensorial characteristic that is already there. Increase the intensity, and don’t add anything new. The result is a blend that clearly draws on caramel, vanilla, honey and creme brulee. Ballantine’s Bourbon Finish is a young, light and sweet whiskey. There is a very apparent honey, caramel and vanilla theme – even more so than in Ballantine’s 12 Year Old. But, in this Bottled Dog's opinion, it goes beyond that. He is a perfect example that even sophisticated whiskey production techniques can be used to bring innovation even to more accessible labels. It is a demonstration that the consumer has evolved and the industry has evolved with it. BALLANTINE’S BOURBON FINISH Type: Blended Whiskey without stated age Brand: Ballantine’s Region: N/A ABV: 40% Test results: Aroma: futado, nuts, honey. Flavor: sweet, caramel, honey, vanilla, almonds. Sweet and floral, with a vanilla and caramel finish. Source: Cão Engarrafado.

This distillate is perhaps the most popular Irish whiskey and is sold on a large scale in several countries. The sensorial influence of the barrel on the final flavor of Jameson is expressive, and the drink has an amber color, very aromatic, with many spicy, citric and woody notes standing out. It is not as full-bodied in the mouth, which makes it easier to drink compared to other whiskeys such as Scotch and American. Integrated alcohol and medium persistence finish.

This edition of the popular Irish whiskey is finished in a barrel that was first used to store whiskey, and later, this same wooden container received Irish Pale Ale (not to be confused with Indian Pale Ale, as the acronyms are the same - IPA). After passing through the beer, the barrel receives the whiskey again. The sensorial influence of the barrel on the final flavor of Jameson is very small. Maybe add a little spice and a touch of citrus, but nothing too much.

Brazil and the United States have a bilateral treaty signed to recognize their emblematic spirits: Cachaça, Boubon and Teneessee Whiskey. This Jim Beam is best enjoyed pure, without ice. Taste slowly to better appreciate sensorially in the nose and mouth all the flavours. Amber color, aromatic, notes of caramel, toffee, vanilla, toasty, integrated alcohol, elegant, medium body, medium finish.

Brazil and the United States have a bilateral treaty signed to recognize their emblematic spirits: Cachaça, Boubon and Teneessee Whiskey. Jack Daniels is best enjoyed pure, without ice. Taste slowly to better appreciate sensorially in the nose and mouth all the flavours. Amber color, aromatic, notes of banana, vanilla and toffee, integrated alcohol, medium body, medium finish.